Motherlandstomp Day 20 - San Jose Mega Park

I made it in to San Jose this morning around 10:30. I finally got my Nav working so it was soooo easy. I am kinda not sure about them now though, it seems like one more gadget to keep people stupid. I actually like figuring shit out with a map and if the directions are sketchy, you just drive around for awhile and use the old nose to find the park. But it was easy. I definitely needed it for Cali cause this place gets confusing!!




So I arrived at the park, had to pay 6 bucks for parking and another 5 for admission to the skatepark. When i walked up the hill to go in, the kid in the little fortress said I could not skate. There was a BMX session going on until noon. FUCK! I was like, well thanks. So I went back down the hill and sat over by the damn picnic tables for an hour and a half. No biggie though, my back was so tight that I could barely walk this morning. I don't know if it was from snaking around at the SF park or????



So after waiting for my turn to ride I finally got up there. They were filling out paper work with the park rangers for 20 minutes cause some kid busted his mellon (even with full pads???) After waiting patiently, the kid finally said whadda you want? I'm like, well, I filled out the waiver and my 5 is right there - can I go in yet?



When i got into this mega park the first thing that struck me was not the killer 20' extension, it was the fence within the barbed wire fence? I guess this is to keep spectators out of the skate area? but it kinda keeps skaters from getting to the skate area. There is one of these at Louisville too.. Must be a mega-Wormhout thing or whatever. But it kinda ticked me off. I was already a grouchy old man with a bad back and I sure didn't want to go walkin' around some ped fence...




SO, I padded up (they make you wear everything here) and gave it a go. Let me say, it was slow goin' for me today - with the stiff old man back and the damn pads I felt like a pencil riding around out there. I just couldn't get loose and I was kinda overwhelmed again. The park is totally rad and I have no complaints about the bowls or anything but really - the size is out of control. Maybe I am just someone who likes small parks but there seems to me more connection, an intimacy with a smaller park?






On the negative, maybe it represents everything bad about our current times. Build it bigger than anyone else, spend more money, show off, drive a Hummer and super size your House? I don't know. But the park is amazing and if you lived in the area you would never have to go to another. But for me personally, I had the most fun in the pool again.





The other thing is I just like Grindline and Dreamland parks better. But this one is amazing and I am glad to have been able to skate it!! But like I said, my back was so tight that I barely could enjoy it. Finally some older dudes showed up after I was there for like 3 hours and got me riding the pool. After a while my back loosened up and I was able to get some lines. But by then my pussy ass was gettin tired and I for some reason could not get up any grinds. So I was getting pissed. But I did get some good lines and so I should be Ok with it all. I wish i could go back tomorrow and the next day but there is no tomorrow on a road trip - got to move on to Santa Cruz and then on south.






I've run out of time, I'll put the footy up later

Motherland Stomp Day 19 - Pacifica

After a killer sesh at the new SF park, I drove around the city for a few hours. I wanted to check out the city a bit more. I wish I knew where the street spots were, but I am really not much of a street skater. I guess, if you just get out and roll around it is everywhere!!



I had to do the tourist thing and go over the Golden Gate Bridge. So that was cool and all. I tried to turn around and got of on some road called Rodeo and got to see how the other half lives. Man, it must be nice to be rich!! But I am happy the way I am... I would just have little beach houses all along the West coast and a cabin in Whitefish. That is about the only difference... I got my tent so that is even better!! screw 'em.


I got out of SF and entered HWY 1 and drove down the coast. I got to stop at a few beach spots and arrived in Pacifica around 2:30pm. When I got to the park, I was a bit bummed. There was a contest going on all day and the park was closed. I hung around a bit and took a few pics from outside the gate. Contests are great and all but it kinda sucks when you blow in from out of town and you can't get in on it... I am sure I could have barged but I just am not into that.


The kids were shredding though, but it was a little wierd. 14 year olds with a long list of sponsors and this and that... Kids always come up to me out here and tell me how they are sponsored and what kind of bearings am I riding and I should ride for their bearing company... Why not just skate for the fucking fun and love of it!!!!

Oh well, I wanted to hang around for the masters division but it got to be past 4pm and and I hadn't even got to the second round...


I went over to the beach after I found out that I couldn't skate. There was a huge surf session going down. There must have been 100 surfers out there all lined up along the entire beach! Crazy!! There were a bunch in the parking lot too! It was cool! SO I hung around there for a while checking it out and taking some footy. I wish I grew up around here so I could have been a skate/surf rat my whole life!! I would never go out there now, it looked pretty busy. They were just carving around people and all, like the streetcourse at Wilson on a Saturday.


I got some footy of that:

Motherland Stomp Day 19 - SF in the morning

So, here it is, I made it to Cali and got a great place to stay with my old friend Joe Ho!! He is a cool guy that I met at NIU years back who was also a close friend of Wendy, a very important person in my life. So, anyway, Joe put me up for last night and tonight and I got to hang with his friends and eat lots and lots of food!! I was so full last night I could barely hold it in. My stomach must have shrunk eating the 99cent menu... Probably a good thing.


