Goldenwest with Da Boys 070613

Surf Report: 1-3 feet

Water: Warm

Atmosphere: Gloomy

Winds: Meh

Matt wanted to do a trip to HB.  I was itching to get out of LA.  I wanted to go to Zero’s, but I always love a trip to the HB area.  HB has a special place for me since Nicky and I first camped out in our car there to surf all day.  It was a broment that I cherish till this day.  Too bad that ninja has disappeared from the surf scene – he has social obligations that are paramount to him at this moment of his life. 

Khang was to join us on this trip, and I called Hideki to let him know we were going to Brookhurst.  He said he and Chris would be out there. 

The plan was to get on the road by 530.  I had gotten a massage from Dais Friday night, and so I couldn’t sleep until late.  I was worried that I may not wake up in time for this trip… and that kept me up even more. 

Surprisingly, I woke up before my alarm sounded.  It was 417 AM.  Holy shit.  I took my time getting ready.  Man, I used to stay out past this time, and now I’m waking up to this time.  My my how times change….

I pull up to Matt’s well before the 530 mark, and he is quietly getting his stuff ready.  The man’s studio apartment in El Segundo simmers in the morning cold, and I could smell his manly stench coming from inside… definitely a duckbutter depletion night, I thought.  I load my stuff into his car, and we go down to the garage to get his gear.  As we pull out, we see Khang pull up in the van.  We all hit the road a little past 530.

The trip down is smooth, and we make it to Brookhurst by 615 AM.  We check the surf… and it’s dismal.  The wind is already blowing sideways there, and there aren’t so many people in the water.  We know it – we got skunked.  I call Hideki to see where he is, but no answer.  “Probably didn’t wake up,” I tell Da Boys. 

Matt emphasizes that he wants our input in where to paddle out.  He once took me to a spot towards Oxnard, where we got skunked, and so we stayed out at Ventura County Line that day, albeit my plea for us to return to 26^th Street.  Turns out that day, 26^th Street was firing, and I gave him a hard time about not getting my two cents in when we make a surf trip together.  Since then, he has taken Da Boys opinions to heart.  We say let’s check out other spots, and we can decide then.  It’s not like it’s going to be any better elsewhere, anyways.

We drive past the pier, and we can see the contest scaffolding being built.  We see Goldenwest, and it looks do-able.  We drive up to Bolsa, and it looks like shit.  Back to Goldenwest it is.  I text Hideki that we are going to Goldenwest.  It is close to 700 AM already by this point.

I had to poop badly this morning.  Khang and Matt go ahead to the lifeguard tower and let me poop at the stall.  My poops have been smooth but lacked fiber from this day.  I do a quick one-two wipe and I’m back at the beach, Da Boys waiting for me to return. 

This day was an okay day for surf.  Matt and I caught a back-to-back wave, both going left, but I think that was the highlight of the day.  Khang sat outside as he always does, and waited patiently for the bombs.  Unfortunately, that bomb set didn’t come to him until an hour in to the session.  We finally saw him catch that bomb set, and we let out a sigh of relief – Da Boys have all caught their waves, so all is well in the universe.

Matt mentions how Goldenwest is so mellow.  This is “my spot” for surfing Huntington Beach, so I guess I just gravitate towards the mellow places in the surf world.  There were lots of beginners in the water, but even the skilled longboarders weren’t hogging all the waves and it was an overall mellow mood all morning.

Once we get back to change, we see Hideki pull up.  He said he surfed Brookhurst, just as we had planned.  I felt terrible that he surfed there without us, especially since he always makes the trip up to Manhattan Beach and it’s rare for us to surf together in HB.  I need to make more trips down here to show him some bromance. 

We all go eat at Pho Vie and get our fill in for amazing Pho and eggrolls.  I buy some Banh Mi for my family and we’re off to LA.  Matt and I both have obligations this afternoon, hence why the furthest we travelled was to HB. 

Rick is texting Matt, saying how good the secret spot further down south was.  “Firing” “You missed out” “How was HB” (sarcastically, of course) were the texts Matt read aloud for us.  Oh well. 

We had fun.  Saturday with Da Boys, awesome food, and enough time to start handling errands for the day. 

Mahalos Mother Ocean!!