This was a great week. We had just launched our new unbreakable camp cups, and we had a fun weekend Show on Fiesta Island to look forward to. We synced up with @og_offgrid and @taco.vatos to do the Day At The Bay Meet Up on Fiesta Island in Mission Bay San Diego, CA on Sunday 05/23/2021.
This beach is a great place to have freedom enough to drive on the beach. Great fun for all, as long as you steer clear of the fire pits full of nails.
Many years of beach goer bonfire throwing shipping pallets full of nails into the flames have lettered the beaches with the large rusty nails, an absolute buzz kill to any new tires.
Meet Up organizer Francis setup up some great prizes set for giveaway at noon. We had a great turn out and the crowd began to swell pretty early on. Of all the fun that was had on this day, we did get some friction in the most unexpected way. We attracted the attention of the local rangers and police that patrol the island.
The police did a walk through and checked up on us. Only seemed to remind us of the rules and just wanted to make sure we knew them. We explained that we were responsible, quiet off road enthusiasts just having a little get together. However, the over enthusiastic eye of the local park ranger was observing our 75Built display of collapsible crystal clear cups. Immediately this alarmed the female ranger, holding true to her job title and serving to protect the well being of all park goers. We guess the thought of more glass shattered amongst all the other nails and other hazards mixed in the Fiesta Island was her top concern. We understand that! She expressed to us that we were in possession of contraband on this beach! We were to remove all forms of glassware, glass bottles and glass containers from this beach immediately! With a sense of blasphemy in her voice she waited for a response, arms folded and impatiently anticipated action at once…
We simply said “what glass?”
Gasp and a tone of contempt…gestures flying up, pointing at the alleged violating items on the table setup in front of us…
We held up one of our camp cups with a stem as if to raise a toast and with the other hand, snapped it in half revealing the detachable plastic stem. Then holding the cup, we bounced it a couple times on the table showing a flexibility and give that was totally unexpected. Wine glasses on the beach? Not a chance, we brought reusable plastic wine cups to the beach!
All at once defeat and relief was written all over the park rangers face. We were not the violators of the no-glass safety policy, but actually friends to the cause. We were indeed providing a safe beverage container option for beach goers to use. A solution to solve both the dangerous debris on our Mission Bay sandy beaches, but also to keep San Diego classy.
With the situation deescalated and a big sigh of relief, we all shook hands and with a nod of respect and parted ways. The park ranger traveled onward to ensure everyone else throughout our meetup was following the rules and regulations to keep our beach resources safe and clean for years to come.
Thank you Mission Bay Park Rangers! We had a great time!
Watch the whole video here: