So after checking out the Vans Outlet and my going on a shopping spree, we moved on down I-5 looking for a Pizza Hut. John had some kinds of free coupon so we wanted to take advantage of that. But, we went to two different locations that were on Yelp and they were both closed… Phone first? When I called they said they were there and when I called again then they said “oh, we moved a long time ago, we are on the other side of town.”
So, we went to Red Robin and had $15 hamburgers… Well, you gotta eat I guess. Once in a while is not so bad but the penny pinching has to continue. I have been using the Skateropolis app for Iphone a lot since we left Portland. It is just easier and I must say this app is worth the $2.99. The only thing I wish was that there were pics of the parks but it is so new that they just do not have it up yet. But I think I am gonna go on a mass upload one day when I get back (before school starts) to get this thing going…
So we got to the Ferry port within an hour or so with no problem. But when we arrived, they told us we had just missed the 2:30 Ferry and would have to wait for the 5:30! It was 2:10 when we paid the $50 Ferry fee and we sat there for 3 hours. This kinda sucked. I should have gone on some dudes blog to find out about the experience. I knew that we should get there early but I did not know how early and when… A little research would have saved us a bit of stress.
By the time we boarded it was after 6pm and we did not get off of the ship until 8pm. I was so nervous because we had no reservations for camping and did not know where anything was. So once we got on the island, it was a mad dash towards the little triangles on the map.
We arrived at Moran State park and luckily the office was still open and there was a sign that said “campsite full”. I was about to die inside but when we asked the nice dread locked lady in the booth she said she had one of two sites still open. One right next to another site and one next to the bathroom. I said, “we’ll take the bathroom one” and thank you very much!
So, we had just enough time to set up camp and get to the park before dark. As always, it is a bit smaller than I had imagined but jam-packed with stuff. Wow, this epic park that I had dreamed about for so long and watched the pro’s ride in so many videos was finally under my skateboard! I was stoked!
The park was built in 2002 and is a similar pour to Whiting, West Linn and Milton. Although there are some parts that have the polish of more recent parks. It is basically a flow with several hips, roll ins, death box, love seat, vert walls and pool block at many different depths and transitions.
This is the most difficult place I have ever ridden, the lines are there but you really have to ride this thing for several days to get a good handle on it. There were lots of really good skaters there, some locals and others who had been there many times before with skill levels beyond mine and they still had a bit of trouble upon arrival. But then the lines started popping and lots of radicalness was happening all over.
The flow is surrounded by a snake run that is legendary. It has both flow and streetcourse features, transfers everywhere, pyramids, nipples, tacos, two over vert clamshells, vert wall, door, and no coping… Wow! It is sooooooo fun but you really have to know where every little pocket is to keep your speed and go over it all as fast as you can. I have never had a need or want to ollie a pyramid but now since coming here, I would love to have that skill. If you can do that there are three of them to sky over and keep speed…
We decided to stay two nights (partially because of the Ferry fee) and also, we just needed a vacation from this vacation. It was really wearing on the both of us and I think for the last couple days we were just plain crabby. We drove around the Island a lot and checked out the beaches and the sites… Hiking, checking out the Mountain tops and all that was a nice break.
We did get two sessions in on Thursday. During the night sesh, I kinda just got out of the car and jumped into the session and oh boy was that a mistake. I was finally feeling lines there and getting speed but then my back started to pinch again. I tried to stretch it out but it kept grabbing. So I chilled for a bit stretched, got some more and by then it was getting dark and time to head back to camp.
I really need to not do that again because I do not want to be stuck out here with a bad back… So it is back to the new routine, warm up, stretch, skate, stretch, skate, stretch… I cant take any chances.
We got some Budding beef and some whitebread and that was our feast for the day. You can’t beat a pack of processed meat for $1. I am going to Aurelios as soon as I get back!! And Uncle Johns for some Hot Links!!!!!!
Friday morning was a bit ruff, I had a good night sleep but it was hard to get up. We packed up camp and got coffee. We were at the park by 8:30 with hopes to get the park to ourselves for a bit. It was really busy yesterday… SO we got our runs in and my back stayed relatively loose – stretch, stretch, stretch.
We met a few of the dudes from yesterday who happened to be camped right next to us. It was a cool morning and it was nice to talk to others on the road… Orcas Island is definitely an experience that all skateboarders should have one day. Just be sure to find out the Ferry schedule ahead of time and it wouldn’t hurt to make reservations at the campground. Also, we found out that Helmets are required and there is a $200 fine if you are busted… Which we rode the park 3-days with no problems but maybe it was because we didn’t cause any trouble or were just dumb lucky.
I have a feeling that if the cop has no reason to bust you they use that card. But it was a good time and we are now on the Ferry getting ready for a weekend in Seattle.
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