On the road: Santa Monica

Surfing is very hard. It's constituent parts are simple: board, ocean, wave; but putting it all together is difficult.

On my first day I could only just stand up. On my second day I could stand and catch whitewater reliably. On my third day I was beaten up repeatedly by enormous waves as I ventured outside the break and tried to catch a wave before it broke.

Oh yes, Venice Beach rocks.