A Moment Basking in the Glory (Hole)
wind...@lightspeed.net
A Moment of Glory at the Hole
By: Joe Griego
It came to me in my dreams. Occasionally, in my nightmares. I could feel
the soft whoosh of cool, moist air passing over my body. The soft rumble of
urethane passing over aged concrete jangled my nerves. The spirits of
legendary skaters from days gone by filled my mind's eye - Peralta, Alva,
Alba, Roskopp, Smith, Miller, Hosoi, Hawk. Their faded whoops and catcalls
seemed to echo from its dark depths, calling like sirens, drawing me towards
it. I'd spent a lifetime looking for it, and the time had come. I'd found
it. It was right around the corner. I felt like a penitent monk, whose 15-
year vow of silence was finally to be lifted in just one more anxious
moment...
And suddenly, there it was. I'd only ever seen it in magazines. The largest
skateable concrete pipe west of the Mississippi. The Glory Hole. I admit
it. I gaped.
It's one of the few times I was in awe of concrete. Having grown up Southern
California, I'd grown to accept the bland sameness of concrete - its
utilitarian uniformity. It was a simple useful construction material used as
a means to simple ends. To house businesses, to drive cars upon, to build
pastel-colored shopping malls to assuage the collective thirst for
consumption. But I'd never appreciated the grand scale of concrete
structures. Until that one moment.
Thirty feet in diameter. For those of you who aren't geometrically inclined,
that's a fifteen foot transistion, baby. Imagine pumping a transition that's
almost three times your height. When you finally work up the speed and you
hit vertical, you're five feet beyond the lip of most garden variety vert
ramps. If you're ballsy enough to go beyond vert, you're upside down almost
eighteen feet above the unforgiving floor. As you pump through the bottom of
the pipe, your knees strain to withstand the g-forces. An equipment failure
like a snapped truck bolt would smash your puny human frame into the pipe
with awesome destructive force. The hollow "slap" of flesh against concrete
would fade slowly against the inevitable moaning that would ensue...
I found it almost by accident. I'd moved to San Francisco to go to college.
I'd been skating for almost two decades by that point, and at the time,
street skating had come into its own. But I'd been brought up on concrete
skateparks, with huge vertical walls and thundering transitions. My teeth
had been cut in places called Concrete Wave, Skatopia, Del Mar Skate Ranch,
and the Upland Pipeline. I craved vertical. And in San Francisco in 1986,
it was in disappointingly short supply.
So I took my classes and made do. I played around at Embarcadero, and ollied
around the city. I managed to find the old Hunter's Point ramp, and skated
that until the old ramp splintered and failed, mirroring the urban decay
surrounding it.
Before I moved up to San Francisco, I had asked everyone I knew where the
Glory Hole was. There were tantalizing hints in the few articles I'd read
about it. But nobody seemed to know for sure.
"Oh, it's out by the Salton Sea," I'd heard. "Naw, it's out in the middle of
the desert in Arizona," another skater chirped helpfully. "No, I heard it
was really at Hoover Dam, and the skate magazines got special permission from
the government to skate it," offered another Glory Hole theorist.
The breadth and variety of the stories surrounding this legendary skate spot
were so diverse that I began to doubt that it even existed. "Could it be
that it's just a myth - an urban legend perpetuated by photographic
tomfoolery to keep young skaters dreaming big dreams, and buying fancy tennis
shoes?" thought I. After a long time, I finally gave up hope, and stopped
asking.
One day, I'd gone down to a local skate shop called Skates on Haight. I hear
now that it's a pretty big mail-order place. Whatever. At the time, it was
a fairly good-sized warehouse skateshop with a big inventory. I had come to
pick out some wheels, when this old longboarder came in for a set of
bearings. Admiring the old soul-stick the guy had, I struck up a
conversation.
"Where you from?" I asked.
"Oh, here and there. I just drove down from Sacramento today. It was
gettin' too damned hot there, so I thought I'd hit some hills in the city."
he said.
"Is there good skating in Sacramento?" I knew there was, but he looked
knowledgeable, and I was hoping he'd flow with some local insider info.
"Well, I skated this totally bitchin' ditch with Sam Cunningham yesterday.
It's by this church, and it's right by the freeway. Pretty happening." He
glanced behind the counter, probably wondering where the sales clerk had
disappeared to.
"But, I felt like relaxing, so this morning I stopped by the Glory Hole and
skated it for a couple hours before driving down. Like I said, it was
getting hot." he said as he yawned.
My heart jumped. I tried to remain calm. "Be cool, be cool!" I kept saying
to myself. I like to pretend that I sounded really mellow as I said, "Oh
yeah? Where's that?" In reality, I'm pretty sure my voice cracked like a
schoolboy.
He glanced over at me, looked me up and down, and said, "You've never been
there? It's pretty cool."
I put on my most deprecating look, and said, "I think I've heard of it.
Where's it at, exactly?"
And then, the info came. He told me as if I should have already known. I've
never been more attentive in my life. I committed every detail to memory,
and it's etched in my brain still. The highway numbers. The town names.
