Cycle For The Sea- SF to Monterey

Route to come join us

2008-07-23T18:05:00.000-07:00

Cycle For the Sea 2008 Schedule

DAY 1:
Meet at Entrance to Panhandle (On Baker Between Oak and Fell) 10 am
0.00 Pan Handle
3.2 Great Highway
--------Pass Ocean Beach---------
6.5 Right Skyline @ Lake Merced
8.3 Daly City (@ top of the hill)
9.1 Right on West Ridge
Left On Skyline
11.8 left bottom of the hill
12.0 Right Palmetto (Pacifica)
12.5 Esplanade
13 Left West Avalon
13.1 Right Palmetto
14.1 Café Pacifica
14.5 Right at 7-11 (follow bike signs)
14.6 Right Francisco
Continue on Bradford past golf course
15.3 Left on Mori Park
15.4 Right on HWY 1 (bike path)
16.3 Right onto Bike Path (Rockaway Beach)
Up onto bike path through rolling dunes and hills
17.5 Stay to right, get on HWY 1 after Linda Mar beach
22.2 Montara State Beach
30.0 Bike Path
Arrive at Half Moon Bay State Beach
---------OVERNIGHT-------------------

DAY 2
10:00 AM Get on HWY 1 Bike Path
1.5 Left Pilaritos Bike Route
3.3 Stay on HWY 1 Path, follow signs, stay parallel to HWY 1
7.4 On Hwy 1
8.2 Big hill, down, then up
11.2 Flat section
36.7 Swanton’s Farm, Davenport: bike in discount- Strawberry
Shortcake!

48.0 Santa Cruz Proper
49.2 Right on Swift
Left on Ingalls
49.3 Arrive Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery Tap Room, 402 Ingalls St. #27, Santa Cruz, 95060
----------Organic Beer Tasting--------
Left Swift
50 Left West Cliff
52.1 Continue on Beach St.
Pass Boardwalk, Over Train Trestle
52.8 Left on East Cliff Drive/San Lorenzo Blvd
53.1 Right Ocean Street
54.9 Right Water ST.
55.2 Staff of Life to pick up food for dinner on Water Street
Head Back on WAter
55.5 Right on Market St.
Continue on Branciforte Drive
57.3 Left on Mystery Spot Road
58.5 Arrive at Nina, Sibley, and Tim’s Fantastic off-grid solar powered magic village in the redwoods.
------Barbecue, cook food, play guitars, and crash out.-------------------

Day 3:
Down hill from Tim’s house to Santa Cruz proper, weeee,
Right on Water, go to Peet’s downtown
Get back onto Water
4.3Right on Seabright Left on Murray (past harbor)
3.8 Becomes Eaton St and Pacific Coast Bike Route
7.0 Right on 7th at Chipotle
8.2 Right on Johan’s Beach Drive
9.8 Right on Opal Cliff
10.8 Right on Portola
12.0 Left on Montzeg
12.2 Right at Park—go through Eucalyptus Grove
14.2 Right into State Park
14.3 Left through state Park
14.7 Continue to Seascape Blvd.
15.8 Right on San Andreas (All of this is in the park, distance may not be fully accurate)
16.5 Left at Beach
16.6 Right on Thurwacher
Arrive Watsonville—back roads (follow bike signs)
17.5 Right at Trafton
17.7 Left on Bluff
19.6 Left on Jenson
20.4 Right on Cabrillo/Highway 1
25.6 Right on Molera Road
29.3 Right on Monte Road
31.0 Stay to the left onto Del Monte Road
34.6 Hit the Bike Path
44.6 End in Monterey and Camp

Day 4: Easy day, 17 Mile Drive Loop
1.1 left on Prescott Avenue
1.2 continue on Prescott Lane
1.7 Right on Forest Avenue
1.9 Left on Sunset
3.4 Left on 17 mile drive
20.4 return back to Monterey, pack up, head home

Green Spot Party in Pacific Grove

2008-07-18T15:34:00.000-07:00

The Monterey Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation is throwing a party for Cycle For The Sea!

Come join us:

7:30 pm Saturday night (July 26th)
@ The Green Spot (Forest and Pine) in Pacific Grove.

They'll provide the BBQ, beer, a band, surf movies, and the rowdiest and greenest group in PG, but you have to BYO-mugs-plates-utensils.

Also joining us will be Wheeled Migration, a group of cyclists engaging in a "sustainability convention on wheels." They are riding down from Chico, and just so happen to be in town on Saturday.

Surfrider Foundation Projects

2008-07-13T14:40:00.000-07:00

The goal of Cycle For The Sea is benefit the Surfrider Foundation and the various ways they take action to protect and preserve our beaches. Each coastal area has its own chapter devoted to helping their specific stretch of the beach.

Check out some of the great projects Surfrider chapters are doing and hey, maybe even get involved with a project that's both close to your home and to your heart.