So thanks Joe!!

I got up early and updated my blog but was kinda out of it, no coffee yet. But I headed out around 8am and got on the road to San Francisco. I could hardly believe that I was on 101 heading into the city I have always wanted to go to. Ever since I can remember, I have wanted to check this place out. Not only for skateboarding but just the city in general. My aunt lived there when I was really young and always heard stories of the street cars, the hippies, the bridge, the sand sharks and all that stuff!

On a sad note, Bill called me this morning to let me know that Ray Underhill passed away after a long battle with Cancer. Best wishes to the Underhill family. I was told to do a grind for Ray today. I never got to meet him but understand that he was an outstanding human being and will be missed.


I cruised around for a while until I found the park. It was kinda cool just to drive up and down those crazy hills and try to imagine Cappetto riding down them on acid? Nuts right - yup. But I kept seeing Tommy Guererro doing those killer lines down the side streets and all the skate vids and all the history. Cool stuff. This is definitely a city I would like to come back to some day and spend more time. I really wanted to check the art scene too. I tried to find some galleries and stuff. But the street art is just as good!


I got to the park and was like, oh yeah, this one is good! It just goes to show that big and plenty doesn't always rule out. If you use the space well, a smaller park can kill one of those super sizers. I keep saying that I like the smaller parks better. SF is not a small park but compared to Sac it is definitely smaller. But, I think I had twice as much fun at SF. The bowl rules! The streetcourse is gnar!




I rode here for over 3 hours and got tons of lines. I still kinda was pussy-footing but I got a few things in and had a great time. The pockets are so mellow but the deep end makes up for the gnar. the coping totally rules (pool block all around). I think with the newer parks, Dreamland just doesn't even mess with crappy metal coping anymore. They seem to be just smacking down the rad pool block on everything these days!! I love it. I really am thinking about talking to Marty about putting that stuff at whiting. It would just amp up the bowls sooooo much and fix the problems with the wavy hand poured stuff. Hell, I would write a grant or have a fundraisor for that stuff!!


These two chicks rolled up with matching leather jackets, I think these where the cafe' racers they rolled in on. Pretty cool, you can take an otherwise unwanted motorcycle and just mod it a bit and it becomes totally cool. I took a pic of one of these early 80s Hondas in Oregon too, totally ratted out. Great stuff.


It was a Saturday morning so a lot of the older guys were out, it was cool to ride with the Saturday morning crew!! These guys were just killing the streetcourse. It was pretty rad, there is a launch ramp/gap thing they were doing all morning. I did get some vid so check it:

Motherland Stomp Day 18 - Cali - Weed/Sacramento

Well, I made it through the Motherland of Skateparks and now I am entering the Motherland of Skateboarding!! I did a lot of driving today, more than I have since Idaho! I left the Klamath area around 8am, got fuel at this cool two pump gas station in Keno, OR. Keno is a tiny town with a motocross track, lots of hunting and the Klamath River nearby (where I stayed).


The area is pretty though and the people seemed very laid back. I got on 97 and headed south. I was in California in less than an hour (gosh was I close)! Upon entering this state, all of my childhood dreams of driving to Cali were finally realized. I've been to LA a few times but always by plane. There is nothing like driving for days and entering the Golden State! Some dread it, while others relish in the thought of road tripping across the country. I love it!!




My first stop was Weed, CA about 2 hours from Klamath Falls, OR. Weed is a tiny town with a tiny Grindline skatepark. I was expecting a bit of some gnar but the park is really mellow. There is a very cool streetcourse/snakerun with jersey barriers, wall rides, etc. The bowl is very wide open with tight transitions and a lot of flat. I spent about an hour here just cruising. I was a bit bummed about the helmet/pad law but nobody was there so I disobeyed... I am gonna have to get used to it soon though.



I moved on by 11am and was trying to make it to Sacramento by 2. The drive was great, wonderful landscape with mountains and 5% grades and all that good stuff but all of a sudden, everything went flat. And it got hot! So, this was a big difference already but then the hills started to roll and the landscape got great again. Go figure! So far, Norther Cali is very beautiful. I really wanted to go to Yosemitie or the Redwood forest but my time here is a bit limited so I have to stay focused. I am sure I will be back here someday -


I skated here for hours, I think I actually was getting heatstroke. The burrito started to bark and I got all dizzy and man was I heading for air conditioning!!

So I arrived at the Sacramento Skatepark with 99cent burrito in hand. Looking out at the park I just stood there in awe. This place is big and they are gonna keep getting bigger! There is a street plaza, something like 8 bowls and a flow/street course. The place is insane! The bowls range from 4' - 12 or 13'. Just madness, i was dizzy from popping in and out of so many shapes. The pour is super smooth there and you just cruise around from feature to feature. There are like 7 skateparks packed into one here so it is really overwhelming.