SoCal Traffic

[Redwing]

I will be in SoCal for about a week at the first part of June. For the majority of the days my plan is to surf in San Clemente, but I will be staying in Long Beach. Is this drive going to suck? I put it through mapquest and they said it would be about an hour drive. I haven't been to the area for a few years but I'm sure the traffic hasn't gotten any better. Does anyone have any advice about what roads to use or what time of day is good? Or am I just screwed no matter what? Any advice would be great. Also most of my evenings will be free. Does anyone have any suggestions of cool things to do in the Orange Co. area for a single, 27 year old, No. Utah dude?

[derstuka]

I will be in SoCal for about a week at the first part of June. For the majority of the days my plan is to surf in San Clemente, but I will be staying in Long Beach. Is this drive going to suck? I put it through mapquest and they said it would be about an hour drive. I haven't been to the area for a few years but I'm sure the traffic hasn't gotten any better. Does anyone have any advice about what roads to use or what time of day is good? Or am I just screwed no matter what? Any advice would be great. Also most of my evenings will be free. Does anyone have any suggestions of cool things to do in the Orange Co. area for a single, 27 year old, No. Utah dude?

I'm in San Diego, so I could give you some advice. Drive south immediately because LA SUCKS! haha! Are you going to have a mtn bike? Some nice riding in the OC. Will you be traveling to San Clemente during rush hour? It very well could take an hour. It you take the Pacific Coast Highway, it is a nice drive, but it will take you a long time to get to San Clemente. If you are surfing in the morning, get up WAAAAY early and make the drive. Huntington Beach is not far south of Long Beach and has some good waves, lots of bars, surf shops, places to eat, and so on. There are so many hot chicks in Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, and the rest of the beach cities that you will not know what to do with yourself. It will make you want to bang your head against the wall. Long Beach has a string of bars and clubs as well. Only been to like one of them though. If you want to see the sites, and go for a boat ride, you could take the ferry (about a 2 hour ride) to Catalina Island and go walking around and scuba diving over there. Getting down from Long Beach to San Clemente is not really direct if you don't take the PCH. You could take the 405 to the 5, or the 405 to the 73, if you want to take the freeways all the way there.

Are you driving to CA, or flying? Let me know if you have anymore questions.

[Redwing]

derstuka,

Thanks for the info. It is nice to get some tips from a local. I will be traveling to San Clemente each morning. I was planning on leaving Long Beach at about 6AM and hoping to arrive in San Clemente at about 7 or 7:30 AM. Does that sound about right? I have looked into taking the 405 to the 5 or the 73. I have heard that the 73 is a toll road. Do you know the cost? Is it worth it to save time/headaches? I do want to take the PCH at least once while I'm there. What makes it take longer? Traffic? Lights? I definitely want to drive it though. I did a little looking into Huntington Beach. It looks like a cool place to hang. Hot chicks are always good in my book. Thanks again for the advice.

[derstuka]

derstuka,

Thanks for the info. It is nice to get some tips from a local. I will be traveling to San Clemente each morning. I was planning on leaving Long Beach at about 6AM and hoping to arrive in San Clemente at about 7 or 7:30 AM. Does that sound about right? I have looked into taking the 405 to the 5 or the 73. I have heard that the 73 is a toll road. Do you know the cost? Is it worth it to save time/headaches? I do want to take the PCH at least once while I'm there. What makes it take longer? Traffic? Lights? I definitely want to drive it though. I did a little looking into Huntington Beach. It looks like a cool place to hang. Hot chicks are always good in my book. Thanks again for the advice.

