Feeling the Oregon Love

July 26, 2010

Mike leading the pack.

All of the Surf Oregonians stepped off of their planes and into adventure. The first thing they did when they left the airport was drive to the coast. On the way to their first campsite, they stopped and got to see Cannon Beach, one of Oregon’s most beautiful attractions (and also where the movie The Goonies was filmed).  From there, they headed to their campsite for some tasty burritos, and introductory conversations.  This morning, the group woke up at 6:30am when wakeup time was 7:00! They all said it felt like 9:30 so it was no biggie (lets hear them say that tomorrow!). They had some breakfast and then headed a little further down the coast to a place called Cascade Head. As leader of the day, Mike led the group on a hike all the way up to the top, and the views along the way were spectacular.  From the Salmon Rivermouth that meets the Pacific Ocean to the temperate rainforest that they were moving through, these guys and gals are getting a great taste for Oregon’s beauty already and they have only been here for 1 day. Tonight they are going to eat some pesto pasta and most certainly be hitting the sleeping bags early.  Needless to say, they are pumped about the biking that they are diving into tomorrow.

Charging the Oregon Coast

July 31, 2010

On Tuesday, The group headed to the bike shop and got fitted for helmets and bikes.  The ride on the first day was a great warm-up for things to come.  With a great breakfast in their stomach’s they hit the trail to the Yaquina Head lighthouse.  This lighthouse is a historic educational lighthouse that comes complete with a walk-through.  The kids got the chance to enter the lighthouse, and see where the keeper lived back when one was needed.  They even got to climb the stairs and learn about how the lights work.  They ate some lunch and headed back to the shop. “Piece of cake” and “bring it on” were some of the comments I heard about their bike that day. 

The biking ended early in the day, so they had the whole afternoon to hang out and goof around with new friends.  Their trip leader Matt brought a slack line, and it was the hit of the afternoon.  A slack line is essentially a low tight rope that you string between two trees.  The object is to walk on it for as long as you can.  It is extremely challenging, and as the kids found out, it is also extremely addicting.  Once you get on and try its very hard to walk away.  After some slack line, games, and dinner, the group had their second Group and then went to bed. 

Wednesday was their second day of biking, and proved to be a little bit more challenging.  This ride involved 14 miles of up and down single track mountain bike riding that tested and built each rider’s endurance and skill.  Single track refers to a trail that is only wide enough for one rider to go through at a time, meaning that they had to ride in a single file line. They came out of this day a little bit more tired, but extremely excited for Thursday’s ride.  That night, they built a fire and joked and laughed, and lets just say this group has a tremendous ability to pass gas (which always gets a good laugh).  This group is looking great, and they are ready for anything.

Thursday’s ride was the stuff of legend.  Basically, the trip gets driven up the side of a mountain, and dropped off 5 miles up.  They bike up another mile and then turn onto a trail that is a 6-mile downhill AWESOME-ATHON.  It is a long and challenging ride altogether, but it’s insanely fun, and everyone had a great time.   

Yesterday, they traveled to their new campsite and did a great day hike. After everyone got a chance to call home, they got to check out the sand dunes that they would be boarding on today. Today, Henry goes home for his hurt wrist from biking.  Everyone is bummed to see him go! We will miss you Henry!!  For now, the group presses on with their next activity sandboarding, and I’m sure they will have some awesome stories of speed and jumps.

Oregon Shmoregon. We're here to rip.

August 7, 2010

Last we left off, the group was getting ready to sandboard.  When they first started, they tested the sands and figured out how to get down the dunes.  As the day progressed, they grew more and more confident in their new skills, and let loose and had some fun.  Some of them even hiked to the back bowls and built jumps! A quick stop for lunch, and they were ready to go at it again.  They built a jump into the lake, and started landing some awesome tricks.  They continued to cheer each other on, and they progressively got better throughout the day.  Sandboarding. Check.

The next day was a leisurely day spent traveling, and walking on the beach.  They got to check out the spot that they would be surfing, and also got to see the Devil’s Punchbowl from the top.  On Monday, the group headed to the surf shop to get boards and wetsuits.  From there, they drove right to the beach and got right into surfing mode.  They met the legendary Paul Hansen, their surf instructor, and got some quick instruction on the beach.  As soon as Paul laid out the rules, everyone charged the water. They did very well for their first day.  After some wabbles and falls, everyone seemed to step up their surfing.   By the end of the day, everyone stood up, and was having a blast. 

Day two of surfing was a continuation of the first.  They hopped in the water in the morning, took a quick break for lunch, and headed back in for the afternoon. Paul helped them reflect on the importance of enjoying the time that they had in the ocean. He also taught them all about currents, swell, and wind, and how all of those things affect the surf.  We now have 13 new surf meteorologists.  On Wednesday, the group did a morning surf, and then headed to the Devil’s Punchbowl to do some tide pooling and a beach cleanup.  During their time cleaning the beach, they got a chance to get up close to a bunch of seals that were sun bathing on the rocks.  One their last day of surfing, Brett, Andrew, Harley, Tommy, and Luke were still in the water catching as many waves as they could.  There was even a point where Luke asked to extend the time that they had left in the water.  These guys are true water dogs, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they come home asking for surfboards!

Yesterday was a travel day.  The group drove from the coast up to beautiful Mount Hood.  On their way, they stopped for lunch at Multnomah Falls, and got to see a bunch of gorgeous waterfalls along the Columbia River Gorge.  It was a much-needed chance to stretch their legs and get some fresh air.  After the drive, they set up camp and got a few holes of Frisbee golf in before it was dinnertime.  With full bellies, they headed to bed early for an early morning today.  Everyone moved faster than expected to get to the mountain despite the 6am wake-up this morning! Looks like they are still hitting Oregon with full force!

PHOTOS! Check out here: 

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