the crescent city experience

little sleep and a long four hour drive can take it's toll on a person that i certainly felt like a rag-doll when i finally showed up in crescent city. i was hoping that i could present myself well for the interview, which was still an hour away.

i thought about bringing my board, but the forecasts were calling for slim to zero pickings in the line of surf, so i left it behind. i did bring my westsuit though because the thought of just being in the ocean sounded nice.

sure enough, the first opportunity i had to see the ocean was around orick. the dense fog blocked the other ocean views before there, but sure enough there wasn't much in the line of surf. a few knee high sets here and there at one beachbreak, but most were breaking too close to shore to be ridden. even false klamath cove looked dismal, with great shaped peaks breaking too close to the rocks.

once i got to crescent city, i noticed three surfers out at south beach and conditions were a little bit better. i drove through town and found the paper, then with an hour to kill, went back down to south beach to see what was happening. damn, maybe bringing my board would have been a good idea as i watched shoulder high sets swing through every 15 minutes.

the interview went well, but there were things about the job that made me think that if i did move, i'd be setting my career back a ways. plus, flek was onto something about watching for a job that would eat away at the surf time. i think working for the newspaper up there would do that, because i'd have to look for a second job probably to be able to survive up there, so I'd probably only have the occasional dawn patrol and possibly the weekends. i get that in lake county already, but at least i have most of the days to surf before having to come to work and then the entire weekends to just chill on the coast.

after the interview i headed down toward enderts beach and tried my hand again at bodysurfing. the surf had dropped a little, but was still pretty clean. i definitely wasn't as graceful and mike and keener, but i had fun with the waves was able to glide on.

so now it looks as though i'll be staying where i am at for now. i am going to see about the offer for a little more money from my boss and then get ready for the winter surf season.

thanks to everyone for the good wishes, i appreciate that. and thanks for wishing on a star dee dee =) and don't be sad for me, because there is still an opportunity to move to santa cruz. i applied for a position as a copy editor/page designer and got a reply back letting me know the job was on hold for several months. maybe that's where i am supposed to be going.

who knows.

but i hear a swell is due for monday. thank god for labor day.

Thanks, I enjoyed your story very much! As far as wishing on a star and all that, I've spent my entire career trying to get to the optimal situation, hoping that if I just do this or that, I am going to finally be able to move back to California (or somewhere nice)..and be at the beach. Now I am hooked on surfing and it only has intensified that desire.

I'd suggest to you that the most important thing to do is to do something you like. Don't compromise, in terms of your avocation or in terms of your location. Be happy! And learn from my mistakes. Don't necessarily do the 'easiest' thing, do what make the most sense for you in the short and long term.

But after a few years of 'skill sharpening', the twins, Tommy, my wife and I will finally be able to enjoy some coastal sunshine and I will be able to enjoy some waves. I hope you are able to find what you are looking for!

Best of luck to you! Craig