States #30-32: ND, MN and MI

Before I got bored with driving cross country, I managed to take just about every route possible, mostly to hit various skateparks for the above map. The first trip that took me through the states of MI, MN and ND in 2002 also involved Canada for a trip to the Millennium skatepark in Calgary, a passenger who learned to drive standard a few days before and had brought $17 total with him (but he had some Canadian money too!) It didn't, however, involve many photos (or it did and I just can't find them), so for this installment, you'll just have to enjoy my exciting tales about each state. Don't…
Read More

States #33-35: Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky

Circa 2002 I hit the I-70 stretch on a road trip from Bellingham to Vermont for summer vacation. I recruited Orion to make it an epic skate mission, and then Malcolm signed on because he needed a ride to Boston. This was during my artsy black and white phase, so you'll have to excuse these photos as they were scanned from a contact sheet as no one owns a film scanner anymore apparently. Kansas We skated a couple parks in Kansas on the way across I-70. I honestly don’t remember the names, but I do remember bonding with a boy from Kansas years later over the fact that I had…
Read More

State # 36: Arizona

Circa: 2004 I made it to AZ with skateboarding in mind. It was February, I had little to do with my life, and a friend living in Flagstaff. As it turns out, it’s freezing in Flag in February, but we did make it to Phoenix to skate some of the perfect concrete parks. I later hit Flagstaff in the summer, another notch on my list of random college towns that could be anywhere list. Please note: At this point in the story I was still shooting this weird stuff called film so photos are somewhat limited. Jeff, my host and fellow nerd. The have this Canyon there, it's somewhat grand.…
Read More

States #37 & #38: The Carolinas

circa 2005 State #37: North Carolina My time here was spent on the Outer Banks, a hurricane-ravaged strip of beach with tons of random mini ramps and bowls. We stayed in a 4-story rental house and skated Wanchese, as well as some other sand covered mini ramps as part of an SG trip. [gallery=24] State # 38: South Carolina I love South Carolina. I’m not talking about South of the Border, but real SC. I was somewhat over my hellacious trip for SG when we rolled into John’s Island, a small town outside of Charleston. This is the home of the legendary hanger bowl, which we skated as well as…
Read More

States #39-40: West Virginia and New Mexico

circa 2005 Yes, you are right, these two states are no where near each other. But I hit them both on the same road trip, so deal with it. State #39: West Virginia (NO PHOTO TAKEN) West Virginia is one state I sort of feel like I didn’t experience. I have only been there once, and only to the little skinny top part. I think we stopped for gas, just so I felt ok about checking it off the list, but no amazing moonshine stories or anything to share here. State # 40: New Mexico My cousin lives in NM, so when Sarah Morrison was moving back to California for…
Read More

State #41: Texas

Circa 2006 For a while I claimed I’d been to Texas when I’d really only been to the airport. But then I started having to go there for work and I’ve since been to Austin, San Antonio and Dallas. I don’t hate it as much as I think I should, as it is the home of Dubyah. In fact, I sort of like Texas, spare the weird frontage roads and the chiggers. [gallery=22]
Read More

States #42-47: OK, AR, AL, MS, GA, TN

Circa 2006 Doing fifty posts (one for each of the states) seems a bit excessive, and as I said, most of them were hit on long distance road trips. That said, I'm going to keep going back in time in the order I hit the states by combining each road trip into one post. A few might get mixed up (like GA, which I visited before this particular trip) but close enough. (more…)
Read More

State #48: Alaska

Circa 2006 For a while I flew Alaska Airlines and ended up with a bunch of miles I needed to use before they expired. For 40k miles I bought two tickets to AK and figured, why the fuck not. But when my original companion flaked on me, I was ready to write the miles off as a loss, until randomly, I thought of another friend who would have money and free time. The trip was spent on the Kanai peninsula, visiting Seward and Homer, going on whale watches and deep sea fishing, hiking up glaciers, eating salmon and otherwise figuring out how to fill 20 hours of daylight. [gallery=18]
Read More

State #49: Louisiana

Circa 2008 Louisiana was my second-to-last state visited, always just out of reach of my cross-country routes. But like Florida, and Texas, since ending up there once, I’ve been back plenty of times. I’ve taken multiple wakeskate trips to ride the buttery bayous and enjoy some serious southern hospitality. I also went on “vacation” to New Orleans last year, where I hung out on Bourbon St, photographed cemeteries, and found myself sobered by the amount of destruction still left from Hurricane Katrina three years later. Read the full blog about my New Orleans trip here [gallery=17]
Read More

State #50: Hawaii

Circa 2009 Last week I reached a life goal that I happen to be sort of proud of: I've officially made it to all 50 states. I don't count airports, I have to have actually spent time in the state, breathed the air, walked on the ground etc. Obviously making it to Hawaii and Alaska was the biggest challenge, as most of the states were hit on long-distance road trips. Technically I hit Alaska before Louisiana, but Hawaii was the final frontier. I was so excited I even debated getting a Hawaii #50 tattoo while there (don't worry mom, I didn't.) Over the next few weeks, months, however long it…
Read More

States #30-32: ND, MN and MI

Before I got bored with driving cross country, I managed to take just about every route possible, mostly to hit various skateparks for the above map. The first trip that took me through the states of MI, MN and ND in 2002 also involved Canada for a trip to the Millennium skatepark in Calgary, a passenger who learned to drive standard a few days before and had brought $17 total with him (but he had some Canadian money too!) It didn't, however, involve many photos (or it did and I just can't find them), so for this installment, you'll just have to enjoy my exciting tales about each state. Don't…
Read More

States #33-35: Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky

Circa 2002 I hit the I-70 stretch on a road trip from Bellingham to Vermont for summer vacation. I recruited Orion to make it an epic skate mission, and then Malcolm signed on because he needed a ride to Boston. This was during my artsy black and white phase, so you'll have to excuse these photos as they were scanned from a contact sheet as no one owns a film scanner anymore apparently. Kansas We skated a couple parks in Kansas on the way across I-70. I honestly don’t remember the names, but I do remember bonding with a boy from Kansas years later over the fact that I had…
Read More

