Travel Galleries

2012 California :

2012 California

Updated: Jan 02, 2013 6:48pm PST

2012 Yosemite Valley//El Capitan :

2012 Yosemite Valley//El Capitan

Updated: Oct 22, 2012 8:48pm PST

2012 Las Flores, El Salvador : Macho Beach Noseriders head to Las Flores, El Salvador. After 7 years it was great to get back to the resort. This is the best surf destination I have visited. The wave is consistent and mechanical (if not more crowded than years past.) On top of that, the hotel is money; really all you can ask for on a surf trip. Yepe, a local legend and friend of the resort, has a board repair station tucked under a shady almond tree at the edge of the beach. He noticed the delapidated condition of my once retired longboard and asked if I wanted it fixed. I obliged and he took it under his arm and set off to work. As he went about stripping my wax and patching my dings, we sat trading rounds of $1 beers while watching the point and passing the time. My board hasn't looked better in years.....since maybe the last time I surfed Las Flores. As it turned out, our best times, besides when we were weaving down the point, were spent under this tree....talking story and drinking beers with Predator, Yepe, Antonio, Antonia, Chepe, Vladamir and, of course, the Chupacabra. A short trip outside of the resort walls revealed the true feeling of this coastal El Salvadorian town. It was a short four day trip that saw the swell rise each day. The bombs from day one were the insiders on day two and so on. By day four, I was pushed to the limits of what I could handle on my trusted Takayama 9'0 and got a severe thrashing on the afternoon paddle out. Its tough to resign yourself to the fact that the conditions exceed your ability, but I was happy to have my camera and document what our local friends called "the best south of the year so far." The surf photos at the beginning of this gallery were taken by Chepe, a local photographer who shoots from a panga positioned on the inside. Thanks heaps. For us, as a group of aging east coasters from Folly Beach, its as much about getting a few days to unplug as it as about being the best surfer on the point. Having said that, each of us had our moments in the lined up walls of Las Flores that we won't soon forget. There is just something about that magic moment at this wave...when you catch it...and you know its good....its lined up for 300 yards...and all you have to do is fade off the bottom and outrun the monster. Yew! Cheers to Mike, Matty and Chaz for another great trip. It will be tough not to book a return trip, despite our desire to surf different waves and experience different places. It was money in 2005. It was even better in 2012. Macho Beach! www.lasfloresresort.com

2012 Las Flores, El Salvador

Macho Beach Noseriders head to Las Flores, El Salvador. After 7 years ...

Updated: Jul 14, 2012 9:22pm PST

2008 Pavones "The Drive" :

2008 Pavones "The Drive"

Updated: May 18, 2012 8:50pm PST

2007 Pura Vida No Pro :

2007 Pura Vida No Pro

Updated: Jan 11, 2012 6:39pm PST

2005 Australia :

2005 Australia

Updated: Dec 21, 2011 7:08pm PST

2011 Pura Vida No Pro :

2011 Pura Vida No Pro

Updated: Nov 27, 2011 4:59pm PST

2011 Lake St. Claire, Winchester Virginia. :

2011 Lake St. Claire, Winchester Virginia.

Updated: Jul 02, 2011 4:28pm PST

"Change Agent" Production Shots : On the heels of Outdoor Retailer I headed to from Utah to Colorado to begin the production of my first TV pilot. The working title of the show is "Change Agent." Our host is the energetic and charasmatic Timmy Oneill, an outdoor adventure legend known for his exploits and accomplishments in the Yosemite Valley. (Google Timmy Oneill El Capitan). The show profiles adventure athletes who give back through outdoor recreation. Our first profile was of long time friend Brad Ludden. Brad is a professional kayaker who started an adventure therapy camp called First Descents a few years back. This camp works with kids 15-25 who are battling cancer. Its an amazing group that is making a real impact for people struggling with one of life's toughest challenges. We were in Vail getting ready for the shoot for a couple of days. Once we got started it was a full schedule. Day one was running around the Village doing a town profile. (The outtakes from this day will likely turn into an impressive web short....thanks to Shelley at VVF and Katie at Peeples Ink for the hospitality.) Day two found us up at the W7 Ranch wtih Brad and the campers. It was a powerful and inspiring day that put each of our lives in perspective. On day three we floated a section of Shoshone River with Brad, Timmy and First Descents alum Thatcher Bean. It was awesome to see these guys in their element, ripping through Class III and Class IV whitewater like its their job (wait.......it is their job.) Big thanks to Andrew Kornylack and Sharif Hassan from www.akornphoto.com for their work on the production. Big thanks to Mike and Amy Ray for support with the shoot. Finally big thanks to Timmy and Brad for helping me make this happen. Cross your fingers that the show gets picked up. Its our hope to use this media platform as a way to raise funds and awareness for some important organizations.

"Change Agent" Production Shots

On the heels of Outdoor Retailer I headed to from Utah to Colorado to ...

