Gonna skip ahead....to Trestles
I know I'm way behind on posts of the cross-country trip, but I just have to skip ahead to the past two days. Too good.
Stephen and I found a temporary place to stay in Huntington Beach. With a woman named Veronica who is, well, interesting. Friendly, yes, but communication about things can be a bit confusing with her. Sometimes its because she's high, but not all the time. I think she is just wary and distrustful of us, which is understandable. We feel the same way. Renting space in your home to strangers, as well as moving into a room in a stranger's home are both fraught with uneasiness. It's a fine place, though. Within walking distance of a supermarket and other useful stores. We have our fingers crossed that the security deposit, which she insisted be in cash, will be returned.
As celebration we decided to head south to San Clemente to surf the famous break at San Onofre State Park called Trestles. We were also going to test out our first night sleeping in the camper shell of his pickup. I had bought a new Thermarest inflatable camping sleeping pad, which I imagine will serve me well camping in the future as well.
Usually I surf longboards. I have two. One is 9 feet long, the other 8 feet. I have been trying to learn to surf on Stephen's 5'9" shortboard. It's a whole different world trying to pop up on one of those. I had already spent two days in Newport unsucessfully trying to surf on it. I did make some small advances. I caught some waves, just couldn't figure out how to get up on the board. I also learned to occasionally duck dive decently, which is another useful skill.
We got to Trestles around 11am or noon. The walk down to the beach is about 20 minutes, we decided to carry our gear instead of changing into wetsuits at the truck. There are multiple breaks to choose from at Trestles. After watching a bit we decided to paddle out where it was breaking to the right and sit more inside away from the crowd. We thought we were at "Lowers" but later learned we were at the break they called "Middles" It was a beautiful day and the water was glassy.
I saw Stephen immediately catch a fast and fun looking right. From my vantage point in the water I watched a lot of surfers catching and riding long walls of water. It was clear Stephen was having an amazing day. I got more and frustrated as the hours passed and I hadn't been able to do much more than get into a wave, try to pop up and get my knees stuck on the board. Stephen explained to me you have to push the board out away and under you before you try to pop up. After getting this vital piece of information I started to feel more optimistic.
As I watched other people surf around me, I just knew if I was on a longer board I could definitely be riding these waves too. I particularly kept my eye on an older guy on a big red longboard. Most people out there were on shortboards, but he was shredding it up. I briefly contemplated trying to charm him into switching boards with me for a wave. If I could get on that big stick I would definitely have more fun. But I didn't. I was just daydreaming out in the ocean.
I started to get more and more frustrated as the minutes and hours passed. It was one giant, awful tease. Such perfect, head-high, peeling waves. I hate to be this way but the fact that Stephen seemed to be having the session of his life only made me feel worse. The best I did that day was pop-up once onto the board and immediately spin off to my right, falling over the back of the wave.
As the sun got lower and the glare worse and my mood darker and darker I finally just gave up and got out. It is one of the few times so far in my very short surfing life that I got out of the water angry. And disappointed. On the positive side I did feel like there was some minor improvement. But, really, what I needed was a longer board.
In San Clemente we each got three fish tacos at Pedro's than went searching for a hardware store to find super glue, hooks and nylon string to make curtains for the camper shell. Then all we would need is some material to hang over the cords. We also picked up an LED flashlight which turned out to be very useful.
After driving past the Nuclear plant down along the water - you can see its two huge maroon colored boobs from Trestles - we discovered that campsite was closed. The next stop was San Mateo campgrounds further inland. That was open but it cost $35 for a campsite! What?? That's crazy!
We deliberated for a short while down at the public parking lot near Carl Jr's. It was dark, we were tired and we hadn't set up the curtain wires yet. So urban camping was out. Aw, hell, let's just go to the campsite, we figured.
