Did a little light 'housekeeping' at Safeway before surfing Half Moon Bay. The surf was messy, crowded, and hard to read. Probably fair given that we have had insanely good surf so far. Can't be all time, all the time! We're in the car heading south before we meet up with Matt at Loch Lamond, a little state park outside of Santa Cruz, to paddle board and hike. Checking out surf spots along the way with the Stormrider book is so fun. Staying in Santa Cruz tonight, at an Airbnb. Looking forward to a shower, a bed, and some time to ourselves.

Arrived at Loch Lamond to find out they don't have paddle boards, but paddle BOATS. Ooops. Nevertheless, we had a great afternoon with Matt, kayaking in the resevoir. We said our goodbyes and headed towards Santa Cruz where we would be spending the next couple of days. With time to kill before checking in to our Airbnb, we decided to head to Steamer Lane, the world renowned break in SC. There are no words for the wave and the entire experience. Nestled among the sheer rock walls is a point break with several distinct takeoffs, tons of world class surfers, and a rambunctious crowd overlooking every move the surfers below make. Steamers was absolutely firing when we arrived, leaving us giddy with excitement watching the gladiatorial spectacle below. The caliber of surfers is hard to describe. There was one surfer in particulay, a young, quintessential California blonde towhead on a white board who practically did a back flip on his board...and stuck the landing. The atmosphere was entirely electric. The takeoffs, the crowds, the rocks, the lip of the wave, the tricks, everything. It was truly one of the coolest things I've ever seen in my life, further cementing my love affair with the sport.

After Steamer, we made our way to our Airbnb in Soquel, a cute little town near SC, for the night. A shower, a bed, and a good dinner never felt better.