Original story written on 1/11/2009: All the original details still hold: the last-minute planning, the freak swells, the duct-taped hood. The boats were slower back then, fuel was cheaper, and West Marine probably still opened on Sundays… but the ride? Same rush. Same salt in your eyes. Same idiot wave you throw when a bird […]

Read More Los Angeles to San Diego 220-Mile PWC Round-Trip Training Ride

My birthday week 2025 kicked off early at Roberto’s place in Menlo Park. To get here I traveled 509 miles from Southern California. We set the alarm for 5 AM, bleary-eyed but pumped for our personal watercraft adventure ahead. By just shy of 7 AM, we were chowing down on breakfast, the sun barely creeping […]

Read More My Birthday Week

Two weeks back, our SCBMWRC crew—Arcadio, Carl, David V., Eric, Jimmy, Michael, Rafael, Ric, Ryan, and me—tackled the Northern California Backcountry Discovery Route (BDR), weaving through rugged trails and soaking in the wild beauty from Mammoth to the Oregon border. That ride sharpened our skills, but it’s surprising how fast they can fade. My throttle […]

Read More A Sunday Spin: Pioneertown to Big Bear via Burns Canyon

Trawlercat Chronicles: Baja’s Wild Ride and a Seasoned Soul September 24, 2021/2? Three days into tearing down Baja’s Highway 1, my world was now only sun, asphalt, and the growl of our bikes. My 2020 BMW GSA, nicknamed Gordo for its 600-pound heft, cursed every pothole or rock beneath me. Joey’s KTM 790 zipped ahead, […]

Read More Trawlercat Chronicles: Baja’s Wild Ride and a Seasoned Soul