Hello California!

[andyw]

It was a lot of fun for sure Bob, and a great write up on the day. The one thing he didn't mention was that Bob was SHREDDING! One of the many times I was caught inside, Bob dropped in, raced down the line, somehow throwing in two carving top turns, then a final snap, right under the lip. I didn't see the rest coz I wore that wave on the head. Thanks again Bob. Just made it to Santa Cruz. Gonna check it all out tomorrow.

[jamie]

Hey Andy,
glad to hear you enjoyed surfing with Bob. I have enjoyed his and Don's hospitality many times on my visits from Oz. Your surf sounds pretty standard from my experience, Bob's ability to get the right waves and make them look better than they really are is a reflection of time spent in these parts and his ongoing stoke to surf with other kneelos.
Enjoy the rest of your trip and keep us informed, nothing like a travel log to fuel the fire for more trips chasing waves and sharing with other kneelos.

[SFKneelo]

Hey Jamie and Andy,

I'm back to breaking big rocks into little rocks...

Jamie, I suppose it started with the O-E-O and Murray Weir, and I mentioned Kim's and my visit to yours during our honeymoon to Andy. Hospitality has been extended to me at other places South and Southwest of here as well. Speaking of which... let me know when you're coming next! Spoke to Don, and he hasn't been in the water much lately. Fits and bursts for me as well...

A funny thing about surfing with Andy: EVERY wave I saw was from the back. When I said he was on it... like a kid in a candy store! I'd see a tube section, a spray, and eventually him standing in knee-waist deep water. I'm not sure what the final tube count was, but it was high!

Andy,
Like Jamie's saying, hope you keep us posted! Since reading this, I was thinking about your descent to Linda Mar, how you got to Santa Cruz, how it went in Santa Cruz, and of course what's next!

You left just in time as the winds have been howling.

[andyw]

Santa Cruz was a cool place, but I didn't find any boards to ride there. The waves were pretty small anyway, but those points sure did look like a lot of fun. I'm on my way south still, and about to go camp out in Big Sur for the weekend, to hide away from the traffic, then onwards down the coast. I'll keep you posted!

[Hoppo]

Andy, you may want to stop at Hearst Castle, at the south end of the Big Sur coast. If you do come up for a tour ... Please ask if Hoppo's working. I'll try to give you the special kneelo tour. Have a safe ride.

[Mike Fernandez]

Shoot me a PM when your in the HB area.

[andyw]

Hello all. I was away from the rest of the world for a little bit there. Went hiking up in Big Sur for a few days. Hiked up to Sykes, and carried a 90 pound dog out (good story, I'll tell you sometime), then continued my ride over those killer hills. and finally made it to Morro Bay, looking like some sort of neanderthal man. All cleaned up now. Stopped in at Hearst Castle Hoppo, but I hadn't accessed the net then, so didn't know to ask for you. I didn't do a tour, but I wandered the visitor center for a while, and saw the castle up on the hill. Anyway, I'm gonna continue south soon, hopefully this wind nicks off! Andy.

[alfredo zavala]

Had a chance to hook up with Andy sat morning. We actually got some pretty fun 3-5' surf @ Sandspit. Andy was the picture of a stoked grommet! Afterwards Andy had his first In N Out experience. I ordered for him : Double Double "Animal Style", "Animal" fries, and chocolate shake. He rides a bike 50 miles a day so it was a mere trifle!
I told him that the "brotherhood of the legless" will certainly not let him down in the Southland. Take care of him mates! Cheers Andy!

[andyw]

Hey,
Fredo showed me Sandspit and gave me a 6' quad to ride, and wow, after the first few to get warmed up, that thing was magic! The waves were glassy and bowly to begin with, great fun for fitting in tight turns in the pocket, and as the tide dropped, the waves got some speed, and down the line was the order of the day. That board was fast, and the lip was ripe for the taking! I was feeling GREAT! we were out for a couple of hours, and while the barrels proved elusive, the wave count was rediculous. It was so consistent, I think I only got to sit for a chat in the water for about 5 minutes with Fredo, the rest of the time it was go, go, go. Fredo has got some style. He just looked so comfortable out there, cruising, and then out of nowhere, he'd get right up under the lip and tear it a new one! I saw him attempt a super-critical 360, which unfortunately didn't quite come off, but at least I got a good chuckle out of it. I was in on the beach a little before Fredo, I had spagetti arms, but he was still out there, and I watched a few from the beach. What a bloody day! In N Out was bad-ass, and now I know where to find a good cheap burger! All in all, the mood of the day was definitley STOKED! I'm down in Lompoc now, after a very long, very boring ride through the strawberry fields, and tomorrow, I'll be back on the road to Santa Barbara. Thanks Fredo for a fantastic day!
Andy.

[Mike Fernandez]

Good one Fredo.

[andyw]

Hey all. I'm in LA. Yeewww!

[alfredo zavala]

Howzit going Andy My mate?? Hooked up with the brotherhood of the legless yet? Keep us posted!

[andyw]

Hey all. I spent a few days in the LA area, partying and carrying on, a night in Venice, and 2 down in Hermosa Beach, which definitely lived up to it's name. I was wearing my KSUSA hat that Bob gave me in 'Frisco, which of course started a few conversations in the hostel about kneeboarding. One of the guys staying there worked in a the PIER SURF shop across the plaza, and mentioned that his boss had a couple of old kneelos out the back. After a night of drinking and beautiful women (I love LA!) I wandered into the shop and asked if I could have a look at the vintage gems. He only had one kneeboard, not two, but it was an interesting looking 4' twin fin, with a squared off nose and square tail. It had a couple of channels alongside the fins, and while definitely weird, it was beautiful. The waves in Hermosa were definitely not anything out of my dreams, but when the boss offered to let me take the board out for a while, I shook off my hangover and jumped at the chance. It was really just beach breaks, so quite short little rides, but the board was a hell of a lot of fun! The channels worked with the twin fins to give it a little more stability, and while I don't know whether I'd really want to ride a 4' board in anything too big, It was cool to ride something so small and playful. I've left LA now and entered Orange County, and am now riding with an English cyclist, Mark, who I met up the coast a ways. We had a bit of a crazy day riding through Long Beach Yesterday, and after getting caught out in the dark and spending a night sleeping on the beach in Newport, we're heading south to Doheny State Park.
Hope you're all getting waves,
Andy.

[Mike Fernandez]

Huh, what, you just blew by Huntington to go to Doheny???
Nice moment to remember, a surf shop owner in LA lets a stranger take out a board.

[andyw]

Would have loved to spend some time in Huntington, but ther's no campgrounds or youth hostels anywhere, and hotels are unfortunately outside my budget. My mate and I ended up unrolling our sleeping bags on the beach on the Balboa peninsula, hoping no ne would come and boot us out. The waves were not really doing much either unfortunately. I'm heading on south for now, but I'll be back in the area in the next week or so, as I fly out of LAX. Hopefully I can meet some kneelos then.
Andy.