Uppers

Surf Guide

UPPERS OVERVIEW: While the surf media limelight tends to focus itself a quarter-mile south, Upper Trestles steadily grinds out quality cobblestone righthanders that are often equally as impressive as Lowers. And if the river is flowing, Uppers can even offer a short, punchy left into the mouth. But the focus is always on the rights, especially since Uppers draws in a bit more west and northwest energy than its sister to the south. North of the rivermouth is the outer takeoff zone, which peaks up the biggest but usually sections off once the wave reaches the corner of the cobblestone point. From the corner, which offers the most bowly, rippable waves, rights run through the quasi-cove created by sediment buildup from the San Mateo Creek. And if you pick off the right wave, it's not impossible to go the entire distance -- burning your legs through upwards of 150 yards. It should be noted that the sections are directly affected by sand and cobblestone placement. Big swells and the extreme rains that cause the rivermouth to burst are the main movers and shakers of Uppers' wave quality. -- Mike Cianciulli TRESTLES OVERVIEW: At the edge of Orange County's suburbia nightmare lies the Trestles experience -- one-and-a-half miles of God's country. No metered parking. No Ruby's Diner at the end of the pier. No blackballs, closeouts, volleyball nets or "Baywatch" sets -- simply put, Trestles is one of those destinations that just about any devoted surfer finds hard to resist. What makes it so irresistible? Obviously, the 100-yard lefts and rights -- which make even the most mundane surfer feel like Kelly Slater -- has something to do with it. But the complete Trestles experience offers so much more than a few tail-drifting off-the-lips. If you time it right, you can catch a bobcat or deer darting through the spindly brush and oak trees, looking for dinner or a drink in the nearby San Mateo Creek. There's the chance of getting caught with your pants down on the trestle -- clutching your surfboard to your thumping chest as the Amtrak train bears down on you. There's the guest book, a string of wax graffiti on the quarter-mile asphalt path that help break up the walk with entries such as "Team Buttream" and "Eat My Stick". Finally, there are the long, hot summer days watching the world's best pull maneuvers at Lowers that -- up until then -- were only confined to the highlight reels of the newest surf video. Trestles is a fresh breath of air within the folds of the suffocating Orange Curtain. With so many breaks in the area serving fast-food-type waves, it's nice to know that there's a spot that still requires a little effort. Surprisingly enough, the effort to get there doesn't keep enough people away. Trestles is always crowded during summer, particularly at Lowers. And the rest of the breaks -- Uppers, Cotton's, Church and everywhere in between -- have their share of hungry waveriders. Still, it's possible to get your share of quality waves; the kind where you hit the lip a half dozen times and start to think you're much better than you really are. All of the breaks at Trestles have that magic -- the ability to keep you coming back making the 20-minute walks, dodging the train and the surfers, to score that one ego-boosting wave.