Enjoying Laguna Beach

Ah, another delightful week (my 3rd) at Laguna Beach! What could be better?

Monday, September 21, 2020

I had a reasonably busy workday but stopped by Wally's Barbershop for a haircut. I felt much better after getting all of my long hair trimmed.

In the evening, I found time to surf at Rockpile Beach. Waves were relatively small - no more significant than 2 feet high. I did manage to catch and ride one decent wave.

In the evening, Inna and I walked to the main beach to observe another glorious sunset.

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

I had another hectic workday and didn't have time to surf. During my afternoon lunch walk, I did find time to observe some of the local Laguna Beach surfers at Rockpile Beach.

I had another busy workday but managed another walk to Heisler Park in the evening to observe the remaining surfers and the fantastic sunset.

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

I woke up early (due to a positive Surfline wave report). However, when I stopped by Rockpile Beach, I could barely see anything - due to the dense fog enveloping the beach.

During lunchtime, I returned to Rockpile Beach and surfed for two hours. I caught and rode 3 waves. Waves were higher: 3-foot high, compared to 2-foot waves just a few days before.

In the evening, Inna and I strolled to Thalia Street on Main Beach to enjoy the warm sunshine and observe the many surfers.

 

In the evening, 4 Weddings & a Funeral, we watched one of my favorite comedies using my Synology 1805 NAS (Plex server). I liked watching movies and TV shows stored on my Plex server using Apple TV (I used my iPad to mirror to Apple TV).

Thursday, September 24, 2020

In the morning, before work, I walked about 2 miles to Heisler Park. The breaking waves were quite large, and surfers were doing well. However, the air smelled of smoke from the fires burning.

At noontime, Inna and I walked to the main beach of Laguna Beach. We enjoyed watching the surfers on Thalia Street. 

Inna had an idea of trying tacos at a local favorite called Taco Loco. It was a walk for us, and after about 10 minutes on Pacific Coast Highway, we stepped into a small shack and ordered Shrimp Tacos. Since I had a 2:00pm meeting, I had to leave early while Inna waited for the "to-go" order to be filled.

After my 2:00pm meeting, I ate the shrimp tacos with Inna. They were not bad, but nothing exceptional either.

In the late afternoon, Alex and I decided to surf at the nearby Rockpile Beach (from 4:45pm to 6:45pm). I managed to ride 1 really long wave, with waves being primarily flat with occasional large 5-footers. Alex was more successful - he caught 5 waves.

After surfing, we stopped by Whole Foods to purchase additional spring water (for green tea) and cookies.

Since it was getting late, we ordered burritos from   La Sirena Grill instead of cooking our chicken. The burritos were fresh and delicious!

In the evening, we relaxed by watching the BBC Coupling Series using my iPad (playing Plex) and casting to the Apple TV.

Friday, September 25, 2020 - Birthday!

I woke up early and decided to enjoy a nice walk to Heisler Park. The waves were small, so I decided against surfing in the morning. When I returned home, Inna and Alex wished me a happy birthday!

Inna offered me presents, including a Quicksilver T-shirt and a Hawaiian shirt. They were very friendly. She also stopped by our favorite Moulin Patisserie for a few delicious pastries to treat me!

During lunchtime, Inna talked to Olga (our vacation home landlord) about the pool water, and Olga found a snake on the roof! Olga was able to capture it and move it off the roof.

After finishing work early, we decided to surf at Trestles in San Clemente. We arrived at the Trestles Parking lot around 4:10pm and walked to Trestles Beach by around 4:30pm.

The shorebreak was hard to get through, but both Alex and I managed to get through. We surfed multiple waves, though none of my rides were spectacular. I had a great time and enjoyed my surfing there. We finished surfing at 6:00pm and headed back home.

For my birthday, Inna made dinner reservations at the Roux Creole Restaurant. When we arrived at 7:35pm, the restaurant still had other patrons, so we waited outdoors for about 30 minutes until we could be seated. Due to Covid-19, restaurant capacity was still limited to 25%. We were offered free drinks, so we waited patiently.

At 8:00pm, we were finally seated indoors. We ordered more iced tea and a couple of entrees. I selected Voodoo Shrimp (a spicy shrimp entree), while Inna decided on Macaroni 'n Cheese (not sure why). Alex set the Salmon Entree.

The entrees took a very long time, and we were finally able to commence eating at around 8:50pm. I liked my shrimp and devoured it. Neither Alex nor Inna could finish their entrees (so we boxed them and took them home).

