Waves aren't the only thing surfers ride

With Portland snowed in for a white Christmas, it seems almost remarkable that a few short weeks ago, I was in Santa Cruz, California, watching the surfers at Pleasure Point.

The last time I had been in Santa Cruz, I saw a guy on a bike riding down the street with a surfboard tucked under his arm. “Only in Santa Cruz,” I thought. I saw him riding once more before I left; both times, I was wishing I had a camera with me.

Well, I flew to the Bay Area for Thanksgiving with friends in Santa Cruz (Capitola, actually), and this time I brought my camera. Before I left, I told Bob “If I see the surfer riding with his board tucked under his arm again, I’ll get a photo.”

So the day after Thanksgiving, my friends asked me to take their son—my three-year old Godson “Zazo” (his parents named him Raphael, he named himself Zazo)—to the beach, about a mile away. Zazo rode his Trek Trikester, which I bought for him to replace the Radio Flyer tricycle which some lowlife stole. Only thing is, the Trikester was too big for him to ride.

Until now.

Well, it took forever to get to the beach. First, we stopped for a cookie...

But after the cookie, we were on our way...after first buying some gummy bears. Once under way, progress was slow, due to the need to stop every few feet for a gummy bear break, and an extended break in a surf shop as Zazo tried on some hats...

Then, after Zazo tired of the surf shop, he made his break, running down the sidewalk, away from the beach (remember, this is a story about surfers...). Zazo was quick, but I was quicker, and after I caught him, I noticed this delivery bike at the pizza place next door, so with a giggling, squirming 3 year old in one arm, and camera in my other hand, I managed to capture the image...

Eventually, we were on our way again, and within a block of the beach, when I saw him…

The surfer on a bike, riding along towards the waves with his wetsuit on and his board tucked under his arm. I had just enough time to get the camera out and the shot framed as he rode past, but I did get my shot.

We continued on to the beach, when another surfer rode by, wetsuit on, his board tucked under his arm.

Then another.

And another.

It turns out that “the guy” I was looking for was actually a lot of different guys. It must be a Santa Cruz thing. In a cycling town like Portland, cyclists would be fitting out Xtracycles, if they had a place to surf.

In Santa Cruz, they hop on—what else?—a beach cruiser, tuck their board under their arm, and head for the beach.

The water was still dotted with surfers at sunset, when we left.

All photos copyright Rick Bernardi.