inspiration
I am a sucker for coffee table books about surfing and Bend to Baja is one of my favorites.
This particular book has been pretty much under the radar in the UK since it was published a couple of years ago. It’s basically a photo essay by Jeff Johnson documenting a trip by the Malloy brothers, and various friends, climbing in oregon then surfing the california coast from SF to the tip of the Baja peninsula. As with most things that Patagonia are involved with, there is an eco angle, this time the truck that makes the trip is powered by used cooking oil.
The cynics among you would say that it is just an extended Patagonia catalogue shoot and it is true that the trip was in part funded by Surfing to provide them with editorial. However some people will moan about anything! It is filled with some awesome photography, stunning landscapes, good surf shots, scrawled journal entries and cool lifestyle photos. Somehow you get a real feel for the trip (which looked fun) and it’s not the usual perfect weather/ surf deal that so often fills surf mags. Flicking through it always inspires me to think about getting the tent out for a trip outside the normal surf zone which is something we should all probably do more of (well i should anyway!)
If you want to get hold of it check amazon.
