FORT MYERS, Fla. — According to information obtained from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the state officially has 11,842 lakes. Yes, that means the Land of 10,000 Lakes slogan is inaccurate, but we Minnesotans don't like to be pretentious, remember?
Add up all the lakes, and they still would fall short of the size, power and beauty of the Pacific Ocean. One advantage that body of water has is its nice waves to surf.
Joe Ryan, the Bay Area product, former prep water polo player and current Twins righthander, knows this all too well. He has surfed up and down the California coast, catching waves at the popular Ocean Beach in San Francisco; El Porto in Manhattan Beach, Ca., where the waves are consistent; Fort Cronkhite/Rodeo Beach, where the waves aren't as reliable; and County Line beach, which borders Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