Because of the slow arrival of entrees, we were offered free desserts. Two berry pies were prepared for us, and they were delicious! Our waitress (originally from Santa Cruz) was also accommodating and told us about the surfers who hang out at nearby Gino's Pizza.

Saturday, September 26, 2020

In the morning, we walked to the main beach in Laguna Beach. We saw many surfers on Thalia Street riding the beach break. On the return way home, we stopped by to purchase a few groceries at Whole Foods.

While I carried the heavy water gallons and groceries home, Inna stopped by the Saturday Farmer's Market to purchase freshly baked bread and berries.

After eating a delicious breakfast, we drove to San Clemente, where Alex surfed at Trestles while we enjoyed ourselves near San Clemente Pier (from 12:15pm to 3:00pm).

I surfed at the San Clemente Pier North (from 1:00 - 2:00pm). The waves were mostly beach breaks and not too much fun. On one of my rides, I fell off and broke my Dakine 6' leash! I had to borrow another leash from another Wavestorm 8' board to continue surfing.

After surfing, Inna and I walked the length of San Clemente Beach. It's a beautiful, easy walk along the sandy beach with many people. Everyone was swimming, boogie-boarding, and enjoying themselves. No one had masks on like Covid-19 was over.

At 3:00pm, we returned to the Trestles Parking lot to pick up Alex (who was very tired from surfing). He told us about all the cool surfing moves he was practicing, i.e., cutbacks and floaters.

We decided to eat lunch in downtown San Clemente. Initially, we stopped at South of Nick's, but the wait was very long - 45 minutes. 

We were hungry and walked to the nearby Nomad's Canteen. After sitting down and looking at the menu, we ordered the following:

• Appetizer: Grande Guacamole with Chips (yummy!)
  
• Boris: Mango Margarita, Scallop Bowl (Bay Scallops, cucumber slices, coconut sticky rice)
• Inna: Margarita, Jaco Poke Bowl (coconut sticky rice with Ahi Tuna Poke)
• Alex: Queso-Deely's Carne Asada 

We really enjoyed our $8.95 margaritas and the delicious bowls! The entree quality was quite good for a reasonable price.

On the way back home, we stopped at RipCurl Laguna Beach so that I could purchase a replacement surfing leash. However, this store sold no leashes (really?), so we walked across the street to Laguna Surf & Sport to purchase one there. I bought the remaining 6' leash (all others were 5' or sold out).

We walked back to the beach in the evening to watch the sun setting. Laguna Beach was quite busy,  with lots of people everywhere. There was a guy playing guitar and lots of activities.

We walked to Heisler Park for the best location to watch the sunset. We saw a gorgeous sunset and saw a cute Bernie-doodle.

A few surfers were still at Rockpile Beach, and I took photos and videos. As we decided to skip dinner, Inna thought about stopping by at a different Gelateria -  Gelato Paradiso, but the line was insanely long (all this for gelato?) Crazy!

We returned home and watched a few episodes of BBC Coupling (streaming from my Plex server at home). I really liked The Girl with 2 Breasts episode.

 Sunday, September 27, 2020 - Yom Kippur 

Being tired, we slept in late, waking up around 9:00am. Alex woke up around 9:30am, and I made fresh coffee in the French Press. Delicious!

Inna and I decided to enjoy an early morning walk to the main beach at Laguna Beach. There were already many surfers on Thalia Street. Some were surfing very well despite the rapidly closing waves.

After we returned home, Alex was still doing his homework. Inna made a delicious omelet, and we were ready to head out. However, Alex did not eat yet, so we waited until he made a sandwich and finished his lunch.

We drove to San Clemente (again), arriving late, at around 2:30pm at the Trestles Parking lot. Alex decided to surf for two hours, so we picked him up at 5:30pm (given the 15-minute walk to the beach each way).

Inna and I drove to San Clemente, eventually finding a parking spot. It was challenging to find an open parking space! I carried my 8' Wavestorm to the beach in addition to the beach chairs and umbrella.

 

After setting up the umbrella, we took a long stroll along the beach. The water was warm and refreshing, and the beach walk was enjoyable. After returning to our beach chairs, Inna went for a swim while I observed the small waves and the many surfers trying to surf the beach break.

 

When Inna returned from swimming, I considered surfing, but the waves were small, and there wasn't much time left (until I had to pick up Alex).

 

At around 5:20pm, we packed our things and returned to our minivan. We drove 5 minutes to the Trestles parking lot and picked up Alex. He was exhausted and a bit hungry, as expected.