Updated: May 19, 2011 9:49am PST

Daytona 500 2011 :

Daytona 500 2011

Updated: Feb 27, 2011 9:05am PST

Leadville 100 :

Leadville 100

Updated: Jan 07, 2011 7:41am PST

San Diego to Los Angeles 2008 :

San Diego to Los Angeles 2008

Updated: Dec 23, 2010 7:04pm PST

New York 2008 :

New York 2008

Updated: Dec 08, 2010 4:17pm PST

St Augustine 2009 :

St Augustine 2009

Updated: Dec 05, 2010 9:02pm PST

Pura Vida No Pro 2009 : The Pura Vida No Pro has been a big part of my Costa Rican travel experience. For the past 10 years we have been mentoring at risk youth from the inner city of San Jose though a one day surf clinic on the beaches of Estirillos. The volunteers have become a tight knit group who get together each year to share time with these great kids. Its is all about waves, sunshine, cold beers, giving back, palm trees and good vibes. 2010 will be the second time I will have to miss the event.....both times are due to Cassie being too pregnant for me to travel so I have good reason. Here are some select shots from 2009.

Pura Vida No Pro 2009

The Pura Vida No Pro has been a big part of my Costa Rican travel expe ...

Updated: Aug 31, 2010 9:58am PST

El Salvador 2010 : MIke and I each got an email touting a significant south swell heading to Central America. Like most times when these emails come through we discussed how awesome it would be to grab a last minute ticket and chase the swell. On a whim Mike checked ticket prices to Nicaragua, Costa Rica and El Salvador. Surprisingly the next day airfare to San Salvador was manageable and the idea got legs. The next obstacle was pitching the wives. We both have awesome women in our lives and we'll leave it at that. The trip came down to missing two days of work. With a couple of tweaks, a few PTO hours and faith in our peers at our respective places of work we pulled the trigger and bought our tickets. It was Saturday at 5:30pm. Our flight was for Sunday at 6:00 am. Everything was rainbows and gumdrops until we got to Miami International Airport. That place sucks; straight up. We get a call that our flight is cancelled. They try to put us on Taca. Taca bounces us. Our boards are in limbo between two airlines (which happen to be on other sides of the ginormous (sp) terminal) and we are told that we have a 24 hour layover. Could be worse. We are in Miami. Hotel. Golf Course. Rented Clubs. 90. Ocean Blvd. Red Bull Vodka, Tight pants. Airport. Our boards never showed up but we had an epic 3 day run through El Salvador. We stayed at Casa del Mar, Playa Sunzal just outside of La Libertad for a quick two night three day surgical strike. Waves were great. Sunzal was big on the sets and proved to be a great challenge. The drops were steep on the big boards......the tapering wall on my last wave is burned in my gourd. On top of that the people were nice. Casa del Mar has sick service. Daniel styled us with boards and we never missed a beat. He even gave me a towel and a bottle of water every time I came through the gate from a session. The team hooked us up each morning with huevos revueltos y frijoles enteros and each evening with ice cold Pilseners. Last but not least Angel was a great guide/driver for our quick trip. I would have felt a little squirley taking pictures in La Libertad without him. http://www.casademarhotel.com/indexde.shtml

El Salvador 2010

MIke and I each got an email touting a significant south swell heading ...

Updated: Jul 12, 2010 8:48pm PST

Swim Around Key West 2010 : Mike Ray is turning 40 this year. To celebrate he has set up a series of challenges designed to spit in the eye of Father Time. Challenge number one was the "Swim Around Key West." Mike was straight convinced that he wouldn't finish but he wanted to see how far he could go. He got 16th place. He finished in front of a relay team. It was an amazing thing to watch from the relative luxury of our kayak and speed boat. I will say, however, that around mile 8 the kayak started to turn into a monster. How could I complain though...... Hard to do when Numble nuts is on his 4th hour of swimming without putting his feet on the ground. He mustered through to the finish. 12.5 miles in 5:49. Did the whole thing in Shazaam style Speedos. Afterward we proceeded to light up Key West in typical Macho Beach fashion. I have to say that we are normally a pretty rowdy crew but we were subdued in comparison to some of the chaos we witnessed on Duvall Street. Rental kayaks, speed boats, speedos, goggles, water bottles, straw hats, sunscreen, Coors Light, Mojitos, rental bikes, sunglasses, yellow buoys, incoming tides, mangroves, outgoing tides, channel markers, oysters, Pina Coladas, business centers, sunsets, drag queens, over priced food, naked dudes drinking PBR, dirty jokes, hot dogs, requested songs, dances, dances, Mike the Weaver and a bunch of other shit rolled up into one big weekend. Ask somebody. Next stop.......Leadville 100 in Leadville, CO. Woot.

Swim Around Key West 2010

Mike Ray is turning 40 this year. To celebrate he has set up a series ...

Updated: Jul 08, 2010 9:26am PST

Mal Pais 2010 :

Mal Pais 2010

Updated: Mar 08, 2010 5:36pm PST