Field Report, Dolphins of the Rincon, July 4th, 2013

Quad Pod

It was back in April I think when I started hauling the DLSR down to the beach again. I got lucky and saw some fins the first day. Sadly... I didn't see any more fins until yesterday. Well, umm, that's not entirely true. There were a few occasions where I didn't have the Camera due to one of the following reasons. 1. Too windy (Auto focus loves those white caps) 2. Surf too big (Dolphins swim too far out and I'm in a too much of a hurry to get out there myself) 3. Picking up seaglass (Too much sand. Sand, seaglass, and camera lens, are not a great combo) 4. Too heavy!  (Seriously. It digs into my shoulder big time, while that iPhone slips nicely into my back pocket) A backpack would probably be more comfy, but with the Sling Styled Tamrac Velocity 9, I can have my camera out the pack and shooting in 6 seconds flat. And believe me thats the kind of speed you need when it comes to dolphin fin notch photography...

New Fins.. 090 & 091aka Micro

I do haul it that thing down there quite a bit, but the dolphins clearly knowing what I'm up too, just wait until later to come by. So I was stoked yesterday to actually have the camera, and simultaneously spot a small pod of four dolphins just a couple hundred yards north of me. Now, if the dolphins are just cruising, I would gage their speed somewhere near a brisk walk. That means, if they are a couple hundred yards ahead of you... You will need to get running. So I did. Like I said there were only four of them but I got two new legit ID shots, with the other two being no-notchers. (Having no-notches) Anyway job well done. Thank you.

Haven't see S'ha in a while but he showed up today.

So this morning at exactly 6:47am, with Riley and Wilson bouncing off the walls, the bed, and the couch, I pondered the idea of dolphins showing up two days in a row. "Not likely," I told Riley, but I grabbed the ball and chain and threw it over my shoulder anyway (Canon 50D EF 100-400mm L Lens) As soon as we emerged from the tunnel, there they were, straight out the back. Six seconds later I had my camera in hand and was shooting away at five frames per second. Seventeen frames later the battery died. Yes, as a matter of fact I have learned this lesson a few times, and I still don't have a back-up battery. These lessons never end do they? I do have extra memory cards at least. So a few weeks ago when I took what I thought was a ridiculous 700 pictures at Kelsy's wedding I was fairly satisfied, only to find out later that Sammi's photography team took over 3000 at her wedding. Yep.. The lessons never end. Dead battery. Just like the dead battery on my e-bike that conked out on the way back from Ventura yesterday. Dead battery. Just like that day La Conchita's Beach Break was solid eight foot and doing a very persuasive job of looking like Puerto Escondito, with only Bobby and Tarik in the line up. Dead battery. Bummer too because there were at least a dozen dolphins out there today, probably more. Fin 090 from yesterday was there, along with S'ha who I hadn't seen since Callie Bowdish got a shot of him/her of Sands back in January of 2012. Those were the only two I could make out. 17 photos does not tell the whole story. Dead battery. Lesson learned.

Happy Fourth!

Now, if I didn't spend my last forty bucks* on a fuel injector for the Syncro sitting idly in the nearby driveway, I'd probably buy an extra battery today. Why do I hang on to the that thing anyway? Oh yeah it's just the best vehicle every made, and Tom Hanks just paid $114K for one, so I'm told. Ok well.. That's the report from just south of Rincon today. Happy Fourth! Well.. Maybe not for my dogs.


 *does not include money previously allocated to semi-mainstream-hoppy-craft beers

Power to the Peaceful.. No new fees!

Enough Said.

The people have spoken... And someone was listening for a change. Word is in that the Santa Barbara Parks Commission is recommending "No" new fees to be imposed at County Parks. Awesome. Some thought it was a done deal, including Santa Barbara City Council Member, Frank Hotchkiss. "It's nice not to have to pay, I agree, but an old custom that may have to pass." Thanks for the support Frank. I myself was starting to worry about it a bit yesterday, but thanks to the hundreds of people who poured their heart and souls into testimonies that could leave you in tears. And the hundreds, or thousands more, who wrote letters directly to the Board of Supervisors. Wow, are we actually seeing democracy at work? It was standing room only at last Thursdays meeting as single moms, hard core surfers, lawyer types, the rich, the poor, and everyone in between all came together in force to oppose any and all fees at our beaches. Even more showed up today via remote testimony to the last meeting held up in Santa Maria. It's unanimous. Everyone from the Rincon to Guadalupe Dunes agrees. No Fees to go to the Beach!  Suzanne Perkins, a premier realtor from Santa Barbara, and member of Parks Commission Board since 1992 had this to say. "This is democracy at work." See, what did I tell you, it's democracy at work. She probably said more but, I'm sorry to say, and I feel a little guilty about it, I skipped this mornings meeting to surf. Umm. Bob was there too.

I'm also sorry to say... It wasn't good surf either. Still it was enough to get out there and make a few more test turns on my new 6'5" Jumbo Shrimp by master craftsman, John Perry. Yesterday was good, well contestable at least. That was my rational as I got off at Bates and headed south, instead heading north to SB for the meeting.  Had I known they were making a decision today I would have gone for sure. Sorry. But back to the Jumbo Shrimp. Todays surf wasn't what I had in mind when I threw out a few ideas to John after riding the 5'11" Shrimp earlier in the summer. "A little wider, a little thicker, it's a long wave, some fat sections, and oh yeah... I want to put in a single fin box so I can see what the hell Cheyne Horan was thinking when he finished in second place four consecutive times on the pro tour. Umm. Just in case better put in  a FCS Quad configuration too."

Following his own path to 2nd Place.