State # 36: Arizona

Circa: 2004 I made it to AZ with skateboarding in mind. It was February, I had little to do with my life, and a friend living in Flagstaff. As it turns out, it’s freezing in Flag in February, but we did make it to Phoenix to skate some of the perfect concrete parks. I later hit Flagstaff in the summer, another notch on my list of random college towns that could be anywhere list. Please note: At this point in the story I was still shooting this weird stuff called film so photos are somewhat limited. Jeff, my host and fellow nerd. The have this Canyon there, it's somewhat grand.…
Read More

States #37 & #38: The Carolinas

circa 2005 State #37: North Carolina My time here was spent on the Outer Banks, a hurricane-ravaged strip of beach with tons of random mini ramps and bowls. We stayed in a 4-story rental house and skated Wanchese, as well as some other sand covered mini ramps as part of an SG trip. [gallery=24] State # 38: South Carolina I love South Carolina. I’m not talking about South of the Border, but real SC. I was somewhat over my hellacious trip for SG when we rolled into John’s Island, a small town outside of Charleston. This is the home of the legendary hanger bowl, which we skated as well as…
Read More

States #39-40: West Virginia and New Mexico

circa 2005 Yes, you are right, these two states are no where near each other. But I hit them both on the same road trip, so deal with it. State #39: West Virginia (NO PHOTO TAKEN) West Virginia is one state I sort of feel like I didn’t experience. I have only been there once, and only to the little skinny top part. I think we stopped for gas, just so I felt ok about checking it off the list, but no amazing moonshine stories or anything to share here. State # 40: New Mexico My cousin lives in NM, so when Sarah Morrison was moving back to California for…
Read More

State #41: Texas

Circa 2006 For a while I claimed I’d been to Texas when I’d really only been to the airport. But then I started having to go there for work and I’ve since been to Austin, San Antonio and Dallas. I don’t hate it as much as I think I should, as it is the home of Dubyah. In fact, I sort of like Texas, spare the weird frontage roads and the chiggers. [gallery=22]
Read More

States #42-47: OK, AR, AL, MS, GA, TN

Circa 2006 Doing fifty posts (one for each of the states) seems a bit excessive, and as I said, most of them were hit on long distance road trips. That said, I'm going to keep going back in time in the order I hit the states by combining each road trip into one post. A few might get mixed up (like GA, which I visited before this particular trip) but close enough. (more…)
Read More

State #48: Alaska

Circa 2006 For a while I flew Alaska Airlines and ended up with a bunch of miles I needed to use before they expired. For 40k miles I bought two tickets to AK and figured, why the fuck not. But when my original companion flaked on me, I was ready to write the miles off as a loss, until randomly, I thought of another friend who would have money and free time. The trip was spent on the Kanai peninsula, visiting Seward and Homer, going on whale watches and deep sea fishing, hiking up glaciers, eating salmon and otherwise figuring out how to fill 20 hours of daylight. [gallery=18]
Read More

State #49: Louisiana

Circa 2008 Louisiana was my second-to-last state visited, always just out of reach of my cross-country routes. But like Florida, and Texas, since ending up there once, I’ve been back plenty of times. I’ve taken multiple wakeskate trips to ride the buttery bayous and enjoy some serious southern hospitality. I also went on “vacation” to New Orleans last year, where I hung out on Bourbon St, photographed cemeteries, and found myself sobered by the amount of destruction still left from Hurricane Katrina three years later. Read the full blog about my New Orleans trip here [gallery=17]
Read More

State #50: Hawaii

Circa 2009 Last week I reached a life goal that I happen to be sort of proud of: I've officially made it to all 50 states. I don't count airports, I have to have actually spent time in the state, breathed the air, walked on the ground etc. Obviously making it to Hawaii and Alaska was the biggest challenge, as most of the states were hit on long-distance road trips. Technically I hit Alaska before Louisiana, but Hawaii was the final frontier. I was so excited I even debated getting a Hawaii #50 tattoo while there (don't worry mom, I didn't.) Over the next few weeks, months, however long it…
Read More

States #30-32: ND, MN and MI

Before I got bored with driving cross country, I managed to take just about every route possible, mostly to hit various skateparks for the above map. The first trip that took me through the states of MI, MN and ND in 2002 also involved Canada for a trip to the Millennium skatepark in Calgary, a passenger who learned to drive standard a few days before and had brought $17 total with him (but he had some Canadian money too!) It didn't, however, involve many photos (or it did and I just can't find them), so for this installment, you'll just have to enjoy my exciting tales about each state. Don't…
Read More

States #33-35: Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky

Circa 2002 I hit the I-70 stretch on a road trip from Bellingham to Vermont for summer vacation. I recruited Orion to make it an epic skate mission, and then Malcolm signed on because he needed a ride to Boston. This was during my artsy black and white phase, so you'll have to excuse these photos as they were scanned from a contact sheet as no one owns a film scanner anymore apparently. Kansas We skated a couple parks in Kansas on the way across I-70. I honestly don’t remember the names, but I do remember bonding with a boy from Kansas years later over the fact that I had…
Read More

State # 36: Arizona

Circa: 2004 I made it to AZ with skateboarding in mind. It was February, I had little to do with my life, and a friend living in Flagstaff. As it turns out, it’s freezing in Flag in February, but we did make it to Phoenix to skate some of the perfect concrete parks. I later hit Flagstaff in the summer, another notch on my list of random college towns that could be anywhere list. Please note: At this point in the story I was still shooting this weird stuff called film so photos are somewhat limited. Jeff, my host and fellow nerd. The have this Canyon there, it's somewhat grand.…
Read More

States #37 & #38: The Carolinas

circa 2005 State #37: North Carolina My time here was spent on the Outer Banks, a hurricane-ravaged strip of beach with tons of random mini ramps and bowls. We stayed in a 4-story rental house and skated Wanchese, as well as some other sand covered mini ramps as part of an SG trip. [gallery=24] State # 38: South Carolina I love South Carolina. I’m not talking about South of the Border, but real SC. I was somewhat over my hellacious trip for SG when we rolled into John’s Island, a small town outside of Charleston. This is the home of the legendary hanger bowl, which we skated as well as…
Read More

States #39-40: West Virginia and New Mexico

circa 2005 Yes, you are right, these two states are no where near each other. But I hit them both on the same road trip, so deal with it. State #39: West Virginia (NO PHOTO TAKEN) West Virginia is one state I sort of feel like I didn’t experience. I have only been there once, and only to the little skinny top part. I think we stopped for gas, just so I felt ok about checking it off the list, but no amazing moonshine stories or anything to share here. State # 40: New Mexico My cousin lives in NM, so when Sarah Morrison was moving back to California for…
Read More

