A Hui Hou Fransauce - 060912

Surf Report: 3-5 feet

Atmosphere:  Sunny

Water:  Cool

Winds:  Trade winds to off shore

Today was a day for the core of the DRC to bid “a hui hou” to Fransauce.  It’s not a “good-bye,” it’s a “see you later.”  Whoever could make it out to the dawn patrol, would make it out, and we will surf to our hearts content. 

And it just so happen to fall on my birthday. 

I slept early Friday night in order to be able to dawn patrol.  Fransauce was adamant about dawn patrolling, since Thursday was so good and got really crowded quickly at the beach breaks. 

I woke up at 300 AM for no good reason.  My body just told me to wake up.  I didn’t feel like I slept, but my body was energized and ready to go.  I said no, I need a little more sleep, and lay in bed, checking the first of many birthday texts and facebook messages I was receiving.  After about an hour and a half of trying to go back to sleep, I said “Fuck this,” and got ready for the day.  I warmed up a cup of water and squeezed lemon into it, and started to do my yoga stretches.  By 500 AM, I was ready to go. 

First stop was to Nicky’s house.  It just so happened he was back in town from his recent journey to San Francisco, and was psyched to surf.  I was trying to get a hold of him for about a week to no avail, but he contacted me Friday night and we agreed to go dawn patrol on Saturday morning. 

Second stop was to pick up Fransauce.  He watched Prometheus the night before, and had only slept for two hours.  Needless to say, he was stoked to go dawn patrolling with us. 

We drove down to 26^th Street and the lot was still closed.  So, we parked up the hill and started to get changed.  Fransauce called Matt, and Matt arrived shortly as we were walking down the street from our parking spot. 

As we made our way down the hill, we see Khang getting changed in the lot.  I threw him a shaka and we all made our way down to the beach.

The waves were pumping today.  At first the waves came in slow because of the low tide, but eventually things picked up. 

I paddled out and got caught in a rip current.  I thought I selected the right path, but I got caught.  Before I knew it, everyone else was at the line-up, while I was struggling to get out of the impact zone.  I think about fifteen minutes went by before I finally got to the line-up. 

Khang was the first to greet me with a happy birthday.  I wanted to keep it low key, but it was nice that Khang wished me a happy birthday in the water.  Don wished me a happy birthday, and so did Fransauce, Nicky, and Matt.  So far, so good. 

One of Khang’s first waves was a right.  He was riding the Don Kadowaki from Dais.  The board is a virtual twin from my board, except a little bit thinner, and set up as a twin fin.  He gets down the line, cuts back, pumps down the line a little more, and hacks off the lip at the end.  Khang was pushing a lot of Da Boys into waves, getting assists for nice waves.  He was about to mess around and get a triple-double this day. 

Nicky was struggling most of the session, getting his feet wet and shaking off the cob webs.  He could go for some waves that seemed good but then close out.  He also snaked Fransauce really badly, when Fransauce was going right.  Uncharacteristically, Nicky snaked him on this right.  Usually, he snakes people on lefts.

Matt was on his Wade Tokoro potato chip, and seemed to be getting his feet into the wax quite well.  I snaked him on a right, where I didn’t think he was making it.  I saw him out of the corner of my eye, and he just flew into my peripherals as I was popping up.  I apologized to him, but he went back out to the line-up and caught an even nicer right.  This wave was almost Trestles-like, with a mushy take off and a slowly building face.  He makes the smooth drop, and then does a check pump and then a drawn out pump, then lays the rail right in front of me, spraying me.  I let out a hoot, as he kept going down the line. 

Fransauce was operating on the least amount of sleep out of all of us, but he was still the clear cut performer of the day.  He went for both rights and lefts like no one’s business.  I had a front row seat for one of his rights, where he stylishly did a carve from top to bottom, wrapped the board around, pumped again, and snapped off the top and kept pumping to shore.  What a beautiful way to ride a wave! 

In all honesty, the fact that Fransauce will no longer be in LA hasn’t settled in me yet.  I know he is leaving.  In fact, I am leaving for Hawaii with him.  I’ll be in Hawaii with him for ten days.  But it still seems like I’ll see him in LA again, and that I’m not getting nostalgic and emotional yet.  I am just enjoying my time with him now and I don’t bother thinking about the future – a Fransauce-less LA. 

I had two good waves for the day: one was a right, where I get to the face of the wave.  I do a small carve off the top to produce some spray, stick with the wave, and get a final maneuver on the end.  Fransauce tells me he saw my little cutty, and gave me props.  So did Nicky. 

