Jul 19, 2010
Author: Alex Duckworth
Southern California, the Frendly Gathering, and Hollywood
Latres on the menjay, Venice. Off we went down the Pacific Coast Highway, dipping into each beach town. Every single one of them very different from the last. We had Encinitas on our minds. I went to school in Vermont with a bunch of cats who have been hanging there and can't stop raving about its perfection.
Encinitas
Yeah, we had arrived. Once we saw this horizon, we knew we'd be spending the bulk of our trip here. We spent a handful of nights camping on Cardiff Beach and then upgraded to the "Frends" side yard for another week. Encinitas is where we went pro boogie boarding, amongst other things – tanning, head-banging and eating Mexican food. Encinitas is the chill zone, as it were. Big ups to our boys Luke, Jack, Cole, Eric and Robbie. Much love.
Babe of the day. We got just as tanned as he is. Spent the whole trip looking for this kind of bikini bottom.
What? It's Mexican.
A big dilemma on this trip was Mexico: DO or DON'T? We were on the DO team all along; that was supposed to be the final destination. Just as we were ready to drive across the border in Tijuana, I got the sternest big sister scolding via telephone, forbidding me to drive into the drug war and risk, if not my entire being, my psychological sanity. Just after this phone call, a bird dumped on us. Was that some sort of bad omen? So we left the decision in a stranger's hands – a dude we met in the laundromat. DO or DON'T? This guy was a bad ass tatted up surfer bro who claimed he’d been driving down to Mexico every two months for the past ten years and said that not even he would cross over right now. Credible dude? I think so.
Instead, we decided to go clubbing in downtown San Diego! Same thing, right? This is a funny story. Once again, we headed south on the highway, cruising at a very comfortable pace. It only took about five miles before we started getting harassed by a tour bus megaphone with fifteen BMX bros behind the mic.
"Nova Scotia! Pull over! Get in our RV."
"NO! You get in our RV."
And sure enough one of them did. Yikes. We were essentially being held hostage by these guys because one of their men was horizontal in our trunk-bed and would need to be reunited with his brothers soon enough. This is where our night began. It was kind of perfect, really. It's a bit of a nightmare trying to navigate the downtown scene of a foreign city. It was their last night on tour so they were going big and well, so were we.
It all started in the RV, with a not so casual game of Cee-lo where we successfully took all of their money. Maybe not all, but definitely the ones and the fives. Next, we produced their photo shoot – directing poses and holding the flash. They were a boy band.
Here they are, the BMX boy band. Thanks for the money fellas. Oh yeah and Audrina's ex-boyfriend was there too (3rd from the right giving us the stink eye). He's an idiot.
Taryn nearly got married that night. She woke up with a wedding chapel search on her phone web browser. She's getting a visit from this guy in August - No Big Deal. Girl knows "How to Make a Man Fall in Love with Her." Ironically, that's the name of the only book we read to each other on the road. Best seller for sure………NAT.
Man of the hour, Mr. Wise. We'll be seeing more of these two. Stay tuned.
Later in the trip, we linked up with BMX pal, Mike Clark (the man) for an epic night of shark fishing in Huntington Beach. Moms, watch out for this guy! He only dates gals with offspring. He might even take you for a moonlight shark fish! Don't think he's scared to decapitate the buggers on site for the freshest sushi possible. This was a serious highlight. We even caught a stingray.
One of the smaller bites. Apparently you can catch six footers in this bay.
From there, we were off to the first annual Frendly Gathering in Crowley Lake, just 15 miles south of Mammoth Lakes.
This would be the first annual Gathering organized by the Frends crew, a pack of American studs that like to snowboard, in case you haven't heard (www.wearefrends.com). It just so happened that the Gathering fit perfectly into our strict itinerary. We were obviously going to be there.
It was a weekend camping trip meant to gather old and new friends—snowboarders and non-snowboarders. But I mean, who doesn't snowboard? People came from all over to be a part of these shenanigans. I know we were amongst dozens who drove seven hours from So-Cal. Mind you, we did it with no A/C, spending the whole ride sitting in a puddle of our sweat with the windows down and the music blaring. I don't think Taryn said one word to me the whole way. But once we arrived, it was nothing but good vibes. Fishing, cliff jumps, paddle boardin', four-wheelin', beer drinkin', gigglin' and a carload of Texans doesn't really begin to do this weekend justice. Nobody slept in past 6 am in the 100 degree temperature and people definitely weren't going to sleep before 3 am. That means three hours of sleep or in some of our cases, none at all. You'll have to make it to the 2nd annual to truly understand the essence of this Gathering.
And now, off to find the A-listers.
Hey Taryn, Wanna go to Hollywood? Let's get on the guest-list! Big surprise: We didn't get on the list. We paid full price for our tickets to Billabong's Design for Humanity party in the Paramount Pictures backlot. This was the coolest block party I'll ever attend. It's a celebration to benefit Invisible Children– a movement raising support to bring home Ugandan child soldiers. In fact, better to be off the list because you're contributing to a huge cause, with all proceeds going to this organization. Combine that with some serious art, babes in bikinis, DJ Fischerspooner, hip-hop gal Kid Sister, a Celtics victory, and sexy people everywhere you look. This party earned itself some honest street cred. Support the cause next year! Here's a glimpse:
These aren't actually brick buildings. Just some facades for movie sets. Not a bad venue, eh? This block became densely populated as the sun went down. See below.
Taryn and I, designing our night. Nice eyes, Duckworth.
After Hollywood, it was time to zone out in Nor-Cal where we spent the more relaxed segment of the trip. We continued on the Pacific Coast Highway, stopping in Santa Barbara, Big Sur and Santa Cruz. Here, we visited our friend C-Bass's mama/our main woman, Joanna. She loaned us her guesthouse in Bonny Doon—a lovely wine making community with stand-up humans. She and her pals have created a genius website that is about to take off called www.whatwouldmomsay.com. The name speaks for itself and it holds many nuggets of wisdom. Spread the word! Thank you, Joanna!
Pizza/Tennis Party at the guest house. It was a dream.
From there, we hit Portland for a couple nights and got to experience a Timbers game—Portland's Minor League soccer team—and boy, do they have loyal fans. We left there shouting at the other team, "You're going home in a Portland Ambulance." Oregonians don't seem to think it's too harsh. I fully support that.
Liza, Alex, Taryn and Katlyn. Just after losing the game...and our voices. Not embarrassing, really.
Wait. Was it over? We left on this trip with an open schedule, not knowing how long we'd last. By the time we headed North to Whistler, it had been a solid six weeks on the road. My car is broken now but that’s a fair trade off for all the tomfoolery in which we partook. Oh yeah, just for the record, this trip was more economical than staying put in Whistler. Food for thought: Try it next year? Yes, Man.
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