Rehabilitated: Surf Ranch and environs most famous first son!

Lemoore becomes cool overnight!

We have no secrets here between us. None at all. And you know that much of the reason I loathe Surf Ranch is because it is in Lemoore, California which is near Visalia, California which is from whence my ex-wife hails.

I hate Visalia.

I hate its inverted fog, its flat straightness, its damned old timey burger drive-in place, its everything. My heart would sink anytime I’d be forced to travel north and east. North and east in the same exact direction as Surf Ranch and the two, Visalia and Surf Ranch became conflated in my booze-soaked mind.

Or as I wrote in the prologue of the current #10 bestseller in Sports Health and Safety (buy here!)

It is cold outside, and gray. Heavy-sweater weather. Maybe even thin down-filled jacket paired with stocking cap weather and it smells like cow. Like manure, wet feed and sour milk which only makes sense since we are in Lemoore, California the official “Home of Cows, More Cows, and Chas Smith’s Damned Ex-Wife.”

Just kidding. My damned ex-wife is from neighboring Visalia, but all of inland central California is basically the same thing and a place I swore I’d never return. Then Kelly Slater went and created the perfect wave here.

Hate.

Or hated.

Because not ten minutes ago, I discovered that Kurt Russell’s Jack Burton had his trucking company based in Visalia.

Do you not recall Big Trouble in Little China? It was one of the best movies of the 1980s, one of the very best, with Kurt Russell, as previously noted, Kim Cattrall and directed by John Carpenter.

I feel that 1980s Kurt Russell can rehabilitate anything at all and if you don’t believe me watch:

Escape from New York

The Thing

Swing Shift

The Mean Season

Overboard

Tequila Sunrise

Tango & Cash

Backdraft

That is Kurt Russell’s resume from the 1980s alone and not even a complete list. He made New York, monsters, shipwrecks, Tequila Sunrise cocktails, Sly Stallone and fires all better.

Visalia too. And by extension Surf Ranch.

Kelly should give Kurt Russell a permanent golden ticket and locker that no one can use not even Mick Fanning.

He should be able surf any time he pleases.

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James Bickerton
James Bickerton
8 years ago

My old mate “ Lube “ turned up to every fancy dress party ( roughly every two weeks during the 80s ? ) for at least 5 years as Bob “ Snake “ Plisskin .

Abscessed Llama
Abscessed Llama
8 years ago

“Goldie” in her prime was that and some!!

Owen's Outgoing Tide
Owen's Outgoing Tide
8 years ago
Superworm
Superworm
8 years ago

An aboveground crap Swayze nonetheless

ricmatic
ricmatic
8 years ago

So, no BG bureau in Visalia any time soon?

Jen See
Jen See
8 years ago

i ate a good pizza in visalia but i really never want to think about that place again. maybe ever.

The Bull
The Bull
8 years ago
Reply to  Jen See

Don’t worry jen see, “the k pond is coming to a place near you”.

Sunny
Sunny
8 years ago

The Hollister boys won’t be standing for that. As far as Kelly’s pond don’t think Kurt interested, but Benji “I’m Bored” Marcus will take it…. just throw in some inflatable water animal toys for his boredom.

Justin Housman
Justin Housman
8 years ago

How the fuck did you forget Captain Ron?

Chas Smith
Chas Smith
8 years ago
Reply to  Justin Housman

1992! These are his 80s offerings and I only include Backdraft because it was filmed in 80s though released 91.

ricmatic
ricmatic
8 years ago
Reply to  Chas Smith

Yep, I was going to mention Tombstone but I think that was the 90s

Justin Housman
Justin Housman
8 years ago
Reply to  Chas Smith

I just can’t imagine discussing Kurt Russell at all without fondly speaking of Captain Ron, easily his finest work.

Otto
Otto
8 years ago
Reply to  Chas Smith

Surf Ranch should expand with an attached used car lot. Kelly is already selling used waves.
Used Cars (1980) Kurt Russell as Rudy Russo:
https://youtu.be/ZQiTRQTiMGY

Superworm
Superworm
8 years ago
Reply to  Chas Smith

Have we moved on from literary claims to filmography? I like this game.

Audit In Progress
Audit In Progress
8 years ago
Reply to  Justin Housman

You beat me to it, JHouse!

Justin Housman
Justin Housman
8 years ago

I quote that movie almost as often as I quote Fletch

Audit In Progress
Audit In Progress
8 years ago
Reply to  Justin Housman

That doesn’t surprise me one bit!

dickie toledo
dickie toledo
8 years ago

kurt was great in romancing the stone

Sunny
Sunny
8 years ago
Reply to  dickie toledo

That would be Micheal Douglas!

Justin Housman
Justin Housman
8 years ago

Hey guess what? My mom went to high school in Visalia with the one and only Kevin Costner. And in the excellent baseball movie Bull Durham, Costner’s character ends up managing the Visalia minor league baseball team.

I don’t know, seemed worth mentioning here.

Chas Smith
Chas Smith
8 years ago
Reply to  Justin Housman

Oh yeah I recall that!

Otto
Otto
8 years ago
Reply to  Justin Housman

When I was in college, a friend of my girlfriend at the time was Costner’s babysitter in Carpenteria. We went to his house one weekend while he was away. He knew we were there. I took his longboard out for a surf, and before leaving, lifted a whole gold-foiled honey baked ham from his fridge, and for the next week ate sandwiches like a hollywood star. It was the best damn honey baked ham I’ve ever had. It was a rich experience.

I don’t know, seemed worth mentioning here.

Sunny
Sunny
8 years ago
Reply to  Otto

Hey Costner been looking for that ham I hear! He called the pigs but they thought it was a shank, I mean prank.

Otto
Otto
8 years ago
Reply to  Sunny

I told them I ate the evidence. They said I was full of shit. I replied “evidently”.

James Bickerton
James Bickerton
8 years ago
Reply to  Otto

And his revenge was making “ Waterworld “ ? Hope you made a pig of yourself because you have a lot to answer for. Ha ha just hamming it up .

Otto
Otto
8 years ago

He hasn’t stopped this revenging either. I wouldn’t be surprised to win the Laird/Gabby Reese play date. Once there, the trap would be sprung. Why do I have this fear? Guess who did Costner’s stunts in “Waterworld”?

James Bickerton
James Bickerton
8 years ago
Reply to  Otto

Laird ( Ham ) ilton . The slim pig with a rig ?

Otto
Otto
8 years ago

Yep.

Superworm
Superworm
8 years ago
Reply to  Justin Housman

If you build it, WSL will come


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