Photography by: David Coe Copywriting by: David Coe & Devin Heald

We arrived in San Francisco; frantically ready to ride due to the frigid midwest temperatures. Bay area local and photographer David Coe was generous enough to let us stay during the trip. After being picked up from the airport we grabbed some tacos at a local taco truck and went straight to filming. Devin decided to have a battle with a massive 180 bar hubba hop at the first spot we went to straight off the plane. After countless slams, scooter flying and hitting Davids flash, and dealing with the chilly winds, Devin stomped the trick just as it was getting too dark to film. We decided to hit a dispensary and rest up after traveling for hours and get an early start to riding San Francisco the next day.

We took the Bart with David on his way to work into the city but got off a few stops early to ride spots he had recommended. We first rode the Farmers Market ledges. There we spent maybe one and a half plus hours trying the feeble bar fakie manny line. Soon after we got the make, Jake Sorensen and Pat Nguyen showed up. We then attempted to ride the flower shop but there were some graffiti artists doing some pieces so we hopped on a bus to go downtown where we got some tacos.

The following day, we started our morning off at 3-Zero cafe and rode spots along part of California's famous Highway 1. Devin, being a talented and productive scooter rider that he is; was able to stack numerous clips throughout the day. We ended up going to a semi-famous ditch/bank spot that Devin did a whip to footplant. Because it was cold out, there was dew all over the bank spot. Devin was getting pretty hesitant about it after slipping multiple times trying to ride up the small part and dropping into the large bank. After a few solid attempts he stuck the grab perfectly. We ended the day with a sunset halfpipe sesh in Half Moon Bay while meeting up with Devin Szydlowski who came up to ride with us for the weekend.

That Sunday, we rode with part of the Concrete Crew throughout San Francisco. We managed to hit a ledge spot to hill bomb spot where Devin was able to get a whip to fakie feeble to 180 double heel out. As time flew by, we last minute decided to chase the sunset in hopes of getting some solid sunset shots at the Baker Beach banks with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. Unfortunately, we arrived pretty late and lost a lot of the golden hour light.

That Monday, we decided to head down to the South Bay to ride spots in San Jose. Devin ended up battling a line for hours at David's childhood park. After hours of both Devin & David battling for clips, we ended up keeping productive and filming on into the night to make up for starting our day late and being at the park for hours. We went to David's high school where Devin was trying for about an hour to get an overcrook to manual to 180 off the curb. He eventually got it after some teamwork between Richard and David who were constantly waxing the ledge between tries.

Eventually, on our last day we decided to head back north up the peninsula to ride SF one last time before we departed back home the next day. We thought we we’re going to be doing some sightseeing because Devin was complaining all morning that he wasn’t able to ride from being sore filming last night. However, we decided to check out the famous 3rd and Army spot, which can also be seen in Skate 3 because why not. After warming up, Devin decided to film a line in which he ended at the gap at the entrance of the spot. With the energy high, we decided to keep productive once again and keep filming throughout the day. After doing some school year schedule research online we found out a lot of the schools were on break in the area so we made the best of it and went to a long flatrail to bank spot. Devin had a field day on it for a few hours getting numerous clips until ultimately we were yelled at and chased out by the schools principal. Devin rewarded himself for the day by going to the dispensary.

Photography by: Chris Martin, Collin Snoek, Dylan Kasson, Tyler Wheeland, & Jon Archer. Copywriting by: Chris Martin.

As we left The Bay Area, the heat returned. We made it just over 200 miles and we were in dire need of some cooling off. We were passing through Shasta Lake so we drove through the hills for a swim. The lake felt like a giant bath, but the air was so hot that anything would do. The views made for a great time. After returning to the bus, we figured the best way to dry off was to bomb some hills. We grabbed our scoots and sent it down some long declines.

The rest of the trip up north left us delirious, glistening from sweat. Reading books, listening to podcasts, talking about things that didn’t matter, trying to look out the windows for a reason to stop, we did anything to try and pass the time. We ended up in Winchester, Oregon “camping” under the 5 for the night.

While on our way to Sammamish, we were going to pick up Kirk if he didn’t end up getting his bike working in time. He ended up passing us while we were at a gas station taking a break and it gave us hope that we might actually make this long trek up north.

