Arizona: Part 4

Peter Pipers Pizza
The cactus banksAmy Caron with a pole jam.
Backyard mini-ramp, thanks to our local guide Carley.
On the way back to LA (thanks to Amy's devout enthusiasm) we stopped at four different thrift stores. I recommend 'Sheltering Wings' in Blythe CA. Pickins may be slim but it has a 25 cent rack, and the cashiers are so happy that they won't even ring you up for all your junk, (treasures I mean).

Arizona: Part 3

Leticia Bufoni catching airLisa filming. If you want to check out some behind the scenes candid videos and pictures of this trip then check out 'The Side Project' (which is listed in the links column to the right) and check out the blog.

I think some of the girls were throwing food... but this waitress fell in love with us. She was hugging and kissing everyone, telling us to come back during her next shift...
At the Coney Island Cafe, Scottsdale AZ.

Arizona: Part 2 (Sedona)

Arizona: Part 1

Villa Villa Cola productions is coming out with a new video. Its a womens surf movie that "won't gag you with a spoon," as Tiffany puts it. This epic movie, 'Dear & Yonder,' is a must see! The makers, Tiffany Morgan and Andria Lessler, decided to include a skating element, which was to be filmed in and around Phoenix AZ. I was able to get hold of a Previa, thus I was designated Previa driver for this filming mission.
The Prev...
Elizabeth Nitu
The saguaro catus
Lacy Baker getting some gap footy before getting kicked out (despite all Andrea's sweet talkin).
Trying to get some surf-like shots

Wheels of Fortune Contest: Renton WA

1st Annual Wheels of Fortune girls skateboard contest from alex white on Vimeo.

Wheels of Fortune: SLAG Behind the Scenes

SLAG-A-Q

San Francisco backyard BBQ mini-ramp session:

On Sunday the ladies met up at Angie's around noon. Tracy was rehabbing her foot but did a killer job on the grill. Aime A came up from Modesto with Ladonna and Frank from "The Ranch." Staycee came up from Stockton and there were a few others there enjoying the lovely weather.

We all fueled up on food and took turns skating the ramp. After that we headed out to Angie's driveway to skate the curb and bomb some hills.

Everyone seemed ready to go to a park so we pilled into a couple cars and drove to Pacifica to skate the cement park until dark. There was a woman there who wanted extensive interviews with all of us about skating and gender for a paper she was writing. We told her she wasn't too old if she wanted to start skating and gave her a couple SLAG stickers.

Once it was dark we headed to the Log Shop (which is only a block away) and skated the indoor ramp. They only charged us $1 each since it was close to closing.

If you missed out on this lovely day and you live in the Bay Area be sure to get on the Skate Like A Girl San Francisco email list.

SLAG San Francisco's Super Secret Skate Date

The Skate Like A Girl super secret skate date started at 1pm in Golden Gate Park. About 20 girls skated throughout the session.

Cory brought a bunch of local girls from his after school skateboard program. They all demonstrated a lots potential and enthusiasm. We were stoked they could make it (thanks Cory) and look forward to skating with them again.

There were a couple of photojournalists who came to take pictures (including the ones above) and interviewed some of the ladies.

By 3pm there was a new batch of skaters ready to hit the rail and ledges or just cruise the flatground. Jolie tried to show me how to heelflip (no, not a lost cause) and a guy on rollerskates hit every square inch of that pavement with a battery operated leaf blower.

After that the party moved over to the ledges. Megan V. tried to get some footy of a ledge grind until it was well after dark.

Thanks for the good times to everyone who showed up.

Shambhala Mt Center, CO

I was invited by a friend/fellow Obama campaigner to stay at the Shambhala Mountain Center, which is high in the Mountains of Colorado. We were able to stay in exchange for polishing a giant brass door.

The first day we went on a hike and it was really cold. I mean it was about 25 degrees f before the sun set and all I could think about was eating. Each meal I would stuff my face with the maximum amount of food and two hours later I would be starving again.

There was a library where we could read books on the meaning of life. There was also a temple like building called a Stupa. We meditated in the Stupa under a giant gold Buddha. I realized that the closest thing I have to a meditative practice in my life is skateboarding, and for that I just wanted to give thanks to skateboarding, I mean for taking up so much of my brain space.

I mean think about all of the time you are thinking about skateboarding when you might otherwise be thinking about your waining sex appeal or about how your friends never call you or how your social life sucks or how your parents screwed you up or how you're not good at school or work or how the world is coming to an end... I mean the endless chatter in our brains that distracts and torments...

... and how easy it is to get on a skateboard or put in a skate video and just focus on that, and only think about that, and obsess about that, while everything else falls into the void.

Praise the Board.

The San Luis Valley, CO (and skateboarding?)

During my stay at the ranch in the San Luis Valley, Aimee and I ventured to the tiny town of Saguache, which resembles somewhat of a ghost town. There was a store open that sells cake so we got me some birthday cake and walked around. It was then that I found the most unexpected birthday surprise: an actual skatepark. This park is really out there, and proof that skateboarding has permeated every community in the U.S. and is increasingly more accessible. I'd like to show up at this park someday with a bunch of girls and do a demo. Anyone down?

I skated around while Aimee found the library and got a library card (which looked like a glorified index card) so she could check out some books on horsemanship skills and cattle handling.

