Paul's Bay Area Adventure
August, 2003
Monday: Haul ass up the 101 and catch [Lake] Lopez just before sunset for 30 minutes of 7.5, followed by a Red Bull at sunset overlooking the lake. Cranked some Marley for the local deer and then hauled ass up to SF. Arrived just before midnight.
Tuesday: Note this is still like Monday night. Kube and I got drunk on food. Brazen Head 3 course meal at 12:30, followed by a $31 round of scotch at a pretentious Marina bar. Then a trip down to the Crissy Launch followed by some late night food at around 3 (pancakes, chili, milkshake, grilled cheese sandwich with tomato). Luckily we did not have time to stop for munchies as Mike had planned just before the late night food stop. Passed out to Warren Miller. Slept on the floor of Mike’s mental patient apartment, between the stacks of wireless telecom market research and boxes from his previous life as a working member of society. Everything was well stacked however.
Woke up, tilted my head up slightly, looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows….full-on
Golden Gate bridge right there. I can’t begin to describe the view you just have to go visit.
After having an omelette that combined the best of everything I’ve ever tried to eat in my life, at his local Crepes breakfast spot, basically hung out all day on the air mattress and watched windsurfing videos while Mike ‘worked’. Then we went to sail Crissy, in separate cars. Only Mike was already in a rigging frenzy in his car and fully shined me at the first
intersection down the street from his house – which happened to be a five-way (hey now). He fully didn’t realize I wasn’t behind him until he was almost to Crissy. I had to find my own way down there. Of course he eventually went back looking for me and we fully got our asses kicked. About an hour and a half later, we were taking turns violating his X-speed – too
marginal for my board. Bunch of dudes out on Formula boards with 11.0s. Wrapped up the day with another food intoxication session at Park Chow. Our server was a cute chick from El Porto.
Wednesday: More eating. Got to the crepes spot early so we got a kicker of visual excitement from all the hot little city chicks getting on the train headed for downtown. What a great little neighborhood. Damn.
Mike had to work the next two days so I loaded up and headed out for the Delta. Good sightseeing on the way out. Steps from the freeway, a dozen or so people were waiting for the train on a large cement platform. Two of them were f***ing like animals. Nobody else seemed to care. Unreal. Delta came up strong from 4pm till sunset. Sailed out from the house that John
R. had rented with his friends. Fully wound 5.5, boardshorts, huge swells, big jumps – fully life-altering session. This place is like no other place we sail. Followed that up with a beer at sunset in the second story hot-tub which overlooks the river. We all need to stay in that house next year. Had some dialed pork fajitas made at the house and powered down some serious sleep in the gear shed, surrounded by boards and rigged sails, and spiders. This would be the only night of the trip sleeping more than 5 hours. This probably has something to do with the fact that Mike wasn’t there.
Thursday: Sailed about 4 times this day, starting around 10 am. Saved myself for the arrival of Mike around 5:30 (hey now). Mike and I sailed until we couldn’t see any more, or hang on any more. From about 7 to 9, the wind filled in so steady and strong it was incredible. It was just me and him on the whole river. The swells were a bit smaller than the previous evening but really nice. I was on his 5.4 Search (perfection!) and he was on his 6.2 Expression. Then we hit the hot tub and had the best tasting Red Bull and Cranberry-apple-cherry Clif bars ever produced while watching what was left of the backlit pink clouds disappear behind the silhouettes of the windmills, just beyond the rolling hills on the far side of the wind-blown river.
Amazing. My arms ached for days. Inside the house, Danielle pulled up iWindsurf. At 9:20, it was blowing 30 at the marker. Powered some pasta at the house and hauled ass back to the city. We were too tired to go out. But not too tired for ROCCO!!!!! [porn] And some late night snacks and beer.
Friday: Headed out around 1pm on our journey south to make Pete’s wedding the following day. Stopped for some of the most insane Mexican food around– the best and biggest burritos - right around the corner from Mikes block– a place you won’t find even if you try. I can’t tell you too much about the food at this place for fear it will get too crowded. Stopped at
Candlestick as the wind in the bay was coming up. Watched some dudes head out on 5 meter sails and start blazing. Sweet place to sail – serious stipple potential, right there along the 101. Then we stopped at 3rd ave, and realized the King of the Bay competition was already started. We saw Voss, Brandt and some young Maui type kids doing tricks I can’t even describe. There were some life-altering sexy little kiter chicks rigging up in the parking lot, Van Halen cranking over the loud speakers, and an over all good vibe. Then we had about 8 hours of philosophical discussion, interrupted only by a chance stop at a BBQ place outside Bakersfield (at 99 and 58?) where we ate so much that we had the wait staff giggling. Turns out the combo plates were a full plate of each entrée, plus beef-vegetable soup, mashed potatoes with sausage gravy, corn, beans, and probably more stuff I can’t remember. Good thing Mike threw in the sausage kicker, the extra sides and the banana cream pie.
Saturday Morning: Mike and I arrive at Pete’s wedding, after having gotten momentarily lost on the way, about 20 minutes late, basically right in line with Barb’s prediction. We pounded 3 Red Bulls each on the way to combat our sleep deprivation. This would bring us up to our public urination incident, which in turn led to uncontrollable giggles during Pete’s ceremony. Pete, thanks for having a nice selection of hot 18 year olds at
the reception.
Paul