DAY 3.
WOW! Couldn't have asked for a better sleep. Its late in the morning at
9:30 when Guff gives me the oi,oi,oi ! Rise and shine. We make our way out for
the day. Today we visit one of the first shops for the trip. We clean up and
head for the shops. Breaky of champions this morning, full health kick.
Wheatgrass shot with a carrot, mango, ginger and apple smoothie. Buy mondo
amounts of grilling goods for the groms.
Hit up the skatepark just down from the shop. South Jordan is on our itinerary
and none of us know what it’s like. One thing we can assume is, if Pat has labelled
it as part of the trip, you can guarantee that it’s got a nice bowl where we
can jam some nice lines! We were right on our assumptions. It’s a rad little
park done right. Neat and clean. It’s got a great bowl on one end, with three
sections. A10ft, 8ft, 6ft peanut style and beside that was a cool little street
section with flat banks, rails and step ups. We jam here and get some goods for
an hour before we bounce to the shop.
Salty Peaks is just one of the local shops supplying the groms here with
all they're skate gear but it’s the only one stocking LY products. They had a
great range of gear, and the ceiling was full of old school stuff pre 80's!
Great museum. The crew was around 40 people and they were out the front lurkin
in the carpark waiting for our arrival. It was great to see all the smiles and
pure stoke on some of the kids’ faces when we rolled up! Now this is what I
love about doing this stuff!!
We rally and have a grill out the back and throw down some comps of
different prizes. It seems that these kids like to hippy jump and slide, so
that was the order of the afternoon. After a feed and a winner in the hippy and
high jumps, the masses are getting rowdy and want to start doing slides in the
carpark?
I suggested we go to a local hill. Straight up, they threw out all the
rad spots and we were on the way to a killer session up in the foothills! Spent
the next few hours jamming and offering advice to the younger crew who weren't
quite at that standard. Got the posters out and gave the groms some autographs
for their walls and stoke collections. Just in time too as it started to rain. It’s
epic to see that so many different styles and levels came out to hang with us.
From what I heard, a lot of them traveled some distance just to be there! Epic!
Thanks Salt Lake City!
The van decided that it was best to bail Salt Lake and head North to
twin peaks. As it was we'd be driving for the next 3 hours and getting there
around dark. On the way we fill up gas, literally in the middle of nowhere, at
a gas station, lurked a Donkey and an Alpaca out the front. Random! Just out
from twin Peaks was the Hanson Bridge where it crossed the Snake River. There’s
a rad story behind this place. In brief, a mondo flood from back in the day,
400ft tall wall of water rushed down here as a dam wall failed at Lake
Bonneville, and emptied to the sea. Get on the net to check out more on this
one!!
Rolled into town just as it was getting dark and pulled straight into
the local park. The boys waste no time. All are out jamming lines and mixing it
with the local crew. Its soooo flowy. You can just roll round this thing for
days! The pavements perfect. It’s got a small little roll in bowl at one end, a
flat bank section in the middle and a 6ft section with coping in the other end!
Had a chat to a few of the loc's on where to eat and we bounced in search for
food. It was to Mexican, 24 hrs styles. And wat a feed. Yes! Good, cheap, no
frills food!
DAY 4.
Slept under the stars for the second night in 4 days of trekking. That’s
livin. As we always make the most out of our days, by the time we look for a
place to lay, its late, its dark and sometimes it’s just a case of
"this'll do"! That’s the case last night. Midnight and we pull into
some dirt track beside Shoshone Falls and set up. It’s a beautiful morning,
layin there as the birds are chirping, then it’s the typical symphony of
snoring and farts! Boys will be boys.
We bounce towards the falls and hit the access road that leads down to
the falls. It’s starting to rain. We get one run in and the big drops and the presence
of the local sheriff made us think that maybe we should do the tourist thing
for a while. Hit up the falls and get the shots we need and the local ranger
came and had a chat to us and told us of a few rad roads and swimming holes
nearby. Listen we did, to ranger Gary!
The next few hours was so epic. What we sampled was absolutely amazing.
Like no other. This piece of gold had never been sampled by skaters in the area
before and I know why. Its steep, its narrow, its gnarly! It’s in Idaho?
Amazing, Epic, off the rails are a few ways to describe what we had dived head
first into. The weather was still not on our side with shoals of heavy rain
passing over. Boys scattered for the caves on the side of the tight narrow
road. Gary had told us that if we weren't happy with the weather in Idaho, wait
20 minutes and we'll have the weather we want. He wasn't wrong. He's right on
the money. 20 minutes pass and we are sk8in one of the gnarliest roads I've
come across in the wet! Epic!
Guff got some inside info from ol mate Ranger Gary about a secret water
hole in the back end of the park. We trekked through some serious terrain and
boom, we turned up at paradise. The hole was green/blue and had all sorts of
rock jumps. Great way to cool down! From there we went and pressed penny's and
got snow cones and hit the road north for Bruneau Dunes State Park, home of
mondo sand dunes.
It’s hot again, 96F and we are in the middle of a bloody desert. What
are we doing on sand dunes? Tell ya what, we gonna board em. Such and epic hook
up with camping. Really getting looked after with this camp spot. Right at the
base of the dunes so not too far to travel. After a setup of our taj-ma-tent,
we hit the dunes for some late afternoon lines! Can’t say enough for
Idaho. It’s really thrown down the goods. Can't wait for our session on the
goods tomorrow morning!!!!!
DAY 5.
