Cruising up Pacific Coast Highway

We have had a busy couple of days! We had a last surf in San Onofre before we made our way north.

Scott and Jim scoping the line up

We stopped in at Old Mans (the three of us) and Four Doors with Scott and his son, Jack to check out the waves there before starting our journey. Really, really nice long-boarding waves. Plus there were some people doing some really impressive stuff.

Click to enlarge

This chick was ripping. In a bikini.

We didn't surf, but walked along the beach to the nuclear power plant - that's right - and took in the scene.

Nuclear Nipples!!

It's like walking back into 1959. The longboards, the cars, the lookout towers. They even have little bamboo oases where providing shade for an outdoor shower and a board rack.

Sweet ride

Turbo TOOB

This van was giving the crystal voyager a run for its money!

Huntington Beach was the next stop. Known as Surf City USA, it boasts two of the biggest surf shops, Jacks and HB Sport & Surf. We went to the Int'l Surf Museum - not that great, but under new mamagement, so things should change - where I finally got a copy of Gidget, signed by the lady herself.

We walked the pier and generally drank in the atmosphere. They have fire rings here and volleyball nets on the beach. All free. They've done a lot to make this town work and it shows.

The place still has a slight 50s feel to it. From the retro diner on the end of the pier, to the singage and good clean, family fun.

Cruisin on HB Pier

From the vantage point of the pier, we were able to watch a Volcom surf competition that was taking place. The waves were pretty big, but also really fat. A lot of water moving around. Around midday the wind was scalloping the tops of the waves, making for really challenging conditions. Combine with that the added obstacle of the pier (the current sucks towards it) and there was certainly a spectacle to behold.

We managed to order and eat the biggest pile of sushi known to man.

This morning was had a skateboarding lesson with Adam from Skatedogs who showed us the basics. It was great fun and we now have some pointers to help injure ourselves less ;) You don't bounce the same as an adult. In an hour he had us tic-tac-ing, practising manuals, getting up the curb, 180s and a simple boardflip.

We spent a lot of time in the car today. Sunday traffic through LA was rediculous and it took us 5 hours to do 100 miles. We drove past Venice Beach, Malibu and Rincon. Parking, however was as scarce as hen's teeth and we didn't stop at any of these spots. Malibu looked fun, but strangely isn't really near anything, except the highway which has cars on the verge as far as the eye can see. Not very accessible. We hope to find something nearby tomorrow.

We got into Santa Barbara at 5pm today and are stoked with our Mexican themed motel. It's really sweet. A little extra effort goes a long way. We walked out along the wooden pier and up state street before dinner. Wonderful adobe achitecture here and bouganvillea drapped over everything that isn't moving. The marina and bay circle the town on one side and long lines of palms are silhouetted by the mountains on the other. Beautiful.

Mexican themed room at the Agave Inn!

Santa Barbara Pier