Hi Gregg,
There are a couple of good sites near you, Montana de Oro and Cayucos. Many of the pilots in the area fly at Laguna Lake in SLO. Check out our website
www.pbss.org
I'd recommend an airplane made of EPP foam for a slope trainer. EPP is virtually indestructable and "bounces". A popular one that you can fly both on the slope and flatland is the DAW TG3 Trainer
http://www.davesaircraftworks.com/
Shoot me an email for more local soaring info
[email protected]