It was the summer of 1976, when I received a formal invite to do a skateboard tour from Florida to California.  My buds, Bobby Piercy, Jay Adams, Brian Kraft in Point Loma (west San Diego) phoned me and assured me that fuel and chow coin was taken care of.  Anyway, Karen Lowe (my girlfriend) my younger brother Marshall and friends loaded up in the mustang and hauled ass.

We started in Fort Pierce, stayed a day and moved to Tomoka (N.Florida).  They called their park the "Moon Forrest."  It was fun but mostly non-vert bowls, but the locals were cool, especially if you enjoyed Peruvian marching powder.  Next stop was Biloxi Mississippi.  They had a pretty decent park, but there was no real vert so we stayed a day there.  We gave out some stickers, told the locals what we were up to and kept moving west.  

It wasn't till we got to Tucson Arizona that the real vert came into the picture.  Tucson Skate Park was a very well visited park by the local desert rats, pretty hospitable about sharing some local pools they found.  It was pretty bitchen how the guys and girl skaters turned us on.  I remember this 12 foot half pipe that we all hit on the second day, I guess the word got out that some Florida boys were shredding their park, so everybody and his brother showed up for the show.  I have to admit those people were ripping the hell out of those pools and half pipes and we held our own.  I personally prefer pools to carve.  You have to understand this was before the flat bottom was built to get big time air on the half pipes. So I stuck to the pools.  Anyway, all went well in Tucson, we even found some talent to show B.P. in San Diego.  we said our good byes and got on the freeway towards Point Loma.  

After a day on the road  we pull into a town called El Cajon California.  Great skaters there but we had appointments to keep in San Diego.  We pull into S. D. early evening and went to this skate park under the I-8 freeway and the I-5 freeway, it was like dying and going to heaven, you guys should have seen it!  10 foot half pipe stretched out to 100 feet long and all gunite with coping, two separate pool's; one 10 feet and one 8 foot kidney,  guess where I was chillin!  We did our two hour session and called B.P.  He came to the park, greeted us and brought us to his crib.  B.K. had some family coming over so we check into a motel, checked with Piercy on parks north to hit.  

He gave me a list of 10 parks to hit starting in Del Mar clean to Santa Barbra.  Lets start with Del Mar, to San Clemente as we were stoked about surfing as well.  Jay had to get to Los Angeles so he came along too.  It was 3-5 feet west swell and glass with Jay Adams (Top Pro Skater) as well as Piercy World Champ Downhill Skater, myself and B.K. on one peak.  It was pretty exciting surfing with the like of those guys.  Believe it or not their as good in the waves as on the concrete.  After that afternoon and evening session B.P. went back to S.D., Jay, B.K. and the rest of us bailed for Los Angeles with a quick stop in Laguna Miguel (Salt Creek), some how or the other that spot holds a SW swell real tight. We surfed till dark. 

Marshall	Matt

We then went to Venice (Dog Town) to pick up Shogo and Jim Muir for our next engagement in Goleta that was Sparks Skate Park.  I have to admit B.P. came through big time, he hooked us up with a gas card through Z Plex in Venice with chow frills.  We hooked to Bobs Big Boy (the biggest boy in Dog Town) and macked out.  Getting back to Goleta Skate Park we all entered into the contest and we witnessed the birth of new move called the rock walk which won the contest for Shugo Kubo.  After we finished with Goleta it was on to Santa Barbra for a photo shoot with a new skateboard magazine. That took 3 days. 

Although it was long and stressful it was also very profitable, but what was featured was some Florida boys elevator dropping a 14 foot pool with 4 feet of vert.  No local would try it, but we pulled it off.  I think we left our mark on Central California.  Next was O'Neill Surf Shop to get paid.  Pat O'Neill was not there but we waited at the shop bullshittin with the locals and freestylin in the parking lot.  Finally Pat showed up, greets us and commends us Florida dudes that we did a good job.  Definitely we were stoked, after all that was Pat O'Neill. We were pretty enthused about being in Central Cal, so we decided to take a putt north to Santa Cruz.  Steamers Lane,  was not that big but well set up 3-5 onshore winds, but Natural Bridges was 3-4 offshore winds, guess where we were!  The North swells there are very powerful, kinda makes a 4 foot swell feel like 8 feet.  We Surfed Our Brains Out!  

It was time to start heading towards the lower East Side in Florida so we kicked back for a couple days, had fun took our time driving cross-country.  B. Piercy thanked us B.K. concurred. Everybody was satisfied, we had a wicked bitchen time.

See ya,

Matt