State #41: Texas

Circa 2006 For a while I claimed I’d been to Texas when I’d really only been to the airport. But then I started having to go there for work and I’ve since been to Austin, San Antonio and Dallas. I don’t hate it as much as I think I should, as it is the home of Dubyah. In fact, I sort of like Texas, spare the weird frontage roads and the chiggers. [gallery=22]
Read More

States #42-47: OK, AR, AL, MS, GA, TN

Circa 2006 Doing fifty posts (one for each of the states) seems a bit excessive, and as I said, most of them were hit on long distance road trips. That said, I'm going to keep going back in time in the order I hit the states by combining each road trip into one post. A few might get mixed up (like GA, which I visited before this particular trip) but close enough. (more…)
Read More

State #48: Alaska

Circa 2006 For a while I flew Alaska Airlines and ended up with a bunch of miles I needed to use before they expired. For 40k miles I bought two tickets to AK and figured, why the fuck not. But when my original companion flaked on me, I was ready to write the miles off as a loss, until randomly, I thought of another friend who would have money and free time. The trip was spent on the Kanai peninsula, visiting Seward and Homer, going on whale watches and deep sea fishing, hiking up glaciers, eating salmon and otherwise figuring out how to fill 20 hours of daylight. [gallery=18]
Read More

State #49: Louisiana

Circa 2008 Louisiana was my second-to-last state visited, always just out of reach of my cross-country routes. But like Florida, and Texas, since ending up there once, I’ve been back plenty of times. I’ve taken multiple wakeskate trips to ride the buttery bayous and enjoy some serious southern hospitality. I also went on “vacation” to New Orleans last year, where I hung out on Bourbon St, photographed cemeteries, and found myself sobered by the amount of destruction still left from Hurricane Katrina three years later. Read the full blog about my New Orleans trip here [gallery=17]
Read More

State #50: Hawaii

Circa 2009 Last week I reached a life goal that I happen to be sort of proud of: I've officially made it to all 50 states. I don't count airports, I have to have actually spent time in the state, breathed the air, walked on the ground etc. Obviously making it to Hawaii and Alaska was the biggest challenge, as most of the states were hit on long-distance road trips. Technically I hit Alaska before Louisiana, but Hawaii was the final frontier. I was so excited I even debated getting a Hawaii #50 tattoo while there (don't worry mom, I didn't.) Over the next few weeks, months, however long it…
Read More

States #30-32: ND, MN and MI

Before I got bored with driving cross country, I managed to take just about every route possible, mostly to hit various skateparks for the above map. The first trip that took me through the states of MI, MN and ND in 2002 also involved Canada for a trip to the Millennium skatepark in Calgary, a passenger who learned to drive standard a few days before and had brought $17 total with him (but he had some Canadian money too!) It didn't, however, involve many photos (or it did and I just can't find them), so for this installment, you'll just have to enjoy my exciting tales about each state. Don't…
Read More

States #33-35: Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky

Circa 2002 I hit the I-70 stretch on a road trip from Bellingham to Vermont for summer vacation. I recruited Orion to make it an epic skate mission, and then Malcolm signed on because he needed a ride to Boston. This was during my artsy black and white phase, so you'll have to excuse these photos as they were scanned from a contact sheet as no one owns a film scanner anymore apparently. Kansas We skated a couple parks in Kansas on the way across I-70. I honestly don’t remember the names, but I do remember bonding with a boy from Kansas years later over the fact that I had…
Read More

State # 36: Arizona

Circa: 2004 I made it to AZ with skateboarding in mind. It was February, I had little to do with my life, and a friend living in Flagstaff. As it turns out, it’s freezing in Flag in February, but we did make it to Phoenix to skate some of the perfect concrete parks. I later hit Flagstaff in the summer, another notch on my list of random college towns that could be anywhere list. Please note: At this point in the story I was still shooting this weird stuff called film so photos are somewhat limited. Jeff, my host and fellow nerd. The have this Canyon there, it's somewhat grand.…
Read More

States #37 & #38: The Carolinas

circa 2005 State #37: North Carolina My time here was spent on the Outer Banks, a hurricane-ravaged strip of beach with tons of random mini ramps and bowls. We stayed in a 4-story rental house and skated Wanchese, as well as some other sand covered mini ramps as part of an SG trip. [gallery=24] State # 38: South Carolina I love South Carolina. I’m not talking about South of the Border, but real SC. I was somewhat over my hellacious trip for SG when we rolled into John’s Island, a small town outside of Charleston. This is the home of the legendary hanger bowl, which we skated as well as…
Read More

States #39-40: West Virginia and New Mexico

circa 2005 Yes, you are right, these two states are no where near each other. But I hit them both on the same road trip, so deal with it. State #39: West Virginia (NO PHOTO TAKEN) West Virginia is one state I sort of feel like I didn’t experience. I have only been there once, and only to the little skinny top part. I think we stopped for gas, just so I felt ok about checking it off the list, but no amazing moonshine stories or anything to share here. State # 40: New Mexico My cousin lives in NM, so when Sarah Morrison was moving back to California for…
Read More

State #41: Texas

Circa 2006 For a while I claimed I’d been to Texas when I’d really only been to the airport. But then I started having to go there for work and I’ve since been to Austin, San Antonio and Dallas. I don’t hate it as much as I think I should, as it is the home of Dubyah. In fact, I sort of like Texas, spare the weird frontage roads and the chiggers. [gallery=22]
Read More

States #42-47: OK, AR, AL, MS, GA, TN

Circa 2006 Doing fifty posts (one for each of the states) seems a bit excessive, and as I said, most of them were hit on long distance road trips. That said, I'm going to keep going back in time in the order I hit the states by combining each road trip into one post. A few might get mixed up (like GA, which I visited before this particular trip) but close enough. (more…)
Read More

State #48: Alaska

Circa 2006 For a while I flew Alaska Airlines and ended up with a bunch of miles I needed to use before they expired. For 40k miles I bought two tickets to AK and figured, why the fuck not. But when my original companion flaked on me, I was ready to write the miles off as a loss, until randomly, I thought of another friend who would have money and free time. The trip was spent on the Kanai peninsula, visiting Seward and Homer, going on whale watches and deep sea fishing, hiking up glaciers, eating salmon and otherwise figuring out how to fill 20 hours of daylight. [gallery=18]
Read More

