When we discussed our options for cities to visit this issue, it seemed pretty obvious where we should go considering the theme. With that in mind, we headed for Denver. The nickname ‘Mile High City’ may have originated because its elevation is exactly one mile above sea level, but over time it grew new meanings. Denver has been standing out for is progressive approach towards drug decriminalization in the U.S. for nearly a decade. In 2005, small amounts of marijuana were decriminalized, and in 2012, the state of Colorado became the first of two states to legalize recreational cannabis altogether. Denver continued to push boundaries by becoming the first city in the country to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms in May 2019. This is still a skate magazine, so obviously we considered the skate community in Denver as well. We’re lucky enough to have established friendships there already since Ivey lives in Colorado Springs and Megan lived in Denver just a year ago. We might have done a little more adventuring than we did skating, but overall this trip was one for the books for sure.
Day 1: Megan didn’t get enough fucking sleep
Lately, I’ve had pretty bad luck with Uber drivers. I keep getting cars that look like they’re on their last legs, or drivers that could use a shower or two. The last ride I had was the worst. Vomit running down the side of the car and the driver wouldn’t stop coughing without covering his mouth. So now when I look for my driver to pull up, I’m just praying it’s anything better than that. Finally my streak was broken and I had a sweet younger kid pick me up in a newer-looking car. Along the way he asked me all about Fantom while also sharing some of his story with me. He was originally from Idaho but fell in love with a sport called tricking. He described it as martial arts mixed with dance mixed with tumbling. He wanted to be closer to more flourishing tricking scenes than his small town, so he relocated. First to Utah, then to Colorado. He told me about the meetups they have and the competitions. “You’re like us,” I thought. It made me more comfortable further explaining exactly what I do and what the roller skating community is like, and he totally got it. He invited me to come to a meetup while in town, but sadly I never made it. He also offered to sell me mushrooms which later I would regret passing.
Right: The very dapper Luca.
We made it to where the rest of the crew was (Dave [Hoang], Matt [Fookes], Ricki [Bedenbaugh], and Megan). They had arrived the night before me because frankly I had been burnt out from traveling and felt a little unmotivated. Apparently I had missed an eventful night of boisterous snores from Ricki and Matt resulting in Megan not getting enough sleep. How did I know Megan did not get enough sleep? Because she told me about 10-20 times that day. She also told everyone and anyone that was around, including the accused offenders Ricki and Matt. To be fair, she was hoping to land her ender for her next video part that morning, and I know how terrible it is to try something big and scary when you haven’t had enough sleep. To ramp things up, she drank four shots of espresso and one Yerba Mate in an attempt to correct her sleep deprivation. Unfortunately, for all of us, this led to her being irritable, nauseous, and just as tired as before.
Right: Ivey, Megan, and Karli. We look like we could be in a traveling side show.
You could definitely feel the tension in the air. Matt and I were trying to keep it chill so we cracked open a couple White Claws and started up some casual conversation. Before we knew it, Ricki just exploded at Megan as if all his frustration with the day erupted at once. Things got real awkward. Luckily, we escaped to Hooters but left Dave and Ricki behind so that Matt and Megan could talk things out. It sounds like drama, but it really helped lighten the mood and allowed us all to move past the whole thing. The tension from earlier had kinda gotten to me, so I ended up stress drinking more than I noticed. Unfortunately that meant skating was out of the question for the evening. Instead, we went over to Dylan’s [Roa] to swim for a bit.
Once at Dylan’s, he told us about a new hobby of his that had taken up a lot of his time. Dylan has never been one to skate for clips, social media attention, or sponsorships. He just does whatever makes him happy. This new hobby of his is called pup play. I really shouldn’t call it a hobby because it’s more of a lifestyle. Much like skating and tricking, it’s got a whole community behind it. Pup play is basically a subculture that involves people adopting behaviors like dogs and oftentimes includes sexual activities. I’m not sure if they’re all like this, but Dylan has a whole alter ego, name, costume, and never shows his face. It’s part of the lure. Funny enough, one of my friends back home has a huge crush on him and only knows him through pup play. Small world.
Right: We made a joke to Dylan “Do you have enough weed?” He laughed as he pulled out a bag to refill the jar to the top.
