Day 32, Monday July 6th 2009: The Austin Longboard Club

I took the opportunity on Monday to reload on some equipment for the trip. The first priority was getting new shoes. My Osiris Diego Cleavers held up with me awesomely. I got them last summer and took them to Ghana and used them blowing leaves in Rhode Island, then on this trip. But now, their lifespan is complete, having a hole right through the sole. The soles, by the way, were so smoothened out that it was slippery being on my grip tape. So I went to no Comply skateshop on 12th street. There, Elias hooked me up Emerica Jerry Hsu's. Sweet.

Also needing to be replaced were my shit wheels from Sector 9 and please take this recommendation from me, don't ever get the Sector 9 Race Formula wheels. They are awesome for speed but they are so poorly put together, the chunk up and break in pieces, even though I did almost no slides on them. Thats when I decided to hit up Sundae Skates, the only guys that actually supply legitimate long board equipment in Austin. And when I say legitimate, I mean legitimate. The company is run by two friends, Tommy and Dorian, both who are under 21. After hooking up with Dorian and talking to him t was very impressed to see this little success of two young guys like these, in these times, running their little business from their house with a passion. It was impressive and inspiring to me. Dorian ended up giving me really good deal on my new Orangatang In Heats. The wheels looked and felt good and I was happy with my purchase. He also hooked me up with a proper kingpin, since mine was almost dragging on the street.

Dorian also happened to sort of run the Austin Longboard Club and told me about the Monday night meets at Wahoos. I was absolutely down I said and would see him later. I left Dorian's to head over to Chris' who I would meet for the first time after his July 4th weekend at his ranch 45 minutes from Austin.

Chris I gathered, from our conversations was a really cool guy. These feelings were reinforced when I actually got to conversate with him. Besides, he fed me a sweet hockey puck steak and a delicious baked potato. That was all the energy I needed for the meet later on. At 930 I skated from his house off of Oltorf down Congress to Wahoos on 6th and Rio Grande. When I got there I met four other guys, all who were there for the first time. I thought "wow, this might be a pretty big session" since it was only 10. And it did. About 40 other people showed up and we took on the streets of Austin. Power in numbers and it was epic. This had to be done again