After 5 months of no skateboarding, I decided to save up my money and go visit my friends in California. I left on the day of New Year's eve and just got in before the celebration got started. My friend James Kelly came and picked me up and we headed to his place near Culver City, California. From there I met all of his roommates and characters of the Skate House. The skatehouse is an apartment where some of the top riders in the scene reside. The decided to open their house to fellow friends and skaters traveling by and to create a website documenting all the crazy and fun times. You can view their site at www.skatehousemedia.com. After a quick meet and greet, we headed out to Hollywood Blvd to celebrate the new year. Coming from the suburbs of Colorado, this is probably one of the most eye opening experiences I have encountered. Massive celebrations, pimps in the streets, people shutting down intersections....it was crazy. The best part of the night had to be when a straight-edge buddy Matt was questioned by multiple police officers for his sobriety. He was banging on a street sign to celebrate the new year when he was immediately circled by two biker cops, then 2 squad cars. The cops reaction to finding out they busted the only sober person at the time...Priceless.
After all partying was done we headed back to the skatehouse and called it a night. The next day I was stoked to finally be able to skateboard again since tearing my mcl. I was still finding my balance on my skateboard, and was immediately taken to one of the gnarliest runs I have ever encountered in my life. I managed to make it down the road pretty well until I hit a blind turn and collied with a jersey barrier. Matt the shuttle drive hopped out..asked if I was alright, and then was asked if I wanted to sit it out and let him ride the rest of the run. I scrambled back on my feet and made it down the rest of the run, feet trembling......my legs were still re-learning how to skate and the crash took me back a couple paces. We skated a little more then headed back the house. California was great, the weather was excellent and the hills were impressive...it was like I had finally found the perfect combination I had been always searching for. After a week of skating with my friends, I had an a week to hang out with my sponsor Abec 11.
I really was curious to see how this week was to pan out, I was offered to stay at the owner's house in Huntington Beach, and talk over skateboarding for a week with the #1 wheel company and see how they operate. Somehow I found myself in meetings being asked for my opinion and having multiple people pick my brain for what I was thinking. I would have never imagined being put in this situation, the entire experience is still extremely surreal for me. At the end of the week, the owner of Abec 11, Chris Chaput asked me how soon I could move to California and start working for Abec 11 full time. I told him it would be a great opportunity but was still confused on why they would want me to work for them. I have always dreamed to work for a skateboard company and it was hard to actually believe this was happening. The main goal of my trip was to enjoy my time on vacation....but to come out to California and land a job like this was unreal.
I started to line things up with Abec 11 and gain my momentum to come back to work after my California vacation. I headed down to visit my friend Malakai Kingston in San Diego to see his baby and family in their new house. Explaining the past week to Kai was an odd experience. I guess a lot of people see why I have been offered a job like this, but my head at the time still was in disbelief.
I flew out of San Diego to San Francisco and took the train to Berkeley. I got to stay in Nor Cal at my buddy George's House. I have always dreamed of skating Northern California since I started and it was hard to believe I had this opportunity. Experiencing hills I had seen in videos for so many years and having them be gnarlier than I thought was mind blowing. The town of Berkley was also extremely friendly to skateboarders and I was picked up hitch hiking with no problem.
I had two separate runs where the drive had a baby in the back seat sitting next to me!!! I couldn't believe how friendly and generous everyone was and picked us up to skateboard down the hill.