Sammamish skatepark was already popping off when we showed. Tricks were flowing, prizes were getting tossed and autographs were being signed. After the jam, we headed back to Blake’s parents house to kick it in the backyard, this was our home base for the next night or two. Big shout out to the Bailor family for the hot showers, a quiet place to camp, and an actual stove to cook on.

The next day was the Seattle Jam which was wild!!! We had an entire train of scooter riders headed into the city. After the hill bomb and the ledge spot, the police were on to us and started following us around. The jam wrapped up at a steep handrail and we headed back to the starting point where Kirk was thirsty for a trick. He ended up getting his ender that day for his Reincarnate part.

About two hours later, Jon also got his ender for Transport, a switch finger whip. He battled for this trick and when he landed it, we were all stoked to see him pull it off…well all of us except for Issac. Issac fell asleep.

Pat had a trick he wanted to land on a rail Blake brought us to. It was our first spot for the day and there was no real way for Pat to warm up so we had to get creative with it. Chris told Pat to jump over a fold up chair but Pat thought that was too easy so Kirk agreed to sit in it. No run up, Pat jumped over Kirk like it was nothing. That surely warmed Patrick up for the rail.

With no real plans where to stay that night, James ended up offering his place for us to crash. With a high rise view, swimming, hot tub and a tv to watch movies on, we were in! Thanks for spreading the love and giving us a sweet view of the city. A highlight for sure.

The next day, we woke up to an urgency to leave before the bus got towed. We were nearly blocked in when we pulled out of the parking lot. We were headed to Portland were we would end the trip. Kirk took us to one of his favorite taco spots followed by a swimming hole.

Pat, Dylan and Tyler were all talking about shaving their heads throughout the day so they made a night out of it. We were staying at Kirk’s girlfriends place. Ironically, she wasn’t there and neither were her roommates so we had the place to ourselves. The door handle doesn’t really work so if you shut the door all the way, the door handle just comes off and you are forced to break in some how. The place had records, motorcycles, and a fire pit. It was the perfect homie hook up.

Collin flew in to Portland and was there to wrap the trip up and drive the bus back home to Grand Rapids. Before the trip came to a close, they hit skateparks, last minute spots, the TSI warehouse, checked out the infamous canon beach, played some pool and explored Kirks school. It was the ultimate chill way to end a trip full of friends.

Much love to those that were apart of the trip, gave us places to crash, food to eat, a toilet to poop in or just hung out with us to add to all the memories. It was a handful and one for the books. You guys are the best, thanks for making scootering what it is.

Photography by: Chris Martin, Dylan Kasson, Jon Archer, & Tyler Wheeland. Copywriting by: Chris Martin & Dylan Kasson.

As we were headed out of Woodward West, we decided we would hit Bakersfield and cruise Kern Side, a local DIY. We got up early to avoid the 100 degree temps, but we still failed. By the time we were riding, it was 106 degrees Fahrenheit. Our shoes would start to melt to the concrete. The locals called this town, HELL.

Tom ended up battling a fakie 50-50 to fakie on the extension of the quarter. He fell on his back with a sigh of relief from resting, but his skin was baking on the concrete. Tom, Jon, Christian, and Tyler survived the heat and landed their tricks. We immediately left anticipating the cooling airflow of the bus.

The drive was almost as torturous as Kern Side. The only plus side was we had a breeze. We stopped off at a rest stop and everyone was barely clothed walking into the bathrooms. Families were boggled by the site of eight shirtless dudes. We made it to the Hella Grip house a little late so we just kicked it and caught up, resting for an eventful day tomorrow.

The first spot had a lot to offer. Tom was going for a rail to ledge transfer that got the better part of him. He battled this trick for around an hour before he was defeated. Jon ended up getting creative with a picnic table. He hopped up on top of the table that was about 1.5 scooters long and then quickly 360 over the railing.

As night was falling, we wanted to cruise around the Hella Grip house to film more. Tyler had plans for a precision ride to ledge, but we got the boot after the first try. We crept further into Oakland where we would find plenty to ride.