San Francisco Chapter:

Climate Change/Carbon Footprint Reduction Projects:

-Plant Don't Pave

-Future Sea Levels Project

San Mateo County Chapter:

Clean Water Projects:

-Water quality monitoring program

-Watershed Workshops (youth hands-on educational experience)

Santa Cruz Chapter:

Clean Water/Carbon Footprint Reduction Projects:

-Wipe Out Plastic Takeout Campaign

-Water Quality Monitoring Program

Monterey Chapter:

Clean Water/Carbon Footprint Reduction Projects:

-Rise Above Plastics

Donate to the Surfrider Foundation!

And type in "Cycle For The Sea" and name a specific chapter in the 'Specific Cause' field so they know that Cycle For The Sea backs their work!

Surfrider Membership:

The Surfrider Foundation takes action on a chapter level, so select a particular chapter to join. Choose the closest chapter to you in order to receive information relevant to your region, such as campaigns, get-togethers, and beach cleanups.

New Jersey Woman Paddles for the Sea

2008-06-26T15:48:00.001-07:00

We're not the only ones using our favorite form of recreation to raise awareness about the ocean.

On June 30th, Margo Pellegrino will paddle from New Jersey to Washington DC to deliver a message to congress—help our endangered oceans. Pellegrino hopes her 500- mile paddle will help garner support for Oceans 21 , a federal bill that will give our oceans the attention and money they deserve.

Last year, Pellegrino paddled an incredible 2,000 miles in her outrigger canoe to promote the Surfrider Foundation. Her trip began in Miami, Florida and ended in Camden, Maine. Cycle for the Sea applauds our fellow ocean lover for her stewardship. See her site at http://www.miami2maine.com/

Goodbye, Salsipuedes

2008-04-24T23:51:00.000-07:00

photo by Carly Smolak

Oh, my home away from home.
My refuge only a tank or two of gas away.
When things were going down in life, I always knew I could go there to get centered again.

Salsipuedes, the beloved cliffy, dusty camping spot in Northern Baja, home to one of our favorite A-frames, is now guarded with machine guns. No camping, no surfing. No letting my dog out of the car at the entrance and racing down the bumpy washed out dirt road to the camping spots overlooking the ocean.

2,680 residences are slated in the development plans.
I couldn't help but cry a little bit.
I am grateful for all of the memories.

photo by Carly Smolak

Gray Whale!

2008-04-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

I have seen my share of dolphins, seals, sea lions, and sea otters while in the water. I have paddled through schools of sardines, above sting rays and reef sharks, watched my fingers leave trails of glowing phosphorescence. I have waited for sets in the midst of a monarch butterfly migration blown over the ocean by the easterly Santa Ana winds in San Diego.

But I have never seen a whale before. Sunday, surfing out at South Ocean Beach in San Francisco, I saw my first whale, what I perceived to be a gray whale meandering north and gently arcing to the surface as it passed. Add it to the list of the time stopping beauty we experience in the water.

Click here for some SF specific whale related warm fuzzies.

Times Have Changed: Fish Need Bicycles

2008-04-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

So, many of you may be wondering, why do surfers care about carbon? Why would someone who identifies as a surfer jump on a bike to help save the ocean?

People: THE OCEAN NEEDS OUR BICYCLES.

"Our oceans are the ultimate repository of nearly all environmental damage. Mismanaged forests, petroleum based agriculture, poorly designed waste water systems, climate change, and industrial waste all wreak havoc on our oceans. When forests are clear cut, streams and rivers become silted. This chokes downstream wetlands and reefs, disrupts fish lifecycles (like salmon), and the sediment ends up as deposits at river mouths that compromise some of our most treasured surf spots. Agricultural pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers all end up in our coastal waters, along with untreated sewage and urban runoff. And as we heat the earth through our exorbitant consumption for fossil fuels, we heat the atmosphere and ocean. We are melting polar ice caps, disrupting the climate stabilizing ocean conveyer belt, and killing coral reefs and damaging the multitude of marine species that inhabit them." (from a previous post)

There has always been a contingent of environmental activists in the surfing community, and there are a number of surf-inspired environmental groups such as The Surfrider Foundation, Pack Your Trash, and Greensurf. And there are an increasing number of environmentally friendly outdoor/surf apparel companies springing up, many inspired by the entrepreneurial activist and pioneering Patagonia founder Yvonne Chouinard.

What started as a desire to save our favorite surf spots for our own enjoyment is quickly expanding into a larger environmental ethic as we begin to understand the interconnectedness of all environmental degradation. Now, we are no longer only concerned with protecting coastal areas from over-development and urban runoff; we are starting to look inward at the toxic lifecycle of our consumption of surfing equipment; and we are starting to look at the global picture and understanding that what affects equatorial rainforests affects coral reefs, and things that are happening half way around the world are hitting our home breaks.

It is not about science anymore, it is about education, understanding, and action. As surfers, as cyclists, it is both in our selfish and selfless interests that we take an activist stance on the environment. Our passions, our economic well being, our health, the health of our global neighbors and our future generations depend on us.

