When we weren't busy with our careers, we began to hire
limousine drivers to take us around the LA area in search
of empty swimming pools and the now defunct concrete
reservoirs which were perfect for high speed skating back in
the day. We found quite a few excellent bowls. There was
the Viper and the Toilet Bowl, Beverly Glen, Pali, J Bowl and
The Dam, not to mention quite a few others.
Occasionally we would roll through my neighborhood and
pick up a couple Dogtown boyz to take along for the ride.
Biniack and I were at our speed freak stage. We were con
stantly looking for something gnarlier and faster than the
last spot to ride. We had the drop at Bellagio wired and
were ready for something bigger. We took Craig with us
to the Viper Bowl one time. It was a hot sunny day and the
Hollywood Hills were in rare form. I spotted the bowl and
RIGHT
TURN
ONLY
Backside air (above) in Beverly Hills, home of swimming pools and movie
stars, 1986. Slicing slalom cones (top) on the Bay Street hill in Santa
Monica, one of the testing grounds for the original Zephyr team, with Blair
"Chowderhead" Calderhead in hot pursuit, early '74. Taking a high speed
run on Marine Street hill (opposite top), a line that is still gnarly on the
boards of today, 1975. Soul turn (opposite right) at the Soul Bowl, 1977.
Class among gruel (opposite bottom), hanging out with Bunker and Eli, 1978.
Biniack and I both let out a hoot
of approval. The limo driver
popped the trunk, we quickly
snatched up our cues and then
hopped the fence into a pristine
sand-colored, four-cornered
reservoir bowl. I could tell Craig
was a little nervous, so we tried
to give him some advice and
encouragement at the beginning
of the session. Bobby and I went
off. We skated the banks like it
was an eight to ten foot day at
Sunset Beach and we were Barry
Kanaiapuni and Nat Young. The
object was to haul ass over.
every inch of the terrain with-
out slamming on the 500 grit
surface. In our Hang Ten surf
trunks and low-cut Vans, we
carved, slid, and spun through a
barrage of moves. it was total
high-energy and the friendly
competition helped Craig push
his limit too. He took a minor
slam and then decided to retire
as a witness. He had a concert to
play later that night to a sold-
out audience at the Forum and
didn't want to upset the fans.
This made total sense to us, con
sidering he got his cake playing
guitar, not skating.
Thinking back to this day
makes me wonder why some
people are so jaded and lazy
today. I couldn't be happy just
skating the same waxed curb
every day, Paradise could be
right around the corner. Open
your eyes and your imagination.
There are still locations like this
available. Believe me, I live it!
Bunker unfortunately died at
the age of 27.
Craig is a very successful and
adept guitarist to this day. I
enjoy his music very much. His
style is so unique that it shows
me when you're good at some-
thing special, your limits are infi-
nite. Experience and practice
pay off in the long run, whether it be music,
surfing, snowboarding, skating or whatever
else turns you on. You can make anything
that important to you, your life's blood with
determination and a little original style.
Wynn Miller, aka Chokey Boy, and I have
traveled the world together and shared a lot
of good experiences. Shortly after returning
home from a European sojourn, we got word
of some 24-foot pipes. Ameron was producing
them on site at Camp Pendleton Marine Base
in San Clemente. I heard there were rows of
hundreds, evenly spaced with assorted gaps
from pipe to pipe. It was too much to resist.
We met and devised a plan of attack. The idea
was, with the help of David Hackett, to pose
as family members going
to see our brother at Camp
Horno Boot Camp. We all
drove down south in my
Datsun four-wheeler that I
had built specifically for
adventures of this sort. The
perfect vehicle for pene-
trating the location.
Sure enough, with cam
eras in tow, our little bull
shit story worked at the
gate. We just filled out a
Visitor's Pass and were
admitted. I was amazed at
how easy it worked. DH
and I were amped. Chokey
Boy was already adjusting
lenses and loading film. We
came off of the main road.
and onto a small dirt one
and we could see the rows
of pipes, at least twenty-
footers. I was driving hard and fast and howl-
ing like a madman. We pulled up into a grass
field, parallel to a dirt lot filled with rows of
hundreds of big fat pipes. The gaps started
at two feet and went off at about six foot
killer offset channels. The adrenaline flew
through my heart, mind and veins.
The immensity and volume of the pipes
spoke for themselves. We pulled the truck in-
between the rows so we wouldn't be detected
immediately by the MPs, whom we were sure
that we would eventually encounter.
As soon as we set foot inside the cylindrical
rows we knew that this was going to be
insane. Ameron pipes are known in the skate
circle as the most super-flawless surface ever
touched by 'thanes. Just to
fakie up to vertical was so
sweet. We began kick-
turning frontside and back-
side at about 10 o'clock.
You just seemed to float
inside the tube. Once we
got our rhythm going we
would click out ollies
across the gaps at about
11 o'clock while Chokey
Boy got the shots.
We would start out on a
two foot gap and then
work our way down and
back ollicing to about four
to six foot gaps on a row
of perfectly offset pipes.
It was a dream come true.
We skated for about two
hours with no disturbance
and no sounds except our
own. So when we heard
the low rumble of the MP jeep pulling up, we
were well aware of an unusual sound. Our
senses were keen as a canine with all the ener
gy we had. We quickly hid under the transition
of the pipes. As we lay low in the dirt, with
only our own breathing in our ears, we could
hear the MPs getting out of their vehicle and
stepping into the pipes. They spoke but we
could not discern what about. I was worried
that they would see our marks heading toward
the ceiling and know to look further. Luckily,
these guys were clueless. They settled for a
quick scan, and then got back into the jeep.
As they rolled away all we could do was
smile and chuckle. Good karma was on our
side this day, and we knew it. Silently we slid