This time, we decided to stop for dinner at our favorite Nomad's Canteen in downtown San Clemente.

• Appetizer: Grande Guacamole with Chips
• Boris: Mango Margarita, Scallop Bowl (Bay Scallops, cucumber slices, coconut sticky rice)
• Inna: Margarita, Jaco Poke Bowl (coconut sticky rice with Ahi Tuna Poke)
• Alex: Queso-Deely's Carne Asada
  

We enjoyed our delicious dinner and returned home to watch the sunset. What a wonderful day!

 

 

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Windsurfing at Punta San Carlos, Mexico

Since my first time windsurfing on Maui's North Shore, I have been enamored with wave sailing. Nothing is finer than wave sailing in 15-20 knots of wind on Maui's Spreckelsville. I have also heard of fantastic wave sailing in Mexico but have never been able to do so.

When I heard of the incredible wave sailing in Punta San Carlos, I was intrigued and fascinated by the possibility of windsurfing there. Despite being relatively expensive ($3400 / week), the windsurfing camps fill up almost a year in advance! Last year, I tried to book the Matt Pritchard windsurfing camp in September, but Kevin Trejo (owner) could not find an open space for me. This year, someone canceled, and one space became available. I secured a spot in Matt's camp during September 21-28. However, due to the flare-up of my Ulcerative Colitis, I had to reschedule to a different date (September 12, 2020).

Getting to Punta San Carlos is complicated. I must first depart from San Jose (SJC) airport and fly to San Diego (SAN). 

After landing in San Diego, I have to take a taxi to Brown Field (about 30 minutes away), where I would board a small private plane heading for Punta San Carlos (Baja, Mexico). 

Since the flight to Mexico is on a small private plane, my luggage is limited to 50 lbs. I plan to get only the essentials - a wetsuit, harness, mountain bike shoes, booties, and a change of clothes.

Unfortunately, once Covid-19 hit the United States, the camp in Punta San Carlos went out of business.

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Returning to Laguna Beach

On Saturday evening, September 12, we returned to Laguna Beach from our short stay in Las Vegas. After unloading our Sienna minivan, Inna and I ate dinner in downtown Laguna Beach.

At first, we decided to try Wild Taco on Ocean Avenue. We found a cozy table outside and looked at the menu. Since no one came around to take our order (and after looking at a few unfavorable reviews on Yelp.com), we decided to abandon Wild Taco and head to Carmelita's Kitchen de Mexico nearby.

At first, we were told to wait 30 minutes for a dinner table outside, but a new table opened up, and we were seated in 10 minutes. 

We were immediately served with water, freshly baked chips, and salsa as we examined the menu. I decided to try the Chicken Fajitas while Inna settled on an Enchilada. While starting our dinner, we called Alex, who was busy finishing his homework at home. He came down for dinner. We ordered him some delicious guacamole, which he munched on with his chips. We really liked our Mexican food there and will be sure to be back again.

Sunday, September 13, 2020

In the morning, at 6:30 a.m., I woke up and dressed. Alex and I decided to try surfing at Rockpile Beach in Laguna Beach, which is 5 minutes away by car.

We drove up and parked in the Heisler Park parking lot. The meters there do not start until 8:00 a.m., so we had an hour of surfing for free. I waxed my 8' Wavestorm while Alex took out his Kym Thompson 6'6" shortboard. After waxing, we walked barefoot into the water. Outside, the temperature was 60 F, but the water was much warmer (64-68 Fahrenheit).

We paddled out to the rock pile, and Alex and I tried to catch a few waves. I wasn't very successful, but Alex did very well, catching many waves.

At about 8:15 a.m., we returned to the Sienna Minivan and drove back home. We took showers and decided to eat breakfast at Tippy's Cafe. I ordered a chocolate Mocha, Inna selected a London Fog, and Alex chose a Tippy's Milk latte. We also ordered a bunch of muffins. I liked the blueberry muffin, and it was pretty delicious. Inna's bran muffin wasn't to her liking.

After breakfast, we walked home and decided to try spending time at Victoria Beach. After a short drive, we parked a bit far away, on the Pacific Coast Highway, and walked toward McAulay Street, where we turned downhill and followed Victoria Beach down to the beach. Victoria Beach was hidden and not very busy.

We saw several beachgoers swimming and a few taking photos of the beautiful Pirate Tower and the North end of the beach. We strolled along the beach and noticed a few beginner surfers learning to surf the beach break.

