Yeah it seems like the city should at least help financing the ferry retrofits. Not having a ferry will be bad for all the business's on Balboa Island and around the fun zone. The ferrys are to NB what the trolly cars are to SF
OT Balboa Ferry May Be Closed Down
- Thread starter jaycee993
- Start date
I enjoyed living on the Peninsula…but I really miss the 5 years I spent living a block and a half up the street from the San Clemente pier.
Had a small but awesome pad that looked straight down Avenida Del Mar out to Seal Rock where I could judge the tide and wind.
Was 6.4 miles from San O (Old Man’s) where I’d drive in my mobile board locker (aka ‘79 VW Westfalia) and pull up with my longboard to the telephone poles separating the dirt parking from the sand.
I absolutely miss the waves and laid back attitude of San Onofre. Such an extraordinary slice of what Southern California surfing used to be like before most places got paved, metered, and territorial like Blackies, El Porto, etc.
As an old guy one of my biggest regrets was not learning how to surf. i loved boogie boarding though. Nothing better than going in the water and then air drying laying on your towel.I enjoyed living on the Peninsula…but I really miss the 5 years I spent living a block and a half up the street from the San Clemente pier.
Had a small but awesome pad that looked straight down Avenida Del Mar out to Seal Rock where I could judge the tide and wind.
Was 6.4 miles from San O (Old Man’s) where I’d drive in my mobile board locker (aka ‘79 VW Westfalia) and pull up with my longboard to the telephone poles separating the dirt parking from the sand.
I absolutely miss the waves and laid back attitude of San Onofre. Such an extraordinary slice of what Southern California surfing used to be like before most places got paved, metered, and territorial like Blackies, El Porto, etc.
I used to have a 69 Westphalia....loved that thing....sold it for $1350
I grew up on VWs…parents had a ‘64 split window Weekender with a Pent-a-Tent (rooftop tent), Dad had a ‘67 Bug, in High School, I had a ‘74 Bug, then another ‘74 Super Beetle, next while at USC, I had a ‘79 Bug Convertible and finally post graduation, the ‘79 Westy.
Like you, I really miss my Deluxe Campmobile, too. Bought it in ‘94 for $1000 (needed an engine/had 100K on the original motor). Put 130K of my own miles on the 2nd motor before selling it in 2013.
It was becoming increasingly difficult to find competent air-cooled mechanics in So Cal and the state had bumped me up to annual smog checks (which I barely passed with each ensuing year).
Ironically, I sold it to a German national who was rounding up classic Westfalias yearly to ship back to Germany for refurb and then rent out as vacation campers.
I like to think I sent it back to the Motherland…
VW transporters were about as aerodynamic as a shoebox and as powerful as a go kart, but man, they were incredible once you stopped and unfurled the glorious German camping ingenuity…A party on wheels.
It cleared up because of Ari Haagen-Smit, a Cal Tech Chemist who figured how the brown stuff in the sky got there.
Havent played over the line since I was a kid. I thought it was a Long Beach game.
You would go to Rancho Cucamonga and you could not see the mountains that were 10 miles away. It was bad. Its a process, the gasoline leaf blower ban will be a solid help. I can understand why fishing boats could not comply since they can be gone for weeks, but a ferry is a no brainer.
I never surfed at San Onofre. Trestles hundreds of times. Had some great days. I miss it.I enjoyed living on the Peninsula…but I really miss the 5 years I spent living a block and a half up the street from the San Clemente pier.
Had a small but awesome pad that looked straight down Avenida Del Mar out to Seal Rock where I could judge the tide and wind.
Was 6.4 miles from San O (Old Man’s) where I’d drive in my mobile board locker (aka ‘79 VW Westfalia) and pull up with my longboard to the telephone poles separating the dirt parking from the sand.
I absolutely miss the waves and laid back attitude of San Onofre. Such an extraordinary slice of what Southern California surfing used to be like before most places got paved, metered, and territorial like Blackies, El Porto, etc.
Right before I made the move from LA to OC, I was introduced to SanO by an old girlfriend who grew up in Laguna.
