ROAD TO VEGAS
STORY BY SALMAN AGAH PHOTOS BY LANCE DALGARY
IT ALL STARTED way back in
January when I was visiting my
friend Trisha for her 21st birthday.
Another friend of mine, Tim, had
also moved to Vegas from Reno a
year prior to my thoughts of going
on a skate journey. While I was out
visiting. I got to brief some of the
spots with Tim, a good pal from
years past. I had such a great time
that when I got home, I shared the
fever with some skate buddies,
and from there, three other con-
testants stepped up for the road
to Vegas. Prior to coming to Las
Vegas, I was in Japan, and I made
sure to set an absolute date for
our departure, which was March
1st. Being home for a couple days
from Japan, I started worrying.
why wasn't anyone calling me
about our adventure? It turned
out Jason moved and didn't have
a phone number, Tim was snow-
boarding, and Lance had a new
pager number. Finally I heard from
Tim a confirmation of the original
plan. I wanted to leave at 8:00 am
the next day. Tim wanted to leave
at noon, and the other two didn't
really care. We ended up leaving
around 1:00 pm after forgetting
my wallet at Lance's, stopping for
new music at Tower and packing
the car. I always feel weird at first
on trips no matter how well I know
the people because it's different
with different combinations of
people, and Lance Dalgart, Tim
Brauch, Salman Agah and Jason
Adams had never adventured in
this way together.
We're on the highway, and
instantly I'm irritated by a camera
looking at me through the rear-
view mirror. Finally, I let the irrita-
tion pass as I start dancing, laugh-
ing and playing for the evil eye.
We drove straight to Vegas with
numerous stops due to our bore-
dom-led hunger and Lance's shal-
low bladder. We rocked out to
the likes of Rancid, Sugar, G n' R,
Screeching Weasel, Supernoval
and all sorts of 90s soft punk.
Knowing there would be a clash
in musical tastes, I was prepared
with my Walkman and my God
squad music. Praise the Lord!
We arrived to a welcoming com-
mittee of some old acquaintances,
Will, Chris and Robby. We were all
hungry and soon found ourselves
at San Remo's getting cheap steak
and eggs. I had cantaloupe. Later
we heard that the owners of the
San Remo were homosexual-get
it, San Reeemmol Ha, ha, ha. We
all laughed it up.
I woke up to Will in my face with
directions to numerous ditches,
soon to fall fast asleep. Will would
get up early every day to clean
pools. We get to the first ditch,
and it's just ditch for as long as
you could see with little steps
going up the embankment and
water hole channels, Jason and
Tim were loving this place and all
the ditches for that matter. Jason,
was snapping kickflips to fakie at
will over the holes, and Tim was
spracking 360 kickflips noncha
lantly. I was thanking God for
having legs. I didn't really like the
ditch that much.
Later we went to the mall and
several camera shops so I could
buy a sharp shooter. Lance, being
the camera man, assisted me on
my purchasing frenzy. Finally, I
found a camera at the pawn shop
for 100 dollars; it was $300.00 at
best buy. We went shopping due
to the rain. It didn't last long. The
rain and the shopping, that is.
We showed up at the skatepark
to a warm welcome from Mona.
Great park; not the greatest stuff
to skate, all the ramps were awk
ward but fun, regardless, and we
heard rumor of bladers, but saw
but none. Tim devastated the
hump ramp with method aerials,
while Jason flashed and rolled the
hidden handrail. I was landing my
first fakie 360 kickflips. Lance
inspired many to skate with the
camera in hand.
Every day it seemed we had
thousands of plans, but few were
accomplished. One day we decid-
ed to drive to the Arizona Nevada
border to check out Hoover Dam,
As Lance was filming, we hear a
familiar voice and then see Jonas
Wray's head along with Paul Luna
racing across the bridge. They
stopped to our surprise, and we
all chewed the fat. Our stay didn't
last long. We all ended up missing
the elevator tour and decided we
were done with the dam.
The Wray party was parting for
the Grand Canyon while we were
in search of ditches to conquer
We found a ditch that Jonas men-
tioned and allied the handrail and
left. Tim was crushing boards left,
and right, snap after snap, and
Jason ended up busting a few as
well. Surprisingly enough, while
Jason and Tim were breaking
boards, I rode the same board till
near home. All in all, we enjoyed
each other and Las Vegas.
UNLV was ridden to its fullest. I
tried to slide the 50 foot long blue
handrail and stuck and racked my
bunghole. If I had saggy nards, it
would have been all over, but it
was cold that night. Before it could
be conquered, we were escorted
away by campus police.
Buffets, broads, banks, ditches.
skateparks, Will, Chris, Robby and
a host of others made Las Vegas
worth the while, and we will be
back. Thanks for the memories!
And don't forget the infamous
Circus pyramid. Thank you Las
Vegas. Watch your pockets.
Ditch doctor Jason Adams (opposite top)
kickflips to fakie over one of those pesky
holes. This shit is fet: Captain Agah (top)
reaches for a higher ground over the
Circus Circus hip, switch. The inventor
of the hot backward technique, Tim
Brauch (left) grabs a stinker over a
polished desert roil. Brauch (above left)
shows his Agah original, entitled "Duh."
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