False Cape or Bust!

Words by Shaun Devine. Photos by Bryan Brough/eyecaptures.net.

This was Surf & Adventure Co.’s seventh trip down to False Cape State Park since May. Whether it be by bike, the Blue Goose Express, the old school bus or the Terra Gator, I would have to say this was one of the more interesting excursions to the fabled park just to our south.

As our group of nearly 20 participants putted on their southbound journey through the park’s interior trail on the famed Blue Goose Express, the staff members and I took the gear and about 30 boards in one of the park’s 4×4 pickup trucks. Upon the beach entrance located at the Back Bay visitors center, we were greeted with a high tide, very soft sand and a nervous remark from our driver Sean: “Ehhh we’re gonna have to gun this one.”

We hit the soft sand about as fast as possible without endangering the gear and, sure enough, we came to an eventual stop about 10 yards from where we wanted to be. Good thing there were three of us to jump out and start pushing. With a pop to 4×4 low, a gradual push of the accelerator and six sets of arms and legs giving a solid push, we should have been golden, right? Wrong.

Something started to smell and we quickly realized it was transmission fluid. Then came a loud scream, “Get away from the truck!!!” We all darted away and quickly set eyes on a small fire that had started beneath the truck. The small fire was quickly put out with sand, and after a few deep breathes and a couple of phone calls, we were able to get a backup truck to assist and swapped all the gear over to our new wheels.

One of my favorite parts of the trips down to False Cape is having all the gear set up — surfboards, SUPs, tents, chairs, umbrellas, etc. — and having our guests shuffle over the not-so-shuffled-over dune at Barbour Hill and see exactly what they had signed up for: uncrowded, isolated surf that’s not far from home. When we eventually made it down to Barbour Hill with all the equipment, our guests had already made it over the hill and had been patiently waiting (only for a few minutes) for us to arrive and unload.

Our little incident could have been worse — way worse — but at least we came back with a good story to tell! These photos Bryan Brough shot tell the story of the rest of the day filled with clean waves, plenty of sunshine and a good vibes all around. Stay tuned as we will soon be announcing our Fall False Cape Camping Trip as well as other surf trips down to our favorite state park!