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 Dan Garcia tail Drop to Death
 Daniel Lutheran Front Blunt
 Derek Prada Frontside Flip
 James Atkin Ollie
 Rocky Norton. A Bridge and A Ditch.
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I must have been eight when my parents decided it would be a good idea to move from a beach side paradise, to the high desert of New Mexico and build our own house, ala little house on the prairie style. After a gut wrenching ten-hour drive, we arrived in our new “home” of Mountainair New Mexico and all of my fears were confirmed. Mountainair consists of a gas station and a few rows of trailers nestled in the base of the Mansano Mountain range on the backside of Albuquerque. At the time I was a typical California surf rat. I quickly came to terms with the fact that dedicating my life to skateboarding was the only way I would remain sane in my new surroundings. The one road in and out of town had a cop that had nothing better to do than park near an old billboard sign, sit in his patrol car, and whack it and I saw this as permission to take full advantage of whatever concrete I could find.
To my amazement the town possessed some of the best spots I have ever skated to this day. NASA had an old abandoned factory just outside of town that was shut down after the O-rings it produced caused the Challenger explosion back in ’86. The closing of the NASA factory created a modern ghost town. The gated compound consisted of roughly 10 acres of empty office buildings hidden in the trees. Since the compound was built in the hills, countless seemingly perfect stair sets and gaps resided between each building. I still remember my first look at the place as the virgin concrete stared back at me I remembering smiling and thinking to myself “this isn’t so bad”. Looking more like something from the shining than a skate paradise the only problem with my new spot was it was one of the eeriest feelings on earth. With only the sound of your wheels on the concrete and nobody around for miles, one could not help but get the feeling that you were being constantly watched. The mind is an incredible thing and tree branches blowing in the wind would often turn into someone running up behind you when caught out of the corner of your eye. Each session would turn into the best yet and not being able to control my excitement, I told a couple of the kids I met in town. With tales of my new magical kingdom soon spreading around school, a few of the locals decided to join me on my concrete quest. Our crew was born. After a few months of skating the NASA compound we decided to venture out and see what the rest of New Mexico had to offer. Thus our quest began. To my amazement spots popped up like wildfire and this state housed some of the best street skating I have seen to this day. On one cold morning in December a whole new chapter opened up for us as we took the hour and a half hour trek into the abyss known as Albuquerque. Awaiting us was a new concrete paradise in which we were free to roam with seemingly endless street spots around every corner.
In the “land of enchantment” on any given time of day you could think up twenty empty spots to go shred with some friends without so much as a negative thought thrown your way by security, cops, or any other form of overweight, flashlight carrying, uniform sporting creature. We quickly found that the cops and getting rolled on while skating a spot was not as large of a problem as was avoiding confrontations with the roaming gangs of vatos. We had something far more terrible than skate tickets. Gangs are alive and well. The “wild west” still exists my friends and Albuquerque is the heart of it. Growing up in Southern California you get used to seeing all of your local spots in the newest skate videos. We in New Mexico get used to seeing ours in the background of cops. Street smarts are essential in New Mexico and being a little so cal rat I learned that lesson fast.
New Mexico is a different kind of skate experience. It seems that in every city in NM skateboarding tends to revolve around Universities. NMSU, UNM, the famed Indian school (I remember the first time I saw it in a legit skate video, I almost fell out of my chair) they all house spots worthy of the best of them. Miles of drainage ditches line every city and by some act of God seem to remain clean without too much work from the locals. This is a place where drought is a constant way of life. The state is often quick to issue decrees banning water use which means empty pools are everywhere.
Skateboarders in NM are a hearty breed. Dealing with bone chilling winters, scorching summers, roving hoards of gang bangers, you name it, these are some of the coolest, tough as nails mother fuckers you will ever meet. You don’t make acquaintances here; you make life long friends.
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