Pulling into a spot overlooking beautiful Camp Pendleton, we could see cars whizzing by on the freeway in the distance. We blew up our thermarest pads, laid out the many blankets and crawled into the little hovel we'd created. It was getting kind of chilly and rain was coming. Once closed up into the camper shell we played a hand of rummy, using the LED flashlight bouncing off the ceiling as our lightsource. Laying on our sides trying to play cards was a serious strain on the neck muscles. Sitting up was out of the question, of course. After a couple short Attenborough nature videos on Stephen's iPhone we called it a night. At 8:30pm. Just call us Grandma and Grandpa.
What a comfortable and snuggly camping experience! We were definitely warm enough, and those pads provide more than enough plushness. It won't quite work for anyone very tall, big or unflexible. And Stephen said he might not be too psyched about sharing that space with a dude. So me at 5'4", 130lbs and female and Stephen at 5'8" and 140lbs made perfect Nissan Frontier camping partners.
We woke up to dampness and were slow to really get going. After some coffee we walked around to a few surf shops, finding nothing but a boat of a surfboard for rent. Finally we found Stewart Surfboards and a very friendly older surfer guy. After picking out a 7'6' epoxy board, I started to have second thoughts. The surf report was forecasting 9-12 feet and building. Maybe we should really check it before renting me a board. The guy working there seconded that idea.
So we took the long walk down to the beach with coffees in hand. It was cold and drizzly. When we arrived there was a wave and it wasn't anywhere near 9 feet. But the onshore wind was strong and the ocean was looking choppy. Still, rideable. Nowhere near as good as the day before. With that longer board I could at least get something out of it, though. Stephen was less excited. He had actually been surfing the last few days, so was actually tired. We watched a while and I decided I just wanted to paddle out. On the walk back to the car Stephen said he would probably just watch from the beach. Fine with me.
By the time we got back to the beach an hour later the wind was gone and the water had cleared up.
So excited!
Checking out the waves with a far more appropriate Beth-board
Stephen's focus is spot-on:
Going out
And Stephen caught my first wave in California in pixels!
I got a little too excited though and didn't quite make my first turn off the lip....
Such a nice wave, at least someone (thing) got to enjoy more of it than I did:
Stephen and I found a temporary place to stay in Huntington Beach. With a woman named Veronica who is, well, interesting. Friendly, yes, but communication about things can be a bit confusing with her. Sometimes its because she's high, but not all the time. I think she is just wary and distrustful of us, which is understandable. We feel the same way. Renting space in your home to strangers, as well as moving into a room in a stranger's home are both fraught with uneasiness. It's a fine place, though. Within walking distance of a supermarket and other useful stores. We have our fingers crossed that the security deposit, which she insisted be in cash, will be returned.
As celebration we decided to head south to San Clemente to surf the famous break at San Onofre State Park called Trestles. We were also going to test out our first night sleeping in the camper shell of his pickup. I had bought a new Thermarest inflatable camping sleeping pad, which I imagine will serve me well camping in the future as well.
Usually I surf longboards. I have two. One is 9 feet long, the other 8 feet. I have been trying to learn to surf on Stephen's 5'9" shortboard. It's a whole different world trying to pop up on one of those. I had already spent two days in Newport unsucessfully trying to surf on it. I did make some small advances. I caught some waves, just couldn't figure out how to get up on the board. I also learned to occasionally duck dive decently, which is another useful skill.
We got to Trestles around 11am or noon. The walk down to the beach is about 20 minutes, we decided to carry our gear instead of changing into wetsuits at the truck. There are multiple breaks to choose from at Trestles. After watching a bit we decided to paddle out where it was breaking to the right and sit more inside away from the crowd. We thought we were at "Lowers" but later learned we were at the break they called "Middles" It was a beautiful day and the water was glassy.
I saw Stephen immediately catch a fast and fun looking right. From my vantage point in the water I watched a lot of surfers catching and riding long walls of water. It was clear Stephen was having an amazing day. I got more and frustrated as the hours passed and I hadn't been able to do much more than get into a wave, try to pop up and get my knees stuck on the board. Stephen explained to me you have to push the board out away and under you before you try to pop up. After getting this vital piece of information I started to feel more optimistic.
