Best of the California Coast ! Santa Monica before "Baywatch" !

Welcome to the best of California I'm your host Pat Patterson and in this episode my favorite the best of the California coast I've stopped here in Orange County and Seal Beach to have an incredible meal at Avalos El Ranchito You're gonna love this family story We're gonna head up to San Simeon and see the elephant seals up by Hearst Castle amazing preserve up there San Diego where we'll check out the San Diego canoe and kayak Club training for Olympians And then what would a California beach story be without a little Baywatch? So we're gonna go to Santa Monica, but we're gonna tell you a different story this one about Hispanic actor Leo Carrillo and the incredible legacy of his family and the founding of that city So it's the best of the California coast. Let's get going So I'm so excited to be down here in San Diego with Chris Barlow Who is the founder of the San Diego canoe and kayak team and Chris this is an incredible facility Yeah, it's it's been a long time in the making. We're actually celebrating our 25th anniversary this year We started in 1997 with a couple of old rusty sea containers and which we kept our boats in and now we've progressed to some buildings some Modular buildings and we've had kids That joined us at you know, eight ten Not twelve years old and I've gone on to compete in the Olympic Games for the United States and the Paralympics and the Youth Olympic Games and World Championships in canoeing and kayaking and and you were telling me you're originally from Wales And what was your I mean, aha moment in terms of coming up with this back in the 90s? I came here in 1986 with my wife We were actually on our honeymoon and we came to San Diego and it's such a gorgeous place. We just never left I started training on Mission Bay here in my kayak with a Six-foot-eight Frenchman who was on six Olympic team six foot eight. That's almost as long as the guy Exactly. Exactly and he got me excited about the sport and about training hard for it and I made the US team and then ended up on the Olympic team at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 and right after that I noticed that The sport of sprint canoeing and kayaking in the United States is it's pretty it's not it's a pretty low-key sport Kind of in Europe and Australia and Canada even it's a very big sport and everybody knows about it and the gold medal winners for for those countries are kind of household names and I thought that the only way that I could make a difference in the US was to actually start a youth program So as part of the San Diego junior lifeguard program with the city fire and lifeguard department We started an offshoot of that which was the San Diego junior canoe, you know, junior Olympic canoe and kayak team And at what room are we in right here? What's so this is this is our boathouse for the kayak Bay So we race in kayaks k1s. So one but you're gonna show me later. Yeah, exactly exactly They're very tippy. They go very fast. We race in k1s k2s and k4s So a four-person kayak would be a k4 one person would be a k1 The k4s go fast enough to pull a water skier. That's how fast they travel across the water very fast boats Very tippy takes about two years to learn the balance to get your balance down and most people take not gonna do that You're not gonna put you in one of those today We also race canoes which are c1 c2s and c4s that is more difficult than kayaking because you're on one knee and You paddle only on one side. You have no rudder. So you have to steer with your paddle and one of our members Nevin Harrison She she's originally from Seattle. She raced for Seattle now she's moved here because she's gonna San Diego State actually won the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo last year and the c1 200 she she trains out of here right now. Yeah originally from Seattle as I said, I Mean just the fact that you're giving back to youth here in San Diego and giving them a purpose health things to do I mean That's got to feel so gratifying It's it's definitely been an enjoyable thing to do because I started a youth program But we actually have members that are 85 years old. So it's a sport that you know, this is old It's a sport you can do for life I mean I'm still paddling and racing at 60 years old and and just enjoying being out on the water and out on the ocean and Enjoying everything that San Diego has to offer. So so Chris tell me about this particular. This is this is an epic That's right. We love the people from epic. These guys are great Epic have been big sponsors of San Diego canoe kayaking throughout the years They actually gave us a surf ski every year for the last 10 years to give to our top junior paddler in the ocean Ocean racing series and how long do you know how long they've been in the in the kayak world? Well epic was started by Greg Barton who is a double gold medalist for the United States in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul This is the one hopefully you're gonna get me out and and I'm not going to drown Hopefully not hopefully That would be so unfortunate. You know what but we won't let you drop you don't want that on television No, so so this is an epic surf ski and the difference between a surf ski and a kayak is a kayak You sit inside and a surf ski you sit on top of so it has a bucket for the seat And it has right here up in this area Pedals for the rudder system and a foot brace that you can push against as well Surfskis are designed for racing in the ocean. They're designed for catching big downwind Waves and we try and go out in the windiest roughest days possible so I was actually out yesterday in 28 mile an hour winds off off La Jolla and Just having a blast on a double surf ski with a friend of mine Shane and we were going 25 kilometers plus 25 kilometers an hour on our on the ski on our way So it's just so much fun. You're flying along the sprays coming off dolphin jumps in front of you It's just such a great great sport to be a part of racing racing in the ocean on these boats Let's get the water to see what we can do All set to head out on my epic remind me that the size of this one This is we're gonna go on an epic v8 and an epic v10 sport today So what are some tips with the paddle? So this is a wing paddle also made by epic and The wing paddle