My second wave was by far the stand out wave for my birthday.  It was a left that popped up on the horizon, and I just went for it.  I didn’t think twice about it.  It was probably a shoulder high wave that broke perfectly where I was positioned.  I slid down without grabbing rail, and leaned into the face.  I see Fransauce in my path, but was able to control my board and make a smooth cut back on the wave.  The wave got mushy after that, and so my ride ended.  But everything up to that point, I could place every drop of water onto a canvas and re-paint it because it was such a beautiful wave. 

We collectively drift further north.  We could have easily just fought the current, but that would mean to fight for waves with thick crowds.  Today was definitely crowded, and there were just packs of surfers on each peak.  However, it seemed like our group of five were holding our own.  A longboarder or a stray short boarder would come near our group, and quickly leave the area. 

There were some groms charging today too!  I hooted them into some waves where they looked overhead on the groms.  They wiped out a lot, but they were charging, and I loved their spirit.  I complimented the dad on his son’s wave because he charged it and made it all the way into shore. 

For about thirty or forty five minutes, when the tide rises, the waves just turn on!  The winds switch to off shore, and the surf resembles classic Manhattan Beach surf.  It was just all time.  I know I got caught on the inside for a lot of them because they were so unpredictable and unexpected, but they were just so beautiful.  On one of these big ones, Fransauce just raised his arms in awe as the hollow wave opened up and engulfed him on the inside.  I had to duck dive the white water explosion behind him. 

On another wave, both Matt and I got caught inside.  I knew we were going to get clobbered for being out of position.  I remember feeling the water just detonate on the back of my head, and just getting tossed around violently underwater.  Both Matt and I resurface, laughing.  It was just so big and gnarly, and we got our asses handed to us, but we both love that feeling of being powerless in front of Mother Nature.  It just makes us laugh.  Fransauce was behind us and said that the wave was super hollow. 

Christina and Apolla came out to surf too!  It was a delightful surprise, especially since I know Christina is still in a lot of pain.  By the time they showed up, my arms are running on empty, and collectively, we just all wanted to grab that “one last good wave.”

I see a wave build up on the horizon.  I tell Nicky, “This is the one!  Go go go!!”

He starts to paddle for it. 

“Naw, you gotta paddle harder!  Paddle harder!”

And then he starts kicking and scratching as the wave just builds up right behind him.  And then… he takes off!  Nicky makes the smooth drop, and then pumps hard and shoots down the line.  Then he pumps hard again, and shoots further down the line.  He keeps going as all of us watch his wave from behind. 

“Oh man, he is just CLOWNING!” Matt says.

The wave ends on shore, where Nicky just got the wave of the day. 

I felt we surfed a complete session today, from start to finish.  A total of three hours was spent in the water, and we were all absolutely drained.  Cheryl was on the sand to greet us today.  She was unable to paddle out because she was sick, but she wanted to spend time with us, which was really cool of her. 

Apolla had to leave to fly to Canada that day, so she took off immediately.  Christina said she would meet us up any where we decided to eat.  We all watched the waves and talked for a while, looking for Dais.  He was out there, but we couldn’t find him. 

“Oh shit!!” screamed Fransauce.

“What, what happened?” 

“That wave just spit!!  I think I just came,” he said.

We decided on eating at the Blue Butterfly Café, where they serve amazing bagel sandwiches and coffee, along with a plethora of other breakfast items and sandwiches.  I think we just sat there talking and laughing our heads off for a good hour or so before calling it a day.  So far, this morning has been an amazing birthday. 

Mahalos Mother Ocean!  Mahalos to all those who came up to show some aloha to our crew member Fransauce!

Raw NorCal - A Trip to Pacifica Part 3 060312

Surf Report:  2-4 foot

Water: Cold

Atmosphere: Blazing sunny

Winds: Light trade winds

We stop by Jerwynn’s shop, Sonlight Surf Shop.  They just had their 27^th Anniversary of being open.  They are the local mom n pop shop, being ran by a Philipino owner.  Jerwynn and his friend John were running the shop today, getting rentals in and out the door.  Jerwynn told me he could hook it up with a wetsuit, so I decided to try the Patagonia wetsuits.  I found a good match, and just bought it.  I needed a winter suit because of my recent fall out with O’Neill wetsuits, and so I was happy to be able to purchase a new suit and support a local surf shop. 

We just hang around the shop, watching the boys do their thing, watching the Volcom Fiji Pro.  We were just kicking it on a Sunday afternoon.  With the sun blazing hot outside, Fransauce looks at me and says, “Wanna paddle out?”