Ivey [Wohl] and Megan really wanted to go to some Thrasher after party—I’m still not sure what it was exactly. I really wasn’t feeling it but I was going along with the group anyway. I only had sneakers with me so Dylan lent me a pair of his gogo boots but made me try on his six-inch heels first. Everyone had a good laugh at that since I can’t walk for shit in even small heels. We were finally ready to walk out the door but right then Dylan realized he lost his wallet and had to stay behind. By the time we finally got there, the venue wouldn’t let us in because it was “too late.” We stood around outside on the sidewalk with a bunch of other rejects. Out of nowhere these security guards started yelling at everyone to make some space. Next thing we know, this guy, barely conscious, was being carried out by his arms and legs as if he was about to be thrown around in a game of “wash the dishes dry the dishes.” Is that just a Midwestern thing? Anyway, eventually he opened his eyes and the first thing he did was start swingin’. His friends were trying to help him up but he stumbled into the street and fell over again. I was relieved when they finally walked off together. I may not have wanted to be out that night, but at least I was having more fun than that guy.
Day 2: Skater time is real
Skate day! Some of us drank a wee bit too much the night before so it was a rough morning and took awhile to get the engines runnin’. I wasn’t hungover but was instead suffering from lack of sleep since Megan ironically enough kept me up all night with her snores. We thought we had plenty of time after breakfast before meeting up with the rest of the group so we swung by one of Denver’s most popular thrift stores, Crossroads. Putting four chronically late people in a thrift store on a time limit was a recipe for failure. Oops. We were 40 minutes late. It was around 95°F and everyone was trying to skate in the heat so everything felt a few levels harder. Esty [Whiting] clipped up pretty quick but was on a time constraint and had to leave early. I felt even more guilty about those 40 minutes. I had to coax Dylan to put on his skates by agreeing to put on mine. We talked about how we felt like old roosters in a pen full of hatchlings. The hatchlings on the other hand were battling it out on a bump to bench, getting doubles and working on trick progression. The heat was brutal. I don’t know how they kept it up. Have you ever tried to do doubles on a street obstacle? It’s exhausting and can be rather frustrating when you’re trying to time it up right. We saw a bit of that come out, but hopefully it was worth the shot. We thought we’d make it to at least four spots in the day so everyone had a chance to clip up, but time got away from us. Shocking. Overall, still a productive day but the skater time was real. If you haven’t heard the phrase before, it basically infers that all skaters of all types are notoriously late to every meetup, skate sesh, etc. I can say for sure, I fit that stereotype.
It just so happened to be Dave’s birthday, and it wouldn’t be right to end the night without a bit of celebration. He might be the most difficult person to plan a dinner for because he never vocalizes straight up what he wants to do or where to go. I tried my best to pick a good restaurant he would enjoy, but I honestly couldn’t tell if he liked it at all. After we wrapped up, the guys went their own way and we went ours. Ivey had to get to a friend’s memorial, so Dylan, Megan, and I were left to figure out a way back. Ice cream seemed like a great way to finish things off, but along the journey we found the cutest retro-style thrift store. Neon lights, records, vintage dresses, and even a bar! Everything you could want in a thrifting experience. I didn’t actually want to buy anything because I didn’t have an inch of extra room in my bag, but I was enjoying myself anyway. I was really admiring the dresses. They were Victorian-inspired from the ‘60s. I just had to see Megan in one. We each picked out a dress for each other to try on. I wasn’t sure if the employees were entertained or praying for us to get the fuck out as soon as possible. We were having a blast anyway though.
As we skipped our way out of there, a few pedicab drivers were hootin’ and hollerin’ at us for a ride. I almost walked on by but something in me thought, fuck it. I’ve never done it and it felt like spontaneity was calling to me. We got paired with a driver that swore he knew all the best sightseeing spots in the city and would give us a fun tour. Dylan asked if we could light one up during the ride and his response was, “There are two requirements to be a pedicab driver. 1. Ignore the traffic laws and 2. Know how to use a bong.” We didn’t know if we should be concerned or laugh. He had a big-ass speaker bungeed to his bicycle and asked us what we wanted to hear. I considered the theme of the issue and suggested 70’s classics. He pedaled us through the city while Led Zeppelin and Heart rang out, stopping occasionally at the highlights of downtown. He knew just about everything you could possibly know about Denver, its history, and everything in between. So there we were, zoomin’ through Denver, high as kites.
