Road Trip B.C. Canada
OOOOoooohhhh Canada (or Exporting American chunks to Canadian soil.)
Well it all started with a bunch of scatterbrained Seattle skate punks who needed a break from the Seattle-Bellevue monotony! The line-up was fluctuating like the Seahawks quarterback position and until the very last was still up in the air. The few who threw their hat in the ring were hearty indeed! Sleestak extraordinaire Bobcat was at the helm. He is despised by everybody so I knew the trip would at least be somewhat gravy. Then, seated next to the captain, was first mate Ben ” the Hesh” Butler . 2 great ones already, the line-up continues. ( The customs agents knew we’d be in the line-up , but that comes later…) Then we have the lean and clean Fisticuffs Fiscus. None were used on this trip as far as I know. So , including myself we have no plan of action yet and we’re still in Seattle @ 12 noon on a cloudy Sat. We finally had enough of this uncertainty and decided to leave the Birdman ( Parrot ) in the King county cage. So we’re heshing up I5 and we can’t wait until we get to the $1.00 a gallon gas, Disneyland money, and cheesy Canadian customs. No trip to Canada should be without a stop at the Largest Grocery Stores in Washington to try to pick up an American Sandwich, which has some flavor, and some brewski’s.
So with gas , food , beer, and a tiny Honda that burns a ton of oil and has expired tabs we head into Canada , easily clearing customs and we’re on our way to the promised land! Only 500 feet across the boarder it begins to drizzle. So we scrap the idea of heading to Whiterock first and travel up through the country ( this is the beginning of where I got lost) and don’t see much for quite awhile. Some Flea market Bobcat has pegged for finding cool HESH shit is no longer there. Over some big as fuck bridges and a million turns into a warehouse district then we end up at a Y.M.C.A. looking place called Club Aviva. It’s pooring rain so at least we made the right decision. Step out of the car into a virtual river of water as the rain has been heavy for the last half hour. I look into the window and see a bunch of younger girls doing gymnastics with Newman from Seinfeld getting a grasp of all the young flesh he can while teaching the girls how to do summersaults and balance beam routines. Whoever thought of putting little girls and gnarly skaterz in the same building needs their head examined.
So we scam our way in for supercheap rates and take a look around this high ceiling warehouse. First impression isn’t too bad. A few rippers are blasting this quarter pipe to wall ride set back ramp from a vert quarter pipe on the other side of the room. Too bad there is a crusty pyramid in the middle which almost makes me slam every time I ride over it back and forth across the street course. There is also a mini that is only 16 feet wide with 12 feet of one side going straight up to vert with no lip. In essence that ramp is as boring as they get. But after hitting up the car for a couple beers then bringing in some St. Ides punch the mini gets a fine session on the over vert wall. The place is noisy as all hell in the first place but while we were there they were putting on metal grind ledges on all the street course which was noisy and very dusty. The car was home! Bobcat rode with an old demons intensity for at least a minute. Ben Butler wally-ed the high box on the pyramid a few times, Fiscus sat most the time, and I watched everyone else rip the place up. Sabin was also in the neighborhood for the entire weekend so we hooked up with him at several locals. A few pictures of the local pro’s and rippers and a few more beers then we were outta there. (This is where I really start to get lost) Headed for Vancouver in the back of the Honda. We go to and Ben & I get right into the bar to get some drink. There is a long line so we want to figure something else out but to no luck. We go back outside to see what’s taking so long and Bobcat has disappeared to get some Canadian currency. Sahben & Fiscus are hanging at the car for Cat . OK then, back to the bar, through the line to a nice cold Canadian Beer. Bobcat gets a seat on the eating only side of the joint so we pound the beer and get some grub and beer on that side of the picket fence ( In the same place mind you!). After eating we consider heading to the Ivanhoe, the crews favorite Canadian watering hole, or the Nashville Pussy show which we all missed in Seattle a couple days before. Nashville Pussy wins out so we jet outta the food joint. At the end of the building we notice the music posters are all over the wall of the building. Next thing you see is a wall of posters a couple inches thick getting ripped to shreds in hopes of finding some old classics. I have a 5 ft. piece in my hand still attached to the wall and look over my shoulder to see that a growing crowd down the street has begun watching us. Time to go!
Photo’s are my new M.G.D. style!
Back in the Honda I felt like a champ. Wendy’s for breakfast didn’t settle to well. The New West skatepark was a thing to behold! Except for deep puddles in every bowl. We skated anyways. Ben is still on his wally fix, Sahben shows up to do some BMX’n, the Cat throws up some footplants, I take on a new way to get a bath. ( By now I’m delirious, covered with water, dirt, blood and a couple puke nuggets from last night, I can only laugh!) Just as I’m gettin some of the park dialed and some of my clothes dry, everyone wants to leave. We head to a store around the corner to stock up on some vittles, drugs, chocolates for our ladies back home, and crack some more beer. Beer at that point sucked and I abstained. On to Surrey….( The city of Parks)
Page 2 – Road Trip B.C. Canada
Here’s what I discovered at Surrey…
It was getting late and we decided we had to make a dash to Whiterock so we’d have a little light left. By the time we got there, which didn’t take long, we were all a little exhausted. But we were able to manage to regain some with caffeine and sugar. Then we take a look at all the new shit there and quickly grab our boards to get in on the Graceland of B.C. parks!
The new set-up was finished yet but sections were ridable and being ridden by the locals. The new stuff added to the big ass snake run make this park a must go! The only other park I’ve been to that is better is Burnside! Whiterock is #2 in the N.W. and it’s only 20 minutes over the border!
We talked to the locals there who were all real cool and the remainder of the park could be done as you read this! We’ll be back up there in no time. We were tired, out of light, and had a nice drive ahead of us.
To make a long ending short it was late. The border patrol didn’t like the looks of us and we got pulled over to be searched. We lied our ass’ off. The car was searched… ( Needless to say we had open beer bottles in the back, some pills that are illegal in the U.S., expired tabs, and bad breath. And I still had the dirt puke blood concoction on my clothes.) So we were just about getting nervous when Bobcat hears them get in a fit about ” Stolen Car”. God Bless this distraction! They haul in a man in cuffs and a couple minutes later we were cleared for take off. We don’t make it fifteen feet until Mr. Cat unknowingly lodges a cone under the end of the car and we start dragging it down the highway about 150 feet. It comes loose, we roll over it and it spits out the back! Mr. Cat is then hightailing it outta there to the nearest TB to hook back up with Sayben and Turleboy.
Well now were all back in our nests pondering how long until the next adventure.