Yes I'm talking about the StarFin, WingedKeel, the Americas Cup, and Ben Lexan. Okay.. Well if you can do air reverses in your sleep, then you probably don't have the slightest idea of what I'm talking about, but ever since I got a look at JP's Lazor Zap inspired Shrimp, I knew I was going to need a StarFin. It started in May, at LC's annual garage sale. Rincon was looking pretty good from two miles away, but I was stuck here selling stuff I bought at last year at LC's annual garage sale, and talking fins with avid finster RB from Mussel Shoals. He had three StarFins in his collection, not with him, and not really wanting to part with any of them. I settled on a Cobb-o-Fin which reminded me a lot of a Dolphin named Peace, Fin Id #25 out of the Dolphins of the Rincon Catolog. I went out that afternoon and after two big roundhouse cutbacks on one wave, a couple of my best ever, I was satisfied with my purchase. But still the StarFin was intriguing to say the least. Cheyne still sells them direct from Australia though the shipping was a bit high. I finally found one for a fair price with free shipping way, way, way, way north of here, and it's been sitting idle on my desk up till yesterday. How's it work. Hmm. The jury is still out but the early indicators are promising, and Indicator will likely need to start working again before the jury comes in. The surf had a little push yesterday but still was only in the waist/belly high range. The 6'5" felt huge under my feet after riding the 5'11" all summer and I would have never taken it out except for the fact it was brand new. In fact it was burning a hole in the back of the van. There was some surf, not enough, but good enough for me, and you know how easily those VW vans burst into flames. I had no choice. The 6'5" caught waves effortlessly which is exactly what I was looking for. I have very high wave quotas to fill. Still for conditions like this, I've already begun to throw around some ideas of a thicker, wider, quite possibly with a single fin box, FCS Quad, 5'11" Shrimp. Yes, I'd like to get that on the barb-ie as soon as possible mate. For the first couple hours I surfed the Jumbo Shrimp as a quad to get a good baseline for comparison, and I was about to call it a day when everyone got out of the water. The waves while small were still pretty fun, and the high tide was helping with the kelp factor, so I went in and set up the StarFin. By the way, the StarFin is no match for the kelp, you think a big single fin is bad, this thing stops you dead in your track.

Nope It's not backwards.

This fin sat on my desk waiting patiently, as was John, till I had enough money to pay for the 6'5".  It was a few weeks, maybe three, plenty of time to think about it. So I had a certain perceptions. Actually they were dreams, perhaps visions of how it was going to ride. And.. So far..  Right in the pocket of the wave the dream comes true. It feels like I'm on a track, not a bad track, my own track. Kinda of like your own constantly evolving Hot Wheel Track. It also seems to have some drive right on take off which I have been missing ever since I left my beloved Andreini Hulls at home. That initial drive might be coming from the slight V in the nose John put in, the fin, the extra thickness, or a combination of the three, I don't know, but I know I'll be taking off deeper than any of the other shortboards I've been on lately. I'm stoked! I haven't had a chance to get out on the open face much, since there really hasn't been any, and I felt a few quirks here and there. I don't know if it was the fin, the thickness, the width, or the crappy waves, but either way I'm stoked on the ridiculous amount of fin options on this new board. Quad, Single, Thruster, Five, ThreeDom, Winged Keel, it's all there. Time will tell. I don't know about you, but I'm more than ready for this summer and it's damn SE Swells to be over. Now... Back to the parking.

Standing Room Only!

It's not over. This is politics in America. One meeting isn't enough, two meetings isn't enough, three, sorry not enough.  Next this Fee Proposal goes before the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.  It will be up to them to decide go against the overwhelming disapproval of the people, or to accept the Parks Commission reccomendation of "No Fees" and put this case to bed. Politics. A steady intake of proposals, expensive studies on how to make more money from their constituents, and a shitload of meetings. As many as possible it seems, all the while crossing their fingers that the public might not show up to voice their opposition. Well I feel a little better about the system today, how about you?  My new Facebook Friend Supervisor Salud Carbajal, and Supervisor Janet Wolf have both indicated they will vote against the fee proposal, so we only need one more. I'd say we're looking pretty good but I wouldn't put it in the refrigerator yet. The eggs are not cooling and the jello is definitely not jigglin' See you again in October.

No Parking Ever Again!

Normally I might have been apathitic to the whole thing. I mean, I can ride my bike to Rincon anyway, and I wouldn't mind if they did put in a bike rack or two. But after seeing how easy it was for them to just simply get rid of 212 well used parking spaces along the highway here in La Conchita. Yep. Gone for good, along with the easy access to over two miles of sloping beach. Right here, right now, just happened in the blink of an eye, I don't even think anyone knew about it. How did that happen? Maybe no one showed up to the meetings. So I felt compelled to get involved this time, even if it was just showing up and holding a yellow protest sign. So thank you Tony for that first Facebook post that caught my attention, and thank your wife for printing up those yellow signs, and thanks especially for turning me on to those aforementioned Lazor Zap inspired Shrimps. And wow everyone else, mostly people I've never even met, David, Anne, Tyler, Ben Lexan, and the social media in general that made this easier maybe? Really way too many names to mention, but everyone really stepped up and got this thing done. If you haven't done so yet write the Board of Supervisors today. I don't care where you live. Free access to the beach, and wilderness, you already paid for it, it's a god given right. You can't just put up a fence, a sign,  a meter, and turn us into customers. Fuck that. Look, I voted for Nadar, but Ronald Reagan has some really good quotes, check it out...

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like at Rincon where we could park for free" 

Sorry Frank, the people have spoken. New customs for the next generation.

Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors Email Addresses

SupervisorCarbajal@sbcbos1.org
jwolf@sbcbos2.org
dfarr@countyofsb.org
jgray@co.santa-barbara.ca.us
steve.lavagnino@countyofsb.org

How much would you pay to surf here?