State #49: Louisiana

Circa 2008 Louisiana was my second-to-last state visited, always just out of reach of my cross-country routes. But like Florida, and Texas, since ending up there once, I’ve been back plenty of times. I’ve taken multiple wakeskate trips to ride the buttery bayous and enjoy some serious southern hospitality. I also went on “vacation” to New Orleans last year, where I hung out on Bourbon St, photographed cemeteries, and found myself sobered by the amount of destruction still left from Hurricane Katrina three years later. Read the full blog about my New Orleans trip here [gallery=17]
Read More

State #50: Hawaii

Circa 2009 Last week I reached a life goal that I happen to be sort of proud of: I've officially made it to all 50 states. I don't count airports, I have to have actually spent time in the state, breathed the air, walked on the ground etc. Obviously making it to Hawaii and Alaska was the biggest challenge, as most of the states were hit on long-distance road trips. Technically I hit Alaska before Louisiana, but Hawaii was the final frontier. I was so excited I even debated getting a Hawaii #50 tattoo while there (don't worry mom, I didn't.) Over the next few weeks, months, however long it…
Read More

States #30-32: ND, MN and MI

Before I got bored with driving cross country, I managed to take just about every route possible, mostly to hit various skateparks for the above map. The first trip that took me through the states of MI, MN and ND in 2002 also involved Canada for a trip to the Millennium skatepark in Calgary, a passenger who learned to drive standard a few days before and had brought $17 total with him (but he had some Canadian money too!) It didn't, however, involve many photos (or it did and I just can't find them), so for this installment, you'll just have to enjoy my exciting tales about each state. Don't…
Read More

States #33-35: Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky

Circa 2002 I hit the I-70 stretch on a road trip from Bellingham to Vermont for summer vacation. I recruited Orion to make it an epic skate mission, and then Malcolm signed on because he needed a ride to Boston. This was during my artsy black and white phase, so you'll have to excuse these photos as they were scanned from a contact sheet as no one owns a film scanner anymore apparently. Kansas We skated a couple parks in Kansas on the way across I-70. I honestly don’t remember the names, but I do remember bonding with a boy from Kansas years later over the fact that I had…
Read More

State # 36: Arizona

Circa: 2004 I made it to AZ with skateboarding in mind. It was February, I had little to do with my life, and a friend living in Flagstaff. As it turns out, it’s freezing in Flag in February, but we did make it to Phoenix to skate some of the perfect concrete parks. I later hit Flagstaff in the summer, another notch on my list of random college towns that could be anywhere list. Please note: At this point in the story I was still shooting this weird stuff called film so photos are somewhat limited. Jeff, my host and fellow nerd. The have this Canyon there, it's somewhat grand.…
Read More

States #37 & #38: The Carolinas

circa 2005 State #37: North Carolina My time here was spent on the Outer Banks, a hurricane-ravaged strip of beach with tons of random mini ramps and bowls. We stayed in a 4-story rental house and skated Wanchese, as well as some other sand covered mini ramps as part of an SG trip. [gallery=24] State # 38: South Carolina I love South Carolina. I’m not talking about South of the Border, but real SC. I was somewhat over my hellacious trip for SG when we rolled into John’s Island, a small town outside of Charleston. This is the home of the legendary hanger bowl, which we skated as well as…
Read More

States #39-40: West Virginia and New Mexico

circa 2005 Yes, you are right, these two states are no where near each other. But I hit them both on the same road trip, so deal with it. State #39: West Virginia (NO PHOTO TAKEN) West Virginia is one state I sort of feel like I didn’t experience. I have only been there once, and only to the little skinny top part. I think we stopped for gas, just so I felt ok about checking it off the list, but no amazing moonshine stories or anything to share here. State # 40: New Mexico My cousin lives in NM, so when Sarah Morrison was moving back to California for…
Read More

State #41: Texas

Circa 2006 For a while I claimed I’d been to Texas when I’d really only been to the airport. But then I started having to go there for work and I’ve since been to Austin, San Antonio and Dallas. I don’t hate it as much as I think I should, as it is the home of Dubyah. In fact, I sort of like Texas, spare the weird frontage roads and the chiggers. [gallery=22]
Read More

States #42-47: OK, AR, AL, MS, GA, TN

Circa 2006 Doing fifty posts (one for each of the states) seems a bit excessive, and as I said, most of them were hit on long distance road trips. That said, I'm going to keep going back in time in the order I hit the states by combining each road trip into one post. A few might get mixed up (like GA, which I visited before this particular trip) but close enough. (more…)
Read More

State #48: Alaska

Circa 2006 For a while I flew Alaska Airlines and ended up with a bunch of miles I needed to use before they expired. For 40k miles I bought two tickets to AK and figured, why the fuck not. But when my original companion flaked on me, I was ready to write the miles off as a loss, until randomly, I thought of another friend who would have money and free time. The trip was spent on the Kanai peninsula, visiting Seward and Homer, going on whale watches and deep sea fishing, hiking up glaciers, eating salmon and otherwise figuring out how to fill 20 hours of daylight. [gallery=18]
Read More

State #49: Louisiana

Circa 2008 Louisiana was my second-to-last state visited, always just out of reach of my cross-country routes. But like Florida, and Texas, since ending up there once, I’ve been back plenty of times. I’ve taken multiple wakeskate trips to ride the buttery bayous and enjoy some serious southern hospitality. I also went on “vacation” to New Orleans last year, where I hung out on Bourbon St, photographed cemeteries, and found myself sobered by the amount of destruction still left from Hurricane Katrina three years later. Read the full blog about my New Orleans trip here [gallery=17]
Read More

State #50: Hawaii

Circa 2009 Last week I reached a life goal that I happen to be sort of proud of: I've officially made it to all 50 states. I don't count airports, I have to have actually spent time in the state, breathed the air, walked on the ground etc. Obviously making it to Hawaii and Alaska was the biggest challenge, as most of the states were hit on long-distance road trips. Technically I hit Alaska before Louisiana, but Hawaii was the final frontier. I was so excited I even debated getting a Hawaii #50 tattoo while there (don't worry mom, I didn't.) Over the next few weeks, months, however long it…
Read More

