2008 Woodie Awards
Trestles: surf sanctuary safe for now
Elbert Esguerra
Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: Features
An elderly statesman reminisced about how he spent his youth long ago at San Onofre State Beach. His worn blue eyes, grey hair and grizzled voice emitted a sense of familiarity that could send you back in time fifty years ago.
In those days, families would load up their vans with tents and surfboards and take a weekend drive to relax and enjoy unscathed vistas of the 3.5 miles of cool ocean breeze and sandy shores. It's one of the benefits living there in this area - being able to enjoy a great number of outdoor activities like running and hiking trails or simply watching surfers and wildlife as they crash up and down waves.
As he continued speaking, he would go on to mention how much of a blessing the land is as well as the entire state park system of California, like this one in San Onofre. It would be a shame that if many years from now, asphalt highways obliterated the natural settings only to save commuters countless hours stuck in traffic each year.
Though softly spoken, his words resonated with the importance of maintaining this natural reserve and how simply laying pavement over them cannot solve problems. Some things are better left in nature's hands and simply be left untouched by the hordes of politicians and developers. The name of this man, for those curious, was Clint Eastwood.
As the epitome of the California surf culture, beachgoers and surfers always speak with high regard about the pristine qualities of San Onofre State Beach -- particularly the area known as Trestles Beach. It houses numerous breaks that range from beginner sets, to some of the finer breaks here on the west coast. These wetlands that are situated right on the Oceanside and San Clemente border maintains an environmentally-friendly surrounding, untouched by land developers, and one of the few of its kind that exists along the California coastline.
Even though this state park is the fifth-most visited amongst the 278 state parks in California-frequented by surfers and swimmers alike for its famous surf spots-it doesn't just cater to them. People come in their campers and trailers looking to admire a beautiful sunset along a spot on the beach. Trestles Beach is also a natural reserve that serves as home to numerous flora and fauna. Inaccessible by vehicles, thrill seekers usually park their cars off the side of a road and trek through a long, winding trail from either the upper or the lower ends of the state park to find this hidden gem of a surf spot.
In those days, families would load up their vans with tents and surfboards and take a weekend drive to relax and enjoy unscathed vistas of the 3.5 miles of cool ocean breeze and sandy shores. It's one of the benefits living there in this area - being able to enjoy a great number of outdoor activities like running and hiking trails or simply watching surfers and wildlife as they crash up and down waves.
As he continued speaking, he would go on to mention how much of a blessing the land is as well as the entire state park system of California, like this one in San Onofre. It would be a shame that if many years from now, asphalt highways obliterated the natural settings only to save commuters countless hours stuck in traffic each year.
Though softly spoken, his words resonated with the importance of maintaining this natural reserve and how simply laying pavement over them cannot solve problems. Some things are better left in nature's hands and simply be left untouched by the hordes of politicians and developers. The name of this man, for those curious, was Clint Eastwood.
As the epitome of the California surf culture, beachgoers and surfers always speak with high regard about the pristine qualities of San Onofre State Beach -- particularly the area known as Trestles Beach. It houses numerous breaks that range from beginner sets, to some of the finer breaks here on the west coast. These wetlands that are situated right on the Oceanside and San Clemente border maintains an environmentally-friendly surrounding, untouched by land developers, and one of the few of its kind that exists along the California coastline.
Even though this state park is the fifth-most visited amongst the 278 state parks in California-frequented by surfers and swimmers alike for its famous surf spots-it doesn't just cater to them. People come in their campers and trailers looking to admire a beautiful sunset along a spot on the beach. Trestles Beach is also a natural reserve that serves as home to numerous flora and fauna. Inaccessible by vehicles, thrill seekers usually park their cars off the side of a road and trek through a long, winding trail from either the upper or the lower ends of the state park to find this hidden gem of a surf spot.
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