Named after Kenny Eichenberg, the man who pushed to have it installed, they called it “Ike’s Light.” Located on a stretch of highway non-affectionately called “Blood Alley,” the gruesome tag was a response to the numerous individuals who died crossing Coast Highway in Cardiff.
The light itself was a response to a proposal of placing a wall on the coast that would ostensibly keep people’s eyes on the road, rather than the surf. To Eichenberg, the solution was far simpler: Install a light with a button offering marching orders, “Wait,” or “Walk.” While the commands are unpleasant, they remain far preferable to those of screeching tires and broken bones. Such lights are now commonplace throughout our city.
Carlsbad has since adopted flashing pedestrian signs. They allow beachgoers to cross Coast Highway, keep traffic moving but fall short of answering the proverbial question, “Why did the tourist cross the road?”
Hansen Surfboards, which is probably the oldest remaining business in Encinitas, is located at 1105 S Coast Hwy. While traffic is around 100 times heavier now than when Hansen moved to this site in 1969, a stop sign from that bygone era remains planted there. Hansen’s has recently proposed a pedestrian crossing light, something that will improve traffic flow and make our commutes a little easier.
Riding the cerebral roundabout back to Ken Eichenberg, I recently caught up with him at Swami’s. You may have noticed that our city has been a lot quieter since he departed for Western Australia nearly 40 years ago. While his accomplishments in that time have been numerous: building a world-class recording studio, recording music with World Surfing Champion Tom Curren and surf film legend Jack McCoy, working with Sea Shepherd as a protector of the Australian coast, and advocating for aboriginal rights, Eichenberg recently returned to Encinitas to spend half of each year here.
While pleased with the environmental progress the city has made, he has some ideas to further improve our community. One such project is the Green Marines, a youth brigade dedicated to the elimination of plastics in the ocean. While a seemingly impossible task for most, this is exactly the challenge Ken, in his organic, grassroots, Elon Musk way, thrives on.
At Swami’s I pointed out a chunk of wood resembling a shark on one side and a dolphin on the other. It was a charming shark to be sure, but it defiantly resembled a shark on one side, and, as unlikely as it seems, a dolphin on the other.
Seeing this nearly finished sculpture as a symbol of the fierce but friendly Green Marines, Ken suggested we carry the art piece up the Swami’s stairs. While debating where to get hernia surgeries, a lifeguard named Christian pulled up in his truck and offered to drive the sculpture back to his destination, at Moonlight Beach. From there, we could easily transport it to Green Marines headquarters in Encinitas.
For his act of kindness, and because of his regularly stopping to remove trash from the beach, we have nominated Christian as “Green Marine of the month,” an honor with absolutely no benefits other than our undying thanks and one of the first Green Marines T-shirts we will soon make.
Stay tuned to this column for more information on the Green Marines. Together we can win the war against the plastics choking our favorite playground.
