Erik's Letters From The Road: Camping With Coconuts
Ever wonder what the ultimate van trip through the lush jungles and sandy beaches of Maui is like? Check it out in our next installment of Letters from the Road. In continuation of our partnership with Carabiner Coffee, Erik Gordon takes us riding the blue waves of Maui and camping with coconuts.
I don't think I've ever run into someone that wouldn't jump at the chance to fly to Hawaii and live out of an old VW van on the beach for a week. I mean that sounds like a dream, right!? During July of this year, that is exactly the dream my long time adventure partner Buck and I found ourselves in. The thought of a VW surf trip had loomed over our “to-do” list for years now and finally the time was right to pull it off. A duffle full of board shorts, flip flops, coffee gear and enough sunscreen to paint a house was all we had on our packing list and it was all we needed. As our plane touched down on the beautiful island of Maui and the sliding glass doors opened a cool humid breeze finally made it all real. We’re officially in paradise.
With the keys to our new VW home in hand we strapped the board to the roof, tossed our duffels in the back seat and headed for the beach. As our island journey started to unfold my eyes were glued one hundred yards off-shore as we passed the endless surf heaven known as the west coast of Maui. It doesn’t take us long to find the perfect beach side pull out to call home for the rest of the day. Ripping the boards out of the van we ran into the water to catch the last few moments of light and get our first waves of the trip. As the sun went down we fell asleep with grins on our faces listening to the waves crash just a stone's throw away from the van.
The next morning was slow and easy with thanks to the best beach side coffee I'd ever had. Splurging on space by bringing our favorite Eureka! camp table along with the perfect stove and coffee kit to boot it felt like we were making breakfast back at home except the views were straight out of a tropical postcard. With coffee in our veins and breakfast burritos consumed we closed the pop-top, packed up and headed out to find the next spot that would become our home for the day.
As the days went on we found ourselves constantly taking the van up and down the winding roads of the island, each surf break even more perfect than the last. By the third day of the trip we had slipped into the rhythm of surf, eat, sleep, repeat like we’d been living in that van for years. If you’ve ever felt it, there is a beautiful shift in perspective that happens when life can be distilled into a duffle bag and nothing is missing. So much time is spent these days in the endless pursuit of MORE and sometimes it takes a few days of utter simplicity to bring us all back down to what really matters… the moment.
On the final day of our Maui adventure as we headed back to the hustle and bustle of the airport we hit a bit of a traffic jam. Having already packed up and tied the boards to the roof we thought we had said farewell to our time in the water. As the van rolled slowly down the road in traffic, I happened to look out and see one small break in front of a sandy pull out with no one there. I looked down at the time, we had an hour to spare and without a second thought I pulled over. Within minutes the boards were in the water and we paddled out for one last sunset wave to end the trip. Rushing back to the van, we couldn’t wipe the smiles off our faces as we pulled back onto the road and barely made it to the gate for the flight home. As the plane lifted off I looked down from the window and thought “Oh what a week can do.” as I watched the ground fade to blue.