“Yea, why not?  We’re here to surf!”

So, although my arms were still dead tired, we pull on our wetsuits and head out to a spot right outside of the surf shop.  The beach is still Linda Mar, but this spot is more high performance.  There are a few exposed rocks that are north, and there was a right peeling off of it.  There were some sections and A frames south of those rocks, but I wanted to catch those rights.

Fransauce paddles out before me, and I lose sight of him.  I walk up towards the rock, and paddle out there.  The new wetsuit felt great!  My hands and feet were cold, but my body was warm!  I was happy with my purchase. 

The paddle out was long again, and my arms were burning.  Every stroke was pretty tiring, but the waves kept coming in.  I finally got to the point I wanted to sit on, right by the rock.  The rights came in, but they were too mushy and I had to sit closer and closer to the rock to catch them, which I wasn’t too keen on doing.  So, I paddled further south, away from the rock.

Golden, Raw California - Linda Mar

The waves looked golden in the setting sun, but they were deceptive because they would jack up on the horizon and clean up the line-up.  The winds were blowing, but the scene was just beautifully raw.  The cold, golden water, the cliffs, the trees, the lack of people and lack of human interference in this place was just breath taking.  I soaked in the whole moment, and simply smiled. 

I felt the most comfortable surfing here.  I got some nice waves, along with some nice wipe outs.  There was one memorable wave where I paddled hard for the wave.  I was able to pump down the line, wait for the reform at the bottom, and then pump for the crumbling close out section to float it over the golden white water. 

I saw these two guys working the left on the inside.  They kept getting turn after turn, ride after ride.  I saw Fransauce go where they were, but I think his arms were getting dead tired too.  Every time I was stuck on the inside, so was he.  We were definitely pushing the limit of our bodies. 

I think we surfed for about an hour this session, and just called it a day.  The roaring white water looked ominous as I took my last wave, and I decided not to paddle back out to the line-up.  I was way too tired to paddle back out to wait for another wave in the line-up.  I sat on the sand and waited for Fransauce to come in.  I couldn’t help but smile during this time, being able to surf a double session in raw NorCal surf.  My arms were dead weight, my legs were glued to the sand, and I couldn’t even pee because I was devoid of any fluids. 

Fransauce comes in, and we both take a moment to sit and watch the waves roll in.  We soak it all in, and walk back to Sonligh Surf Shop.  We decide to go eat at Guerrero’s.  Jerwynn gets two taco’s, Fransauce gets a wet burrito, and I get six taco’s.  The horchata was delicious, and so were the shrimp and fish tacos.  The chicken tacos were meh.  It was fuel for my empty body. 

Fransauce's Wet Burrito - Delicious Chili Verde

We decide that there was no way we were driving home five and a half hours that night.  I didn’t feel like killing anyone.  If we had driven that night, for sure someone was going to die on the way home.  I think we knocked out a little before midnight to a deep slumber. 

Monday morning, the weather was the complete opposite of Sunday.  It was raining.  It wasn’t pounding rain, but it was definitely enough to get you wet.  On the ride home, we stopped by Casa de Frutta and bought some snacks.  We munched on garlic flavored pistachios, guacamole flavored pistachios, jalapeno flavored pistachios, strawberries, peaches, and left over inari sushi from our drive up to NorCal.

When we made a pit stop at Bakersfield, my boss calls.  I play it off as if I’m at work, saying how the weather is nice, asking about how his vacation is, and our phone conversation ends.  I fist pump in triumph, successfully playing hookie. 

And then he calls back.  “Can you send me that stock analysis you made on Friday?”

Oh shit.  No fucking way.  “Sure thing, I’ll send it right to you.”

Fransauce said he could take me to work and wait for ten minutes as I did my task.  But I didn’t feel like going to work after playing hookie all day. 

Man, talk about being stressed out!! Fransauce felt it: you can cut through the internal tension and turmoil going about my head with a knife. 

Should I go?  Man that sucks.  Ten minutes?  To write a frikkin e-mail??  And make Fransauce wait???  But it’s for my boss, and I love him.  I’m supposed to be at work anyways.  No, you made the decision to cut work today.  We all did.  Well not Fransauce, but we both made the decision to leave Monday morning.  Don’t regret anything.  That’s what you always tell yourself.

Finally, I blurt out, “Fransauce, I don’t wanna go to work.”

He hits the power button on the stereo.  “What’s bothering you Klaude?”

