Huntington Beach
Travis Rabenberg has the best travel stories I have ever heard. My host for two nights in HB, I never tired of hearing his yarns -– from kicking out with Arab Princes, to having his drink spiked and waking up in the middle of the desert, this guy has had a wild time! He also sells Italian bikes for a living, so I was lucky enough to be taken on a group ride on the back of his Ducati -– cruising north on the Pacific Coast Highway with the sun setting to our left. Riding home again under the nearly full moon was pretty epic too. Travis took me out for a morning surf before work. The water was gorgeous, I surfed in a bikini, and the waves were so mellow and rolling, I had so much fun. He loaned me a beach cruiser bike (these are so popular here!) and I spent the day exploring the HB/Newport area on the beach-side bike path. I rented a kayak and spent the afternoon exploring the Huntington Harbour, one of the biggest displays of wealth I have ever witnessed. Channel after channel of huge houses right on the water, with luxury yachts moored alongside. Huntington Harbor I stopped a couple of times to jump off bridges with the local kids, who have just started summer vacation. One young girl was really timid and shy, and her friends were all encouraging her to jump. I started talking to her, and eventually convinced her to jump with me. When she took her shorts off she had these heartbreaking scars all over her thighs from cutting herself. After jumping a few times she was smiling and giggling with her friends, and it was touching to have witnessed her gain that confidence. On the bike ride home I came across the Huntington farmers market, a lively affair with everything for sale from artisan bread to skateboards and everything in between! There was a DJ at one end, and a local songwriter performing at the other end. I stocked up on some fresh goodies, and tried my first tamale. Newport Beach In Newport Beach I stayed with Eric, a good friend of Tom’s, and we went to a ‘subsuelo’ party in East L.A. There were a number of CS hosts there with their surfers. The music was great, and everyone was super friendly. A flamenco dancer performed on the bar-top, and the main band Las Cafeteras, rad music with a political message. A really great night!! The next day I went bikini shopping at the outdoor mall in Newport, and then Eric took me out to Crystal Cove state park, which has the most gorgeous beach! You need a pass to enter the park, so the beach was less crowded, and the road was set back from the coast, so it felt more remote than any other beaches I’ve been to here. It was lovely! Eric was awesome to get to know as well, and has just started growing some of his own fruit and veg. We had great excited chats about permaculture, food forests and aquaponics systems, despite the fact that his backyard is smaller than my parents bathroom… You gotta dream big right? ;) San Clemente Upon meeting my host in San Clemente, we immediately went down to run on the beach, which was only a 5min walk away. The first time I have ever run in my bikini, and seriously addictive! When we were done we swam into the sunset, it truly felt like the sun was sinking into the ocean, and we were not observers but active participants. It was utter magic, woohoo-ing and grinning my ass off. My host Brad is a surf life guard, a laid back down-to-earth guy who’s life is centered around his love for the ocean. He lives in south San Clemente which really is gorgeous. There are less crowds down here, and these picturesque sandstone bluffs line the coast. I ran on the beach every day that I was here, and swam and swam and swam. The world renowned surf break Trestles was close by, and hosting a youth surf comp while I was there. So many of the kids are on the brink of going pro, and man could they surf! I happily passed an afternoon watching the action. Several times I saw bottlenose dolphins swimming along the coast. The first time I was in the water and they were frolicking just out from me, my heart skipped a beat when I saw them! I found that when I lay back in the water I could hear them communicating, it was pretty special. On the second day I swam out to Brad’s lifeguard boat and he took me out for a couple of hours. We went and free dived on this offshore reef known as “the slab.” There were tonnes of garibaldi swimming around, which are the most amazing bright orange fish, you can see them from the boat because they are so bright! The babies are even cooler, speckled with this iridescent blue. We also swam around the biggest starfish I’ve ever seen, and even a leopard shark! Badass. My evenings were just as entertaining. One night we went to see an old-school rock band called Marshall Tucker band. With Brad’s parents, who were so lovely. Another night was a lifeguard party, where I tried chard (silverbeet) from someone’s home aquaponics system, and stood around a fire pit drinking a tasty local I.P.A. The guys were so laid back and friendly. I was telling one guy about the Maori creation stories, and about Maui fishing up the North Island. He was lamenting America’s lack of such a culture of legends and stories. The U.S. really does represent to me the complete disconnection of a people with their landbase, which the lack of these stories reflects. It was touching to hear a young person yearning for this, and gave me hope for a future where we are more in touch with this beautiful planet we live upon / within. It was hard to tear myself outta San Clemente, reminded me of Raglan in a way, had that special something that draws me to stay… Alas. The road beckons me on!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
I am a conservation field worker in New Zealand. I love mountains, sunrises, river swims, barefeet, cold beer, campfires, live music and whiskey. Archives
December 2014
Categories |