States #30-32: ND, MN and MI

Before I got bored with driving cross country, I managed to take just about every route possible, mostly to hit various skateparks for the above map. The first trip that took me through the states of MI, MN and ND in 2002 also involved Canada for a trip to the Millennium skatepark in Calgary, a passenger who learned to drive standard a few days before and had brought $17 total with him (but he had some Canadian money too!) It didn't, however, involve many photos (or it did and I just can't find them), so for this installment, you'll just have to enjoy my exciting tales about each state. Don't…
Read More

States #33-35: Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky

Circa 2002 I hit the I-70 stretch on a road trip from Bellingham to Vermont for summer vacation. I recruited Orion to make it an epic skate mission, and then Malcolm signed on because he needed a ride to Boston. This was during my artsy black and white phase, so you'll have to excuse these photos as they were scanned from a contact sheet as no one owns a film scanner anymore apparently. Kansas We skated a couple parks in Kansas on the way across I-70. I honestly don’t remember the names, but I do remember bonding with a boy from Kansas years later over the fact that I had…
Read More

State # 36: Arizona

Circa: 2004 I made it to AZ with skateboarding in mind. It was February, I had little to do with my life, and a friend living in Flagstaff. As it turns out, it’s freezing in Flag in February, but we did make it to Phoenix to skate some of the perfect concrete parks. I later hit Flagstaff in the summer, another notch on my list of random college towns that could be anywhere list. Please note: At this point in the story I was still shooting this weird stuff called film so photos are somewhat limited. Jeff, my host and fellow nerd. The have this Canyon there, it's somewhat grand.…
Read More

States #37 & #38: The Carolinas

circa 2005 State #37: North Carolina My time here was spent on the Outer Banks, a hurricane-ravaged strip of beach with tons of random mini ramps and bowls. We stayed in a 4-story rental house and skated Wanchese, as well as some other sand covered mini ramps as part of an SG trip. [gallery=24] State # 38: South Carolina I love South Carolina. I’m not talking about South of the Border, but real SC. I was somewhat over my hellacious trip for SG when we rolled into John’s Island, a small town outside of Charleston. This is the home of the legendary hanger bowl, which we skated as well as…
Read More

States #39-40: West Virginia and New Mexico

circa 2005 Yes, you are right, these two states are no where near each other. But I hit them both on the same road trip, so deal with it. State #39: West Virginia (NO PHOTO TAKEN) West Virginia is one state I sort of feel like I didn’t experience. I have only been there once, and only to the little skinny top part. I think we stopped for gas, just so I felt ok about checking it off the list, but no amazing moonshine stories or anything to share here. State # 40: New Mexico My cousin lives in NM, so when Sarah Morrison was moving back to California for…
Read More

State #41: Texas

Circa 2006 For a while I claimed I’d been to Texas when I’d really only been to the airport. But then I started having to go there for work and I’ve since been to Austin, San Antonio and Dallas. I don’t hate it as much as I think I should, as it is the home of Dubyah. In fact, I sort of like Texas, spare the weird frontage roads and the chiggers. [gallery=22]
Read More

States #42-47: OK, AR, AL, MS, GA, TN

Circa 2006 Doing fifty posts (one for each of the states) seems a bit excessive, and as I said, most of them were hit on long distance road trips. That said, I'm going to keep going back in time in the order I hit the states by combining each road trip into one post. A few might get mixed up (like GA, which I visited before this particular trip) but close enough. (more…)
Read More

State #48: Alaska

Circa 2006 For a while I flew Alaska Airlines and ended up with a bunch of miles I needed to use before they expired. For 40k miles I bought two tickets to AK and figured, why the fuck not. But when my original companion flaked on me, I was ready to write the miles off as a loss, until randomly, I thought of another friend who would have money and free time. The trip was spent on the Kanai peninsula, visiting Seward and Homer, going on whale watches and deep sea fishing, hiking up glaciers, eating salmon and otherwise figuring out how to fill 20 hours of daylight. [gallery=18]
Read More

State #49: Louisiana

Circa 2008 Louisiana was my second-to-last state visited, always just out of reach of my cross-country routes. But like Florida, and Texas, since ending up there once, I’ve been back plenty of times. I’ve taken multiple wakeskate trips to ride the buttery bayous and enjoy some serious southern hospitality. I also went on “vacation” to New Orleans last year, where I hung out on Bourbon St, photographed cemeteries, and found myself sobered by the amount of destruction still left from Hurricane Katrina three years later. Read the full blog about my New Orleans trip here [gallery=17]
Read More

State #50: Hawaii

Circa 2009 Last week I reached a life goal that I happen to be sort of proud of: I've officially made it to all 50 states. I don't count airports, I have to have actually spent time in the state, breathed the air, walked on the ground etc. Obviously making it to Hawaii and Alaska was the biggest challenge, as most of the states were hit on long-distance road trips. Technically I hit Alaska before Louisiana, but Hawaii was the final frontier. I was so excited I even debated getting a Hawaii #50 tattoo while there (don't worry mom, I didn't.) Over the next few weeks, months, however long it…
Read More

States #30-32: ND, MN and MI

Before I got bored with driving cross country, I managed to take just about every route possible, mostly to hit various skateparks for the above map. The first trip that took me through the states of MI, MN and ND in 2002 also involved Canada for a trip to the Millennium skatepark in Calgary, a passenger who learned to drive standard a few days before and had brought $17 total with him (but he had some Canadian money too!) It didn't, however, involve many photos (or it did and I just can't find them), so for this installment, you'll just have to enjoy my exciting tales about each state. Don't…
Read More

States #33-35: Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky

Circa 2002 I hit the I-70 stretch on a road trip from Bellingham to Vermont for summer vacation. I recruited Orion to make it an epic skate mission, and then Malcolm signed on because he needed a ride to Boston. This was during my artsy black and white phase, so you'll have to excuse these photos as they were scanned from a contact sheet as no one owns a film scanner anymore apparently. Kansas We skated a couple parks in Kansas on the way across I-70. I honestly don’t remember the names, but I do remember bonding with a boy from Kansas years later over the fact that I had…
Read More