Our tour was over but he still insisted on taking us all the way to Dylan’s apartment. I was pretty impressed with how well he knew the streets. The closer we got to our destination, the less familiar he became with the area. I watched as his head rapidly turned from right to left. You could tell he was absorbing as much information of the areas as he could, like a computer downloading new files. We made it back safe and sound. He was such a cute man. You could tell he loved learning every detail about the city and mapping out every street in his head. If you’re ever lost in a city or need some tourist suggestions, I bet you’ll find your answers from a pedicab driver.
We got ready for bed as Ivey returned. The girls really blew up my spot. We were trying to save money on this trip by staying with friends. Each of us had our own accommodations figured out, mine being Dylan’s. Somehow Megan and Ivey infiltrated and I found myself on a blowup mattress listening to their snores all night long. I’m a very sensitive sleeper, so this was not ideal. I laid there for a long time contemplating if I should attempt to pull the air mattress into the kitchen. I finally committed to the plan but I was making so much noise despite my efforts to be discreet. I was tip-toeing and pulling it a couple inches at a time through the doorway, hoping no one would wake up. I was afraid to be caught red handed as if I was actually being insubordinate. I finally got it to the kitchen only to find out it wouldn’t fit. I tried sleeping on the couch but it was really more of a loveseat so I had to stay curled in the fetal position to even lay down. Dylan’s dog Luca woke me up (if I was even really asleep) by the sound of his puke splashing on the floor. Dammit. I couldn’t just lay there and pretend it didn’t happen so I got up to clean. I’m starting to be convinced that Luca is allergic to me because it seems every time I visit, the poor guy gets sick. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep much.
Day 3: The Trip Day
Oof. This was an interesting day. I’ll spare you the details but basically a few miscommunications led to a few misunderstandings which turned into a couple different friends being mad at us. Completely separate situations I might add. This was supposed to be a peaceful, introspective, healing day, with a little help from our friends psilocybin mushrooms. We hadn’t totally figured out where we would be acquiring the mushrooms but it was Denver afterall. How hard could it be? Apparently, hard. Dylan said he had a little, our friend Jimmy said he had some, and my Uber driver from the airport too if you remember. Problem was, Dylan’s stash was lighter than he thought, leaving us with about .5 grams. Jimmy actually only had one capsule, and Mr. Uber driver lived an hour in the opposite direction of where we were headed. Fuck. After the drama and difficulty finding shrooms, it felt like I was trying to force something that wasn’t meant to be. We made one last attempt by asking our friend Spencer [Mefferd]. We thought maybe he would know someone we could buy from. Turned out he actually had them himself and it would be enough for all of us. We thought he was really saving the day.
After the goods had been secured, we made a couple stops to load up on toys and drinks. I was nervous about doing mushrooms again because it had been awhile, so I wanted to keep things low key. You never know where your mind might go on those things. We picked a chill spot as a starting point. It was a little creek surrounded by trees. We blew up our floaties and talked about eating the mushrooms before we went floating. Something just felt off. It seemed like vibes were bad from the start and I still couldn’t shake the feeling that I was forcing something. I try to listen to my intuition whenever possible. We decided it wasn’t the right time.
To liven up the mood, we shotgunned a couple drinks and blasted Limp Bizkit’s ‘Break Stuff’. I was feeling better. During our drink run, Ivey had gotten a bag, yes a bag, of Twisted Tea in the flavor Rocket Pop. Ya know those big bags of wine inside a cardboard box you can get real cheap? It was like that. And I knew it was going to be foul. I can’t remember whose idea it was, but we filled a super soaker with it. You can imagine how that ended up. Wrestling for possession of it, Twisted Tea in our eyes, bodies sticky, alcohol levels raised. We were loosened up enough to tube down the very cold creek. A family nearby chatted it up with Ricki (he’s the talker of the group), and their sons showed off their skills by jumping off the bridge that arched over the creek. Megan and I were convinced to try it. One of the boys gave us a little tutorial, “Land with your butt” he said. “It’s deep enough but not that deep.” I don’t know why we trusted anything after that statement. We definitely hit our asses on the bottom. Hard enough that Megan’s was red for a while.