As I watched other people surf around me, I just knew if I was on a longer board I could definitely be riding these waves too. I particularly kept my eye on an older guy on a big red longboard. Most people out there were on shortboards, but he was shredding it up. I briefly contemplated trying to charm him into switching boards with me for a wave. If I could get on that big stick I would definitely have more fun. But I didn't. I was just daydreaming out in the ocean.
I started to get more and more frustrated as the minutes and hours passed. It was one giant, awful tease. Such perfect, head-high, peeling waves. I hate to be this way but the fact that Stephen seemed to be having the session of his life only made me feel worse. The best I did that day was pop-up once onto the board and immediately spin off to my right, falling over the back of the wave.
As the sun got lower and the glare worse and my mood darker and darker I finally just gave up and got out. It is one of the few times so far in my very short surfing life that I got out of the water angry. And disappointed. On the positive side I did feel like there was some minor improvement. But, really, what I needed was a longer board.
In San Clemente we each got three fish tacos at Pedro's than went searching for a hardware store to find super glue, hooks and nylon string to make curtains for the camper shell. Then all we would need is some material to hang over the cords. We also picked up an LED flashlight which turned out to be very useful.
After driving past the Nuclear plant down along the water - you can see its two huge maroon colored boobs from Trestles - we discovered that campsite was closed. The next stop was San Mateo campgrounds further inland. That was open but it cost $35 for a campsite! What?? That's crazy!
We deliberated for a short while down at the public parking lot near Carl Jr's. It was dark, we were tired and we hadn't set up the curtain wires yet. So urban camping was out. Aw, hell, let's just go to the campsite, we figured.
Pulling into a spot overlooking beautiful Camp Pendleton, we could see cars whizzing by on the freeway in the distance. We blew up our thermarest pads, laid out the many blankets and crawled into the little hovel we'd created. It was getting kind of chilly and rain was coming. Once closed up into the camper shell we played a hand of rummy, using the LED flashlight bouncing off the ceiling as our lightsource. Laying on our sides trying to play cards was a serious strain on the neck muscles. Sitting up was out of the question, of course. After a couple short Attenborough nature videos on Stephen's iPhone we called it a night. At 8:30pm. Just call us Grandma and Grandpa.
What a comfortable and snuggly camping experience! We were definitely warm enough, and those pads provide more than enough plushness. It won't quite work for anyone very tall, big or unflexible. And Stephen said he might not be too psyched about sharing that space with a dude. So me at 5'4", 130lbs and female and Stephen at 5'8" and 140lbs made perfect Nissan Frontier camping partners.
We woke up to dampness and were slow to really get going. After some coffee we walked around to a few surf shops, finding nothing but a boat of a surfboard for rent. Finally we found Stewart Surfboards and a very friendly older surfer guy. After picking out a 7'6' epoxy board, I started to have second thoughts. The surf report was forecasting 9-12 feet and building. Maybe we should really check it before renting me a board. The guy working there seconded that idea.
So we took the long walk down to the beach with coffees in hand. It was cold and drizzly. When we arrived there was a wave and it wasn't anywhere near 9 feet. But the onshore wind was strong and the ocean was looking choppy. Still, rideable. Nowhere near as good as the day before. With that longer board I could at least get something out of it, though. Stephen was less excited. He had actually been surfing the last few days, so was actually tired. We watched a while and I decided I just wanted to paddle out. On the walk back to the car Stephen said he would probably just watch from the beach. Fine with me.
By the time we got back to the beach an hour later the wind was gone and the water had cleared up.
So excited!
Checking out the waves with a far more appropriate Beth-board
Stephen's focus is spot-on:
Going out
And Stephen caught my first wave in California in pixels!
I got a little too excited though and didn't quite make my first turn off the lip....
Such a nice wave, at least someone (thing) got to enjoy more of it than I did: