Surf Ecology - Rio De Janeiro

We've got an exciting field report from one of our Adventure Out surf instructors, Melissa Leggett. Melissa has been down in Brazil all winter long starting up an amazing program to get local kids more involved in taking care of their beaches. In Melissa's words

I have been giving surf lessons with environmental education and beach clean-ups afterwards to the local children of Macumba beach, most of which are children of the owners of the beachside kiosks. Most of the trash on the beach here comes from people buying food at the kiosks, so the idea is that these children will share this information with their parents who will encourage people to pick up their trash from the sand. We've been seeing great results so far; a few of the kids clean up the beach on their own, and people on the beach are leaving their trash in piles instead of spread across the sand. We've been giving these classes for free, and are working on getting sponsorship for the program.

Sounds like amazing work. If you're interested in the program, let us know and we can put you in touch with Melissa.

Finding Aloha Surf Movie - 3/27 in Pacifica

Pacifica Beach Coalition (PBC) and Pedro Point Surf Club invite you to a benefit screening, reception, and big raffle for "Finding Aloha," on Friday, March 27th, at 6:30pm and 8:30pm at the Sanchez Art Center. Filmmaker Phil Walker took 8 years to complete it and recently won "Best Documentary" at the Honolulu International Film Festival. Producer and co-star Dan Moore, also a past Billabong XXL winner, will be on hand at the screening to field questions from the audience.

"Finding Aloha" tells a story of adventurous athletes like Layne Beachley, Dan Moore, Jimmy Hall, Vetea David and Mark Andersen, who find the key to harmony in the Hawaiian islands. They discover, and nurture, aloha. (more...)

Proceeds help the Coalition produce its annual April 18th Earth Day celebration and community-wide cleanup. If businesses or others wish to donate items for raffle prize baskets, contact Lynn Adams at 650-355-1668.

Favorite Day Hikes: Fall Creek

Today's post kicks off a new series of blog entries called "Favorite Day Hikes". Northern California is abound with incredible hiking opportunities and we are so lucky here in Santa Cruz County to have an insane amount of biodiversity that we can get different hiking experiences without having to travel too far.

The trailhead for Fall Creek is in the town of Felton, CA, and Fall Creek itself is part of Henry Cowell State Park. This trail will always hold a special significance for me as it is my dear mother's favorite hike in Santa Cruz. I have many memories over the years walking on this trail with my mom, and the two of us still meet there regularly to share an afternoon stroll.

The trail itself is a 6.8 mile loop that twists and turns - up and down hills, through the creek-bed itself, under fallen trees, over branches, etc. It's the "Mr. Toads Wild Ride" of day hikes and all the while, you stay beneath the shade of the redwood forest (great hike for a hot summer day!)

CLICK HERE FOR A MAP TO THE TRAILHEAD

Enjoy this fun hike!

A beautiful day in the Tetons

The blizzard has finally broken and we are seeing a BEAUTIFUL blue-bird powder day here in the Tetons. It's a balmy 5 degrees out, but it is worth it. The snow is perfect and there is not a single cloud in the sky. The Adventure Out crew will be hitting up Grand Targhee Resort today and the surrounding backcountry spots such as "Mary's" the ridge you see in the above picture (photo taken yesterday afternoon).

If you're thinking of doing any backcountry skiing or snowboarding this winter, make sure you are prepared. Get your avalanche training and at the very least, learn how to build a snow cave!

Roaming in Wyoming...

Hi adventurous friends! Adventure Out is in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for a week of skiing, snowboarding, and backcountry exploration. It's day one and we are actually snowed-in by a raging blizzard - which means POWDER TOMORROW! Stay tuned for updates all week long...

Cliff Hodges
Owner
Adventure Out LLC

Surf Movie Premier in San Francisco

March 5th at the Balboa Theatre - 7pm - DON'T MISS THIS FILM!!!

A great new surf documentary is about to hit the streets. "A Fly in the Champagne" is a documentary about the deep-rooted rivalry in professional surfing between Kelly Slater and Andy Irons. Two of the greatest surfers of all time existing on the tour at the same time have provided for some of the most exciting surf contests ever in the past few years. This film is a MUST SEE for any fan of professional surfing.

For more info, visit www.transworldsurf.com

Amgen Bike Race Comes to Santa Cruz

The largest cycling event in America, the 2009 Amgen Tour of California is a Tour de France-style cycling road race presented by AEG that challenges the world’s top professional cycling teams to compete along a demanding, recently expanded, 750-mile course from Sacramento to Escondido from February 14-22, 2009.

Today, the AMGEN tour is visiting our home town of Santa Cruz! It is an exciting day with lots of fanfare surrounding the return of Lance Armstrong. For those of you in town, get off your butt and head down town. The entire town is abuzz with Lance fever. You don't want to miss this!