We crammed ourselves back in the car, inflated inner tubes and all, and headed to the next spot screaming some oldies the whole way. Thanks to Spencer and Taylor [Stack], we posted up at this amazing cliff jumping spot they suggested. The area was beautiful and the water was perfect. I finally felt at ease enough to take just a small amount of mushrooms. Matt joined, too. I climbed to the highest point on the rocks as I could reach to watch the sun slowly set. I felt at peace, then sad, then exhausted. I put on Stevie Ray Vaughan’s rendition of “Little Wing.” His sound has always made me feel comforted, like I’m at home. I feel like we all have one of those. A band or song that makes you feel like you have a childhood blanket wrapped around you, making you believe everything’s going to be just fine. Stevie is that for me.
We ended the night with dinner, and I’m pretty sure all of us laughed more than we have in a long time. Matt was on a low-carb diet but he made sure to polish off everyones fries, even if they didn’t offer. Megan tried paying Ivey $20 to eat a salad covered in ketchup but she pussied out after we prepared it. Although the day had started out a bit rough, it really ended up being a great one. Sitting at the table, still feeling introspective, I considered the people I have in my life and how damn fortunate I was to be there, laughing at Matt’s silly antics, exhausted from a day of cliff jumping in the natural beauty of Colorado.
Day 4: The Battle
It was our final full day in Colorado, so skating was a must. We warmed up at Slocum skatepark so that Megan could drill mizous. She was going for her ender once again on that punisher of a handrail. We all knew she had it. She’s a rail queen, but her body was not on the same page. She still hadn’t recovered fully from a torn muscle in her thigh and a bruised heel. I could see the frustration building in her face. A feeling I know all too well. Sometimes it’s just not your day, but I usually have the mindset of, “If it’s easy for you, you aren’t pushing yourself,” and an ender should never be easy.
We moved on to a couple other spots with Sydney [Lewis], JaQuan [Owen], and Emma [Freeman]. Nothing was really calling out to anyone so we ended up at this big out ledge I’ve had my eye on for some time now. Ivey was trying a citric acid and I was going for a fishbrain. I had really worked this spot up in my head because of the trick I wanted to do. I’m also so particular about the spots I skate and I really wanted this one. I knew I couldn’t over think it when I got there so I just started going for it right away. We both battled it out for a long, long time. I was in the zone. When I’m in the zone, it’s usually not a happy place. It’s kind of like a please land this asap because I do not want to do this all night or have a meltdown. The meltdown was creeping in though, I could feel it. Megan and Ivey know me well enough to know not to talk to me too much or interfere with whatever OCD pattern I’ve created for my approach when I’m like this. JaQuan on the other hand took a different approach. He was cracking jokes at me, giving me advice, pep talks, high fives. I knew he was coming from a good place, so I did my absolute best to keep it together. Eventually, Megan kinda gave him the “ixnay on the alkingtay” gesture with a nervous look in her eyes. Taylor and Spencer showed up at some point, but I was too locked in to even say hi.
I finally gave up. I lost the battle. I know everyone can get worked up over skating occasionally, but I let myself get way too angry. My mind goes to dark places and I start telling myself, “You’re not good enough, how pathetic, you blew it.” It’s really unhealthy, but I’ve been working on it. It’s always going to be hard to walk away from something and not feel defeated, I don’t know why I gotta make it worse for myself. It seems quite silly when I talk about it. These days, I try to let go of the emotions and have a little gratitude. If I can walk away from a spot unharmed, that’s great. If my body was capable enough to battle the spot in the first place, how fortunate am I? I’m still not exemplary at this, but I’m better. Poor JaQuan sheepishly approached me afterwards and apologized if he messed up my flow at all. He said he was just excited to skate with me after all the time I had taken off from injuries. Oh man. I felt like such a dingus letting everyone see me that way. I told him he did nothing wrong at all, I’m just a weirdo.
It was our last night, we had to end things on a high note. You never know when a trip might be your last, especially with the specific people you’re with. We headed to a nearby bar with the whole crew. Everyone was having nice chats, sharing laughs, and cheersing. The guys and I talked about our futures and ideas we have for down the road. We talked about how lucky we all are to have been brought together through this crazy journey and formed genuine friendships. Friendships that will last a lifetime. I was happy to see others chatting quite a bit as well, even those who have not always been close. Seeing people rebuild bonds was a nice reminder of how simple things can be if we just communicate. Life is short, there’s no time to waste on the dumb shit.
Right: New, old, and rekindled friendships.
At the end of the night Megan turned to me and said, “I really miss Denver. I’m just happier here.” Something in my gut told me she would be back living there once again in the near future. I just so happened to be right.
