Cliff Coleman is a skateboarding and yo-yo legend. He invented the slide that we all learned at one point or another and got us hooked on being sideways on our skateboards.
(He is also responsible for a handful of monumental yo-yo tricks!) We spent quality time with Cliff in his stomping grounds of Berkley. He's involved and cares a lot about his community and it shows, everyone in town stops to say hello and greets him with huge smiles. The vibe we brought around Berkley was awesome, Cliff was so pleased to have us ladies at his spots.
He showed us where he nailed his first Colemans, where he held slide clinics, where he kills it at chess, and his favorite runs of the area. Us five girls followed him down and were all in awe of his grace and style on a skateboard, something that could only reflect decades of skateboarding. Cliff had hours of stories of the past, present, and future of skating. We all gladly lent our ears for the evening at his place.
There was an all star crew of people together and a gorgeous view of the bay, it was wonderful. Thank you, Mr. Coleman!
Still smiling from the great vibes of Berkley and the Sunset District, we rolled into Sacramento in high spirits and obviously with loud reggaeton and dancing. This was the girliest road trip I have ever been on, it was another level of rad haha! Levi Green and his crew had their camping skills dialed and were ready to go into the wild. We spent the morning preparing and were eventually all packed and ready for our caravan into the Tahoe National Forest. Thirty miles into the woods is a long way. There's no cell phone service, no bathrooms, no sushi. I'd say it was a big deal for us girls to spend time out there.
We enjoyed the forest for three days and logged plenty of miles on our skateboards. We had quite a few runs on one of my favorites - a nearly twelve mile, sweepy ridge road. It was a great warm up before Maryhill, our tucking legs were ready to go. Levi showed us all that the area had to offer - waterfalls, more twisty roads, and the tranquility of being in nature. He even cooked us a couple gourmet meals, right there in the middle of nowhere. It felt like a breathe of perfectly fresh air that we needed before continuing on our journey to the first ever Maryhill She-Ride. Thank you, Levi!
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Amanda Powell
Photography:
www.pamdiaz.com