First Stop, Huntington Beach, aka Surf City

I tossed and turned last night, having dreams that I forgot to blog, or missed a flight, or some other figment of my imagination as I contemplate the nine days of travel ahead of me. Like so many other times, the nervous nellie in me makes packing, planning and actually leaving my businesses fraught with anxiety, but once aloft, it melts away and I focus on where I'm going and what I will be doing.

First stop will be Huntington Beach, known in all its promotional literature as Surf City. I will meet Wendy Haase tonight, and get a chance to settle in to my little motel on the Pacific Coast Highway. This city is where my friend Peter Heller learned to surf in preparation for his eight-month journey to Mexico to write a book.

I have a meeting with an adventure writer who will knock on my door at my hotel at 8 am tomorrow. Then I take a tour of the city with a local guide and later, it's time to go surfing and try to stay on the board.