Drone On About Surfing

Here’s my favorite way to check out the surf.  Some people call them RC planes (yeah right).  Others call them drones.

Example:  Looking for terror at Salt Creek.

When you get done watching this one, check out the other videos on the calypsoyak YouTube channel.

Looking at Creek from this view,  you can see the reef and kelp beds just offshore.  It gives you a good sense of why The Point and Gravels break the way they do.  While this was a small day, you can see where to sit next time that south swell wraps in.

One suggestion.  I think he needs to upgrade to real time, infrared camera technology.   Then, we can do a pre-dawn check and simultaneously look for that great white just outside the lineup.

Who Says Corona del Mar Doesn’t Have Surf?

My friend Keith showed me how to use the time lapse feature on my GoPro Hero.   What a great trick for a cheap specialty camera.

Here’s a clip of sunset at Corona del Mar, mixed with some photos of Big Corona in April 2007 during that huge swell that swamped out the rest of the spots on the coast.  Enjoy!

Slater Slated to Win

Just gotta drop this and run.

Source:http://surf.transworld.net/1000118070/photos/10x-world-champion-kelly-slater-photo-gallery/

Yep, he did it once again.  Number 11 world championship for Kelly Slater.  What an inspiration for those that want to live forever.  Well done Kell!

Here’s the link to the Surfline article.

Watermen Arrive in Boston Harbor

A couple weeks ago, surf brother Kieth and I went with our girls and some friends to New England to see the “change of color.”  There was actually more color when we arrived back in South County than we saw in New England, but we got to check out some great surf.

This clip was shot by Keith with his GoPro Hero in time lapse mode, as we approached the cruise terminal on a stormy day.  Trippy!

Some of our most memorable moments were in the Bay of Fundy, listening to the ship’s prop cavitating with each roll over the 15-foot seas.  Next time, we take our boards.  Ruggles (Newport, Rhode Island) looked pretty fun.

Ruggles-between sets

"The Breakers" -- summer home of the Vander Bilts

Trestleglyphs — It’s All Art

"The Southbound Wall" Under the Freeway

Who says the State is out of money?

Caltrans cleaned their canvas this summer.  They spent multiple days with multiple graffiti control crews (painters) with truck-mounted compressors spraying the concrete support walls under Interstate 5 with cement gray paint.  They probably thought their show of force finally silenced the voice of surfdom.

Not so.  It just provided clearer voices in the form of spray paint, as evidenced on the wall under the southbound lanes.  Pretty classy artwork.

The Northbound Wall Support

More recently, multiple people added some layers to the northbound wall.  Not as artistic; more of a message than art.

The walk into Trestles continues to be the canvas forum for writings of all sorts.  Just don’t spread the paint to the natural environment, please.  The art is much more enjoyable on flat surfaces.  And, it’s probably more effective getting out your message than Occupy Trestles would be.

Red by Day; Blue by Night

Sounds like some new breed of shape-shifting politician.  But that is not the subject here.

Red Tide by Day -- Source: www.signonsandiego.com

Have you noticed all the red tide that showed up about a month ago?  It’s all those pesky little dinoflagellates that hang out in the surf zone and sometimes a little further out.  We won’t be going into a microbiology lesson in this post.  We are really here to marvel at what happens at night.

The San Diego Union-Tribune published some photos that show what happens.  At night,  the protists all turn left in unison and explode in a bioluminescent cloud of blue light.  Check out this photo from Torrey Pines the other night.

Blue by Night -- Source: www.signonsandiego.com

For more dazzling pic’s, here is the link to the Union-Tribune article.

Just enough light to open up night surfing to the masses.  We may need to start up Trestles Surf Crowd at Night.

I just realized this may be just what we need in Sacramento and DC.  The dinoflagellates can show our stuck-in-reverse ideologues how to change colors from time to time to get some real work done.

