Leadbetters, Stop #5, September 5, 2008

So this week, I decided to head north, not north as in Alaska, Canada, Washington or Oregon. Well, not even north enough to leave Southern California, but Santa Barbara is about 150 miles north of my house, so it qualifies, and Leadbetters was the destination. I only had 2 days to be there, so it was a monday, tuesday thing, school just started this week, so the crowds should be pretty small. When I checked the forcast, it looked like a decent swell was going to be arriving tuesday evening, so I hoped to catch some of the outer rings of that push. The drive up to Santa Barbara is pretty nice, once you leave Ventura. I stopped and looked at California St and the promise of an early pulse didn't look to great, but there where some waist high waves, but it was mid-day and blown out. When I got up to Santa Barbara, I was quickly reminded why I love that town so much. It sits nestled between the hills and the water and it is that classic California beach town. Oh, and there where some sites to be seen in and out of the water. I grabbed some grub at a local sandwich shop and headed out to the beach to wait for a sunset session. As I sat above the break and watched the guys in the water, I realized once again,that this is what its all about. The surf doesn't have to be epic, even though we live for those days. The surfer doesn't have to be highly skilled, although we all try to improve as much as possible. The thing about surfing that is more magnetic than anything I've ever done, is the energy, the fun, and the immersion into nature. When you see dolphins swimming next to you, and all that open space outside, its all a bonus to the stoke you get riding waves. I think I'd rather go deaf than not be able to surf.....and I love music!