“I REALLY don’t wanna go to work.  How about we not go, and just go straight to Matt’s place?”

“You sure?  I don’t mind stopping by your work…”

“No, I’ll play it off.  It’s cool.  Let’s just go to Matt’s house.”

So we head off to Matt’s house instead, and my ditch day is complete.  We catch up with Matt as he feeds us some bomb ass chicken in his “secret” recipe, drink a few beers, and play some MW3. 

So, if there was one word I could describe the NorCal surf, it would be RAW.  Everything up there is RAW.  The weather, the waves, the winds, every thing was RAW.  But make no mistake, you need good rubber to be in those waves!  I was glad I got to experience a full spectrum of surf there, with gloomy skies and non-stop paddling, to sunny skies and unforgiving raw surf, and finally sunny afternoon surf with just a few guys out. 

Mahalos to Fransauce for taking me up there and showing me around.  Mahalos to all his family and friends that showed me a great time.  And always, mahalos to Mother Ocean! 

Raw NorCal - A Trip to Pacifica Part 2 060312

Surf Report:  Solid 6 footers

Water:  Ice Cold

Winds:  Off shore

Atmosphere:  Sunny!

Linda Mar Morning Sickness.  The Sun Shows up Shortly!

I woke up around 800 AM.  I felt my arms were a bit sore from paddling so much yesterday, but was stoked to see the sun out.

“Man, it’s never like this during June,” Fransauce said. 

We go downstairs to plates full of omelette made by Mama Aurellano (she told me to call her “Mama” when I was staying at their house.)  We ate some bananas with it, and took the morning slowly. 

The Drive Thru Devil's Slide.  Beautiful!!

Fransauce was calling and texting Jerwynn back and forth, trying to come out to surf before he has to open up shop at Sonlight Surf Shop.  We get to Linda Mar and got changed and waited for Jerwynn to show up.  Fransauce started to skate around, and so we traded rides on the skateboard, getting our legs warmed up.  Finally, Jerwynn arrives, and says that he doesn’t have enough time for a pre-work surf session.  He anticipates a busy day at work, and that we should probably head towards Montera to go surf.  Montera was a spot Fransauce suggested since Linda Mar wasn’t breaking all too well, and it was kind of crowded for the size and shape.  So, after a few minutes of chit chatting, we decided to drive up to Montera. 

We drove through “Devil’s Slide”, a road that goes up and down through the forest and cliffs.  There is a big hole in the mountain, and Fransauce points out that they have been trying to build a tunnel for a few years now so that cars can safely travel through.  They don’t call it “Devil’s Slide” for nothing.  Apparently, when it rains heavily, and it does rain heavily up here, the whole road gets washed out and makes it impossible to travel on the road because of all the run off. 

The Armory

We pass by an old armory on the cliff.  And then we pull up to the dirt parking lot, grab our surfboards, and walk down the stairs.  The surf spot is nestled between crevices of cliffs, with brown, jagged rocks sticking out of the side.  A small ravine runs through the crevice, with a small lagoon trickling down, like a stream of water running down a girl’s firm breasts. 

As I stretched, Fransauce told me he will wait for me. 

“Ok Klaude, you’re new here, so you should just watch the waves first.  Don’t take the first wave you see, cuz you might get stuck on the inside.  Always use the channel to paddle back out.  And don’t take the wave too far in, cuz you’re gonna get pounded by the shore pound.”

I nodded in recognition to process all that information.  Must be a gnarly spot.

“Ok, you ready?”

“I’m ready.”

And just like that, Fransauce starts sprinting to the water.  I run after him.  He slides on his surfboard, making it out past the first shore pound.  I follow suit, and start paddling like crazy.  The water was FREEZING.  It actually hurt my hands and feet while paddling.  I didn’t fret; I just paddled as hard as I could to get out of the shore pound.  The shore pound was at least four feet this day, and I did not want to get crushed by the waves.  The coldness was the least of my worries for the time being. 

The paddle out was pretty long, but the channel definitely helped.  There was a smaller crevice in the cliff side, so we used that as a marker for where to sit and paddle back out.  This water was more freezing than any winter surf I have experienced in SoCal.  It was unbelievably cold and raw.  There were two other guys out with us, both wearing hoods and booties. 

This session, Fransauce just killed it.  He took the outside sets right where the white water was peeling, manage the drop, and take the wave for a nice turn, then stick with it to the reform on the inside, and cap off the wave with another turn.  He took the waves all the way in, so he took a long time to come back out. 