The next day we headed to San Jose. The first couple of downtown spots were immediate kick outs, but as the day progressed our odds improved. One trick that blew some minds was Issac’s front smith in this random groove on a hubba. The notch kept Issac’s back wheel in place as he grinded to the bottom, It was a one of a kind spot.

Grant got his 50 quickly, so Tyler pushed him to wall ride the fence. After much debate of the possibility, and ten tries later, Grant's scooter was flying through the air into the forest. As everyone was packing up and heading back, Grant was madly running around in the forest looking for his scooter. The way out of the path was a short climb up a wall. We quickly realized there was a wasp nest where we were climbing, so record time was made scaling it.

Since the Hella Grip guys had to work, we started taking the train into San Francisco. We met up at Embarcadero and from there the only way was up the hills. We usually find spots by pushing to spots we know of. This is how most the team stays loose over 10 hours of riding. It makes for a sore next day, but stretching always solves it.

While we were staying at the Hella Grip house we were moving the bus daily to avoid parking tickets and theft. A Fun fact we learned while doing this is that the 3 batteries that run the bus only get charged when the bus motor is above 3,000 RPM for 10-20 minutes. Because of this, the bus was dead and we needed a special tow truck to come and jump start our batteries.

Once we got the bus running, we drove it to the flower shop and parked it there. It was the best location we could think of to be stuck if the batteries died. From testing the batteries Chris discovered they weren't fully charged. He borrowed Pat’s car and drove around the city buying replacement batteries as the rest of the crew searched for hill spots.

As we were checking out a spot nearby, someone said, “This is a Patrick spot”. A few of us understood right away what they were talking about and others were completely confused.They were pointing out the transfer from the ledge to platform. Some of us didn’t believe it was possible but surely it was. The police arrived so we thought Patrick's long jump attempts were over. We soon realized they wanted to see him do it as much as we did. With the speed of a jet plane, Patrick lept off the ledge and glided in for landing, not once, but twice. Bonking off the platform his legs buckled, then regained composure to land on the ground. All members of onlookers were in disbelief. There are some things that seem impossible before they are done, and possible after someone does it. This will continue to remain impossible even though Pat did it.

Issac’s hill bomb to jump the stairs with a two second power slide to end it all was another treat to watch. Jon was at the intersection blocking traffic but one person blew the stop sign after Issac was already on his way down. The tension was high as he barreled down, but there was nothing we could do at this point. Luckily the car made it through the intersection with time to spare.

Christian was interested in the downhill line, but solving the puzzle of what to film was the real challenge. After he decided on a line, we all looked at Anton. With the impressive downhill work from his latest film, we all knew he could handle filming on such a steep hill. Earlier that day his scooter smashed his toenail trying to tripple whip and it still hadn't stopped bleeding. He was rotating his sock so it would soak the blood up in different locations. Still, enthusiastic as ever he barreled down the hill with a VX in hand. One of the neighbors kindly moved his car for us while we ironically scuffed up his neighbors wall.

Photography by: Chris Martin, Collin Snoek, Dylan Kasson, Jordan Jasa, Josh Smukal, & Jona Humbel. Copywriting by: Chris Martin, Jordan Jasa & Justin Jaeger.

Collin ended up dipping out super early in the morning to catch his flight while the rest of the boys tried to sleep in a bit. We stopped after a short while to grab food. Jordan and Josh ended up walking around, looking for a Chipotle. They came across a furniture store with a giant ass chair outside. This thing would have been too big for even Collin. We all assembled back at the bus and hit the road again. We tried not to stop that much when driving the bus by peeing in jugs, loading up on water and food but even then, its still practically impossible. We ended up making another pit stop off the freeway to stretch the legs, watch a storm in the distance and snag some photos.

Just outside of Woodward, we hit the grocery store close to Bakersfield. We had no idea what the food/drink situation was like at Woodward so we tried to be as best prepared as possible. It turns out we should have bought more food because Woodward was like being back in elementary school. There was no such thing as real juice or milk, just a bunch of soda pop and chocolate milk. Perfect if you are a kid getting away from your parents for a week but for us it was depriving our body of the nutrients we desired. Even their smoothies weren’t made with fruit. If you showed up early enough for breakfast you could find some real fruit. 