Ho Hum Yawn — Kelly Won It

A little slow to report this, but Kelly Slater won the Hurley Pro at Lowers — again.

Day Four - Source: http://www.hurley.com/hurleypro/photos.cfm

It wasn’t a great week for waves, but there was enough; I guess.   The Hurley Video of the Final Day shows it all.  All our favorite competitors were doing their usual “tricks,” but it’s too bad they didn’t have a little more face to work with.

The contest was scheduled for September 18 – 24, but they got done early, on the 21st (Wednesday).  No reason to take a bye waiting for more waves — there was nothing on the horizon.

Maybe next year.

Trestles Forecast — September 18 to 24, 2011

It’s gotta be good next week.  That’s it. . . . . . .

How do I know?  Because the Hurley Pro is coming to town.

Our view from the beach.

It seems like whenever we are just getting into the Fall wave groove, the Hurley (formerly Boost Mobile) Pro grandstands and tents show up on the beach and we are all shooed out of the water.  And, it seems like some of the best waves of the season show up about the same time.  The Pro has a knack for picking the right dates.

So, next week hang up your wetsuit, bag up your board and put it on the garage rack, and come on down to the circus.  It’s always fun for some photos, freebies, and lots of “interesting” people.

If you really want to surf, get out there early to avoid the crowds and the heat horns.

Go Kelly — 11 is  a nice prime number.

 

COMM 435 — Opinion Writing

It’s that time again — Fall Opinion Writing at Cal State Fullerton with Professor Steve Scauzillo.

It’s all about finding your voice.  For those of you in COMM 435 this semester, find what you love and start writing.  The more you post, the more hits you’ll get.  It’s easy when it’s what you love.

It doesn’t hurt to shamelessly use key words that are novel or are in the news.

I started the Blob Fish Page because I was getting almost 1,000 hits a day for the blob fish photo I posted one day.  Check it out.

After the tsunami, I wrote a couple posts about how it impacted Orange County.  That one caught a lot of attention too.

Have fun, but start writing and writing some more.

Another Voice

Bye Bye Trestles — Right on Track for Removal

September 1, the end of the nesting season, has come and gone.  So, the forces have moved in to get ‘er done.

A Different "Lineup" for Trestles

According to one of the onsite construction officials, the contractor that is rebuilding the trestles is right on schedule.  They hope to have all the work done and be off the site by the end of 2011.  They did a lot of the foundation work earlier this year, before nesting season.

In order to complete their work on time, they are actually going to completely shut down the railroad, the only direct rail link between Los Angeles and San Diego, for at least three full weekends.  That in itself should be interesting.  Sorry Johnny, you won’t be able to tell time by the train whistles going through San Clemente during those times.

Sharing the Footpath--Contractors and Surfers

I was assured by the official that it is written into the contract that access to the beach has to be maintained at all times.  That means surfers rated higher than the railroad–that’s a first.  I have to admit, I haven’t heard of any problems to the contrary.

So, when they get done, the trestles will be solid concrete.  Get your nostalgic photos while you can.

The piers are being poured over the next few weeks, getting the column caps ready for the shutdowns.  When they shut down the rail, the wooden sections will be removed, concrete beams will be laid across and underneath the tracks.  Once formed, these saddle shaped supports are called bents in bridge parlance.  The new rails will be laid over multiple bents.

Column rebar cages coated with purple epoxy to protect the steel from the salty environment

I already asked how to get a piece of the old creosote-soaked wooden members from the original trestles.  The official said they have to handle the wood as hazardous material and have to account for every ounce removed.  So, officially, there is no way to get your own piece of the trestles.   Hmmmmmmm.

So, enjoy your last days crossing under the famous structure that gave our favorite break its name as we cross the bridge to the future.

I guess the good news out of this change is that, with the higher traffic capacity that will be allowed with the improved trestles, there will be more tourists to wave at as the trains fly by.  Just make sure you use your whole hand when you wave to them.