Patagonia founder, Dam buster, and mountaineer, Yvon Chounard talks about adventure, not as just a trip or journey but as being something that happens when everything goes wrong on the journey. 14 years ago, I took a life changing trip deep into the Mexican Baja desert for a surf trip, that easily qualifies as Adventure in Yvon’s viewpoint. Seized engines, transvestite prostitutes, nearly severed tendons, running out of money, and oh yeah, epic surf. And that was just one week!
That one trip spawned a love affair with the thousand mile stretch of rugged, untamed Old California that still exists today. Since moving back to San Diego, I’ve been itching to get back down and do a little surf trip. I finally got the opportunity to escape for a week, and with a good solid Southern-Hemi on it’s way, I set my sites on the Southern exposed Scorpion Bay.
I just acquired a new Zeiss Ikon camera, and thought it was the perfect time to test it out and give it its due. So I grabbed 4 rolls of Tri-X B+W film, 3 surfboards, my laptop, and followed the compass South. This trip down was pretty uneventful. The North road down to Scorpion Bay used to eat vehicles for lunch, but was pretty smooth driving (as far as Baja roads go). And some of the sections are actually being paved. While I had about 4 days of great waist to shoulder high waves, the swell I was expecting got blown out by a big low pressure coming across the peninsula. I figured I would head back, and catch some of the swell further North, but I did get stuck a couple times by massive amounts of rain fall shutting down the highway.
In Yvon’s words, it wasn’t a true adventure, but there were some exciting moments. And now, I’ll shut up, and let you enjoy some photos. Please let me know what you think.
Great pics, love that you’re heading down and gettin’ after it!
those are some epic b&w shots
That’s amazing! I am so jealous, this looks awesome! Makes me a little sad to be stuck in the midwest 🙁