After a few hours of resting, we returned to our car and drove to Whole Foods to pick up a few groceries before eating lunch.

For lunch, Inna made an omelet with turkey, and I made fresh coffee in the French Press.

Later in the day, after Alex finished his homework, we decided to have another surf session at Rockpile Beach. Finding parking on Sunday evening was more complex, and I found a spot a few blocks from the surf spot.

Initially, we were the only surfers out there, and I caught my first long ride! Alex caught a few waves, too, and more local surfers showed up. The local surfers were much better riders than either of us. They saw all of the waves and had spectacular rides.

We ordered two pizzas (one Four Seasons pie and one Margherita pie) from the Alessa restaurant for dinner. There was minimal seating outdoors, and we did not want to wait. The small, personal-sized pizzas were respectable (but not as delicious as the ones we enjoyed in Las Vegas).

Monday, September 14, 2020

Alex and I woke up early - around 6:00 a.m. - hoping to surf at Rockpile Beach. At 6:00 a.m., it was still quite dark, so we waited until 6:30 a.m. to drive to Rockpile Beach.

The waves were relatively small when we arrived there, so we decided not to surf and returned home (a bit disappointed).

During lunchtime, Inna and I walked along Laguna Beach. We saw many surfers on Thalia Street and some successful surfing. We really enjoyed our long, one-hour walk on the sandy beach.

In the late afternoon, at around 4:00 p.m., we returned to Rockpile Beach, but the low tide and the small waves made it less than desirable. We drove to Thalia Street to see if the waves were better. After a 5-minute drive, I parked on Thalia Street, put on my O'Neill shorty, and took out my 8' Wavestorm longboard.

Alex and I tried surfing at Thalia Street, but the waves were relatively small, and I could not catch any waves to surf. Alex was slightly disappointed - after surfing for 90 minutes, we did not ride anything.

We returned home and rested. Alex was disappointed with the lackluster surf session and vowed never to surf there again.


Tuesday, September 15, 2020

In the morning, Inna and I walked along Laguna Beach. The beach was practically empty, and the ocean was as flat as a lake. We really enjoyed our long, one-hour walk on the sandy beach. After our walk, we stopped by Moulin to purchase a few pastries, including:

• Almond Croissant
• Pain Au Chocolat
• Pain Aux Raisins
• Apple Turnover

After returning home, I made fresh coffee in the French Press, and everyone enjoyed the fresh pastries!
With the surf forecast relatively poor and the air quality suspect, we decided to skip surfing.

In the evening, Inna and I enjoyed a walk along the beautiful main beach of Laguna Beach. We watched the sunset and marveled at the calm ocean water.

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

At noon, during my work lunch break, I walked from my rental home to Rockpile Beach to exercise and look at the waves. Surprisingly, the waves were taller than I expected, and I decided to return later in the day to surf there. Many of the advanced surfers were having a fantastic time.

After eating my lunch (usually a sandwich with cheese and turkey), I resumed my everyday work.

However, at 5:00 p.m., when Alex and I finished school and work, we drove to Rockpile Beach for what turned out to be one of my best surfing sessions in Orange County!

The waves were huge, from 3-5 feet high, and I caught and rode 12 waves! I had a fantastic surfing session, and so did Alex!

With large waves forecasted for Thursday, we also decided to wake up early the next day.

Thursday, September 17, 2020

Alex and I woke up at 6:30 a.m. and decided to drive to Rockpile Beach. We quickly parked, put on our wetsuits, and waxed our boards. I was on my usual 8' Wavestorm, and Alex used his Firewire Tomo v4 6'. We had a fantastic early morning surfing session, and I caught and rode 3 waves. Alex did much better than me.

In the evening (5:00 - 7:00 p.m.), Alex and I managed to have a 2nd surfing session of the day! This time, I was a bit more tired and caught fewer waves. Inna came around for a walk to Heisler Park and took a few photos of Alex and me with her Nikon P900 ultrazoom camera.

Here is a photo of one of my failed surfing attempts.

However, Alex continued to catch and ride multiple waves (though they were smaller than during the morning session). Here is a photo of Alex riding one of the many waves he caught.

I had a fantastic day of surfing. I hope I get more days like this!

Friday, September 18, 2020 - Rosh Hashana

Shana Tova! Happy New Year!

I had a hectic work schedule, though Inna and I managed to sneak out for a nice walk along the main beach of Laguna Beach.

