4)
'm looking out the window of the Ghetto
Van as the buildings of San Francisco grow
larger and larger. The cool air of the bay
blows through the van, sifting through the
lingering odor of old shoes, smelly clothes,
and butt. I crack open a warm Budweiser
and think, "What the hell just happened?"
The four remaining weary faces look
back at me and smile. Their eyes are
the reminder of the past month and a
half on the road across America.
Where we became friends, enemies,"
then friends again. Where bodily
odors were pushed beyond their lim-
its. Where skateboarding got done. As
we stormed into the carpool lane and
over the Bay Bridge, all of the road's
toils vanished in the Ghetto Van's
exhaust. We had made it.
A security guard tried to stop us
saying that life isn't fair. Karma proves
him wrong before the New Jersey cops show up.
The war of the road all started on the
thirteenth of June, when a grey Ford
Econoline van came putting into
Visalia. She was ruff, and so was the schedule
of the trip. It was Consolidated's summer tour
across America, where they were set up to do
over thirty demos. I jumped in the Ghetto Van
and looked up to see Karma Tsocheff, Alan
Petersen, Richard Paez, Jackson Taylor, Scott
Bourne, Casey Lingstrom, Howard Cooke,
Steve Bailey, Billy Karn, and Tim "Raggy"
Garner ready for the road with
absolutely no room.
We were off to Phoenix, Arizona
after some van problems and met
Fal
the last member of the group halfway to
Phoenix at the Pee Wee Herman.
Dinosaur spot. Matt Ballard was the
man, equipped with another vehicle and
a kick-ass pair of sunglasses.
Scott had been a little uptight during
the drive, and the next thing I knew he
was grabbing his bags and standing on
the side of the road with his thumb.
sticking out. Later. Off to Cowtown, a
shop in Phoenix, with Matt's trusty.
4Runner right behind us.
The first of many van
outbursts occurred right
when we were pulling in
to Phoenix. After push-
ing her off the road,
Alan jumped underneath
to discover the gas line
dismembered. Nothing
two hands couldn't fix,
and we were back on the
road with about half a
tank evaporating back
there on the highway.
NATIONAL NEGION
ROAD WARRIORS
Sean Springer gives hopping freights
a whole new meaning. Raleigh, NC.
WORDS AND PROTOS
BY NIK FREITAS