Sunday, October 10, 2010

This place rules.

I like where I live. Nope, it's not for everyone. There's no Starbucks (I'm cool with that, Katy's does a great job and the smiles are a little more legit), no parking meters (that's a plus), stinky water (which stops at the magic jetty to the north, right K-Junk?) and no shortage of freaks. But we do have really great access to all kinds of water: year-round flatwater access, surf paddling, big water bombies and thumping beach break. I dig it, check out some photos from around town:

Killer color!

Photos: Dempsey would kick the Cardiff Kook's ass.


Photo: Everyone in town knows Kelly. How's that smile? Do you get the feeling that he knows something that we don't? Kelly and the boys at Emerald City do a great job of keeping the stoke going, even when it's flat and gray and ugly- which today definitely wasn't- maybe that's what all the happiness is about. Photo credit: Jeff Wallis


 Photo: Or maybe it's because that wave threw up a sweet little pocket for him to tuck into... Photo credit: Jeff Wallis


Photo: Or maybe there was a little rebound section down the line that put up something to bash off of... Photo credit: Jeff Wallis


Photo: Here are the guys that keep my ass moving. Kiwi just took second place in the Distance Race (Men 40 - 49) at the Battle of the Paddle, third at the Hennessey's International Paddle Championships and first at the King's Race in La Jolla this weekend. Kiwi's our go-to guy when we want to figure out what we're doing wrong on the race course- Kevin's there to torment me. Next time, Kevin- I'm coming for you!


Photo: What can I say? 

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey John,

Great post. Thanks for that little sequence.

I just took possession of a C4 Switchblade 12-6; a race board design. Being production molded it’s not exactly front-runner light, but fun to cruise none the less. I’ve long been a devotee of pushing the shorter and surfier board aspects which don’t lend to coast runs but I’ve wanted to get on something worthy of some flat day cruises. I have way too many creaky parts to have any delusions of bothering with race events but it’s fun nonetheless to fine tune the stroke. I am way too much of a surfer at heart to paddle much past the take off zone though; no going a hundred yards offshore to do my runs. I prefer to do what I call cross country surfing which is to say catch all lefts going North, all rights going South. Yes you can sort of surf those race boards, it’s a bit point and shoot, especially along a beach break, but has that pelican glide feel as you zip along a swell that no one else would even chase There are knots of prone surfers along the way so I skip some peaks but there are usually empty sections to ride and I always want to be close in enough to snag what sets present themselves. Saturday morning I did my first run on that big board. It was a cool stroll from the South end to the North Jetty and back; maybe 3 miles round trip. Being the weekend and fairly flat it was an interesting way to connect with folks along the way. It was truly an “our town” run. (Granted my shop is in Coronado and I have resided there the many years the shop has been going but I lived in IB all my formative years and will always consider it’s surf my true home.) This October day was more summerlike than our whole summer. Being small and inconsistent, but pleasant, people seemed especially friendly. It was interesting to run the whole beach and see people who don’t often break out of their niches. There was the Descanso-Cortez bunch, the Admiralty few, the South Siders, the North Side mob, the (used to be) Surf Side 6 gang, and even a couple of Standos in the no man’s land between the Jettys. I ran into old friends and got the “are you fifty yet? I hit it next week.” I encountered weekend warriors who had a grin and a question about what is that monster you’re paddling. As I passed Palm Avenue I got a view of the same surfer statue that you depicted in the sunset light, but from the sea angle. I had never seen it from the outside and it looks pretty cool at just the angle where it is lined up straight down the Avenue and basically just floating there with nothing behind it but early morning inland mist. All in all it struck me that I had just done this eye opening run and then you touch on some of the same townie aspects in your post. Doing a beach run can be sort of like leaving your car at home and taking a walk through the neighborhood. Not mystical or anything but I was smiling all the way.

Anonymous said...

indeed, great post, pics, and prose. your "eclectic" perspective of the surf-world always brings smiles (damn, haven't used that word in awhile...felt like a fur-ball coming up).

homeboy de no-man's land

John Ashley said...

Yeah Kelly! The cross country surf is where it all started for us... remember cruising Shores on your Munoz UltraGlide and my Big Red... so much fun!

I definitely want to take a look at that board. And I'm up for surf exploration. IN.

John Ashley said...

Dude, hack that furball right up! You know how we do.

juanito