Rincon Point, April 1, 2012

A dollar an hour, two dollars an hour? Three dollars a day, five dollars a day? Ten dollars a day? I would stop visiting. What? These are some pretty bad choices to say the least but unfortunately, they are the only ones offered on the Santa Barbara County Parks Beach Parking Fee Survey.  I lied and told them I would stop visiting, but where was the option for "None of the above." Or the, "I am opposed to the idea of any fees on land previously set aside for public use, especially when it was originally misappropriated from the Chumash in the first place." Okay, how about, "You've got to be f@#king kidding me!"

One of seven parks under fire.

Parking fees at the Queen of the Coast are not the only threat. What about Lookout Park in Summerland, Loon's, Hendry's, Goleta, Ocean, and Guadalupe Dunes. How much would you be willing to pay to park there? How much are you willing to pay to take your dog for a walk, dip your toes in the water, or just relax with a good book? How much would you pay to fish, take a romantic stroll, a jog, or obsessively hunt seaglass? How much would you pay to just stare at the sea and clear your head during your lunch break. If I had to suggest something, it might go like this. First 90 minutes free, after that, $1.00 per hour, $5.00 max.

That might work for a lot of people and it is pretty similar to the downtown parking arrangement, the city might even go for it. That might be enough for Bob and his big old Rottweiler Sissy who I see there every single day. It might be enough for that older couple that enjoy a cup of coffee nearly every morning on the bluff, before heading down the ramp for short walk on the beach. It might be enough James and his German Short Hair, Finley, and the countless other dog walkers, and beachcombers I see every day. It might even be enough for a quick surf. Two hours would be even better, but that would still not be long enough for me. Rincon feeds my soul, and I know I am not alone on that one.

Surfing for free. January 22, 2012

The good news is this. I did confirm that the Lower Lot is unaffected by Santa Barbara's inability to run their city. First off it's in Ventura, but the deciding factor is that lot is run by the state park system. Hey, it's not my preferred spot to park, but it soon will be if this ridiculous plan goes through. Unfortunately the state is in far worse shape than Santa Barbara, so it probably wouldn't be long before someone up at the state park commission says, "Hey, why aren't we charging for parking at Rincon? We do it at San O, Malibu, El Cap.." Suddenly it's $10.00 a day to park in the Cove. And please don't give me some story about how the county or the state is in such bad shape. I'm in bad shape. Half the people I know are in bad shape, financially speaking, anyway. Santa Barbara County had close to $800,000,000.00 in revenue last year. Yes, 800 Million! Certainly they can figure out a way to keep our parks open and free to the public, or at least have the guts to take it to a public vote.

Free Parking... For now.

Some people, notably the Planning Commission themselves, are already writing this off as a done deal. Sure, what do the restaurants at Hendry's and Goleta care? It's a not a problem for them. They'll be able to validate those parking stubs just like they do at Stearns Wharf. What does the planning commission care? Hey paying for parking is a Southern California Tradition. Ventura, Hueneme, Malibu, LA, Huntington, it's endless. UCSB!!! It's a outright crime to not have free public access to Campus Point. Okay thanks, at least I don't have to carry around a bag of quarters anymore, they take debit cards now. All of this should be enough to make your stomach turn. I'm sure, well I would hope, they'll have a annual pass for locals but those aren't cheap either. The Port Hueneme Annual Pass is $100 Dollars a year! The California State Park Pass is $125.

That still doesn't sit right with me. What about you? Now normally I tend to head off on a few different tangents on these blogs, but today I want to get straight to the point. It's not too late for your voice to be heard. There is another meeting coming up later this month. And even if you are like me and would rather be hit by a truck than speak in public, maybe you can just bring a sign, or show up for moral support. Let's keep surfing free in SB! Mark your calendars.

August 16, 2012 5:30PM

Santa Barbara Planning Commission Hearing Room 123 E. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

*Remote testimony is available in the Santa Maria Board of Supervisors Hearing Room

Shane Orr.. The Bounce. No parking allowed.

All of this comes on the heels of the losing 212 parking spaces along the highway here in La Conchita. Yes you heard me correctly. If you didn't know already, beach access here will soon be restricted to Mussel Shoals to the south, the new pedestrian tunnel in La Conchita, and the existing parking lots at Rincon Point. Any way you slice it, it's gonna be a mile walk if you want to surf the Bounce. At present I'm lucky enough to be living in LC. So other than losing that left hand turn into town, and the fact I have to drive an additional six miles every time I leave home, I'm pretty happy with the Cal Trans US 101 Carpool Lane Improvement Project.  I'm not ecstatic about six lanes of traffic, but yeah overall, I'm pretty happy. There's the brand new eight foot tall pedestrian tunnel to the beach. Ramps leading to the beach and up to a shiny new beachside class one bikeway. Yep, no more back breaking, head scraping trips through the four foot drainage tunnel thats served LC since 1955. And a protected bike path taking me pretty much the only place I need to go. It's like a dream come true.. If you live here. 

CHP has already issuing warnings.

Unfortunately for everyone else who enjoyed the free and easy access to over two miles of sloping, usually uncrowded beach, and the occasional surfable wave... I would say it's a pretty big loss. Some of the best times of my life were spent down at the north end of LC teaching my daughters to surf. I guess it's no surprise that Cal Trans can mow down Surfrider, the Coastal Commission, and anyone else who gets in the way of their dream of a super highway extending from Ventura to Goleta. Gosh. Even the fine folks of Monticito couldn't stop them.  At the very least they might have considered a second tunnel along with some additional parking at Tank Farm to access to the northern end of La Conchita. Maybe it's not too late to do something about that but for now, according to Claudia Gomez spokeperson for Cal Trans, "There are NO plans to replace the 212 spots lost in the $162,000,000.00 project. Yes.. Millions." 