actually helps you power with correct technique and actually is way more efficient than a flat paddle So what you want to do is try and use your body It's not you don't want to pull with your arms You want to rotate your body and try and keep your arms fairly straight? So you put the paddle in the water lock the blade in the water and then rotate your body to drive the boat past where you? Put the paddle Okay, sounds good So Chris that was so much fun I love this epic kayak and and you have been such a gracious host This is such an incredible resource for anybody down here in San Diego We would we would love to see you've got kids that are into water sports or just that I want to enjoy being out on the water want to learn boating safety bring them down to San Diego Canoe kayak team you can look at our website at www.sd Bckt dotnet for San Diego canoe kayak team dotnet and Come check us out. We're here most Saturday mornings on Fiesta Island at the Youth Aquatic Center and We'd love to see you whether you're eight or whether you're 80 So I'm excited to be one of our best beach towns seal Beach and we're at Avila's El Ranchito Restaurant and I'm with Elise Smith and Elise This is incredible, this is family-run and operated you have 13 locations. We do thanks for coming Pat We have been in business since 1966 and we are all family-owned family operated family loved and there are 13 locations Through Orange County and Los Angeles Wow and and your grandmother Started this up in Highland Park right Huntington Park in LA. Yep my grandmother started the business with my grandfather She did all the cooking he was in the front and even my great-grandfather was washing dishes You guys get together so each individual restaurants owned by a different person Well, we get together once a month and each month we do something different So we usually pick one menu item and we go through it and we try from all the different Restaurants to make sure we're being consistent with grandma's recipes a little competition involved to see who can get closest to grandma's food People vote and decide who's his best or blind taste Well, we blind taste and then we vote and then we talk about it after that And I mean to me that's incredible that you're still so Involved in the quality of your recipes. I mean who instilled that in you guys? Yeah, you know, absolutely It's the most important thing for us Our food is what we're known for and we want to stay close to my grandmother's recipes So the most important thing to do is be in the kitchen and we spend time we make everything fresh every morning And so you have to be in the kitchen tasting your food Spending time with your food really to make sure that that quality is there. I want to spend some time with this food So what am I gonna eat? Well, we've got mama avila soup So this is my grandmother's soup that I grew up eating at her kitchen table And it is a rice and chicken breast soup and it's garnished with fresh cilantro Avocado onion and tomato and served with your choice of corn or flour tortillas and your family Where was your grandmother from? So we are from Guanajuato, Mexico From a small town called benghamo. So in Mexico and then they came over here in 1966 that's incredible and tell me about my drink. Absolutely. This is a blood orange margarita and we have it virgin in my case You would have big trouble usually we serve it with a mezcal and it is Served with a chamoy and black and sea salt rim Wow, and this this rim is half the experience. I mean, it's like a meal This this is incredible. Absolutely. We just came out with a whole new Menu of summer margaritas and this is one of the ones that's been most popular so far Wow, and I'm gonna try the guacamole and you make this Fresh right? I'm salivating. I'm I'm a mess right now. Yeah, so our guacamole is made fresh in-house every morning and We're known for the all the fresh ingredients, but especially the garlic that's fresh in there that we put in This is all incredible Soon as I finish chewing here, it's Pat Pattison. We're in Seal Beach Avalos El Ranchito at least Smith at least Avalos Smith and You got to support these Local family-run businesses. We love local and and particularly here in Seal Beach and in, California I'm excited to be here at Palisades Park in Santa Monica with Tom Sanchez and Tom. Who is this lovely lady? This is the one and the only Arcadia Bandini de Baker the first lady of Santa Monica one of the founders of it and The most important woman in California in the late 19th early 20th century and and she has a famous Nephew who was that? Oh Leo Carrillo for anybody that watched TV in the 50s As Pancho he played opposite Duncan Rinaldo's Cisco in the wildly successful TV series the Cisco kid You have a set of word in two hours Well Leo Carrillo's family including his great-aunt mrs. Baker here were some of the first non Native American inhabitants of the area. I mean you're looking at a vast expanse of parkland and Why isn't this like Miami Beach where there's just a bunch of hotels or at least rich people's homes? Why is that you can thank three generations of the Carrillo family starting with mrs. Baker for that Even though she was one of the greatest one of the biggest landowners of the area. She had the foresight to To save parcels of land that could be used for what she called public purposes Later on her nephew Leo Carrillo's father who was one of the first who's one of the earliest mayors of Santa Monica She told him to use one parcel of land to create a cemetery and another one for a public park so and then Leo Carrillo himself spent 18 years while he was making films He was a member of the California Parks and Beaches Commission, which is a forerunner of the State Parks Department and the Coastal Commission and the Coastal Commission. Yes, and he personally spearheaded the campaign to save Hearst Castle and Anza Borrego State Park and also I know Leo Carrillo was born downtown. Tell me a little bit about that Yes like like all of the California families Leo Carrillo was born in what was the ancestral family home right on the plaza right north of Olvera Street and that that was the you could imagine like the almost like the mayor's residence because His father's uncle was mayor of Los Angeles Wow. So Tom, this is just an iconic image Absolutely surf breaking behind us you can't