We finally rolled into Woodward, meeting up with Shelby. We all squared away our paperwork and drove up the hill to check our rooms. One of the rooms we were in had a table on which was inscribed "Scoota Brad is a fa". Brad Dm'd Jordan and told him he had written that, but was to faded to finish the g. Hahaha. 

The daily Woodward life looked something like this. The morning crew, Tom/Dylan/Jona/Christian/Josh, would roll out early to ride. Tom and Dylan both were loving the dirt jumps, as they were able to find a dirt scoot to shred (big shout out to Big White). The rest of the boys- Tyler/Ralph/Issac/Ian/Jon/Jordan/Chris would show up shortly before lunch, rendezvous with the early crew and try to film for the Woodward video. After growing tired of riding, there was always something else to do, from the bowling alley to movies to the tramp park to the pool and hot tub to just chilling in the room.

Josh’s camera started overheating in the sun so we had to use shirts to cover the black camera from the harsh heat. The ramps felt even hotter, our shoes felt like there was always gum stuck to the bottom of our feet. We weren’t prepared for these extremes.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are the Megaramp days, so on Tuesday we all went up the hill to see the behemoth of wood and aluminum in person. Turns out, a big branch had fallen from a tree, right across the runway, even putting a hole in it. So unfortunately nobody was able to really hit it, but you could ride the kicker to flat step up gap. The boys had some flyout fun, and then started feeling out the quarter. Ian, after quite a few test runs, was able to hit the back board. Really puts it into perspective how crazy the dudes who really shred it are. We were also amazed at the little campers just dropping in on the quarter. Braver souls than most of us. 

While at Woodward we also met up with some old and new friends. Tyler came out a day after we arrived, driving up with none other than Ralph McMoran. It felt like the old days of Tilt, having both Tyler and Ralph around. Another SoCal crew rolled up on Thursday, including Matt Grippi, Stefan Hefner, Jack Colston, and Ethan Orlaska. Matt was really hoping to hit the Mega, but unfortunately had to settle with riding the quarter. Some skaters were riding it during that day too, blasting way above the coping. But the highlight of that session was definitely Classic carving well above halfway point of the quarter on his board wearing no helmet, shorts, and a tank top. He came out with minimal ramp burn, the madman. 

The young bloods at Woodward were sick. Most of them were down to kick it and hang out like normal humans. Some times we hangout with riders that are too afraid to talk with us which makes it awkward for everyone. We ended up signing some things and filming some of the campers to put in the Woodward video. This was a real treat for us. To see the younger community and what it entails while also realizing that things we do in the community actually matter.

Every ten or so days we would have to do laundry on the road so during the hottest time at Woodward, we hit the local laundry spot where the owner kept screwing with us. If we took a photo inside or used an outlet to charge a phone he would say, “That’ll cost ya”.

On our last night at Woodward, filming was in full effect. Everyone was trying to contribute their last tricks. Christian ended up getting the last trick filmed at Woodward which just so happens to be the ender for the video. As they were closing up the park, Christian and Josh were ready to give up but Chris told them to keep going till they turn the lights off. That next try, Christian landed it and Josh fell to the ground in complete relief that he no longer had to film anymore. He immediately requested Taco Bell’s vegan menu.

Photography by: Chris Martin, Collin Snoek, Dylan Kasson, Jordan Jasa, Josh Smukal, & Jona Humbel. Copywriting by: Chris Martin, Jordan Jasa & Justin Jaeger.

The boys made it to Denver, Colorado where Tom K and Issac both live. Everyone was a little beat from the heavy miles in a couple of days so people sort of just did their own thing. Tyler caught a flight back home for a break, Tom went rock climbing, Dylan and Josh did laundry while also wandering around the city for a little and Issac made some repairs to his scooter.

