Big Chill Where are we NOW?

Join us for a 5-month Ocean Adventure! On Dec 1 members of the Strava Group Big Chill Winter Challenge began heading north in a Virtual challenge to swim all the way up the Pacific Coast.  Each swimmer (there are over 30 of us!) is logging their own miles into Strava and we are adding all miles together as a group.  Twice every month we will have updates on where we are, with pictures and fun facts about the area.  The California Coastline is over 700 miles long… how far we go depends on you!  Stay inspired and swim regularly with us through the winter 2019-2020

This TOTALLY FREE and is NOT a competition… EVERYONE WINS!  CLICK HERE TO JOIN on Strava the club called Big Chill Winter Challenge 2019.  Simply create your profile, join the club, log your miles each time you swim and come back here for updates twice a month (pool or ocean, with accessories or just suit/goggles ALL MILES COUNT).

Well, here we are at March 31… and GUESS WHAT?!  We made it all the way from TJ to Oregon!!  The group total got us 6 miles past the State Border.  What an amazing achievement!  Great job to all who participated.

Sadly, due to  COVID19 our beaches were closed before our contest was supposed to end. THE WORLD IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN!!  I love the drawing from the 1700’s of fish casting their line to catch men!  This is a surreal time, but we’re not intimidated, we will be back in the water soon, and smiles on the beach.  Meanwhile, our memories, WhatsApp conversations and Zoom calls are keeping us safely socially distanced but still “in touch”.

Jenner is a quaint coastal town located where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean. The town is very small with just a gift shop, a coffee shop, a gas station, a kayak rental and a few fabulous restaurants. There are, however, beaches, cliffs and views a-plenty, and the wildlife viewing cannot be beat. Most of the homes are on the hillside overlooking the estuary.

At Jenner, the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean in a breathtaking estuary. On or in the water you can get close up viewing of the wealth of wildlife, including a myriad of seabirds and a colony of harbor seals. And if you’re lucky enough to see the red tide when the estuary is alive with phosphorescent algae, you’ve had one of the most memorable moments the natural world can provide.

ONLY 7 MORE WEEKS UNTIL THE END OF OUR CHALLENGE!! Are you getting in your averages to meet your 5 month goal?!

Well, Chillers, here we are in Monterey!  We can be inspired by the Groundhog Day determination that there will be an Early Spring!  Bring on those warmer temps!  Feb can see some of the coldest, and we’re up for it.  Our Chilling Group Results Tally takes us to Monterey Bay Academy, a boarding school that has a project propagating the coral reefs.  How are you doing on your goal so far?  ONLY 10 MORE WEEKS UNTIL THE END OF OUR CHALLENGE!! Are you getting in your averages to meet your 5 month goal?!

JANUARY 9, 2020

441 Miles Swam to Limekiln State Park, Redwoods from the So Cal border.

“And into the forest I go , to lose my mind and find my soul.”

-John Miur

Well, if you’re paying attention, it may look like we lost our minds and swam backwards.  What actually happened is that we found a glitch in the data that had double-counted some swims.  Steve valiantly slew the dragons of error, and here we are, In the Redwood Forest with a real count.  Leave a comment, tell us one of your favorite stories about the Redwoods.  Legends, mysteries, personal experiences, we want to hear it all!!  BTW, this area is called LIME-kiln because there are vast deposits of Lime that have been mined- Lime is used in industry and farming.

Limekin State Park Redwoods

John Miur… probably never swam much

JANUARY 3, 2020

460 Miles Swam from Tijuana Border to Nepenthe, Big Sur

Never let the truth get in the way of a good story…”

-Bill Fassett

Stories of Nepenthe Resort in Big Sur include legends from the pioneer days of Big Sur, tales of the arrival of the hippies in the sixties, and sagas of the extended Nepenthe family coming of age.

Big Sur, CA

DECEMBER 22, 2019

Avila Beach, here we are!! Our Big Chill Group has just arrived at this lovely spot

in San Luis Obispo County.  There is so much to enjoy in the natural landscape!  How about a dip in the natural hot springs, and then a hike around the local hills.  After a hot shower, we can get all dressed up and go for a nice dinner at one of the wineries.

The Kelsey See winery is known for their Apple-Grape blended wines… Yummy!

Click here to see each swimmer’s current destination 

On December 1 our Big Chillers will start at the border of California and Mexico. We’ll leave from Tijuana  after an imaginary kickoff party which may leave some of our more social members a bit tired!  Did you ever notice how far the Border Wall extends out into the sea!  Don’t forget your passport!  Our passing will be easy, but sometimes Surfers get taken across the border accidentally because at that beach the ocean current is strong, and even they cannot paddle hard enough to resist the flow taking them past the sea wall, into the neighboring country!  Let’s swim strong, and consistently, and safely for the next 5 months.  Bon Voyage!

VOTE FOR THE BEST CAP DESIGN BEFORE DEC 15

Choose your favorite, the one with the most votes will win! Cubes or Dolphins Use the comments below to vote! Votes will be counted on Dec 14th.  Note that caps will be printed in one color.
 This design is called DOLPHIN  Vote in comments below!

 This design is called CUBES  Vote in comments below!