When Florida OG’s Kelly Lynn and Chuck Dinkins ask you if you can go on an RV road trip… You must always reply, “Yes”, at least that was my answer when asked only two days before departure.
)
Bob Harkness at NSB.
I met everyone up at Garr Poe’s house in NSB, and his back yard is pretty much a secret skate park all to itself… A mini ramp with connecting runways along the flat bottom to a upper corner bowled QP to a bank to bank and ending at another QP…it was insane and wet from the day after Christmas morning dew.
Along with Garr, Kelly and Chuck there was Bob Harkness and Matt Dresser, the RV owner and command module pilot for our mission.
All of these dudes fully rip and have been skating pools longer than you have been able to swim, but to me they were all FLegends, so I was just happy to be there. We hit 5 parks in 2 days from Naples to New Smyrna Beach.
)
Soul Trip Road Trip.
The New Smyrna Skate Park had not been finished, however, Team Pain was down to let us skate the pool which was finished. It was a nice Florida winter morning at around 80 degrees, and a perfect warm up spot before heading to Naples.
Riding in the RV was kinda like riding in a big boat, or a spaceship. It’s nice to not have to sit in one place—You can watch a DVD, sit at the table, lay down, cook some lunch and 5 hours later your there at the skate park.
Driving the RV is like sailing a big boat or piloting a spaceship and has minimal relaxing rewards.
)
Bob at Edge Sk8 Park.
)
RV Captain Matt Dresser.
When we got to Naples everyone hit the pool. it was like 9 feet deep and had a gnarly set of stairs in the shallow end. Bob and Kelly were carving over them like nothin’.
Chuck, Me and Garr skated the wood section for a while before joining everyone at the snake area and flow course. I chipped my tail so I grabbed the cam and began shooting footage. The session went until they closed the park at 10pm, then we hit a subway and pulled in to the KOA campground for the night.
)
The Rig.
)
Bob, Scooter, Kelly, Garr, Chuck, Matt.
The next day we ate and drove up the West Coast of Florida to Englewood Skatepark, another Team Pain ‘crete job that was one of the most unique ones yet.
)
Bob checking out NSB to be.
It had a triple pocket pool ranging from 7-10 feet maybe and a small flow bowl with metal coping and a vast street area complete with step-up, brick banks, rails, wallrides and more.
We skated for about three hours before making our way to Dunedin Skatepark. Dave Adams, a local at the park and OG pool ripper, had it all hooked up before we got there. All we did was pad up and skate.
We had about 52 minutes before the park closed and there was pretty much no one there but us. Kelly and Bob were killing the Pool while Matt and Gar ripped the Flow. Dinkins skates it all and had fun ripping the street and flow. We were walking out as the lights were shut off.
)
Kelly Lynn Miller Flip.
)
Matt Dresser NSB Pool.
We hopped in the RV and Matt Drove us to Ghetto Skate Facility in Zephyrhills for our final park. When we arrived around midnight, we met up with Andre, scoped a parking spot and camped out for the night.
We cooked a lasagna on the road so it was ready about 10 minutes after we pulled in to Ghetto. We mowed a ton of food, then watched Death Race before sleeping.
We woke up to a rooster clucking all over the place from about 3 am to 10 am, we had coffee and got skating about 12:30. The bowl at Ghetto is one of the best wood bowls in Florida.
It has a deep end with pool coping and vert, pool coped escalator into a corner, hips, metal escalators and more. The crew skated for about three hours before calling it a day. We thanked Andre and the Ghetto skate park crew, packed up the RV and headed back to New Smyrna Beach.
See you on the next one!
)
Ghetto Sk8 Park.
)
Kelly, Bob, Chuck.
)
New Smyrna unfinished.
)
NSB Sk8 Park.