We scheduled a ride day at the CoCrews favorite park. There was a decent turnout at Sheridan Skate Park where we filmed with some younger riders, signed windbreakers and took photos. Sadly, this is the day where Josh Smukal parted ways with his beloved scooter due to some local stealing it and running off into the corn field as Josh filmed. It’s sad when one person can ruin a positive day trying to bring a community together. Luckily, Tyler later hooked Josh up with a deck and some spare parts. Shortly after we hit the road towards LA to meet up with more of the TILT crew that was flying in. Stopping in Grand Junction, Colorado we got some drone shots and later slept in Mesquite, Nevada where it was too hot to sleep. Creeping past 100 at night with no AC, everyone’s sleeping mats looked like they wet the bed with pools of sweat. Not ideal at all.

Once getting to LA, we met back up with Collin, Jona, Tyler & Jordan plus Christian, Jon & Classic were now in the mix. Ian tagged along from Denver to film and edit the mid-length video. The bus was stacked with 12 people relying on it as a form of transportation. Since the bus was made to only sleep 6 people at max, we were crashing at the Wheelands residence for a couple of nights.

We had previously set up some time to hang at The Vault Pro Scooter Shop to do interviews and custom builds. Not everyone was involved with these so there was a constant flow of people coming and going with plenty of chilling and scootering to keep everyone preoccupied for the time being.

On the second day at The Vault, we hosted a ride day with a mini competition at Westchester Skate Park. The boys got some clips and did a group scooter check. The team was mainly wanting to ride spots so we warmed up as best we could at this very slick park and hit the streets. We met at a nearby school and pushed around from there.

Dylan found a pretty cool sidewalk gap. We all knew there was something there just by the look and feel of it but we weren’t really sure what. After about 10 minutes, it was determined a wall ride thread the needle jump before the crack and don’t hit the electric box that was in the landing was the best option. There was a lot going on here plus Dylan had to push mach 10 into traffic which is why it was a perfect Dylan trick. Giving it his all, he ended up riding away with a clean fast land, barely dodging the electric box that Chris was standing behind to get the photo.

Further down the road in the opposite direction, Tom and Jona were eying a bump to bar. Getting acclimated with the spot, Tom decided he was going for the bump to bar to board slide. One half assed attempt left him with a quick realization that it was all or nothing for this trick. Coming in fast it looks like he is barely going to get over the bump and then he pulls his scooter a foot over the bar and lands in a leaned back board slide as if he was just riding it out/surfing a wave. He ended up so tweaked on the rail that it looks like he is about to ride it to fakie but he pulls his body back to regular as if he had the skills of a gymnast. Some might say he does.

The school was a fun place to ride with a little something something for everyone. Jona and Christian rode a line of picnic tables and gapped 10 plus feet over a railing into a mellow bank. They were hitting it so fast, it was hard for the camera to keep up. Jon ended up pulling a Downside Whip Noseblunt slide first try on one of the picnic tables. Josh was off getting B-roll for the documentary and come nightfall, Ian was battling a trick. He ended up settling for a BS 180 to fakie nose manual to fakie on that same picnic table.

The Vault ended up having a little cookout/party for us which was a nice way to end a long day of scootering, shop signing, interview, mini comp and riding spots. Some of us were finger boarding and playing pong, while others of us were grilling and climbing on shipping containers. Later that night we crawled into the Wheelands hot tub that can fit a stupid amount of people in it. That night we decided the bus no longer needs beds, it needs a hot tub.

The next day we were at The Scooter Farm to ride their park, sign body parts/posters and watch the Chema documentary. It was the first time reuniting with a lot of friends since the last scooter event so overall it was good vibes.

SD11 is known to be an all day event so you better be prepared. A good chunk of the dudes woke up early and got the bus cleaned up since we were parking it right at the entrance. Once we got there we set up our booth and started talking with a lot of familiar faces and fans. We were intending on selling some products to make up for all the gas money we have been spending but in the end we gave away a lot of products which put plenty of smiles on peoples faces.

While most of the team was at the event, Issac and Chris were headed to urgent care because this was the 3rd day in a row that Issac was feeling like complete crap. He got hooked up to an IV and ended up spending most of the day in the back of the bus sleeping. There was scare of him developing diabetes but it ended up him just having food poisoning and never fully recovering from it.

After SD11 we dipped to the beach to put our feet in the sand and body surf some waves. If you ever get the chance to go swimming in the ocean with Dylan, do it! His spirit animal is for sure a dolphin. Watching him slap around in the water surfing the waves, he transforms back into a 12 year old having the time of his life.

