February 20, 2008 Wednesday

California Coast	San Francisco to Ventura
Rain, sun, high clouds to strong winds

Today Kate and I drove from Mill Valley to Ventura. We took advantage of a our two night certificate for the Crown Plaza hotel, which is located on the strand within a few steps from Surfers Point, that we won at a silent auction at the fund raiser for Lifehouse ten months ago. Last Easter we had stayed at this hotel to visit Kate’s sister Joan and her husband Larry. Kate and I had a great stay. I surfed two days with niece Heather and Colin, my niece Allison’s husband. From our eighth-floor room we had a great view of the beach and the surf; also the hotel is in walking distance of the several great restaurants, bookstores and gift shops of the revitalized downtown area. Last May, Terry and Jani invited Kate and I to attend the “Cooks of Marin” benefit for Lifehouse, an organization for children with disabilities. To our surprise among the hundreds of silent auction items there was one for three days and two nights at the Ventura Crown Plaza. Not many people in Marin are familiar with Ventura or this hotel and its location, thus there was only one bid when I entered mine and no one bid after me. We walked off with a great bargain, two nights right on the water at a popular surf location for $225. This week is Branson’s ski-week break thus with Kate off we made a reservation for Wednesday and Thursday nights. 

It took us eight and a half hours to drive down the coast. Why so long? We take our time, go along the coast so I can check the surf, and we were in my Jeep Liberty surf vehicle, which putts along on four overworked cylinders. Kate and I have been making this drive for 38 years. We go along the Great Highway in San Francisco, cut to Skyline Blvd (Hwy 35) to the turn-off to Pacifica, then onto Highway 1 through Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz to Moss Landing where we veer onto Hwy 183 through Castroville to Salinas. At Salinas we get onto Highway 101 and stay on it the rest of the way to Ventura.

Today we made five stops before reaching Ventura:

1. Kelly Ave State Park in Half Moon Bay to check the waves and to use the bathroom. Here I proudly used by Annual Day-Use pass that allows me to park all day at any California state park. This is a must have for surfers, it’s pricey, $125 a year, but there are numerous great surf spots that are state parks. Also, it’s very handy when traveling down to coast for bathroom breaks. 

2. Avenue 41 parking lot in Santa Cruz, again to check the surf and use the bathroom.

3. Carl’s Jr. on Davis Road in Salinas to purchase a snack and to use the bathroom.

4. McDonald’s at Highways 101 and 46 East in Paso Robles. This McDonald’s belongs to my good friend Greg and his son Dana, who we had dinner with that night. I reported to Dana that I rated his restroom an 8 on a scale of 10 for cleanliness. Kate and I purchased lattes there, which for machine made were very good. Espresso drinks are new successful menu items for McDonald’s which are having a competitive impact on Starbucks. 

5. Refugio State Park, which is on the coast five miles south of Gaviota and 15 miles north of Santa Barbara, to stretch our legs and use the bathroom.

When we were leaving Marin and approaching the Golden Gate Bridge, it was raining hard. I told Kate that it will be clear by Half Moon Bay and I was right. All along the way we passed through pockets of rain, bright sun and fluffy clouds to overcast and more rain. By the time we reach the coast north of Santa Barbara a strong northwest wind and white caps on the ocean greeted us. A strong front was moving in along the entire coast of California and it had an adverse affect of the surf. Only one break had descent waves and that was Linda Mar Blvd in Pacifica. What follows is my surf report for 300 miles of California’s beaches. 

Ocean Beach, San Francisco had huge waves, giant walls with an extreme high tide, water right up to the road, strong south wind and no body out. 

Linda Mar, Pacifica had strong south winds, which are offshore at Linda Mar, blowing against big beautiful green walls with plums of spray coming off of them. Ten guys were out at the north end connecting with some long rights, and twenty were out at the very south end. Linda Mar turned out to be the best spot on the whole coast this day. 

Montara, which is the cove south of Devil’s Slide, had huge walls breaking way out there. They were impossible to ride and no body was out. 

The Jetty at Half Moon Bay had an extreme high tide causing the waves to mush up against the breakwater and the rocks of the roadbed. No body was out. 

Kelly Ave, Half Moon Bay had big surf, high tide, and waves breaking close to shore, which were rideable but no one was out. There was a definite channel that one could easily paddle out to the big peaks. Son Kevin would have gone out. I can hear him now, “Dad let’s go. You can handle those waves!” 