6am is not bad, however, I would strongly recommend trying to leave Long Beach at 5:30am. A half-hour can make a big difference, and 6am is already getting into the start of rush hour for parts of LA and OC. I am talking if you are just going to San Clemente to surf in the morning before work. Otherwise, just plan on it taking 1.25-1.5 hours to get there, and if you get there earlier, it is a bonus. Yes, the 73 is a toll road. It will cost you around $3.75 each way (what it was last time I used it) or so. Be sure to have some change ready. Well, let me put it this way, the PCH is a MUCH prettier drive, going along the coastal beaches and all, but it goes thru quite a few stoplights and towns. The distance from LB to SC is about 45-50 miles or so. You might save about 3-4 miles by taking the PCH directly there, and not having to take the freeway inland. If you got up early, it might be worth it to take the 73, otherwise, just enjoy the scenery and take the PCH. If you hit it early, the PCH shouldn't be all that bad, just have some patience and enjoy the sights. Might not be a whole lotta hot chicks out at 6am though. Like I said, the OC beach cities (south of LB) are very nice and have lots to see and do, especially at night. Huntinton, Laguna and Newport Beach are awesome. Personally, I would probably start out just taking the PCH, and go from there to see how everything goes. That way you can see it all for yourself, at least for the first day.

Huntington Beach Surf cam:
http://www.ci.huntington-beach.ca.us...hCondition.cfm

This next link will give you San Clemente surf and just about every other surf city in California. Nice link.

http://www.surfline.com/surfline/liv...ias=tstreetcam

[marc olivares]

i grew up in the area, and would not make a daily drive from LBC to san clem, yuck! i'd either find a place to stay closer to south OC or surf LA beaches.

most of my mispent youth was surfing so. OC spots, trestles, churches, trails etc... good times

[Sombeech]

Huntington Beach Surf cam:
http://www.ci.huntington-beach.ca.us...hCondition.cfm

Dude, that's a pretty sweet cam! You can rotate it, and zoom, and it's a moving image! I'm gonna keep that up so I can watch the surf come in all day.

[derstuka]

Huntington Beach Surf cam:
http://www.ci.huntington-beach.ca.us...hCondition.cfm

Dude, that's a pretty sweet cam! You can rotate it, and zoom, and it's a moving image! I'm gonna keep that up so I can watch the surf come in all day.

Yeah, it is a cool cam. The next link I put has all the beaches in California just about.

Hey, where is the Great Salt Lake cam? You ever swam in the GSL? I would imagine there is some amazing buoyancy.

[Sombeech]

Hey, where is the Great Salt Lake cam?

Probably has salt crystals covering the lens. Either that, or bird crap.

[Redwing]

Thanks for all the help guys.

To make a long story short I am staying with family in LB. I plan on surfing the trails at San O because I feel comfortable there. The waves are about right for my skill and the locals seem to be cool. My plans are pretty chill. No real pressure to be anywhere at any certain time. I may end up surfing areas closer to LA or even staying a few nights with a friend who lives farther south in the OC. Overall I just wanted get a feel for things down there. You guys have been great. Thanks again.

[marc olivares]

since your headed to the trails,
when i was younger, we used to surf what we affectionately called trail 7.
this trail doesnt actually exsist, (trails go 1-6) but it's there.
take the road all the way down to the camp pendelton gate. and follow the gate into a drainage which turns into a well used trail.
this spot was always less crowded than any of the other trails. and the sand bar break was much better.
on a side note, many people use this area as a nude sunbathing beach... so you've been for warned. they tend to keep to themselves and dont bother any of the folks surfing there.

keep in mind, i've been in utah now for 10 years so things may have changed a bit, but i doubt it.

now if you are a decent surfer, go to churches (just south of lower tressles)
that's a super fun break w/ not a bunch of local moxi.

have fun in my old stomping grounds

[Redwing]

marc,

Thanks for the advice. I knew there were six trails, but this seventh sounds great. I also know of the nudes down on the south end of San O. It's always the people you don't want to see naked that are most willing to take thier clothes off, so thanks for the warning. If after a while I feel confident I might head up to The Tresles. I'll just have to see where I'm at. I guess some developer down there is wanting to build a toll road that will threaten this area. I know it can be a little bit of a hike to get to Tresles, and it is not obviosly seen from the road, so I don't know if this will make easier access and bring more people, or if it will actually destroy some of the area. Either way I know that Surfrider is working hard to stop it and the band Pearl Jam has been donating a portion of thier recent ticket sales to the cause. Thought you might be interested.


Thanks Again