Since Alex finished his schoolwork early, I recommended that he surf by himself while I had to attend other meetings. I dropped him off at Rockpile Beach at 3:30 p.m. (though parking was difficult) and then returned home for my next meeting. Waves were about 3 feet tall (smaller than on Thursday) and not crowded. Alex used his Firewire Tomo v4 6' board.

I returned to pick him up at 5:30 p.m. He was tired but excited and recollected some of his surfing exploits. He said that he surfed very well and caught all the waves.

In the evening, being Rosh Hashanah, we decided to eat in a nice restaurant. Inna made reservations at 9:00 p.m. at Oak Laguna Beach Restaurant. On the drive there, I almost ran into a skateboarder in the dark I didn't see. Luckily, Inna warned me in time. After being seated outside (indoors was extremely noisy), we ordered drinks and entrees.

Inna ordered the Lagunarita cocktail (a twist on the Margarita cocktail), while Alex tried the lemonade (which was average). Inna ordered the Heirloom Tomato soup and Jumbo Dungeness Crab Cake. She thought the soup was the best tomato soup she's ever tried anywhere. She really liked the cheese in it and vowed to order another bowl (if we ever returned)

Alex ordered the Oak Burger, medium-rare, and he really liked it. He said it was much better than his favorite burger in SuperDuper in Los Gatos. He did not care much for the standard premixed version of the lemonade (we prefer the freshly prepared kind).

I wasn't starving, so I ordered the Cajun Shrimp Tacos. They were small but delicious!

For dessert, we shared a Pistachio Lemon Zest bar. It was not the most appetizing dessert. We really enjoyed our time at Oak Laguna Beach and hope to return again,

Saturday, September 19, 2020

At about 7:30 a.m., I woke up, showered, and stopped by the nearby local Farmer's Market to purchase groceries. Since our local Whole Foods has horrible bread, I bought a large loaf of sourdough and pistachio croissants. I also found some local, organic blueberries (3-pack).

After a breakfast of yogurt and delicious French-pressed coffee, we embarked on a 30-minute drive to the Tressels Surfing area. We parked our car in the parking lot, and Alex put on his Ripcurl 4/3mm Dawn Patrol wetsuit. He waxed his Firewire Tomo v4 6' board, and we walked 15-20 minutes from the parking lot to the surf area. It turned out that the dirt trail there was more prolonged than walking the paved road. 

Alex quickly zipped up his wetsuit and surfed into the lineup. Many surfers were everywhere, but Alex managed to find space for himself. I took multiple photos of him surfing (using the Nikon P900 superzoom). Watching Alex perform his best moves at his favorite surfing destination was fun.

Here is a short video I recorded of Alex's surfing. The flappy bird was on the loose again!

After taking photos for about 30 minutes, Inna and I decided to explore the town of San Clemente, a few miles away. We drove to San Clemente Pier and eventually found parking nearby. I was excited by all the surfers near the pier and decided to surf for an hour while Inna explored nearby.

At San Clemente Pier, waves were enormous, from 3-4 feet high, breaking quickly near the shore. I paddled through the surf, and it took me a few tries to get through the break.

I managed to find a comfortable place to launch and caught a few waves. I had one, a very nice long ride, which put a smile on my face.

After an hour of surfing, I returned to my Sienna minivan and met up with Inna. She took some photos of other surfers and told me about the exciting restaurants in the area. We walked back to San Clemente Pier, where I observed other surfers closely and took a few photos.

At about 1:30 p.m., we returned to our Sienna Minivan, drove to the Trestles parking lot, and picked up Alex. At about 1:50m, we found Alex, all exhausted, carrying his surfboard. After a long surf session, he was all spent. We drove back to San Clemente for lunch. Finding parking required a lot of patience, but we eventually found a parking spot.

We returned to the San Clemente Pier and sat at Pierside Cafe at 2:30 p.m. However, the kitchen in the cafe was closed from 2:30–3:30 p.m., so we moved over to La Galette Creperie next door. Alex and I ordered the Classic Burger with Lemonade, while Inna ordered a Chicken Wrap with Lemonade while enjoying the sounds of a steel-drum singer. It felt like being on a Caribbean tropical island. We saw many golf cars driving around; they seemed very popular in San Clemente and Laguna Beach.

After lunch, we enjoyed fresh ice cream at Caterina's Sandwich and Gelato shop. On a wafer cone, my hazelnut and vanilla/cherry combination was delicious. After enjoying the San Clemente Pier, we returned to our Sienna Minivan and drove home. After resting a bit, Inna and I went to Crystal Beach, a beautiful beach in Newport. The sand was soft and exquisite. It was Inna's new favorite beach!