No Parking! Bobby.. Somewhere along two miles of sloping beach,

   

May Day... The Big Five-O.. Help..

CalTrans is coming to town

So June starts much the same as May left off. Small mostly unsurfable waves lapping the shores of La Conchita Town. June gloom has a arrived right on schedule after an unusually sunny May. Sun, clouds, fog, rain, whatever,  I don't care. My eyes are straining to see waves at the spot just two miles north of here. They play tricks on me most every morning this time of year till finally... I break down and drive over for a closer look. It was worth a closer look on Wednesday. Yesterday umm..  Well my eyes got the better of me.  Did you say drive? What about the the ebike bike Don? Well.. Two reasons really. Reason number one. CalTrans has made a mess of things directly in front of town making for an even more dangerous trip north to Rincon. Reason number two. With the left turn lane permanently shut down, at least a portion of your trip back to involves a harrowing ride against traffic. Granted, it is probably not going matter whether you get hit head on,  or taken out at 65mph from behind, it's probably your amplitude and landing skills that are going to save you. Reason number three. My hip has been killing me. Okay make it three reasons then, and everyone needs to quit texting while they drive. You are insane! I have a lot to say about CalTrans, texting while driving, and the Association of Surfing Professionals, however I'm still waiting on Claudia from CalTrans to get back to me. Suffice to say, I am not amused.

Post One Star Session... Victory at Sea

Despite the dangers of biking on the freeway I was without the Syncro for a week or so earlier in the month... Yep again, don't ask..  So I had no choice but to get on the bike and peddle my ass into town for beer, wine, and a couple of days of mediocre surf. As mentioned in a prior blog, even with electric assist I have to peddle some sections, and that is just no good for this freaking hip.  So if you broke your hip twelve years ago, just turned fifty, and it feels like your body is absolutely falling apart, but you can't give it a rest, I have one word for you. Compression.   I'm  keeping it all together now with a pair CW-X Compression Shorts, and they work! Two thumbs up! Back to the surf. There hasn't been any. In fact since I began logging surf sessions in September, I have never seen anything as bad as this May. Yes, I am well aware I'm living in the shadow of the Channel Islands but it has been particularly bad for at least three weeks north and south of here. The beginning of May started off promising with 5 days of at least average, to above average surf, including one standout afternoon of Four Star surf the weekend of La Conchita's annual garage sale, and then arrgg..

5'11" Shrimp by John Perry

May 8th.. One Star, Two Star,  One Star, Two Star, One Star, Two Star, One Star, One Star, Two Star, right up till yesterday... One Star.. That's only 15 days total for May, and most of them in the pretty dam terrible or worse category. Throw in a couple of dry runs and I can tell you, a psychiatric break is not far off in my future. For those of you not familiar with my star rating system. One Star is Terrible. Two Star is pretty damn terrible, and it has to be fucking horrible for me to not paddle out. Three stars is average, not to mention pretty damn good at my home break where 150+ yard rides are the norm. Don't get me wrong, I would rather be in the water than out, but it's starting to wear on me. I did secretly score some chest high surf a couple of days ago.  2.5 Stars... Chest high, bumpy,  but some zippy sections and an oppurtunity to cut loose on the 5'11" Lazor Zap inspired Shrimp by master shaper John Perry. But my eyes got the better of me yesterday as I groveled in slow inconsistent waist high peelers. Seriously I really should took the Sup out yesterday, and Kalie, bring me my Yater Spoon!!! Nope, one star, and two star days are not going to cut it much longer.

 Mark Twain stayed here... Grass Valley

Luckily there have been a few distractions this month, like a fun little road trip with my good friend Kim up to Chico to see her son graduate. Santa Cruz... no waves there either. Then on up and over to Grass Valley before hitting Chico, home of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. Definitely one of my "Go To" beers so I was a little bummed they were booked solid for lunch with everyone in town for graduation. Luckily it's on tap everywhere. The good stuff too, with names I've never heard of before, like "Writers Block" or my choice for the after graduation celebration, the "Best Bitter" Which the brewer describes as an English-style pale ale that tends to be far more malty than its American counterparts. I can say this. Taste a bit like a good IPA but with less alcohol volume. I didn't know that when I ordered it, so I had three.


Unfortunately I couldn't get through May without turning 50. Yep the big five-o. Time to reflect perhaps.. Maybe not.  The good, the bad, the ugly, I have seen it all. Yep, two divorces, currently single, basically unemployed, kids out of the house, two dogs, lots of old injuries rearing their ugly heads, and now this mid-life board crisis. I have been making the transition back to short boards lately. Not your traditional potato chip fashioned thrusters, but not big floaty fish either, think Cheyne Horan. And don't think I won't go out and buy a StarFin even though this very same thinking may have cost Cheyne the World Championship many times over. Still the transition, it's been a lot of fun, it'a been a lot of work, and every time I kick out,  I'm thinking...  I'm too old for this shit. The amount of energy expended ripping the hell out of one of those aforementioned one hundred and fifty yard waves, vs the cruising, sweeping turns, and casual trim stylings of the Vaquero has been an eye opener for sure. Still I've been on the hulls for 8 years now, probably longer, so perhaps it's time for a change before I really am... Too old for this shit. Plenty of time to cruise and trim later and I do have that unobstructed view of the Santa Barbara Channel which is.. well pretty good.

The Motel 6 in Lodi.. Not as good as it looks.

Life in the Bike Lane.. Prodeco Technologies G Storm eBike Review...

 What you can't see.. wont hurt you....

