So one Thursday evening after the usual surf session I volunteered to Chris that I would pick up the boards. Chris had already traveled to Santa Barbara to get the donation board. He was also traveling extensively for work to Veldhoven and Taiwan.
Chris notified us the boards were ready early in the week. Jasmine was unavailable for the road trip so traveling was only me. Renny seemed surprised that someone other than Chris would be picking up the boards. He was adamant that board bags be used and that I arrive early in Santa Barbara to avoid traffic congestion that begins at about 10am.
My concern was not traveling to Santa Barbara but coming back. Having 4 boards strapped to roof racks means I really cannot park and leave the car. And leaving early means not really stopping and enjoying any sights on the way. But this will all work out.
Initial thoughts of getting a Santa Barbara hotel did not work out. I didn’t really know the area and most hotels were charging around $200/night. It would have been great to find a reasonably priced place since I had Friday off and could have taken the day to travel and sightsee.
I left Casa De Randy at 5am Saturday morning. The cruise was set to 72MPH and traffic moved well up the 5, then 405, and onto the 101. The 101 did get some slowdown even at 8am.
I called Renny when I was about 20 minutes from his shop. He gave great directions but I had used Google Street View to see every turn. Technology is great.
We pulled the boards and put them on the board bags. They are beautiful. Only 4 were available – Chris will pick up his later. Renny showed me some other boards and we talked about shaping. Nice guy to talk with.
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| Yater Spoons. Mine is 9'6". |
A good surprise; the bagged boards fit inside the element. That took care of the theft concern if parked.
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| Now you see the spoon, don't you? |
I parked near the water downtown and walked around, finding State Street. The Amtrak station is centrally located. Someone mentioned taking Amtrak instead of driving but Amtrak does not accommodate longboards. Note: Hotel Indigo is next to Amtrak, and most of the town is within walking distance.
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| Hotel Indigo |
I grabbed a coffee and walked about. Duh, one of the surf shops has Yater boards. I bought several Yater shirts.
Time to travel homeward. I missed the 101 exit to the coastal road through Malibu. Then I shifted into ‘just get home’ mode and got back to mi casa by 3PM. Next time I’ll have fun in Santa Barbara.