State # 36: Arizona

Circa: 2004 I made it to AZ with skateboarding in mind. It was February, I had little to do with my life, and a friend living in Flagstaff. As it turns out, it’s freezing in Flag in February, but we did make it to Phoenix to skate some of the perfect concrete parks. I later hit Flagstaff in the summer, another notch on my list of random college towns that could be anywhere list. Please note: At this point in the story I was still shooting this weird stuff called film so photos are somewhat limited. Jeff, my host and fellow nerd. The have this Canyon there, it's somewhat grand.…
Read More

States #37 & #38: The Carolinas

circa 2005 State #37: North Carolina My time here was spent on the Outer Banks, a hurricane-ravaged strip of beach with tons of random mini ramps and bowls. We stayed in a 4-story rental house and skated Wanchese, as well as some other sand covered mini ramps as part of an SG trip. [gallery=24] State # 38: South Carolina I love South Carolina. I’m not talking about South of the Border, but real SC. I was somewhat over my hellacious trip for SG when we rolled into John’s Island, a small town outside of Charleston. This is the home of the legendary hanger bowl, which we skated as well as…
Read More

States #39-40: West Virginia and New Mexico

circa 2005 Yes, you are right, these two states are no where near each other. But I hit them both on the same road trip, so deal with it. State #39: West Virginia (NO PHOTO TAKEN) West Virginia is one state I sort of feel like I didn’t experience. I have only been there once, and only to the little skinny top part. I think we stopped for gas, just so I felt ok about checking it off the list, but no amazing moonshine stories or anything to share here. State # 40: New Mexico My cousin lives in NM, so when Sarah Morrison was moving back to California for…
Read More

State #41: Texas

Circa 2006 For a while I claimed I’d been to Texas when I’d really only been to the airport. But then I started having to go there for work and I’ve since been to Austin, San Antonio and Dallas. I don’t hate it as much as I think I should, as it is the home of Dubyah. In fact, I sort of like Texas, spare the weird frontage roads and the chiggers. [gallery=22]
Read More

States #42-47: OK, AR, AL, MS, GA, TN

Circa 2006 Doing fifty posts (one for each of the states) seems a bit excessive, and as I said, most of them were hit on long distance road trips. That said, I'm going to keep going back in time in the order I hit the states by combining each road trip into one post. A few might get mixed up (like GA, which I visited before this particular trip) but close enough. (more…)
Read More

State #48: Alaska

Circa 2006 For a while I flew Alaska Airlines and ended up with a bunch of miles I needed to use before they expired. For 40k miles I bought two tickets to AK and figured, why the fuck not. But when my original companion flaked on me, I was ready to write the miles off as a loss, until randomly, I thought of another friend who would have money and free time. The trip was spent on the Kanai peninsula, visiting Seward and Homer, going on whale watches and deep sea fishing, hiking up glaciers, eating salmon and otherwise figuring out how to fill 20 hours of daylight. [gallery=18]
Read More

State #49: Louisiana

Circa 2008 Louisiana was my second-to-last state visited, always just out of reach of my cross-country routes. But like Florida, and Texas, since ending up there once, I’ve been back plenty of times. I’ve taken multiple wakeskate trips to ride the buttery bayous and enjoy some serious southern hospitality. I also went on “vacation” to New Orleans last year, where I hung out on Bourbon St, photographed cemeteries, and found myself sobered by the amount of destruction still left from Hurricane Katrina three years later. Read the full blog about my New Orleans trip here [gallery=17]
Read More

State #50: Hawaii

Circa 2009 Last week I reached a life goal that I happen to be sort of proud of: I've officially made it to all 50 states. I don't count airports, I have to have actually spent time in the state, breathed the air, walked on the ground etc. Obviously making it to Hawaii and Alaska was the biggest challenge, as most of the states were hit on long-distance road trips. Technically I hit Alaska before Louisiana, but Hawaii was the final frontier. I was so excited I even debated getting a Hawaii #50 tattoo while there (don't worry mom, I didn't.) Over the next few weeks, months, however long it…
Read More

States #30-32: ND, MN and MI

Before I got bored with driving cross country, I managed to take just about every route possible, mostly to hit various skateparks for the above map. The first trip that took me through the states of MI, MN and ND in 2002 also involved Canada for a trip to the Millennium skatepark in Calgary, a passenger who learned to drive standard a few days before and had brought $17 total with him (but he had some Canadian money too!) It didn't, however, involve many photos (or it did and I just can't find them), so for this installment, you'll just have to enjoy my exciting tales about each state. Don't…
Read More

States #33-35: Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky

Circa 2002 I hit the I-70 stretch on a road trip from Bellingham to Vermont for summer vacation. I recruited Orion to make it an epic skate mission, and then Malcolm signed on because he needed a ride to Boston. This was during my artsy black and white phase, so you'll have to excuse these photos as they were scanned from a contact sheet as no one owns a film scanner anymore apparently. Kansas We skated a couple parks in Kansas on the way across I-70. I honestly don’t remember the names, but I do remember bonding with a boy from Kansas years later over the fact that I had…
Read More

State # 36: Arizona

Circa: 2004 I made it to AZ with skateboarding in mind. It was February, I had little to do with my life, and a friend living in Flagstaff. As it turns out, it’s freezing in Flag in February, but we did make it to Phoenix to skate some of the perfect concrete parks. I later hit Flagstaff in the summer, another notch on my list of random college towns that could be anywhere list. Please note: At this point in the story I was still shooting this weird stuff called film so photos are somewhat limited. Jeff, my host and fellow nerd. The have this Canyon there, it's somewhat grand.…
Read More

States #37 & #38: The Carolinas

circa 2005 State #37: North Carolina My time here was spent on the Outer Banks, a hurricane-ravaged strip of beach with tons of random mini ramps and bowls. We stayed in a 4-story rental house and skated Wanchese, as well as some other sand covered mini ramps as part of an SG trip. [gallery=24] State # 38: South Carolina I love South Carolina. I’m not talking about South of the Border, but real SC. I was somewhat over my hellacious trip for SG when we rolled into John’s Island, a small town outside of Charleston. This is the home of the legendary hanger bowl, which we skated as well as…
Read More

States #39-40: West Virginia and New Mexico

circa 2005 Yes, you are right, these two states are no where near each other. But I hit them both on the same road trip, so deal with it. State #39: West Virginia (NO PHOTO TAKEN) West Virginia is one state I sort of feel like I didn’t experience. I have only been there once, and only to the little skinny top part. I think we stopped for gas, just so I felt ok about checking it off the list, but no amazing moonshine stories or anything to share here. State # 40: New Mexico My cousin lives in NM, so when Sarah Morrison was moving back to California for…
Read More