The bike lane to which I'm referring, might be 6' wide in some places, but it feels like 4' at the best. Going northbound, semi-trucks pass within a couple feet trying to suck you into their lane, to the right a bumpy dirt shoulder and ravine. So it's pretty important to stay in the bike lane. Of course the bike lane disappears altogether in a few spots so watch out for that. Heading south, at least in front of La Conchita town, it almost feels safe due to that extra lane for parking* Going south I pretty much ride in the parking lane even though it's a little bumpy. Once you hit Mussel Shoals it's back to the narrow little path known as the Pacific Coast Bike Route. Here your only chance for survival would be a clean hit that might send you over the 20 foot rock embankment and into the deep blue pacific. I just hope it's not low tide. Seriously it's a beautiful ride, but frightening at the same time. I wouldn't gaze around too much unless you come to a complete stop. There's cracks, potholes, tire shards, drainage grates, glass, just be careful!

Syncro... Happier days..

The Pacific Coast Bike Route actually begins at the California/Oregon Boarder on Highway 101 and meanders peacefully along, down towards Humboldt County and the Redwoods. Sounds great and might make a good trip some day in the future but for now, the Pacific Coast Bike Route means a run from La Conchita to Rincon on a stretch of the 101 that most people consider to be the Ventura Freeway. Up till last summer my familiarity with the bike route was limited to watching the bikers ride by from the safety of my porch, and making sure I didn't hit any of them on the way into Carp. All that changed during last summers huge Teahpoo Swell... Caught without my van (New Rear CV Joints) I was forced onto the highway, board in my arm, heading north to a spot located down some stairs and to the left. It was a pretty huge swell making it into pretty much every nook and cranny of the coast. I probably hit it up a couple of times by bike before getting the Syncro back.

Fun and adventure in a box!

It was a pretty slow and somewhat brutal ride on the rusty single speed Schwinn cruiser, and I don't recommended trying to negotiate this stretch of highway one handed, while hanging onto a surfboard. But there were some pretty good waves, and it was nice to know I wasn't completely stranded here in LC. Still.. I was stoked to get the van back a couple days later, and I didn't give the Pacific Coast Bike Route another thought till the Syncro suffered a catastrophic engine failure at the end of last year. You can dig back a ways in this very blog to hear my praises for the Subaru 2.2 / EJ22 Engine conversion. Let's just say, I haven't been singing about it the last two months. In fact, I really don't discuss the engine failure, and subsequent search for a replacement, and two month long process at all.

But I will sing you the praises for my new Prodeco G Storm, 24 Volt, 250 Watt, Electric Bicycle. Not having your van for a couple days in the middle of summer is one thing, but losing it mid-winter when Rincon was about to light up is a whole different story. Problem number one. The rusty 'ol cruiser was out of commission due to chain rusting all the way though and breaking. That stuff happens here in a place where bananas grow like weeds, and long low tide beach rides through the salt water all the way to Linden Avenue are possible.  That left me with two choices, walking, or riding the classic late 80's Cannondale mountain bike I've owned for 25 years. Well  it's not rusty, but it is incredibly uncomfortable, in fact the last time I rode it gave me back spasms for days. The good news was that other right hand point, just south of La Conchita, was working quite nicely during a few of those January swells... Easy walking distance.

Prodeco G Storm

Eventually though I had to get back to my favorite spot, um, just north of here. Yep. So using the dangerous one arm carrying the board, the other hand on the bars approach I learned over the summer, I crossed the railroad tracks and bravely merged on to the Pacific Coast Bike Route, aka Highway 101. Even with gears the Cannondale proved to be far worse than the rusty beach cruiser. The uncomfortable seat, the low handle bars, high center of gravity was sketchy at best, but at least that working brake was on my right hand. Anyway through a combination of biking, walking, and getting a lot of rides from my favorite neighbors Dawn, and Kirk, I didn't miss a single day of surf due to being without a vehicle. I was starting to think hey this is pretty cool not having a car. Enviormentally sound, and saving money too. I would get an occasional ride to town from my kids, or my mom, stock up on food, beer, wine, charcoal, etc...  I even had my friend Kim bring me down a crapload of firewood from the Goodland so I was set. Where did I have to go anyway? Nowhere. Nowhere fast. Well I did have to surf, and that was about five mile round trip and my ass was killing me on the Cannondale. Not to mention the ride home after a three hour session. That's when I started thinking electric bike.

These days when I start thinking about buying something expensive, it's a painful, mentally exhausting trip through the web searching for honest reviews, best prices, and hopefully, eventually, coming to the right decision. Honestly I wish I had a car to get out there and test some of the bikes I had looked into, but I didn't.. Haha. Besides that the e-bike field is complex, and fast changing, and mostly very expensive. I would say 2k is more like the average for something decent. There was a Prodeco Dealer in Santa Barbara but he was out of stock so I didn't feel too bad when I pulled the trigger and bought it direct from Prodeco Technologies. Everyone seemed to be waiting on the new 2012 Phantom Model with 500 Watts of power but that would have end up running another $400-$500. Not to mention no one could accurately say when they would be able to get me one. So I opted for the 2011 G-Storm with 250 Watt Motor. Total cost. $900.00 delivered to my door with free shipping.

250 Watt Hub.. Is that enough?

First off, I did do a lot of research, and the main consensus on the Prodeco bikes was very high quality, assembled in the US, and not in stock! Here is a link if you want exact details on specs and components. For the purpose of my review I'll stick to why it works for me.  I haven't really been involved in bikes since the aforementioned late eighties Cannondale,  so I don't know much about the latest components anyway. However what I do know is I was immediatly pleased upon opening the box. This bike does not disappoint, sealed cartridge bearings (think rusty crusier), disc brakes (it needs them), quick disconnect motor (for changing flats), and a pretty damn comfy seat (a must) Still the most important considerations for me were, price, weight, and compatibility, with the Carver Surf Rack, a company out of Hawaii. The G Storm well, it also looks pretty sleek, folds in half, and is ready to ride almost immediately out of the box.

