Travels with haRVy

The surfing scene is alive and well in Southern California. Facing the ocean with feet in sand, you can almost forget about the megalopolis (and horrendous traffic congestion) behind you. The beautiful clear blue water, sunny skies, and colorful characters appear much as they did 50 to 60 years ago. We visited many famous surf spots as we meandered down the coast.

San Onofre

If everybody had an ocean
Across the U. S. A.
Then everybody’d be surfin’
Like Californi-a.

Day parking right on the beach.

We’ll all be planning that route
We’re gonna take real soon
We’re waxing down our surfboards
We can’t wait for June
We’ll all be gone for the summer
We’re on surfari to stay
Tell the teacher we’re surfin’
Surfin’ U. S. A.

Overnight camp site with panoramic view.

Rustic outdoor shower (not currently operational likely due to drought)

This surfboard bench was an Eagle Scout project.

Not sure how this weather vane got erected.

Long live the VW Vanagon!

A short walk from the campground is Trestles where this placard explains what sort of waves to expect, what type of board to use, and what skill level is required.

A young surfer waxes up his board behind his father’s classic wagon at Seaside Beach.

Classic surf stickers too.

Lots of father-son (a few daughters too) activity around.

Water conservation efforts were evident.

Various efforts to hold back erosion were also apparent.

Solana Beach just 2 blocks from our boondocking spot.

Everybody’s gone surfin’
Surfin’ U.S. A.

The Torrey Pines cliffs have featured soaring aircraft since the 1930s with many famous aviators earning their wings on the strong ocean breezes. Too windy to fly the day of our visit, but the view was nice.
See photos of the usual para- and hang- gliding excitement here.

One night we camped a few miles inland at Ronald Caspers Wilderness Park.

Despite the warnings above, we took a nice hike.

It’s tough for me to pass a California Oak without photographing it.

With four storms predicted with measurable rain (!) across all of Southern California, we headed for a friend’s house in Murrieta. Until further notice we will be comfortably residing in his guest quarters. Thank you, Bob!