He would take rights like no one’s business, waiting for the section to build up, race ahead across the white water section, and whack off the top.  Even the other surfer next to me said, “Damn.”

I remember on this wave where I paddled over, he was just about to take off.  He pops up with his back foot bent and his center of gravity really low.  He waited for the drop, then started to pump as I paddled over.  I would look back at the wave breaking, and see some spray from his cut back.  Then he would disappear from sight, and I would think he was done with the wave and watch the horizon.  Then in the back, I can hear a loud splash, and see more spray on the inside section.  Another cut back, a-la-fransauce. 

I had a hard time here.  It was another new spot, and I didn’t want to just go for every wave.  I definitely made some wrong wave choices by going for close outs or the in between waves.  I definitely should have gone for the sets, but I never go for sets at a new place, not unless I grow comfortable there.  And it was hard to grow comfortable there.

I got a warm up close out that shook the cob webs from my head.  It was just a four footer that came through, nothing special.  I was glad that I made it though. 

When I went for the in between waves, I would get stuck on the inside from the clean up sets.  And these clean up sets were a solid 6 feet.  They cleaned up every body.  I was surprised that the white water wasn’t so powerful.  They were actually kind of mushy.  Still, the paddle back out was always challenging, and I had to muster up a lot of strength to get to the channel, then paddle back out to the line up where Fransauce was sitting. 

“Man, I need to just go for the waves, but I don’t want to just GO for them,” I told Francis.

“It’s just water,” he said, cupping water with his hand and throwing it in the air.

A set approached, and I saw I could get into it.  Only problem was, I was about to snake a guy.  The guy pops up, and starts going down the line.  I’ve already gathered speed, and so I have to bail out of the wave.  I get off my board, and grab my surfboard by palming the wax on the board.  The board miraculously sticks to my hand and doesn’t go over the falls. 

A lot of the rides I went for doubled up from the back wash.  There was always a step on the take off, and I got bucked off the wave every time.  It was just not something I was accustomed to.  I should have stayed lower to brace for the step, since once you negotiated that step, you were off to the races, with down the line surfing on a clean face. 

There were rights and lefts at this spot, but it seemed like the rights were producing cleaner rides.  The lefts were definitely there too, but they seemed racey and fast.  I couldn’t get around a section for the left, and got stuck on the inside.  I tried to paddle out, but couldn’t!  I had to paddle in, paddle parallel to the shore to the channel, then paddle back out. 

What seemed to be an eternity out in the water only turned out to be 2 hours.  I was pretty tired, and frankly freezing my ass off.  I took a close out insider in, and timed my exit from the shore pound.  I did a few duck dives on the shore pound, and finally got myself out of the water, unscathed.  My feet stung from the hot, grainy sand.  This was a testament to how cold my hands and feet were.  My whole body was shivering, and basked in the glory of the sun. 

I see Fransauce coming out of the shore pound.  “Man, I face-planted in the shore pound!” 

I give him a fist bump for a raw, challenging session.  Just as our bodies started to warm back up, I felt an awful pain in my right foot.  I look down, and there is a bump on the top of my foot, near the ankle.  I probably hit my surfboard and didn’t even notice it because of the cold. 

We get out and get changed, and head to Starbucks and L&L for a light snack. 

Raw NorCal - A Trip to Pacifica Part 1 060212

Surf Report: 3-5 feet

Winds: Mild on shore

Water:  Freezing cold

Atmosphere: Gloomy

If there is one word I can use to describe NorCal surf, it would be “RAW.”  I went through the whole spectrum of weather, from dense fog, to strong on shore winds, trade winds, sunny and off shore, freezing cold water that would make your nipples cut glass, scenic backdrops of cliffs and evergreen forests, brown sandy water, clear, aquamarine water, golden bronze water, and rain.  The wave power was raw too.  I had some nice wipe outs and got a few bruises that mysteriously appeared a few days later.  Some of the white water duck dives were pushing me back a few yards because of the raw power.  I definitely felt my paddle get stronger after this visit.  And finally the people here are raw.  In a nice way of course.  They weren’t fake, like how we see in Los Angeles.  Everyone was genuinely nice.  I’d like to say they showed me their raw side – unabated and unfiltered.  Who would have known rawness could be so warming?  I’ve visited NorCal to visit friends, but not for the intention of surf.  This trip’s intention was solely surf related, and I feel that I was extremely lucky to experience a great array of NorCal surf. 