The weight was a big issue for me and while it is not really that light at 46lbs, it is light enough for me to wrangle down the rocks to the beach, enabling me to access the complex tunnel system here in La Conchita. This tunnel system is extremely important if there is too much traffic, and is in fact, the only way to access town if you can't cross the highway safely. I couldn't imagine trying to haul one of those sleek eBikes that look like scooters down those rocks. Compatibility with the Carver Surf Rack was huge, and by the way those racks are hands down the best available period. Freeway tested! The racks are lightweight, low profile, and easy to remove if you need to. Way better than the old upright style that stick up out the back and flop around in the wind. Believe me I was tired of boards flopping around on Highway 101. I didn't think much about the folding aspect but have already used it a few times. It rules. I also like the LI ION LifePo4 Battery which is good for about 2000 charges vs only 500 for the stander Lithium Type. The two year warranty is not bad either.

Maiden Voyage.. Butterfly Beach.

They say the range is 15 to 25 miles on a charge but that figure definitely varies depending on use. I'm not sure it would last 15 miles without peddle assist, but trust me, the peddling is a piece-o-cake. My first test ride was going to be La Conchita to Santa Barbara for a special showing of Minds in the Water at the Film Festival. I had no idea if the bike, or myself would make it, but my friend, aka ex-wife had promised me a ride back, a free ticket, and I really wanted to see this movie. So that was it. I filled the water bottle and took off at 9:15am arriving at Butterfly Beach in under forty-five minutes, averaging about 15 MPH. Pretty stoked. 15 MPH might not seem that fast, it might not even be an accurate figure sense I have nothing to track it, but I can assure you it goes way faster than I'm used to going, and fast enough to make some serious road bikers wonder what you're doing behind them. I continued on to Surf 'n Wear's Beach House to check availability on the Carver surf rack I wanted, and stoked.. They had it, with discount too. Thanks Jeremy. Overall I went about 20 miles that day, still had plenty of juice left in the battery, and hadn't even broken a sweat.

Shut up. Hows it ride? Well.. I would describe it being similar to a Prius. The electricity gets you going then the motor kicks in. You being the the motor. It takes off effortlessly and gets up to top speed quickly, you can't help but peddle along. In town, parking lots etc, I just sort of putt around in e-mode, or a combination of the two, but once you're moving at top speed it's easy to contribute your own power.  It's pretty much like coasting. No sweat. Literally. I even beat my ex-wife to the theater. When she did get there, I folded it up, and fit it nicely into her bio-diesel powered Jetta wagon. Yep, I have come along way since flicking cigarettes out of my Toyota Landcrusier environmentally speaking. Hows it working for surfing? Like I said the rack works perfectly and allows for fin first placement so I don't look like a kook. It's pretty funny to get behind these serious road bikers and actually keep up with them just cruising along in a comfortable upright position, surfboard, backpack, just flying down the rode, fin first, and getting 1200 miles to the gallon.

Keep it green. You'll go farther.

Other notes: The handlebar throttle gage is supposed to show how much charge is left on the battery. Actually what it does is more important. It shows  how much drain you are putting on the battery. i.e. Go full throttle with no peddling even on a full charge and you'll see it drop into the red. But if you put even the slightest effort into peddling you'll will save a lot of drain on the battery. I found the gearing to be just about perfect for the 250 Watt Motor, with the motor topping out and leaving some extra room for speed by peddling harder. Any hills I have hit have been a breeze as well by just shifting down accordingly.  Out of the box I found the Disc Brakes needing a minor adjustment which was easy to do myself. Also the derailer was out alignment by one gear, missing the lowest possible gear. I found this was easy to fuck up on my own and I am now out of alignment on two gears instead of just one, and planning to see bike mechanic soon. Still like I said. It rides like a Prius. Lots of torque off the line and I have never used those two gears even on the steepest of hills.

Warranty...  I went on a strictly pleasure ride south to Ventura a few days ago and hit an especially bumpy, potholed, stretch of the Pacific Coast Bike Route when sudden the battery broke loose at full speed. I thought, oh shit. (the bike is heavy, and while you could make it anywhere under human power, the motor make its easy) So shit, I heard the battery bouncing along the pavement behind me, and didn't know what to expect as far as damage. Turned out the male connection to the battery cracked. Thankfully it fit back into place and I rode home, and have continued to ride it while waiting on the replacement part. So all good.. I would say very satisfied.

Two year warranty.. Yeah!

What to expect... A comfortable bike, that with a little peddling, and no sweat, will have you and a surfboard, moving along at road bike speed in a hurry. Quality components, functional features, and two year warranty.  What not to expect.. Sitting back on the throttle and blazing along at 20MPH (eBike speed limit) without peddling. Blazing up hills at 20MPH even if you do peddle. What I think.. In my limited knowedge I think this is the best of both worlds. If you want a bit of a work out you can get it. If not, lazily peddling along with the electric assist will get you where you want to go without worry. What to watch out for when converting from a driver to a biker. Drivers!!! Plus, try not to forget everything like me.  So far I have forgotten my wallet twice in route to town, and yesterday, jeez. I was all the way to Rincon before I realized I didn't have my wetsuit. After riding back I thought briefly about hopping in the van. (Yes, after two full months without a vehicle I got it back last Thursday) Then thought the better of it. After a surf, I came home and realized I missed the postman and had to ride into town to get my mortgage in the mail on time. I put some serious consideration into driving the van,  but hit the El Camino Real for the third time that day. . ** I'm going to have to talk about the parking/bike path situation another day but let's just say I'm in favor of the new bike lane.

Don't let transportation get in the way of your destination.

