Schellhase 2018-2019 Gulf Coast and Southwest Trip: 31 Mar 2019 - Visit to the Naval Weapon Station Beach, Dinner at Huntington Beach Pier

31 Mar 2019
This morning we drove off base to a grocery store since the base here does not have a commissary. We struggled to maneuver the pickup in the parking lot without hopping curbs or sideswiping other vehicles. When we got back to the RV I started making some calls, checking on the cost of a rental car while we are here. This is the largest city we have camped in without a mass transit system that gets us where we need to go, and it is obvious if we want to get around here efficiently, we need to do something different. So, tomorrow we will likely rent a small car that we can use here. That will be a big help getting us to the sites we want to visit.

After dropping off the groceries we drove to the base beach area. It is nice the Naval Weapon Station has it's own beach, but like everything else in the military, it serves a critical purpose. The beach is adjacent to the Seal Beach harbor where munitions and weapons are loaded and unloaded from naval ships. When that loading and unloading occurs, they have to shut down the beach, and we passed the gate area where that happens.

At the end of the road is the harbor master and then a right turn takes us around the harbor to the beach.

A beautifully decorated dummy munition at the entrance to the harbor master building.

At the entrance to the beach is 'Barney's Beach House', a place to change clothes and wash off sand, but it is closed today. The beach was basically empty. We took a few pictures and headed back to the RV.

The base beach

Some sort of working ship off shore

Navy vessels in the harbor

Looking back towards the base across the harbor, with a snow-capped Mount San Antonio in the background

We did pass our neighbor from the campground heading to the beach as we departed. Later, we found out he had entered the chilly water and had apparently tangled with a sting ray, which sliced an artery open in his foot. His girl friend drove him to the base fire station and they transported him to the local hospital. Ouch!

We returned to the RV for some lunch and watched the Chicago Cubs baseball game for a while.

Later we met Rick Nicklaus and his wife Suzette at the main gate and they drove us south to Huntington Beach to show us the sites and have dinner on the Huntington Beach Pier. Rick served with me in the Iowa Air National Guard, 132d Communications Flight back in the early 80's. He was from Iowa and had been active duty Air Force like many of us had. Rick and I were both radio maintenance technician's, but Rick was a Combat Control Team (CCT) member as well, which required much, much more training including parachuting, SCUBA diving, air traffic control and many other specific combat skills. He served in the Des Moines unit with me when he was attending Iowa State University working on his electrical engineering degree. Once he graduated he moved to California where his civilian career took him. We were very sorry to see him go, but glad he was achieving his goals. We stayed in contact over the years and are really glad we are able to get together here during our travels.

We had a nice drive down the Pacific Coast Highway but traffic slowed to a crawl with red/blue flashing lights up ahead of us. We were not surprised to find a mangled motorcycle in the middle of the highway as we passed the emergency vehicles. Motorcycle drivers around here drive like maniacs, zipping between lanes and cutting in and out of traffic. We sure hope the driver is OK.

We reached Huntington Beach and the pedestrian traffic really increased. It's Spring Break here and the beaches are hopping, at least Huntington Beach. Parking is a real premium here but we found a parking garage and headed on foot towards the Huntington Beach Pier.

One of the local establishments on the beach

Rick explained this is the focal point for surfing in the area, in fact surfing competitions that are broadcast on TV are held here later in the summer.

The beach was alive with surfers and sun bathers! A band played on the shore.

We walked out on the pier and headed towards Ruby's Surf City Diner. We waited for a table and finally were seated.

People waiting for a table at the end of the pier, and many fishermen too.

This is indeed a diner, fashioned after the 50's diners popular back in the day. They are known for their burgers and shakes, but we opted for salads and I had a turkey sandwich that was delicious. We had shakes as well and they were great!

After dinner we headed back towards the car and took a few more pictures.