The next two nights we crashed at the Brillo Pad. If you don’t know about the Brillo Pad, it consist of Zack Martin, Jake Hershey, Jon Devrind, Jon Hamrick and Chloe Abisaleh. Apparently everyone was crashing at the Brillo Pad too. Big shout out to everyone living there, putting up with all types of crap and letting us use your shower or garden hose to clean up. Since there wasn’t much room in the house to sleep and the backyard already had a decent amount of tents up, most of the team slept in the van or just outside of the van in the grass. Christian ended up waking up to a neighbor asking why he was sleeping in his front lawn and he replied, “there wasn’t enough room in the bus” and the neighbor immediately changed his attitude and was fine with it. Some of us ended up making breakfast there too. It was like our own suburban camping spot. It must have been a weird site for everyone that owned houses there. People walking around barefoot and shirtless, someone cooking on a portable stove, doing interviews on the side of the road next to the bus.

There was a party both nights when we stayed there which is great when you want to hang with all your pals but it makes for an interesting sleeping situation but luckily most of us aren’t light sleepers and can fall asleep anywhere. Perhaps like one young lad that fell asleep in the piss corner the entire night. It was sort of fun to crawl out of our tent to discover what damage had been done to the backyard now that the sun had risen.

The day of the street jam was chaos. There were so many people blocking traffic and buying tickets to a train they didn’t need. The first spot was a mellow bump over some dirt landing in the next parking lot over. Some people got there early to warm up. As the crowd came in, the madness begun. Literally a train of people pushed full speed at the gap and when one person fell, 5 people fell. It was almost like the running of the bulls.

We left that spot to go just up the road but we got kicked out before anyone could ride. As we were leaving, the cops were on to us and Tanner ran over Sam with a car which really escalated things for the cops. We crossed the train tracks where kids almost got ran over due to an oncoming train and the cops followed us to the next spot. We rode for maybe 15 minutes and then they broke it up.

As we cleaned up while the cops were watching us, we tried to decide where to go. A lot of suggestions were being thrown out but they were getting shut down almost immediately. We decided to go back to the meet up spot and throw out prizes. A lot of us just sat around and tried to ride random things to keep us preoccupied. Eventually a plan was made and we were headed to a massive stair set.

Getting there before the crowd, watching the first few people get in the mindset to huck themselves down a 22 stair was definitely exhilarating. A few started committing and sticking it. The crowd eventually filled in and it was clear that a lot of money was going to be given out at this final spot.

The sesh lasted close to 30 minutes and came to an abrupt end when Brenton shattered his knee cap. He tried to straighten his leg and it was locked. You could tell for those 2 seconds of uncertainty that he had know idea how bad it was. He laid back and accepted his fate as he circled his hand in the air telling everyone lets wrap it up. It still leaves us an uneasy feeling in our stomach to see the photos and talk about it. Turns out the homie was back at it in less than a couple of months throwing the same trick down a similar size gap.

After the street jam, we hung around trying to figure out what to do and snapping photos of most of the people on the bus. We decided to just head up north to LA to stay at Tyler's. First we had to grab some grub and make a stop or two along the way.

We pulled over at a Carl’s Jr to hit the bathroom. As we were walking in, we cracked jokes about hitting the rail. Then Jon started to really look at it. Something about that rail pulled him in and told him to hit it. As we were getting the camera and scooter out, we noticed some dudes that were at the street jam. The chances of seeing them was pretty slim, miles away from the jam but it was sick so we had to snap a photo. They ended up staying and watching Jon land a boardslide.

The boardslide wasn’t enough for Jon so he threw a heel whip out of it. After he landed that, he still wanted more so he board liped the rail. We think Jon knew he was going to be in a bus for 3 hours so he kept trying to prolong the inevitable which we were okay with.

It's always nice being in the Wheeland household- plenty of space, hot tub, plus momma Debbie hooked it up with some great chili. We spent probably two hours unloading the bus in the dark, consolidating our items and deep cleaning as best we could. After we finally finished, we got some beers and chilled out with some quality bro time, mentally preparing for the drive up to Tehachapi the next morning.