Wasting away in La Conchita Ville

Aaron "Arson" Ernst was absolutely killing it!

Let's see.. Picking up where I left off in December. I did manage to hang in there last month with $1.81 to spare.  Unfortunately exactly nine days after I got some cash, the day before new year eve, the van just died.. The only good news was it died right at the bottom of the offramp at Bates Rd. (just north of here)  With a help of couple fisherman I got it parked under the bridge, locked it up, and I went surfing, just like every other day in December. Three hours later it actually started but didn't sound great. I know it's hard to believe but, despite my rugged good looks, and neck beard, I really don't no shit about cars. But it did start, just barely, and I made a run for home. I even caught a lucky break and made the left turn into LC without stopping, limped down SurfSide, and it died in the driveway. Now I love my van, but after a week of denial, anger, bargaining, and depression, I finally accepted I was going to have to tow it in.

Tuesday Afternoon

So for the past month I've haven't had a car. It's sorta, kinda, pretty cool. I am very lucky to be within walking and biking distance to not just one, but two world class surf spots. It even got me think about getting an electric bike after seeing how much money I'm saving not buying gas. Riding your bike to Rincon is one thing, but going all the way into Carp is a bit much, Especially after surfing three hours..  Especially when you have 30 lbs of groceries on your back. (Yeah those beer bottles are not light) Especially if you bought a bottle of wine too. Unfortunately.. I think I'm looking at about 2K to get the van back to life, so the electric bike may have to wait. Well it's one or the other I guess. But I can't get to El Cap on the electric bike which was where I would have been heading last weekend, so yea, van, bike, van... The van is most likely gonna win out here.

Dane..Too bad I missed the first part of this turn...

Last weekend... Biggest swell of the year this far with the Goleta Buoy hitting 10' @ 17 seconds, and yep, I do keep track... probably ocd or something like it.  It was solid, some old guys said eight foot sets. I saw the reef way, way, way  outside Stanley's breaking on the sets.  But I was sick as a dog and had been for a few days. So silver cloud, golden lining, something like that. I decided to break out the camera and went down to shoot some surfing. Turned out to be pretty fun, so I rode my bike down there again yesterday. Here ya go.. Yeah 2012.. No car... Sick as a dog for the biggest swell of the year... Ok, it's not the end of the world, it's Tuesday afternoon in the cove with Dane, Pat, Lakey, Arson, and the crew. Music by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham.. Enjoy the full screen option for maximum viewing pleasure.

10.10.10

View from the porch.. I think I'll stay awhile.

10.10.10... Nothing too scary with that. I don't even hear too many people talking about it. In binary code it is the number 42. Sally Fitzgibbions tweeted that this morning so I thought I would toss it in. For me it marks the one year anniversary of moving to La Conchita. LC as it's called by the locals.

Excerpt from the novel.. The Innocents..

The '66 Bonneville eased out of Rincon Park and turned south, Wil nudged on the pedal conjuring up a throaty exhaust. He still had the hots for the car, virtually stolen from a widow during the gas crunch. The Bonnie had style; it went like a white bat. It's also carried a 9'6"longboard in a partition he'd punched through the back seat. To improve it's handling he'd replaced the suspension and steering. Other than that, the car was mint.

Wil rested his arm on the open window, to his left, La Conchita appealed to some inner sense. It was so unexpected: half a mile long, scrunched against the coastal cliffs, a vest pocket community not even on most road maps. North-bound drivers escaping LA for the red tiled splendors of Santa Barbara another 15 minutes up the road rarely caught two blinks of it in the rearview. Which suited him fine.

Like most locals, he dug the closeness of it. People co-existed.. like the mobile homes, beach shacks, stucco houses, redwood decks. Roses grew next to cactus, fuchsias next to Spanish bayonet. And up the street at the north end, bananas, the fruit tree-ripening in bright blue bags. La Conchita itself hadn't grown much, though. Laid out in 1924, it waited for the movies stars and city folk to come, some made it as far as Mussel Shoals. After a while the coast highway brought others: oil workers, smugglers, retirees, surfers, all attracted by cheap lots, and two miles of sloping beach...

Richard Barre pretty much nailed it in his 1995 description of LC. The banana's are unfortunately gone, and there are probably more nurses than smugglers these days though. It was late '94 when I first took a look at a house for sale on Vista del Rincon. Theresa quickly shut that idea down? The first slide happened about 3 months later when I was at the Ski Industries trade show in Vegas. I clearly remember the watching it on the news along side Chuck Barfoot, snowboard pioneer, and long time LC resident. Well..Chuck on is on the front row and so am I so I think we have more to worry about with the global warming and melting polar ice caps.. lol.

It was Jenny, Julia, and my daughter Kalie who brought me to La Conchita a year ago to this day. Well.. Long story short. That didn't quite pan out. So it was Jenny, Julia, who went back to Santa Barbara, leaving th big house, and mortgage, and myself. Thank you. I found Susy and her daughter to rent the uptairs. Problem solved.

Driving home last night on the way back from the Carp just in time to catch the sunset, there was a big ol dolphin show going on. Dolphins stretched from the curve all the way to the middle of town. Jumping, playing, racing, generally flying all over the place, speaking to me once again.. Yes.. I think I will stay awhile..

Bobby.. Some of the biggest LC Beach Break I've seen.

Kim's Sup Part Two or.. More time well spent..