I was immediately hooked on both longboarding (after dealing with the increasingly aggressive LA County shortboard scene) and, the gentile vibe both in and out of the water at San Onofre. People actually (usually) apologized if they cut you off or dropped in on you.
Surfed Trestles a few times with friends and had a couple of borderline epic sessions with South swells. Because of the amount of pro shortboarders who called Trestles home, I shied away from it as a logger. SanO captured my heart for over 25+ years, no matter the season or swell direction.
Being a Switchfooter gave me a huge advantage in the water there. I could grab lefts or rights, depending on what was open.
At Old Man’s, there was an inside left that re-formed on the reef that had a horseshoe bend in it as you chased it north. It was my absolute favorite section of SanO.
Miss the San Onofre waves, the people, and the vibe…
I was fortunate to have a Dad that was able to spoil the family every summer in NP beach or Seal Beach or Sunset Beach every summer but mostly NP. My Dad would use an excuse to take care of the dogs to stay home while we were at the beach. Later on we used to rent on Channel Rd a few doors up from the WEdge...2 story with 2 decks and a dock.......Owner eventually offered to sell it to my Dad for 250K...ouch worth 6-8 mil todayI lived on the Peninsula halfway between the piers for 11 years. Used to ride my beach cruiser down to the Ferry crossing, pay my 75 cents to shuttle to Balboa Island.
I’d ride along Bayside, cross PCH and hit up Pearson’s Port to buy the best and freshest fish I’ve ever found. Theresa and her daughter ran the fish barge and the hubby fished (they had a co-op with a dozen or so boats from SB to SD).
Husband was one of the few in CA licensed to trap Spotted Prawn. He’d take his boat 30 miles out and bait the traps with Salmon-flavored Friskees (no lie). Spotted Prawn became my absolute favorite thing to cook and eat (just butterfly and smother with melted butter & garlic then BBQ)…Simply the greatest seafood I’ve ever eaten.
Moved inland after marriage and later, out of CA, and soon, out of the country…still miss those rides to Pearson’s for the catch of the day (sea bass, halibut, salmon…). Great memories.
My roots run deep in Balboa…Grandparents had a house on little Balboa Island and the Ferry was the coolest 5 minute saltwater adventure a little tyke could have…
Hate to say it but I think the original owners’ days are numbered until the electric motors become more cost effective…Hopefully a new incarnation will come along at some point because it truly is an OC institution and rite of passage (literally)…
Easy for you to say the ferry is a no brainer...you probably didnt even read the article and no doubt have no skin in the game
The gasoline leaf blower ban isn’t looking great right now. There are no good electric commercial replacements.
To me the noise of a gas blower is my biggest gripe.....going off at 7am in my hood
I always wait until at least 8 to get started.
I’m not against going electric, especially with my lawn equipment, but it’s gotta be on my time at at a price point I can afford.
In my neighborhood every gardener starts his day early here. I had no idea my neighborhood was so noisy until I retired. I use those Ego battery powered tools. I have blower, hedge trimmer and weed whacker...they work great. Didnt buy them for the environment, just for convenience.I always wait until at least 8 to get started.
I’m not against going electric, especially with my lawn equipment, but it’s gotta be on my time at at a price point I can afford.
I despise the nose those 3 gadgets make. Add that to trash trucks and one day a week, the noise pollution is almost undoable.
I agree with both of you about the noise. I’ll be going electric hopefully by the end of the year mainly for the convenience. Ego is at the top of my list so far.
Haha! True story. Many years ago my grandfather had a friend move to Pasadena. About six months later the smog vanished one day. The lady thought she was having a vision! My grandpa had to tell her the mountains had been there all the time.
We have the John Wayne Airport here. I'm not directly under it but every morning I know it's 7:00 sharp because the planes start flying nearby. I've gotten used to it but a friend of mine near the Back Bay moved because of the noise. It affects everyone differently I guess.
For 35 years I left for work at 6am for 10 hour shifts plus lots of overtime. So the weekend was the only time I was home and it was quiet. Boy was I wrong....when I retired I was amazed at all the constant noise in my hood especially in the morning. something going on every morning....trash rucks, tree trimmers, gardeners, loud speeding cars. I wish I lived in the mountains where its quiet.