Sort of a restless sleep. We had some visitors in the form of Coyotes
and Racoons that went through all our trash and a loaf of bread. Not so bad as
the trash was just empty tinny's. It’s an epic morning with the sun just
lurking and having a sleep in himself, hiding behind a few clouds on the
horizon.
And so we head up to the Big Dune. It’s a massive dune standing at
500ft. The sand is somewhat coarse so walking around the lake at the bottom is
a little rough on the feet. As we begin to climb the dune, the sand is a whole
lot finer and packed real loose. I’ve never been on dunes this big. The views
amazing. From half way, we're twice as high as the dune we hiked the afternoon
before. This is one climb. Feels like an endless ladder. As we get to the top,
words cannot explain the view. It’s truly an experience that takes your breath
away. We session the backside of the Big Dune and hit the area in the middle
called the Vortex. A few hours later, still stoked but tired of hiking up this
mondo dune we decide to bail. Before we leave the front side, the boys get down
and jam some airs off this little tuff of grass. Yeah lads. Kyle throws some
big air and grabs and Steve hits some backside stuff. Yew.
Arrive in Boise, Idaho just after lunch and hook up with the shop owner
of Newt and Harolds, Lori. She's introduced us to a couple of her local lads
that are gonna be showing us down the Boise River today. That’s right, we're going
tubing! It’s a great day for it. Blue bird skies and bloody hot! Lori
throws down and pays for all the lads to get their own tube. Massive props and
many thank you's go out to this incredibly accommodating women! After 3 hours
of absolute bliss and total relaxation, we end up at the end of the run. What a
great way to spend a few hours.
Hit the shop. Newt and Harolds in the afternoon for a signing and a BBQ.
It’s an epic little scene. The crew that have turned out are so stoked. I’ve
said it before, I’ll say it again. I love seeing the stoke on all these kids
faces. This is what I live for! It really makes u feel good ya know. Crew
are hitting us up for free gear, tips, stories, pretty much anything the little
sponges can get out of us all! It’s a tasty BBQ thrown down and after a feast
we look at hitting the hills.
Late afternoon session thrown down at the top of some pimp residential
estate. Its right up in the hills and there’s plenty of nature. Deer and
Coyotes greeted us at the bottom of the hill. The session was epic. Crew again
were sponging on us for gear and tips, the boys be thrown down this afternoon.
For a simple little session, there’s is uber amounts of stoke spewin on the
pavement. I take some time to give a little one on one with a few of the newbs!
After a few hours of shredding, myself and DaveR throw some of the younger crew
that had been determined all afternoon, a set of wheels each. Stoked! What
a session!
Ok, so again, Lori has thrown down. We are staying at her house tonight.
Turns out she's got a granny flat out back of her home and we are able to sleep
and shower and use the net! What a way to finish and absolutely amazing day.
Idaho. More than just potatoes!
DAY 6.
Had and absolutely amazing sleep last night, even if I was sharing a bed
with Guff. Lori totally hooked us up. Great person to let us into her home and
let us stay for as long as we want. We make our way into town to get some eats
and to buy Lori a bottle of wine to show our appreciation. Before we left town
for the last time, we stopped in again at Newt and Harolds and dropped Lori off
her bottle of wine. She was stoked!
We got a heap of driving to do today and we also have a lot of skating
to do as well. The drive takes us through Hells Gorge and the road seems to
wind along the Payette River for hours. Such a beautiful river, full and
rushing. For as long as we were driving beside it, It was full of white water
and there where around 3 or 4 big rafting camps set up at various spots along
it.
We get to the top of the mountains at 5200ft and there’s a nice little town
called MacCall home of Harshmen skatepark. It’s pretty much got it all. A few
bowls, one of which was brand new, a crail, and a few flat banks and box's for
the street dudes. Jamming here for a few hours got rowdy with all the lads throwing
down. Kyles a little bummed, his shoulders not feeling the best. It’s hot and
we got a long way to go, so we head to the lake to freshen up before hitting
the road again.
Again we cruise along the Payette River, deep in the Payette National
Park. Nice to get off the typical HWY of 4 lanes and straights. We are on our
way to a new hill that Pats marked on the itinerary and boom, we come across a
road that has mondo hairpins and drops who knows how many miles down into the
valley. We get on the GPS and quickly figure out how to get to this unchartered
gem. It was epic. As much fun as u can have on 4 wheels with ya buddies. I mean
it’s an unknown/unchartered road, winding down the valley by a series of
switchbacks and sweeping turns, there’s cattle grids and the pavements not that
great but hey, we’re doing this cause we love it and to session with ya buddies
that stoke the same means uber frothable moments. We tag the shit outta the Old
95 and hit the road for the next hill.
Next on the agenda is another 2 hour drive, this one, the suns very
close to setting and all we can see is corner after corner of banked goodness.
Jacob needs to piss bad and I aint stopping till we get to the top to make the
most of this sunset goodness. We are blown away by the shape of this gem. G
we've found some epic stuff on this trip! This is just the icing on the cake
for the day. We all get our shit on and hit the road. Guff drives the Bear van
and we all get super rowdy passing and pushing each other down the road. Turns
out it’s a 10 minute run and we didn't even start at the top. This has been the
best way to finish a rad day. Dudes be stoked! High 5's get thrown.
Drive outta Idaho and into Washington State to Spokane to grab Pat
Schep. He's the last to join the tour. He's been holding the fort down in
Compton at the LY factory. It’s gonna be good to get into some of the local
goodness with this hell man here in Spokane tomorrow.