So, where do we start? It is simple: with our consumption. Consumption equals carbon in our carbon based global economy, and carbon translates into global warming which threatens our beaches and way of life. Check out The Story of Stuff to gain a little insight into how much time and energy we put into stuff of which 85% ends up in landfills within three months. Here are three simple measures (among many) you can take to reduce your impact on the environment and help stop global warming.

1:
Reduce Carbon On Your Way to the Break. Get a bike and leave the car at home! Cycling or taking public transportation to work will save you gas, money, and help work in a little exercise into your daily routine. Inevitably, we all start an engine at some point to get to some of our favorite surf breaks. But rigging up a bicycle with a surf rack can make your trip to your local spot carbon free. And if you are going to drive, bring a friend along (not just your dog) and cut your per capita emissions in half for the trip. If you really want to get into it, you can carbon offset your trips to the beach (or for your entire lifestyle) by estimating your total trip mileage and the fuel economy of your vehicle. It is inexpensive (less than the price of a tank of gas to offset a year's worth of carbon emissions), and takes about five minutes of your time.

2:
Buy Organic. Support a food system that does not dump petroleum based fertilizers into the water shed that cause the toxic algal blooms that close down beaches. We are particularly sensitive to agricultural runoff along the Northern and Central California coast where there is a heavy concentration of agricultural lands adjacent to beach areas. Buying organically grown food tastes better, is better for your body, and better for both terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

3:
Buy Used Goods, and Buy Local if you are going to buy new. Buying second hand, often classicly designed equipment (check out Rerip for surf, skate and snow equipment or your local craigslist) is an artful and inspired way to honor our sports while reducing our ecological footprint. Buying used Clark foam boards is arguably better than buying new EPS boards because no energy or new materials were sourced in the construction of used equipment. Same goes for bicycles; buying a used carbon or titanium bicycle (two very toxic materials to source and manufacture new) is a better choice than buying a new steel frame (the most environmentally friendly and many believe the most comfortable frame material).

And if you are going to buy new, buy from a local shaper or bicycle builder that has an intimate understanding of the local breaks and terrain, and ideally uses sustainable materials. Support the local heritage of your sport, and reduce the amount of carbon emitted in shipping and transporting the equipment from the factory to your home.

Cycle For The Sea Is Born

2008-03-22T15:22:00.000-07:00

Have you ever tried to find a charity bike ride on the west coast to benefit an environmental cause? I did, and I was shocked that I could not find one. As an MBA student at Presidio School of Management in San Francisco, I was faced with an assignment in a communication class to incite people to action around sustainability through the use of language. We were allowed to pursue a project of our choosing as long as the following requirements were met:

1. Present a proposal and schedule.
2. Include measurable concrete results
3. Changing the minds of people
4. Enroll people and move to actions

A classmate of mine had the fabulous idea of leveraging this project to aid his fundraising for the AIDS Lifecycle Ride in 2008 . What a blast that would be! I tried to sign up, but much to my disappointment, it was too late. My heart sank. Then I decided to look for other long distance bicycle rides with some type of fundraising component. While there are several charitable rides throughout the country that benefit really important causes, I could not find any conservation or environmentally oriented multi-day bike rides on the west coast (please, if anyone knows of any, let me know!).

So I decided to start my own.

I am an avid surfer and a cyclist. I know that our oceans are the ultimate repository of nearly all environmental damage. Mismanaged forests, petroleum based agriculture, poorly designed waste water systems, climate change, and industrial waste all wreak havoc on our oceans. When forests are clear cut, streams and rivers become silted. This chokes downstream wetlands and reefs, disrupts fish lifecycles (like salmon), and the sediment ends up as deposits at river mouths that compromise some of our most treasured surf spots. Agricultural pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers all end up in our coastal waters, along with untreated sewage and urban runoff. And as we heat the earth through our exorbitant consumption for fossil fuels, we heat the atmosphere and ocean. We are melting polar ice caps, disrupting the climate stabilizing ocean conveyer belt, and killing coral reefs and the multitude of marine species that inhabit them.

I believe that the only way to really understand and feel a place is by running, walking, hiking, paddling, swimming, cycling, or surfing it. You have to be out in the air, powering yourself to understand the grade of a hill and the force of a wind. You have to be going slow enough to be able to notice the details and nuances in which the spirit of a place lives.

It makes sense to me, then, to ride a bicycle along the Pacific Coast to feel both the beauty and the devastation of our precious Pacific coastal ecosystems- both arboreal and marine- to raise money for ocean conservation efforts and awareness about carbon emissions and consumption habits that are damaging these places. Proceeds will benefit ocean conservation, the specific details are in the works. Stay tuned!

This is an open invitation. Please, join Cycle For The Sea on this first inaugural ride along the Pacific Coast in July. **More details soon to follow.**

Stay tuned for the finalized dates and route. Email smotrouble@gmail.com with any inquiries.