Andrew Muse knows how to send it. The professional multi-sport athlete and photographer has made a name for himself by sharing big adventures with the world, from accessing remote snowboard lines via prop plane to speedflying across sand dunes (if you don’t know, look it up).
“Adventure begins where your comfort zone ends, and a full-send adventure means you just kind of go for it,” Muse says. “You decide to throw everything in the truck, point it somewhere and hope for the best.”
Muse started refining the art of the “full send” adventure when he was just a teenager. At the age of 19, he flew to Kauai and lived out of a backpack for 2 months, at one point spending 15 days camped out on the Na Pali Coast, trying to live off the land and ocean. “That trip,” Muse says, “helped shape the way I look at adventure today.”
And he’s still sending it, only now he’s usually bringing along Kicker, his golden retriever. Like the multiday trip the two took to Baja in Muse’s Ford F-150® Raptor® R™, trying to time their escapades with a storm that could deliver big surf off the Peninsula’s rugged west coast.
The plan was to spend their days surfing and diving and their nights camping beneath a blanket of stars in the desert. Muse is locked in on these coastal adventures, where he can combine his love for overlanding with a newfound passion for the ocean.
“I think different environments can be different kinds of teachers, which is what attracts me to the ocean,” Muse says. “Anytime I paddle out, free dive, or find myself on the coast, I feel like I’m gathering knowledge and a deeper connection with life.”
Want to create your own full-send teaching moments? Here are three ideal spots for oceanside adventures across the country.
Three Spots for a Full-Send Off-Road Coastal Adventure
Portsmouth Island: Outer Banks, North Carolina
The barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina known as the Outer Banks are full of off-road potential*, but Portsmouth Island is the most pristine. Only accessible by a vehicle ferry and with no developments or amenities, it’s too remote and adventurous to draw a crowd, which means you’ll have the 20 miles of 4WD-friendly beach mostly to yourself.
Camp on the beach, and bring a surfboard and a paddleboard. The Atlantic side is loaded with beach breaks, and the sound side has calm waters perfect for paddling.
Oregon Dunes: Coos Bay, Oregon
The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area preserves one of the largest expanses of temperate coastal sand dunes in the world, and it’s yours to discover if you have a capable 4WD vehicle (bring rescue equipment like a shovel, tracks, and air compressor).
Some of the dunes rise 500 feet from the edge of the ocean and run for 40 miles along the coast. The water is cold, but the surfing is legendary, and designated crabbing spots allow you to hunt for local Dungeness crab.
Lost Coast: Northern California
There’s a spot in Northern California where Highway 1 dips inland, leaving a 30-mile stretch of the coast undeveloped. It’s a good thing. Here, you’ll find the craggy coastline and mountainous coast exactly as they were before highways carved up California.
It’s an area best experienced by foot and 4WD vehicle. You’ll find a variety of isolated beaches, rocky outcroppings, and trails tucked beneath the thick redwood canopy as you drive a mix of lonely paved and dirt roads along the coast. Camp on the beach, tour the tide pools, surf and fish this beautifully forgotten stretch of coast.
For more adventure-planning advice and inspiration, including our film documenting Muse & Kicker’s trip to Baja, check out our Full Send content hub presented by Ford Raptor® Trucks.
* Always consult the Owner’s Manual before off-road driving, know your terrain and trail difficulty, and use appropriate safety gear.
This article is sponsored by Ford.