State #41: Texas

Circa 2006 For a while I claimed I’d been to Texas when I’d really only been to the airport. But then I started having to go there for work and I’ve since been to Austin, San Antonio and Dallas. I don’t hate it as much as I think I should, as it is the home of Dubyah. In fact, I sort of like Texas, spare the weird frontage roads and the chiggers. [gallery=22]
Read More

States #42-47: OK, AR, AL, MS, GA, TN

Circa 2006 Doing fifty posts (one for each of the states) seems a bit excessive, and as I said, most of them were hit on long distance road trips. That said, I'm going to keep going back in time in the order I hit the states by combining each road trip into one post. A few might get mixed up (like GA, which I visited before this particular trip) but close enough. (more…)
Read More

State #48: Alaska

Circa 2006 For a while I flew Alaska Airlines and ended up with a bunch of miles I needed to use before they expired. For 40k miles I bought two tickets to AK and figured, why the fuck not. But when my original companion flaked on me, I was ready to write the miles off as a loss, until randomly, I thought of another friend who would have money and free time. The trip was spent on the Kanai peninsula, visiting Seward and Homer, going on whale watches and deep sea fishing, hiking up glaciers, eating salmon and otherwise figuring out how to fill 20 hours of daylight. [gallery=18]
Read More

State #49: Louisiana

Circa 2008 Louisiana was my second-to-last state visited, always just out of reach of my cross-country routes. But like Florida, and Texas, since ending up there once, I’ve been back plenty of times. I’ve taken multiple wakeskate trips to ride the buttery bayous and enjoy some serious southern hospitality. I also went on “vacation” to New Orleans last year, where I hung out on Bourbon St, photographed cemeteries, and found myself sobered by the amount of destruction still left from Hurricane Katrina three years later. Read the full blog about my New Orleans trip here [gallery=17]
Read More

State #50: Hawaii

Circa 2009 Last week I reached a life goal that I happen to be sort of proud of: I've officially made it to all 50 states. I don't count airports, I have to have actually spent time in the state, breathed the air, walked on the ground etc. Obviously making it to Hawaii and Alaska was the biggest challenge, as most of the states were hit on long-distance road trips. Technically I hit Alaska before Louisiana, but Hawaii was the final frontier. I was so excited I even debated getting a Hawaii #50 tattoo while there (don't worry mom, I didn't.) Over the next few weeks, months, however long it…
Read More

States #30-32: ND, MN and MI

Before I got bored with driving cross country, I managed to take just about every route possible, mostly to hit various skateparks for the above map. The first trip that took me through the states of MI, MN and ND in 2002 also involved Canada for a trip to the Millennium skatepark in Calgary, a passenger who learned to drive standard a few days before and had brought $17 total with him (but he had some Canadian money too!) It didn't, however, involve many photos (or it did and I just can't find them), so for this installment, you'll just have to enjoy my exciting tales about each state. Don't…
Read More

States #33-35: Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky

Circa 2002 I hit the I-70 stretch on a road trip from Bellingham to Vermont for summer vacation. I recruited Orion to make it an epic skate mission, and then Malcolm signed on because he needed a ride to Boston. This was during my artsy black and white phase, so you'll have to excuse these photos as they were scanned from a contact sheet as no one owns a film scanner anymore apparently. Kansas We skated a couple parks in Kansas on the way across I-70. I honestly don’t remember the names, but I do remember bonding with a boy from Kansas years later over the fact that I had…
Read More

State # 36: Arizona

Circa: 2004 I made it to AZ with skateboarding in mind. It was February, I had little to do with my life, and a friend living in Flagstaff. As it turns out, it’s freezing in Flag in February, but we did make it to Phoenix to skate some of the perfect concrete parks. I later hit Flagstaff in the summer, another notch on my list of random college towns that could be anywhere list. Please note: At this point in the story I was still shooting this weird stuff called film so photos are somewhat limited. Jeff, my host and fellow nerd. The have this Canyon there, it's somewhat grand.…
Read More

States #37 & #38: The Carolinas

circa 2005 State #37: North Carolina My time here was spent on the Outer Banks, a hurricane-ravaged strip of beach with tons of random mini ramps and bowls. We stayed in a 4-story rental house and skated Wanchese, as well as some other sand covered mini ramps as part of an SG trip. [gallery=24] State # 38: South Carolina I love South Carolina. I’m not talking about South of the Border, but real SC. I was somewhat over my hellacious trip for SG when we rolled into John’s Island, a small town outside of Charleston. This is the home of the legendary hanger bowl, which we skated as well as…
Read More

States #39-40: West Virginia and New Mexico

circa 2005 Yes, you are right, these two states are no where near each other. But I hit them both on the same road trip, so deal with it. State #39: West Virginia (NO PHOTO TAKEN) West Virginia is one state I sort of feel like I didn’t experience. I have only been there once, and only to the little skinny top part. I think we stopped for gas, just so I felt ok about checking it off the list, but no amazing moonshine stories or anything to share here. State # 40: New Mexico My cousin lives in NM, so when Sarah Morrison was moving back to California for…
Read More

State #41: Texas

Circa 2006 For a while I claimed I’d been to Texas when I’d really only been to the airport. But then I started having to go there for work and I’ve since been to Austin, San Antonio and Dallas. I don’t hate it as much as I think I should, as it is the home of Dubyah. In fact, I sort of like Texas, spare the weird frontage roads and the chiggers. [gallery=22]
Read More

States #42-47: OK, AR, AL, MS, GA, TN

Circa 2006 Doing fifty posts (one for each of the states) seems a bit excessive, and as I said, most of them were hit on long distance road trips. That said, I'm going to keep going back in time in the order I hit the states by combining each road trip into one post. A few might get mixed up (like GA, which I visited before this particular trip) but close enough. (more…)
Read More

State #48: Alaska

Circa 2006 For a while I flew Alaska Airlines and ended up with a bunch of miles I needed to use before they expired. For 40k miles I bought two tickets to AK and figured, why the fuck not. But when my original companion flaked on me, I was ready to write the miles off as a loss, until randomly, I thought of another friend who would have money and free time. The trip was spent on the Kanai peninsula, visiting Seward and Homer, going on whale watches and deep sea fishing, hiking up glaciers, eating salmon and otherwise figuring out how to fill 20 hours of daylight. [gallery=18]
Read More

