UCSB
In the fall of 1972, I headed to University of California, Santa Barbara, to complete my degree in Sociology. I chose UCSB, for several reasons, one I was becoming radicalized vis a vis the environment, at the time of my departure from Surf City, San Luis Obispo, which I love dearly or would come to realize, the Diablo Nuclear Power Plant had just started being built on the coast just north west of the beach town that was like a second home, Avila Beach.
So, while there were a number of events, besides growing up and making friends many whom would last years, in fact until only just recently, I would become an activist, a gay person, who was an activist, and in general a large number of people, places and events would come to shape the rest of my life in one way or another. In many ways it much like the decade itself, wild wooly and a great time to be in our 20s. For the moment except for the already Sespe slide show that is here, I will probably concentrate on a summary of Isla Vista and tie this back into San Francisco in the early part of the 21st century. So, please forgive me for what will seem like the most sprawling and large flung ground the decade covers, I will try to do my best to keep it from being to confusing.
While there are a number of reasons, which I'm sure I will get around too as I add images from the past, it just so happens, I'm starting toward the end of the decade. I meet a new friend, Gary Tassel about 1974, who was a friend of Chris Atwood, they had both gone to Hollywood High I believe.
And, I as embraced my being gay in terms of going out and hanging out with gay friends, of which I would make up part of quite a group, Gary had turned me onto this really cool hot springs. Sespe, which when we first started going, had tank traps so we would drive and then thumb into getting a ride with some hot dudes in a pickup. During those years, it was filled with very straight mostly makes, except there was this group of swingers, who invited us to join in, realizing that we were different, but we were not into sex with women, so declined. I'm not so sure I would have had the same reaction after finally having some real experience with sex, but that was still many years into to the future, where something like this would have been a no fear kind of event that would have enticed me.
Gary had been going for years and told me the tank traps had been installed so only four wheeled drive vehicles, dirt bikes, hikers, and horses could get into but not cars because so many hippies had left their VW vans broken down and then have to be removed by the forest service. And, because the area would become a wilderness area, in part because the first Condors were released into the area and there are pictures of what is known as Topa Topa, which is this very high sheer rock cliff face at the very top of the highest mountain which is where they build their nests which you will see from a helicopter view.
The torrential rains of 1977-78 rain seasons washed out the road, which was then not repaired. So after missing a whole season of Sespe, we decided the only sensible gay thing to do was hire a helicopter, and divided between four, should be fairly cheap. And, we pulled it off. And so here are my and probably about the only pictures from the first Helicopter Trip to Sespe Hot Springs.
Death would also play a rather hugh role in this decade, although much different from that of the HIV Holocaust. I would lose the closest person to me as a brother, my cousin Toto, which haunts me till today. Also, I would lose as well two close high school friends, Mary Daoust and Bob Maxwell. While their deaths occurred in the 1970s, the beginnings of those relationships start much earlier, in order to fully appreciate them. In addition to these, my grandfather, died a natural death, the same year as Toto was killed, another cousin, mentally marred by Vietnam, would die also in an auto accident and another cousin, David, would commit suicide. At the moment, I am likely to have missed a couple, who will eventually come to my death addled brain.
So up and away back to the future, sans deLorean, but infinitely more fun, via a 1979's Slideshow or treat yourself to some photos taken this year while on my way home from Michael's funeral.
