I'm back in the Northern Cali furnace after a surfari to San Clemente. While the surf was small, there was heaps of it, San O has never let me down. Cool fog in the morning and eves, baking sun all day and scarcely a wetsuit in the water, mellllloooow crew. This 1/2 mile beach breaks on a solid rock shelf which makes for some lovely consistency.
- Day One, Wednesday
- The ten hour drive turned into a thirteen hour drive thanks to Los Angeles. Normally, I camp at Rincon on the way down, but bailed due to total flatness and kayaks in the cove ;-) Camped at San Mateo camp and slept in spite of the heavy artillery going off at Camp Pendleton.
- Day Two, Thursday
- Rolled over and slept some more after hearing the weather radio. Finally dragged down to the Point about 9:00 and surfed the crowd a couple hours. Scored a six inch black & blue ankle bracelet from the leash when I pulled out for someone. Scored my only wipeout of the trip and the board hit me in the jaw. No damage thanks to the Gath. Camped next to Bob Wankel who tells me of the big Baja trip the boys are planning. When I say I want to go, he says sorry its only the guys.
- Day Three, Friday
- Dawn patroled the Hole in the Wall, a jacking peak on a shallow rock shelf. No wetsuit required at 6am =-). Surfed till the wind came up at 9:00. Got worked over nicely on the inside, but the lefts were worth it. One other guy out there. Strange watching the sun rise over the power plant.
- Day Four, Saturday
- The San O Surf Club is having its Luau and therefore the beach is locked up tight when it hits the 500 car limit very early in the day. People are lined up on the cliffs waiting for someone to leave. Once you're in, you're in all day. Because of the huge party, the lineup was actually not crowded much of the time. Larry Cobb pulled up behind me in the meg Baja rig when I was making coffee. When he started railing about the big Baja trip, I got my map out and made him color in all the spots and tracks.
"I wanna go," I complained, "but Bob said its only the guys." Larry looks at Bob and said "She can go." hahaha. I think I impressed him with my Coleman kitchen ;-)
Surfed the Point again all morning and started to become intimate with the rock bottom, got the horror goose egg on my shin when I jumped off on a big rock. My left thigh got a lousy rash from surfing in shorts. And coming in I cut my foot open on a mussel. I'm a mess. When I come up to the van snivelling, Bob Wankel smirks, "Would you like a little cheese with your whine?" and advises me to put on some lycra shorts. I do and go back for more abuse as the waves are super fun. Picking up my board i fry the whole inside of my triceps on the hot wax leaving a burn pattern. Funny thing, I'm black and blue and burnt but my skin is getting so brown it all blends in.
- Day Five, Sunday
- I can't take any more surfing. Time to go home. The rest of the coast is flat on the drive. Surfer's Beach is heaven.