PORTLAND
project
The east side of
the Willamette
River in Portland,
Oregon, is an
industrial area
taken over at
night by junkies,
prostitutes and
vagrants who
collect pallets.
We had skated under
the Burnside Bridge for
years, because it was a
dry, slanted wall. We
could sit down there,
drink 40's and skate with
nothing to bother us but
the occasional needle
freak. A friend named
Mark Redneck and I
worked at Parr Lumber,
so we could get concrete
at cost. We hooked up
with Steve Bazrow, Brett,
and Couch Cranium
(also known as J.J.
Mickartle, or Mark Hub-
bard). Couch built pools.
for a living in Seattle, so
he had the know-how.
on concrete. They built
one little bank to wall,
and it's still the best tran-
ny there. Then we just
gol crazy. It was getting
to be September, and if
most of us weren't on
the road soon, we'd be
there for the winter.
Things didn't look good
for Red going to Florida,
so, since he's a raging
workaholic, he got us all
pumped on the new
"Burnside Project."
We would throw work
parties, knowing that
most skaters are lame,
lazy leeches who never
want to contribute
money or time, but are
always around to ses
sion. There are some
regulars who are full
kooks, but we got a hell
of a lot of help from our
friends, like Osage
Buffalo Mike, Rico La
Gozia, Travis Willis,
Chuck Willis, Elliot
Johnson, and any other
S.E.L. guy whose name I
forgot, Jay Graham,
Diego, Chris Cheekoni,
Steve Hozton, my
brother Jason Dahlgren,
Eggroll, Brett Taylor,
Dave McBeide, Redneck
and Mark (Couch). We
designed the banks
democratically. Usually,
that entailed Mark
Redneck getting off
work, grabbing a shovel
and starting to build.
We'd all just join in. We
carried rocks from an
empty lot across the
street for filler and got
re-bar from an aban-
doned building. We got
gravel from digging
around under the bridge
and Continued on page 80
Residfert ripper and catalyst
designer of the Burbside Project
Mark Redneck topposite page)
clings like a spider to a homegrown
wall Photo by the BBQ Man
Visor Jason Schwartz spread
makes the must of his summer vaca
tion by banging an alle tailsfide in
the bod port of town. Tim Brauch
frequence) pulls a rabbit out of a
hat with a boardslide from the back-
side of the bowl. Photos by Ortiz.
STORY BY ROY THE BARBECUE MAN