Surf Conditions: Fair to Good

Swell: 3.4 ft. @ 12 secs. WNW (303 degrees)

Wind: 16 kts ENE, Offshore

Tide: 3.5 feet and dropping

Water Temperature: 61 degrees

Air Temperature: 69 degrees

Weather: Sunny

As Thanksgiving was originally a three day affair, I chose to give thanks over three days. On the first day (Wednesday) I went surfing. On the second day Karen and I went hiking. On the third day I rode my bike. Then we broke bread with our children.

Fall on the Central Coast is surf season: warm water, sunny beach days, off shore breezes and good sized waves.

My surfing expedition necessitated a 21 mile drive from the northwestern edge of Atascadero, California to North Point Natural Area (near Morro Strand State Beach). Highlights along the drive include trees – lots of trees. Deer and wild turkeys, as well as an occasional bobcat or fox can also be sighted. Raptors and vultures are common. And let’s not forget the endemic Yellow Billed Magpie. They like to hang out about one mile down the road from our house.

Along the route you will pass a “dinosaur ranch” (mile 6), numerous geologic curiosities including Devil’s Gap (mile 8), Los Padres National Forest (mile 10), and Morro Creek Ranch Avocado Farm (mile 17). California avocados are the best. Atascadero Creek drains the east side of Devil’s Gap while Morro Creek drains the west side. Both are healthy riparian regions that support numerous sycamore and big leaf maple trees. As always there are copious bay laurels and oaks.

Upon arriving at the Pacific Coast Highway in Morro Bay you will turn north at Morro Bay High School, home of the Pirates. Go Pirates! (The Pirates share the street with a Motel 6, a salvage yard, a skate park, batting cages, trailer parks and a decommissioned sewage treatment facility. The area’s zoning designation is “anything goes”.) There is also beach parking where you can take a hit off a joint during your mid morning break and still make it back to campus in time for period three! Go Pirates! (Seriously. The dirt parking lot on a school day at 10:30 looks like a modern version of Fast Times at Ridgemont High.)

After a few miles on the PCH you will arrive at your destination. You are now at the northern outskirts of Morro Bay, in the no man’s land between Morro Bay and Cayucos to the north. This no man’s land was slated for development, however thanks to a coordinated effort among many stakeholders it will be preserved. The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County did the heavy lifting. Chevron sold their acreage at well below market value. A multiuse pedestrian footpath will connect the two towns. In between is a dog beach where Morro Bay dogs can sniff Cayucos dogs in beautiful off leash harmony. The land preserves an open wildlife corridor that will allow Big Sur mountain lions to roam as far east as they need to.

Here is the view south.

Morro Strand State Beach stretches five miles from North Point south to The Rock. The Rock is the most consistent surf break along this stretch of coastline, but The Strand can be very nice as well. Locals sometimes refer to The Strand as “A-Beach” which is short for “Atascadero Beach”. E.G. Lewis, the developer and founder of Atascadero Colony thought Atascadero should have a beach, even if it was ten miles away as the crow flies.

Today’s surf session gets four out of five stars. The weather was perfect. The water was clear and warm. Dolphins were present. The waves were playful. I caught a nice “right”. I caught a nice “left”. The people were happy and relaxed. The sunset was spectacular.

I am surprised and amazed each and every time I manage to catch a wave, stand up and ride it in an upright position. It’s a miracle! How did I get here?

Like many children in my neighborhood of Lucas Valley, California in the 1970s, I rode a skateboard – all the time. In the early 1980s as a student at UCSD I skated under the tutelage of Dave Omer. Dave was a student at UCSD who was making custom skateboard decks out of his dorm room. The brand was Uncle Wiggley. Dave made me a custom nine-ply walnut deck and took me under his wing. We spent time skating at the Del Mar Skateboard Ranch (Tony Hawk’s de facto home during the 1980s). There, my skateboarding improved, if not my grades. I could reach the band of tile just below the “coping” (rim) of the Keyhole (the park’s biggest pool).

I was also a strong swimmer and spent plenty of time in the ocean body surfing.

However, I had not yet put it all together. I had not yet mastered surfing. Where was my surfing mentor? I was beginning to wonder if I would ever become a proper surfer.

Similar to my fear of riding The Zipper, which I overcame at the age of thirty-five under the calm guidance of my son, at age 45 I finally learned to surf.

For his fifteenth birthday our son received a surfboard. That board had a minor defect so the company (INT Surfboards of Carlsbad, California) immediately sent us a second board. “What should I do with the first board?”, I asked the representative on the phone. His reply: “Beat the shit out of it!” Now we had two boards. Why not paddle out with my son? He was leading the way with conviction and courage. I took the beater board. We then embarked on a nearly twenty year long adventure.

During our first year of surfing we ditched school – once a week. I had a convenient teaching schedule where my teaching day at Paso Robles High School ended before noon. Go Bearcats! The Son was attending Atascadero High School and had P.E. after lunch. Go Greyhounds! Was not surfing a form of physical education? This way we could meet our goal of paddling out at least three times a week. (Some things are more important than school.) I never got caught. He did. His punishment was to pedal a stationary bike during lunch for each of the days he had skipped class. “It was worth it”, he would reply.

After one year enduring a fairly punishing learning curve we rewarded ourselves with a week in Cabo San Lucas surfing the East Cape. We drove up and down the cape for hours each day, with the surfboards strapped to the roof of our rented Wrangler. We only had one CD which we listened to on repeat: The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. We caught some nice waves.

The following year we made a pilgrimage to the North Shore of O’ahu and paddled out at Turtle Bay.

On both trips we enjoyed posh digs which were thoroughly enjoyed by the girls.

Back home, we survived some pretty big surf. We saw sharks. We surfed with dolphins. We broke surfboards (or rather, the waves did).

It has been very rewarding. I owe it all to my son. He was the mentor I was waiting for. He led the way. Thank you, son. (And thank you for helping me overcome my fear of The Zipper.) The Uncle Wiggely now resides under my son’s supervision. I still have the beater board.

These days we meet at The Rock in the wee hours of the morning. Some mornings it’s just dark.

On this day, I am thankful for my children. I have shared many adventures with both. Considering that this is a Surf Report, it focuses on my surfing buddy. I am also thankful for my daughter: my Barbie buddy, roller coaster buddy, beach cruiser bicycle buddy, tennis buddy and “Say Yes to the Dress” buddy, among many other things.

Karen and Poppy came along on Wednesday’s adventure, which made it especially nice. I am thankful for Karen, my everything buddy. I am thankful for Poppy, my guardian. I am thankful for my good health. 

I am thankful for my readers, friends, family and neighbors. I am thankful for this beautiful corner of the world I am privileged to live in. I am thankful for avocados and dinosaurs, bike rides and hikes. And every time I catch a wave I am thankful.

Finally, I want to give thanks for all of you. Happy Thanksgiving!