Expedition Portal has just published a great article on cycle touring the Philipines with photos by Justin Coffey–who also contributed the surf photos and videos for this site. I first saw Justin’s photos on his surfing blog (highly recommended, especially any of the videos) and learned that we surfed some of the same beaches. I was the kook getting thrashed; he was the guy everyone wanted to be.
He also turned me on to this amazing subculture of folks who bike to surf; I don’t ride, but I’ve struck up conversations with these guys whenever I meet them. I even met one of my neighbors this way–walked up to a guy napping beside his board and bike at Cape Flattery; turns out he lived a few doors down from me in Seattle but we’d never met.
Justin writes about taking the time to get good at something–at noseriding–and the changes he’s made in is life to be able to do that. It’s good stuff even if you’re not into surfing. And it gets at the waiting (and the cold) that is so much a part of surfing, especially in the Pacific Northwest. A great antidote to the media’s stock depiction of surfing as something effortless and spontaneous, all shorts, sunshine, and bare feet.
“Nothing easy is worth the wage” – Justin.
If you’re new to Expedition Portal, just look away now. It’s a amazing collection of travel stories and gear for hard core overlanding. The gear reviews are my secret shame and I can get lost there for hours at a time. Oh, and the vehicles for sale section is insane and will make men of a certain age feel profoundly inadequate. Don’t even look.
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