State #49: Louisiana

Circa 2008 Louisiana was my second-to-last state visited, always just out of reach of my cross-country routes. But like Florida, and Texas, since ending up there once, I’ve been back plenty of times. I’ve taken multiple wakeskate trips to ride the buttery bayous and enjoy some serious southern hospitality. I also went on “vacation” to New Orleans last year, where I hung out on Bourbon St, photographed cemeteries, and found myself sobered by the amount of destruction still left from Hurricane Katrina three years later. Read the full blog about my New Orleans trip here [gallery=17]
Read More

State #50: Hawaii

Circa 2009 Last week I reached a life goal that I happen to be sort of proud of: I've officially made it to all 50 states. I don't count airports, I have to have actually spent time in the state, breathed the air, walked on the ground etc. Obviously making it to Hawaii and Alaska was the biggest challenge, as most of the states were hit on long-distance road trips. Technically I hit Alaska before Louisiana, but Hawaii was the final frontier. I was so excited I even debated getting a Hawaii #50 tattoo while there (don't worry mom, I didn't.) Over the next few weeks, months, however long it…
Read More

States #30-32: ND, MN and MI

Before I got bored with driving cross country, I managed to take just about every route possible, mostly to hit various skateparks for the above map. The first trip that took me through the states of MI, MN and ND in 2002 also involved Canada for a trip to the Millennium skatepark in Calgary, a passenger who learned to drive standard a few days before and had brought $17 total with him (but he had some Canadian money too!) It didn't, however, involve many photos (or it did and I just can't find them), so for this installment, you'll just have to enjoy my exciting tales about each state. Don't…
Read More

States #33-35: Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky

Circa 2002 I hit the I-70 stretch on a road trip from Bellingham to Vermont for summer vacation. I recruited Orion to make it an epic skate mission, and then Malcolm signed on because he needed a ride to Boston. This was during my artsy black and white phase, so you'll have to excuse these photos as they were scanned from a contact sheet as no one owns a film scanner anymore apparently. Kansas We skated a couple parks in Kansas on the way across I-70. I honestly don’t remember the names, but I do remember bonding with a boy from Kansas years later over the fact that I had…
Read More

State # 36: Arizona

Circa: 2004 I made it to AZ with skateboarding in mind. It was February, I had little to do with my life, and a friend living in Flagstaff. As it turns out, it’s freezing in Flag in February, but we did make it to Phoenix to skate some of the perfect concrete parks. I later hit Flagstaff in the summer, another notch on my list of random college towns that could be anywhere list. Please note: At this point in the story I was still shooting this weird stuff called film so photos are somewhat limited. Jeff, my host and fellow nerd. The have this Canyon there, it's somewhat grand.…
Read More

States #37 & #38: The Carolinas

circa 2005 State #37: North Carolina My time here was spent on the Outer Banks, a hurricane-ravaged strip of beach with tons of random mini ramps and bowls. We stayed in a 4-story rental house and skated Wanchese, as well as some other sand covered mini ramps as part of an SG trip. [gallery=24] State # 38: South Carolina I love South Carolina. I’m not talking about South of the Border, but real SC. I was somewhat over my hellacious trip for SG when we rolled into John’s Island, a small town outside of Charleston. This is the home of the legendary hanger bowl, which we skated as well as…
Read More

States #39-40: West Virginia and New Mexico

circa 2005 Yes, you are right, these two states are no where near each other. But I hit them both on the same road trip, so deal with it. State #39: West Virginia (NO PHOTO TAKEN) West Virginia is one state I sort of feel like I didn’t experience. I have only been there once, and only to the little skinny top part. I think we stopped for gas, just so I felt ok about checking it off the list, but no amazing moonshine stories or anything to share here. State # 40: New Mexico My cousin lives in NM, so when Sarah Morrison was moving back to California for…
Read More

State #41: Texas

Circa 2006 For a while I claimed I’d been to Texas when I’d really only been to the airport. But then I started having to go there for work and I’ve since been to Austin, San Antonio and Dallas. I don’t hate it as much as I think I should, as it is the home of Dubyah. In fact, I sort of like Texas, spare the weird frontage roads and the chiggers. [gallery=22]
Read More

States #42-47: OK, AR, AL, MS, GA, TN

Circa 2006 Doing fifty posts (one for each of the states) seems a bit excessive, and as I said, most of them were hit on long distance road trips. That said, I'm going to keep going back in time in the order I hit the states by combining each road trip into one post. A few might get mixed up (like GA, which I visited before this particular trip) but close enough. (more…)
Read More

State #48: Alaska

Circa 2006 For a while I flew Alaska Airlines and ended up with a bunch of miles I needed to use before they expired. For 40k miles I bought two tickets to AK and figured, why the fuck not. But when my original companion flaked on me, I was ready to write the miles off as a loss, until randomly, I thought of another friend who would have money and free time. The trip was spent on the Kanai peninsula, visiting Seward and Homer, going on whale watches and deep sea fishing, hiking up glaciers, eating salmon and otherwise figuring out how to fill 20 hours of daylight. [gallery=18]
Read More

State #49: Louisiana

Circa 2008 Louisiana was my second-to-last state visited, always just out of reach of my cross-country routes. But like Florida, and Texas, since ending up there once, I’ve been back plenty of times. I’ve taken multiple wakeskate trips to ride the buttery bayous and enjoy some serious southern hospitality. I also went on “vacation” to New Orleans last year, where I hung out on Bourbon St, photographed cemeteries, and found myself sobered by the amount of destruction still left from Hurricane Katrina three years later. Read the full blog about my New Orleans trip here [gallery=17]
Read More

State #50: Hawaii

Circa 2009 Last week I reached a life goal that I happen to be sort of proud of: I've officially made it to all 50 states. I don't count airports, I have to have actually spent time in the state, breathed the air, walked on the ground etc. Obviously making it to Hawaii and Alaska was the biggest challenge, as most of the states were hit on long-distance road trips. Technically I hit Alaska before Louisiana, but Hawaii was the final frontier. I was so excited I even debated getting a Hawaii #50 tattoo while there (don't worry mom, I didn't.) Over the next few weeks, months, however long it…
Read More