With darkness approaching, we returned to our rental home and stopped by La Sirena for inexpensive Mexican fare. I ordered a chicken fajita, while Alex and Inna selected burritos. They were delicious, expensive, and better than the ones in Chipotle.

Sunday, September 20, 2020

Being tired from adventures the day before, Inna and I woke up relatively late, around 8:30 a.m. I made some fresh French-Press coffee (the last of the Allegro Coffee pre-ground coffee beans) and ate some yogurt with blueberries.

We decided to explore Newport Beach, as we had never been there before, and Inna and I were curious about this town. I knew about the Newport Jazz Festival and expensive homes but not much else. The drive from Laguna Beach took us over 35 minutes due to a horrible accident on Highway 1. We drove around the accident and eventually found parking near the Crab Cooker Annex. The parking meters there were only allowed for 1 hour, so I had to return a couple of times to add time to the parking meter.

When we arrived at Newport Beach Pier, we were amazed by the crowds of people (it seemed that COVID-19 was a thing of the past), with a busy farmer's market, music, and a lively restaurant scene all going on. It was a much bigger and more dynamic place than Laguna Beach.

Seeing many waves and surfers, I decided to surf for an hour while Inna enjoyed the beautiful sandy beach. I returned to the car, put on my O'Neill shortie, and took out my 8' Wavestorm surfboard. It didn't need any wax, but I put on some sunscreen as it was nearing noontime and relatively sunny and hot.

I carried the beach umbrella and the surfboard to the beach, where Inna and I had beach chairs set up. After setting up the beach umbrella, I went out surfing. I caught a few waves rather quickly, but a coast guard vessel sailed by, announcing that all surfers must return to shore. I was annoyed by this announcement and ignored it for a while. Eventually, I surfed to shore and discussed it with Inna. She thought it was silly to ban all surfers, so I decided to return to surfing, but I was interrupted by a lifeguard who told me that I could surf on the other side of the pier.

For the first time, I used Surfline's Sessions to record my surfing session using my Apple Watch. Surfline manages multiple video cams at popular surf spots and recorded two of my surfing rides (though the video quality is quite grainy).

 

I walked under the pier to the Southside and surfed there. There mainly were boogie boarders, but I caught a few small waves. At about 1:15 p.m., I stopped surfing, and Inna and I returned to the minivan. It turned out that I forgot to lock my key box; luckily, no one stole my van!

After changing into dry clothes and paying the parking meter, we ate lunch in one of the highly-rated eateries on the Newport Beach boardwalk. Dory Deli was rated highly in Yelp reviews, so Inna and I stopped there.

I ordered a local special chicken and waffle while Inna enjoyed a poke bowl. I liked my fried chicken, but the portion was small. We also called them iced mochas, which were delicious but slightly different from our iced mochas.

After lunch, we walked along the boardwalk and marveled at the length of the beach and the number of pedestrians heading back and forth. Many beach apartments were on the boardwalk (summer beach rentals), but the noise and lack of privacy would make this location less than ideal.

After enjoying the walk, we returned to our Sienna Minivan and drove to the Sherman Library and Gardens. Since we arrived at 3:15 p.m. and the gardens closed at 4:00 p.m., we were offered free admission, which we gladly accepted.

It took us about 35 minutes to walk around the beautifully manicured gardens, enjoying all the gorgeous flowers.

We returned home to rest and find Alex studying for his Calculus BC class. He spent the whole day researching and recovering from the previous surfing session at Trestles. 

At around 6:00 p.m., we walked to Rockpile Beach to observe another gorgeous sunset. We noticed the tide was low, and many people explored the tide pools. The surf was minimal, and only a few surfers were out, trying to catch what little remained of the south swell.

 

We purchased pre-cooked whole chicken from Whole Foods with a garnish of basmati rice cooked in our rice cooker for dinner.

 

For entertainment, we decided to watch Back to School with Rodney Dangerfield using Amazon Prime streaming to the Apple TV. 

 

Back to Laguna Beach Trip Report

Highlights

• Walking on Crystal Beach in Newport Beach
  
• Surfing at Rockpile Beach
• Surfing at Trestles
• Dinner at Oak Laguna Beach
• Freshly baked pastries from Moulin
• Newly-made gelato from Dolce Gelato

Lowlights

• Long drive from Las Vegas to Laguna Beach (4 hours) in bad air
• Crazy Southern California drivers
• No freshly baked bread in Whole Foods (unlike San Jose)
• Days with bad air quality

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