Fransauce has wanted to show the DRC how surf was up in his hometown of Pacifica.  Pacifica is located about 20-30 minutes outside of San Francisco.  It is a small beach town with beautiful scenery, lush green hills and cliffs, and beach breaks galore.  Fransauce drove Friday night for five and a half hours with one break in Bakersfield.  I tried to stay up, but for about two hours of the home stretch, I knocked out in the passenger seat of his truck.  Apparently I missed gale force winds hitting his truck, making him swerve a few times.  By the time I woke up, the dense fog was obscuring our view as he pulled up to his hometown of Pacifica. 

His mom greeted us inside the house, and we chit-chatted for a few minutes.  His sister, Bernice, was also home, and she greeted us too.  Fransauce and I decided to go to bed, and wake up whenever we woke up. 

8 AM

We ended up waking up around 800 AM.  We were both still tired, but my body was telling me we should go surf.  Fransauce explained to me how June Gloom takes place here, and how it’s always foggy and gloomy during the month of June.  He first took me to the Pacifica pier, where he almost drowned a few years ago on a heavy day.  The scene when we arrived looked like a victory at sea day.  The waves crashed on the boulders and sprayed above the cement wall that protected the pedestrians.  Not one surfer was out.  We got a bagel for breakfast, and munched on it while we walked down the pier.  The clouds kept the skies grey and cold. 

We drove down to Rockaway Beach, where there were about six to eight guys taking off on some waves.  The waves looked playful, but not very appetizing.  There was only one take off spot working this day at Rockaway, and it seemed like the guys out there were struggling.  So, we drove further down to a spot called Linda Mar.

Linda Mar is a big beach break, with a range of surfers dotting the line up.  There were guys on foamies, guys on longboards, guys on fishes, and guys on performance shortboards.  There is a taco bell right on the beach, which I used as a landmark to position myself. 

Fransauce was the first to hit the water.  I stretched extra and took my time.  It was a new place, and I wanted to be able to surf as long as possible.

The water was brown and ice cold.  It smelled a little different from SoCal, or even Hawaii.  The water smelled a little more salty.  I only had my 3/2 Quiksilver wetsuit, and the moment my feet touched the water, I knew I needed a thicker wetsuit.  It was so friggin cold!!  I couldn’t believe it.  But hey, no complaining.  You’re surfing!!  Just paddle out and catch some waves.

The paddle out was long, and every time I duck-dived, I got an ice cream headache.  I couldn’t believe it was June, but so frigid.  I saw why wetsuit companies up here are at the forefront of cutting edge technology and design for wetsuits and booties.  Everyone was wearing booties or gloves or a hood. 

On our way to grab runch

The cliffs cut into the shoreline and the tall evergreen forest gave the brownish cliff a scenic backdrop while sitting in the line-up.  I wished I had a palette of paint and a canvas, or some pastels to draw while waiting for the waves. 

The waves were mushy and hard to catch.  I caught two waves this whole session, with just the drop.  After I made the drop, the wave fizzled and lost all power, and I lost all my speed.  The locals were getting longer rides than I, so I figured I was doing something wrong. 

99.999% of the time in the water, I was paddling to maintain position.  The current was strong.  I didn’t really catch any amazing waves, but I saw Fransauce killing it on some of the rights that came through.  He caught three waves this day, connecting the dots to the inside and spraying some water as he did a cutback. 

The sun would peak it’s shy head from the heavy, grey clouds, but then get covered up again.  I guess we in SoCal are spoiled.  It’s sunny over here all the time. 

We surfed, or paddled, for three hours this session.  My arms were so tired, but I felt like I should at least catch one good wave before getting out.  That one good wave never came, and I took a close out. 

Gorilla BBQ

I told Fransauce how everything in NorCal so far seems to be RAW.  Raw weather, Raw surf, Raw power.  I feel like in SoCal your brain turns into mush, but up here, you have to stay on your toes and be alert. 

Even though we only had five waves between us, we definitely deserved a good lunch.  We stopped by at Gorilla BBQ, where we each got a three meat combo, complete with two sides, and corn bread.  Fransauce got pulled pork, pork ribs, and hot links.  I got pulled pork, pork ribs, and chicken.  We ate at Rockaway Beach, watching the surf tumble and steam roll some surfers. 

We were both done with surfing for the day.  The winds kept getting stronger and blew out the surf.  So, we went to hang out at Francis’s childhood friend Jerwynn’s house, and Tim, another one of his childhood friends.  We watched OKC game where Kevin Durant just went ballistic and willed his team to a stunning Game 5 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.  We came home and knocked out before midnight.