About week later I decided I really didn’t pull a muscle but maybe cracked my rib. That’s what it feels like anyway. Don’t worry… it only hurts when I paddle real hard. So.. Over the weekend I tried to paddle casually into a few over at the left. Pretty small but I could have surfed bigger without much more pain so no worries. Wait. Before I go way off tangent and end up with a third part to this stand up paddle confession story of mine, I have to say one thing. You can’t just tell me you are a shortboarder, or a longboarder, or a supper, or a sponger, a kneeboarder, or a kite boarder or, I just surf when it’s good, or blah, blah, blah. Just surf. One of everything please..Thanks! I still plan on getting on a surf mat and on a kneeboard this winter. If you only have love for your own race, then you only leave space to discriminate.. which only creates hate, which can only make you irate. Except those spongers. Fuck those guys…. Just kidding… and the kiteboarders…. Kidding..

So here’s the story I was trying to tell you about yesterday. It goes like this. Riley was taking me on his morning walk up at Bates. We hooked up with Feta and Lou on the way back. I notice some fins heading in the same direction, at the same time my brother Mike calls and gives me the up to date surf report from Venturah.. Actually he hasn’t arrived in the VTA yet but it’s not happening in Hueneme. Which by the way is the Chumash word for “halfway” or “resting place” Halfway to where? Glad you asked. Halfway between Malibu and Rincon of course. Google it. Sorry. No. .I made that up but it sounds good yes? It is the however the only deep water port between LA and San Francisco. So I headed home waiting to hear something on the surf, and wondering if I should forget about it, and go cut the dolphins off in LC for a photo shoot. Sometimes I wish someone would just tell me what to do and where to go. Kidding.. Surf report came back negative but too late to cut off the dolphins. So now what? I need a new plan.

I decided to grab my Camera , load the SUP, head south, and cut them off for some photos around Hobson’s, then maybe drive a bit further and launch the SUP. Making the left into La Conchita is a piece of cake but heading south is a pain in the ass, at least in the Westy. I try to not let the f-bombs fly as I merge into the southbound traffic. I am sure most of those drivers missed the sign and flashing lights two miles back that said “END FREEWAY - CROSS TRAFFIC AHEAD” I know the dolphins are not too far ahead of me so I start scanning. As soon as I am safely in the slow lane, I look over, and there they are. Heading north! It could be a different group so I keep heading south. Past Hobson’s. Past Crap Reef. Past Pitas. Pass Mondo’s (where I briefly thought about paddling out on Kim’s Sup) Pass Solimar ( where I wish the waves were a little better so I could paddle out on Kim’s Sup without a crowd) Sheesh.. See how quickly this story is getting away from me. Stop!

There are no fins to be seen down this way so I turn around and head north thinking briefly again about paddling out on Kim’s Sup as I pass by Mondos . Stop! I need a new plan. I will rush back to LC and shoot some photos of the northbound group I passed on the way down. As soon as I pulled the u-turn and parked, there they were, about 100 yards north of me.. I briefly thought about running them down. Nevermind ! New plan!!! Forget the photos today go to the cove and cut them off on the SUP. So I did. Finally a plan that I could live with. Not that cove.. the good cove.

No waves and no one in the parking lot. Good. Perfect. I don’t surf the cove much anyway but I don’t really want to be caught with an 11’ SUP on my head. As soon as I hit the beach I saw them. At least two fins about 200 yards south of the cove. Sweet.. I hit the water and the conditions were perfect. Glassy, foggy of course, 10’-20’ visibility in the water, and two fins only 100 yards away. So I paddle on out thinking wow this is great and a bit unnerving at the same time. I have been surfing with these guys for years. I have been on the same wave. I have had them pass by within a few feet. I have had to duck dive right in front of six of them, heading full speed, straight at me. But that was just them passing me by. This time I was going to try to hang out with them for a while. I soon as I got pretty close I stopped and sat down for a while. There were two of them. Big ones with big unique fins but neither that I knew by name. They didn’t seem to be going anywhere or maybe I just stopped them. The three of us all kind of hung around in the same area for quite a while, and it crossed mind that if I fell in, they might ram my already cracked rib. Ouch.. They would get pretty close sometimes.. maybe 10’ -15’ and then they would disappear . Occasionally they would come up to the surface and just stay there. I see that behavior a lot now that I have been watching them. This time I was sure they checking me out. Then they both disappeared. So I headed north to towards the cove to see if they would catch up with me when.. poo’fe.. That is the sound they make when they surface. Kind of a soft poof. I don’t know something like that. Anyway it’s the sound of more fins coming up from the south.

Note to self. It’s way easier to count dolphins from this angle especially with the clear water. Six in this group, and without a doubt I know some of these ones but, not by name. This group appeared a lot less freaky than the two bigger ones. They were on a slow but steady trip up the coast. I let them come up to me and then started to paddle in front of them hoping they would pass me. Nope. So I stopped again and just let them cruise by me. Two up front, the other four bringing up the rear. The water is so clear I can see the bottom, the fish, the eel grass, and a lot of sand if you know what I mean. Super good waves coming is what I mean.

I just kind of fell in line naturally behind these guys and followed them into the cove, on up the point, all the way to indicator. I can’t really explain how cool it was. I was right there with them and they didn’t seem to mind a bit. I could see the four below me so clearly it was like slow motion. They’d surface right in front of me, poo’fe.. And for a brief moment in time I was part of this pod. Pretty cool. They never tried to speed away, change directions, or ram into my ribs. In fact I had to slow down a couple times. Pretty freaking cool. Once I hit Indicator I decided to turn back and leave them alone. I didn’t want to wear out my welcome but was looking forward to another encounter. Plus there was somebody out surfing the left and I didn’t want to be spotted on the sup.. Ha..

I wasn’t even to the rivermouth when two more fins popped up. Took a seat and there was qunt’aw (lighting). Pretty much the first dolphin I named and the first dolphin I have seen and recognized from the water. I would like to think he or she was cruising along with ox’kon (thunder) but ox’kon does not have that distinctive of a fin and I didn’t have a camera. But where there’s lighting there’s usually thunder..

Lighting and Thunder..