get more LA than this Yeah, and and but you and I aren't in our red swimsuits. What's what's the red swimsuit connection to this? Oh Baywatch anybody that watched TV 20 years ago Baywatch. So so and you said it was at Leo Carrillo and here Yes, yeah Oh, yeah, they would they would film a first thing in the morning So all those lifeguards that were supposed to be out, you know, enjoying the Sun they were like freezing At 730 in the morning, you know try to get their their first shots of the day So Tom Pacific Park, yes is a reference Casting us back to Pacific Ocean Park BOP. So tell us you went there as a kid Tell us what used to be around here. One of my earliest memories. Yeah, I went on the The basket ride that used to go out about a half a mile out in the ocean and then it would return I was a bit about three years old at the time and like wow And it was only here for a short period of time, yes, but there's also many other Absolutely this you know, there was the original amusement park here at Santa Monica Pier this whole South Bay was just like a pleasure pier Palace, you know Yeah and they used to eat and and those were the the latecomers because there also were the big bath houses and the Joy zones they had The ballrooms to a lot of major bands including Lawrence Well got his start at the Aragon ballroom over at Pacific Ocean Park. Yeah, of course Well, here you go Pacific Park come down and see it here in Santa Monica. And so here we are we have we have Arcadia to thanks for this beautiful park. We have Santa Monica part of the best coasts of California just just Within eyesight here and I have Tom Sanchez to thank mr. La tours. Thank you Tom. You're very welcome Pat Thanks for having me here I'm here at the Elephant Seal Vista Point with Kay Reed Who's from the Pomo and this is San Simeon and Kate you come here a lot not often enough This is incredible Now you grew up here in the area around solving. Okay. Yeah, so I mean in terms of The wildlife in this area. Is this the weirdest thing you've ever seen? It's pretty crazy That's so huge and the mating ritual that's going on Should that be allowed to be seen in public? I don't know. I guess it's legal here I'm here with Eric and Chris from Los Angeles. What do you think about the elephant seals? so a real sex on just right sex on the beach And it was wonderful. I had never seen that before It's hard to get used to that. Well, it's hard to get used to the size of the male organ Because I had never seen it before and it was right there Well, we hope the police will stay away thank you for clarifying That's great so so did you guys drive up today? Yes Is this a place that you come often about once a year? Oh, that's awesome. That's awesome What part of Los Angeles Palos Verdes Palos Verdes, so you're down at the beach, too No elephant seals, no we have seals or yeah, so in terms of watching Coastal preservation is this important to you guys? Absolutely. Very important. Yes seeing babies and we saw, you know babies thing being delivered That was the year before You know, this is wonderful to be right there be able to see nature Right there. It's amazing and I'm here with volunteer docent Phil Adams and Phil you've been around these guys. This is the weirdest group of animals I've ever seen in my life Yeah, they have a very very interesting life cycle when they are at sea Which is eight to ten months of the year They dive all the time and they sleep underwater because they never come ashore sleep underwater They stay underwater for two hours and go as deep as almost 6,000 feet What are we watching them do now right now? this is the end of the mating or birthing season almost all the pups have been born and all the Pups that are up against the bluff. There are weaned pups. The females have already mated they Nurse their pup for one month and during that time the mother's milk is so rich. It's about 60% fat They gain about 10 pounds a day And one of the things you'll see out there are those big males and the big males are here three months of the year They're gonna lose 2,000 pounds so one of the things that's very difficult for people to understand is how big they are when they're and so I always try to Have a thing that they can associate with and I'll say do you have a favorite football team and they might say? Oh, yeah, I really like the Raiders I say, you know that big male down there weighs more than the whole starting defensive team for Oakland All the female are all the males that you see Along the beach closer to the water. They are sneakers So they try to sneak in and mate with some of those females Yeah, and they are trying to mate with the females and they don't even wait until they're in heat They just want to mate with them And so they'll try to sneak in and the females have a very distinct call they make when any male comes around them So if the alpha male knows he's not making him make that sound he rears up looks over at that sneaker And don't make me come over there. I'll beat the heck out of you. It's real territorial. Oh, yeah They started coming ashore just south of the lighthouse up there and you cannot see that beach from the highway So they were pretty much unmolested or harassed by people for the first six or seven years When they finally spread down to these two beaches here, that's when people were going down on the beach with him And Noah who was filming them at the time thought we have to come up with a volunteer group that will talk to the people and keep them from going down there and That's how friends the Elvin seal started can almost guarantee that this part of the Rooker would not exist if we hadn't Because so many people going down on the beach with them. They would have said we're out of here. We don't need this anymore Phil I really appreciate the information and that's our look at the best of the California coast. Hope you enjoyed it Tune in next time. I'm Pat Patterson and that's this episode Remember to like us on Facebook subscribe to our YouTube channel and tell us why you're the best of California and we'll come cover you The mating ritual that's going on. Yeah, that should that be allowed to be seen in public I don't know. I guess it's legal here Well, it's hard to get used to the size of the male organ because I had never seen it before and it was right there The police will stay away