Stormchasers
W
HEN YOU LEAD YOURSELF DOWN THAT OPEN road to
see what's out there, why not do just that? You
take a chance to explore new places, new
people, and new things that could have
been left uncharted unless the first step was made.
Whether you're venturing to a new neighborhood
within your environment or traveling to states or
lands unknown to you, make a U-turn. Checking out
that person, place, or thing that could change your whole out-
look is what you set out to do in the first place, isn't it? You
want to find something new and different that can
open your mind and soul to appreciating each day
approaching and another day passing. When you see
the opportunity to explore, you should do just that.
After a night of celebration with friends, a journey lay ahead. Not
knowing precisely what was to be experienced, I set off from Greenville, NC
to end up in San Francisco, CA. The first departure from my path was to visit
Standard skateboard shop in Chapel Hill, NC. Jason Mosher, the
owner, had recently put on a skateboard contest and wanted to
see some of my photos from the event. After hanging out, I
was off to Winston-Salem, where I was to rest for the evening,
or so I thought. I met up with my friend Samantha and soon
realized what I had gotten myself into. Within a few hours we
were kicking it with her friend who worked at a jerk shack. I
was amazed, to say the least, to be hanging out with chicks at
an adult video viewing center. That night definitely opened
the doors for anything to happen on this excursion.
After a full day of driving and a few hours
of sleep at a rest stop, I was getting gas when
a newspaper caught my eye: "1st Annual
Skateboard Contest tomorrow." I've been driving
for a while, so I should unwind and go skate, I said
to myself. The skatepark in Morristown, TN was
only 15 minutes off 40 West, so directions were
sought out from the gas station clerk; within 20
minutes I was skating the first park of the trip. It
was small, and kind of hard to hit some things,
but it was a good warmup. The street stuff in
Morristown is sick but illegal.
Deciding to hit up another park only an hour
away put me back in the car to visit Knoxville,
TN, where Axis Skatepark is housed. Owner
Mike Hathcote helped me document the
park; he has a good thing going for the
guys and gals in Tennessee.
Right: Daniel Garcia
backside lipslides from
low to high in
Albuquerque, NM.
Below: Before Floyd
destroyed the area,
Jerry Garcia did his part,
damaging downtown
Greenville, NC with a
handrail 50-50.
Words and photos
by Clinton Perry
74 THRASHER
LAND SN
75