To catch a shower on the road, the old motel pool-hop was on, and
dinner was scheduled after a lot of skating and driving. Exhaustion set
in not long after driving from dinner, so I visited another rest area
shortly after the border of Arkansas. Early in the morning I was off
to Little Rock, where I planned on sessioning the peanut at Kanis
Park. A major accident in which a car had flipped and caught on
fire had triggered the median grass and trees to catch ablaze also.
This changed my course, due to complete dead-stop traffic for
over five miles on the road that I needed to travel to get to the
park. I decided to just keep driving after an hour of trying
unsuccessfully to find an alternate route to the peanut.
After another seven-hour drive, I decided to look into the adult
entertainment in Erick, Oklahoma. The Lady Blue just off I-40
had some of the best dancers I've seen in my time. I filled my eyes with flesh
and then embarked to travel as much as I could before stopping again. After
overheating the car just past the Texas state line, I pulled over and decided
to nap. I arose early and was off to visit friends in Albuquerque, New
Mexico. Hooking up with Daniel Garcia and Pat of Albucrazy was the best
thing that could have happened.
Mike "Grinch" Grzyb, along with Bobby Knight,
show that skateboarders are ageless and will always
live life to the fullest.
After a session with the guys, Grinch and I
exchanged stories and such for a while before I
embarked to Redondo Beach, California. At 3 AM, not
Within 15 minutes of arriving in this new land, I was flying down a
half-mile or more creation of concrete. This is what Albuquerque is
best known for: the ditches. The town is supposedly built on rocks, so
therefore the rain cannot be soaked up as fast as it would on a dirt foundation;
thus an immense drainage system for the whole city had to be created.
Fortunate skateboarders residing in the town are Ray Chavez, Joel Ortiz, Ben,
Mike, Rocky, etc.; they have a goldmine to skate on any given day. After a
night of Ultimate Fighting Championships and hanging with some long-
time friends from back east, I was off once again.
My next journey off the path led me to Bushmaster skatepark in
Flagstaff, Arizona. This concrete facility is a definite must if you are
anywhere near the place. Almost every facet of a skateboarder's
wants lies here, minus a lot of vert terrain. Aaron "Hillbilly" Yates
and his brother session the place daily and know all the lines.
long after a few more overheating fits from the
car, I arrived at my destination. Another
unwinding was needed, so my friend Cammie
and I had many drinks before heading to the
Hermosa Beach skatepark. Unless you have full
pads, even in 90° heat, and $160.00 to document the
park, this one isn't that much to miss. Another day of
final driving was conquered-arriving a little after 8
PM, I was at the end of the line in San Francisco, CA.
Just remember, when you set out to experience something
new, don't think point A to point B. The alphabet of life con-
tains many more people, places, and things than those two
characters. Take a road trip and experience everything!
76 THRASHER
BEANS
PEDESTRIANS
LOOK
BOTH WAYS
BEFORE
CROSSING
Clockwise from top left:
Mike Hathcote hath coated the
Axis Skatepark in Knoxville, TN
with tons of tricks, including this
transfer. Ray Chavez made sure to
look both ways before drifting a
shifty into the street. View from
atop the drainage pipe at the end of a
half-mile ditch in Albuquerque, NM.
Dangerous Dan Garcia ollies into the
aforementioned pipe to navigate the tight
squeeze at top speed. Aaron Yates jumps the
onion in Flagstaff, AZ.
Bac
ad Bd