digihitch.com - On Beacon's Beach, There's A Mellow Mixture Of ...

digihitch.com - On Beacon's Beach, There's A Mellow Mixture Of ...
And yes, the spot even has its own Web site, beaconsbeach.com, complete
with a live wave cam. But, man, it's nice here. The locals aren't as
territorial as ...

This is the final installment in the series of articles originally written for the the Richmond Times-Dispatch by Mark Holmberg . He generously shared them with us on digihitch and writes
"Well, you asked for it. Looking back on these stories, I'm a little surprised that I've written this much about hitchhiking. Then again, I've been a reporter here for 17 years, and have written several thousand stories.
Anyway, this last thing has nothing to do with hitching, but was one of the reasons I took the trip to Cal. last summer."

There's no such thing as a secret surf spot between Los Angeles and San Diego.
But time has been gentler to Beacon's Beach in Leucadia than most.
A search for some peace and a soulful, kicked-back atmosphere has brought me to this cliff-sheltered spot again and again during the past 10 days.

It is an amazing place to surf up till - and past - sunset, when the fog-kissed pastels of the darkening sky blend seamlessly with the Pacific as lights blink on - beaconlike - in the cliff-clinging homes overhead.
It's such a fabulous place to watch a sunset that one of its nicknames is "Martini Beach." (Its most-used name comes from the Coast Guard beacon that sat atop the bluff during World War II.)
What a place to lose your inner self - or find it.

"It's been discovered," lamented J.R. Rigney, 58, an elder statesman of Beacon's.
He's been surfing here for 40 years.
For a long time, "there just wasn't anyone around here," J.R. said as we sat on a cliff's-edge rail 75 or so yards above the beach, watching the sweet waves roll in with surfers on their shoulders.
"It was the next best thing to Hawaii."

An eclectic mix of characters has been drawn to this secluded, rugged area nicely positioned between Oceanside and San Diego.
"The wealthy living with the poor, surf bums with the sophisticated," J.R. said as he and his fellow longtime locals Brian and Jeff discussed their beloved spot.

George Harrison of the Beatles had a home here. Novelist Zane Grey did too. So did "the program director for the moon landing," Jeff added. J.R.'s next-door neighbor is a quantum physicist who came up with a concept for bomb- and nuclear materials-detecting equipment used in post-9/11 airports. And J.R. is an electrical engineer and designer.

Then again, there's a mobile home court nestled in the slope leading to the cliffs.
Homesites on the bluffs could be had for $25,000 not too long ago.
"Now they're 2 or 3 million," J.R. said.
Like much of Southern California, "we have people problems," J.R. said.
"Density and infrastructure."

Yes, there's a fair amount of traffic in Leucadia. And there are 50 or so surfers riding the break at North Beacon and its sister break, South Reef, when there used to be 10. Yes, there are hundreds on the beach when there used to be dozens. And yes, the spot even has its own Web site, beaconsbeach.com, complete with a live wave cam.

But, man, it's nice here. The locals aren't as territorial as you'll find at other breaks, so no one complains about a clumsy surfer like myself and the fair number of people who come to learn, such as my son Rudy. There are lots of women and girls riding the waves.

There are no nimrods spray painting "Tourist Go Home" on out-of-state cars, as happened to my brother at a spot north of here soon after he moved back to California.
There's virtually no crime. "This is a really safe place to live," J.R. said.

Life moves slower here. And the waves push a shade more slowly because of the reef's shape and the vast kelp beds that create flat, glassy pockets that are visible nearly a half-mile offshore.

Beacon's has a bit of a reputation as a longboarders' haven, which doesn't protect it as much as it could, now that California is in the midst of a big-board craze. Young men and women are now joining the old-timers on swell-snuggling, 9-foot and longer boards, carving long, graceful lines on the wave faces instead of the slashing and shredding popularized by previous generations of short-boarders.

Could this be a signal that Californians are mellowing, becoming more harmonious with their delicate environment? Perhaps the state's bogging economy - and the accompanying circus over the governorship - are part of a slower, more soulful lifestyle that is desperately needed here, and across the country.

This is definitely my speed. I spent three days last weekend riding noisy jet skis and wakeboarding in the Colorado River in Arizona. It was nice, with breathtaking vistas that almost overshadowed the wicked heat.

But I prefer this place, and its peace, quiet and beauty. It shines on the soul and shows the way - like a beacon.