We bought some dark beer and went back to the ranch to sit on haystacks and watch the sunset. That night we bundled up in her trailer and drank tea and laughed and cried over long stories. Thanks Aimee, I miss you!

The San Luis Valley, CO: Herding Cattle

My dear old friend Aimee Danch now works on the range. She coaxed me into herding cows and weening calves on a grass fed organic beef ranch in the San Luis Valley. I was trained by a patient old border collie named Chico.

These cows graze on a nature reserve. George, the rancher, works with managers to protect endangered plants (and animals) through proper grazing techniques. George and his cows are able to do a real service to the ecosystem here. He explains how the rangeland has adapted to large herds of grazing animals, and if the land is not grazed, plant diversity is lost as only a few species take over. On the contrary, if the land is grazed too often, it suppresses plant growth. What the range here needs is a brief but heavy grazing, then left to rest for a couple years. Beneficial grazing takes forethought. Every day these hard working cowfolk move the fence to allow acreadge that will feed the cows and the help the preserve.

My work at the ranch was rewarded with good company, guitar playing, and hearty meals (like cornbread from scratch and beef) cooked over the wood stove.

Nederland CO, the town with the frozen dead guy

Seriously, there's a frozen dead guy here. There is even a movie about it, and an annual festival for it. Nederland is a little mountain town at over 8,000ft and about 15 miles west of Boulder. The skate park is getting its finishing touches and looks super fun. Its an Airspeed skatepark so of course its a good one!

Boulder CO and 'the naked pumpkin run'

While working on the Obama campaign in Colorado, I got to spend Halloween in Boulder at my sister's house. There is this interesting tradition there called "the naked pumpkin run." People get wasted, carve out giant pumpkins, get naked, put the pumpkins on their heads, and run through town. Its not as easy as it sounds, some of the runners slip and fall and smash their giant pumpkin heads on the cold cement, others get ticketed for indecent exposure. There are hundreds of spectators gathered to enjoy the sight, and some get super excited, like the ones pictured above.

The skate park in Boulder is super rad and worth a visit. You can skate there from downtown. Its pretty empty during school hours.

Denver, Colorado

When I arrived in CO I was greeted by an old high school friend. She celebrated my arrival by taking shots of jager late into the night while I was asleep in her bed.

The next morning there was an Obama rally at civic park. We walked with a giant mob for blocks and blocks before even finding the end of the line to get in. One paper reported that there was 150,000 people attending. Later that day Obama spoke in Fort Collins CO and over 40,000 people showed up. I was fully ready to join thousands of other Americans across the nation and start knocking on doors and making phone calls for the most historic election of our lifetime... And yes, of course I cried during his acceptance speech.

Now my faith in democracy has been restored, and I no longer have to tell people I'm Canadian.

As for skating, there is the hugest park EVER just a few blocks from union station in downtown Denver. Its got some super slick red cement and the transitions are steep. You have to check it out if you are in the area. There's a little taco stand that sets up camp right at the entrance and its located within a city park where you can chill on the grass or stick your feet in the river. There's places to get food and coffee close by too.

Return from the Northwest

No vacancy my ass.
In actuality the air conditioner was broken so I got a room for $25, and I don't even use the air conditioning. I love this hotel. Brings back memories of firefighting on the Klamath N.F. and driving 100 miles to the Ashland skatepark.

I was stubborn about it too, I mean my whole anti-air-conditioner-attitude, I drove down I-5 with the windows down and temperatures well over 100f. I mean summers almost over so give it to me. If I give into the heat it induces a good feeling, like my body can finally relax. Why else would people sit in saunas?

I picked up two older women hitch-hiking (Pacific Crest Trail through hikers) on my way out of Ashland. After that my car kept popping out of fifth gear, and I had to jury rig the shifter into 5th with a skateboard, shoelace, and water jug, for the whole drive back to San Francisco. I kept thinking what my father would have to say about it: "No good deed goes unpunished."

SLAG SUMMER TOUR: Part V (Vancouver)

We got to Vancouver just before sunrise, and pulled over on the side of the road. It was a haggard moment, and some of us fell asleep next to the sidewalk.

After that, we headed to Main street, and got some good strong coffee. Some of the crew skated the Antisocial ramp while others hit up street spots. It was at Antisocial that we ran into Nugget, who took us to Leeside, a sick DIY spot. After skating there awhile we headed to Hastings. By then it was drizzling. The park is already covered in graffiti and super slick. Most everyone fell really hard within the first few minutes, so we decided to call it quits.

That evening the whole crew sat down for a big dinner at Foundation, an epic vegetarian restaurant down the street from Antisocial.

The next morning we assisted with a girls skate camp at Bonzer skatepark. Kristin elevated a sprained ankle while some of the other girls demoed tricks. By the afternoon we were driving back to Seattle/Portland. We wished we had more time in Vancouver but we had to get back in time to return our rental van. The smokers talked eagerly about how cheap cigarettes are in the US. Not only are the cigarettes a lot more expensive in Canada, but the boxes are basically an ad campaign that remind you what smoking does to your health, or gives you the steps on how to quit. I guess that makes sense in a country where the government pays for your health care. On the drive back Nugget got shotgun and blew out some eardrums with extreme DJing. Thanks for the good times!