Half Moon Bay to Pigeon Point Lighthouse: Pesacadero, San Gregorio and Bean Hallow had spectacular sunshine, blue skies, blue water and beautiful big crashing waves over numerous rocky reefs. “You should take a picture,” Kate stated. The camera was in the back, locked in my Knack toolbox that I bolted to the floor of the Jeep especially for locking up the camera. I was in my “next time” mode. Push on. There wasn’t a convenient place to stop. Maybe I can stop at Pigeon Point. By the time we reach the Lighthouse, the clouds had returned, there was mist in the air and the omnipresent gray had returned. Another opportunity had passed me by. 

Waddell Creek, which is north of Santa Cruz and part of the Big Basin State Park, is a large creek that empties out onto a wide sandy beach filled with tons of driftwood and is a popular spot for surfing and wind surfing. Today the waves were huge; breaking way out there, closed out and no body was out. 

Scott Creek, which is closer to Santa Cruz, also empties onto a wide sandy beach. There were cars parked along the road, the waves were big and rideable, but no body was out. 

The Hook, Santa Cruz is located at the end of 41^st Ave. I was considering going out here. Parking lot was empty as we pulled in; that was my clue. The waves weren’t breaking because the tide was too high. The swells mushed up against the cliff and a south wind made the surface bumpy. No body was out. 

Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz had some overhead peaks that didn’t have much shape and four guys were out. A short walk north from the Hook allows one to view Pleasure Point. I took some pictures. The waves were big drops; one section and then they would die. The above photo is a sizeable Pleasure Point wave just after the initial drop. 

The Pismo Beach Pier can be seen from a distance on Highway 101. You can see the pier and the broad sandy beach. Today there were lots of white caps, wind and white water. The tide was now very low. From the road, I saw two waves break beyond the pier. This is a long, long pier, thus the waves had to be big. 

Gaviota to Refugio State Beach had small wind waves, two feet at the most, breaking on the shore. Highway 101 hits the coast at Gaviota and stays along the coast the rest of the way. In this ten mile stretch and out to sea there were endless white caps, but close in the water was smooth because the north wind blew sideways along this stretch. 

Refugio State Beach had some three-foot waves at the far point, but they were choppy, blown out and without form.  Tide was very low and there was a wide sandy beach. Way outside the sea was a bluest-gray and dotted with white caps. However, inside the cove, the wind was offshore because Refugio is a south-facing beach. The cove was sunny, the water was smooth and there were a few well shaped one to two feet peeling right waves on the inside. This had possibilities. 

El Capitan State Beach was flat as usual. One can get a glimpse of the point from the highway. In the forty years that I have been driving by here I have yet to see any descent waves. There are people who claim that El Capitan has a hot right curl, but I have yet to witness it. 

Summerland was flat as always. I mention it because you get a good look at the beach from the highway. 

Santa Claus Lane, which is just south of Montecito in Santa Barbara and just north of Carpenteria, had small wind waves crumbling onto a low tide beach. Again I mention this break because you can’t miss seeing it from the highway.

Rincon is the jewel of the whole coast. If there is any swell, Rincon will be breaking, but not today. It was blown out with shapeless two-foot waves at the point and nothing on the inside. Two guys were out and they were wasting their time.

Mussel Shoals is the next point down from Rincon. On big swells it can get good, but not today. It had six inchers breaking onto an exposed bed of seaweed covered rocks. 

Ventura Overhead is the freeway overpass at the very north end of Ventura. On huge days, the outside reef breaks, forming one huge “A” frame that breaks in both directions, but not today, it was totally blown out. 

Surfers Point, Ventura was also totally blown out. After checking into the hotel, which sits right on the water at Surfers Point, Kate and I took a quick walk up the strand, bike path, along the entire length of the point. It must be a couple of miles in length. There was a 35 mph north wind blowing like hell. I could see that there were some overhead swells, but due to the wind there was no shape and only one hearty soul out there. However, there was one wind surfer out there having a great time. He was a real expert. He would cruise way out to sea at great speed, swing around and catch the large approaching wind swells. Once in them, he shot down the line of these walls at great speed, cutting back and forth to milk the most out of the swell and then he would swing around and head back out to sea to do it again. Incredible. 

Kate and I never tire of driving up and down the beautiful California Coast. Today like all others did not disappoint.