May 4th, 2009

On the Road: Santa Cruz

A surfer enters the water at Pleasure Point

Freelancing has its advantages, one of which is the ability to travel and live in places that you wouldn’t normally have access to while working a typical office job. Currently 2 Out of Three is half way through a two month stint in Santa Cruz. And when we’re not banging away on our laptop at the local coffee shop, the mountains, ocean, and town of Santa Cruz provide eye catching scenery to take a few photos. Below are a few of the best shots from the month, and be sure to check out the rest of April’s Santa Cruz pictures at Flickr [along with commentary].

From what I could see the black and white on the nose of this board was actually tape, not paint. Either way this board is super photogenic.
The crowd is always a factor at Pleasure Point. They pack tight around the best peaks and jockey for position. You've got to be aggressive to get the best waves. Here's a moment of tranquility between sets.
He was cheated out of the gold by the Russian judge who only gave him a score of 8.5 on the landing.
This shot is one of my favorites from the month. It gives you the perspective of peaking around the corner and finding an unexpected gem. At Pleasure Point there always seems to be someone surfing further up the point then you are.
The mountain biking in the Santa Cruz mountains is great. Flowing ridge line trails, steep downhills, and the occasional bridge crossing.
To get to this bridge I parked on Hwy 9 and hiked a half mile down the train tracks. After looking around for an oncoming train I crossed safely. I expect to be half way across the bridge when the train would come barreling down the tracks at me and I'd have to sprint to safety. I'm almost disappointed I missed out on my chance to reenact a scene from Stand By Me.
My preferred mode of transportation in Santa Cruz is the bicycle. And this is my trusty beach cruiser. Rusty fenders, swirly seat, soft breaks none of it bothers me, this thing gets me from place to place and I have fun on it.
The Fall Creek portion of Henry Cowell State Park is full of little streams that crawl over, under, and around numerous fallen redwood trees.
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3 people have an opinion, do you?
  1. posted by Yasha Wallin on May 5, 2009 at 8:29 am

    So pretty. I forgot what nature looked like.

  2. posted by bryan on May 5, 2009 at 2:35 pm

    cool shots of the guy crossing the trestle and of the creek with the redwoods. makes me wanna come be a bohemian bum in santa cruz too.

  3. posted by Robin on May 14, 2009 at 8:33 pm

    what a great eye you have…
    enjoy your moments!

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