The miles to drive to get there. What to bring. What not to bring. The
nearest skateshop. My mind was reeling. I wanted to grow wings and fly
there that very moment.
The old longboarder bought his bearings, climbed into his VW van, and drove
away. I never saw him again. But he left me a gift. It was a precious gift
I've used over and over again. It's given me so much pleasure, and not a
little pain as well. And it's this gift I want to give to you.
-----------------------------------------------------
I spent two hours pushing the motive limits of my little maroon Vespa scooter
as I putted from San Francisco until I got to the dirt lot that marked the
trailhead to the Glory Hole. After a brief, but sweaty hike from the
trailhead, I knew I had found my El Dorado. There it was, looming before me;
the cool, black void of the pipe infiltrating my tired soul.
As I stared at the grand expanse of the Glory Hole as it lay before me, I
thought briefly of the many people who had skated the Hole before me, and
would continue to skate it after I was gone. I began packing my supplies
into the small 2-person raft I'd bought at K-Mart the week before. After
stuffing my my skate, my athletic bag that held my pads, and my backpack full
of food and drinking water, I squeezed in and paddled slowly to the concrete
pad that extended beyond the pipe, and served as a landing area.
There were a few skaters there already. They'd seen me slowly paddle over,
and unload my stuff. The told me to keep my stuff in the raft, since the
wind had a tendency to come up, and blow the rafts back into the water. I
did that, then padded up and watched the others skate for a bit, to learn the
lay of the land. I skated all day, and met all the locals. I made a few
lifelong friends, and others who were good skate buds for many years.
I'm a 33-year old man now. I've got a real job, a wife, and a baby son to
take care of. My knees make all kinds of interesting crunchy noises when I
get out of bed in the morning. I haven't skated in about two years, although
I still keep my old skate in the truck (never know when it might come in
handy). I don't live anywhere near the Glory Hole any more, but every once
in a while, I still think of it. And I smile.
----------------------------------------------------
WHERE IS IT? The Glory Hole is the spillway pipe for the Monticello Dam.
The dam holds back a large freshwater reservoir called Lake Berryessa. Lake
Berryessa is located about an hour and a half north of San Francisco,
California.
HOW DO I GET THERE? From San Francisco, take interstate 80 northbound.
Continue north out of the immediate bay area, and head toward Vacaville.
Just as you're passing through Vacaville, keep your eyes peeled for the
Highway 505/Winters exit. Take that exit northbound. From Highway 505, take
the Winters exit. Winters is a small farming community. It's a few miles
west of Highway 505. It's about 15 miles due west of Davis, California
(there's a large university in Davis, and it has some pretty good
skateshops). Anyway, the last time I was there, there were no stoplights in
Winters (that's how small it is). The main road from Highway 505 through
Winters is Highway 128. It goes from Winters, up beyond Lake Berryessa, and
eventually dumps you into Napa, California.
From downtown Winters, take Highway 128 west, toward Lake Berryessa. Go
approximately nine (9) miles to the BASE of the dam. You will pass by a
seasonal store which sells things like drinks, food, and fishing supplies for
the campers at the nearby campground. Just past the store, you'll drive over
Putah Creek, which is the name of the creek that flows out from Lake
Berryessa.
This creek is very, very cold. Because it flows from the bottom of Lake
Berryessa, the water temperature is right around 50 degress year-round. It's
a good trout fishery, and there are usually lots of fly fishermen during
fishing season (April through October).
Just past the bridge where you cross over Putah Creek, you will see a dirt
parking lot to the right. Fisherman use this parking lot to hike back and
fish Putah Creek all the way to the base of the dam. Park here.
Walk up the trailhead 1/4 mile to the base of the dam. The trail ends at a
large rock formation. Climb out onto the rocks, and peek around the corner.
You'll see the Glory Hole. A small body of water is between you and skate
nirvana. You could *try* to climb the rocks along the left- hand wall and
make it there, but I've never seen anyone successfully do this. Especially
with an armload of skate gear. Best to bring a raft, canoe, or some other
flotation device. You could try to swim it, but your testicles will wind up
in your lungs. It's very, very cold, year round. Even when it's 100 degrees
outside, the water will chill you to the bone. I don't recommend swimming
it, unless you're really into hypothermia.
WHAT DO I NEED? You need a skateboard. Pads are a good idea. At least knee
pads, anyway. A towel (comes in handy if you decide to soak your feet after
a hot day of skating). Food (the nearest store is a couple miles away, and
you have to hike out to the parking lot first). Water (bring a LOT, because
it gets very hot in the summer, and you'll sweat a lot). A friend. It's a
good idea to go with someone else. If you skate alone, and hurt yourself,
there's no way anyone would even know you were there, and if you couldn't get
out by yourself, you're screwed. A raft/canoe/flotation device. You can't
get to the pipe unless you cross a small body of water. And it's a LOT
better to skate when you're dry than when you're wet. Do yourself a favor,
and buy or borrow one of those small 2-person rafts you can get at K-mart for
like thirty bucks. A broom and kitty litter. Why? Because there is always
a trickle of water in the bottom of the pipe (it *does* run under a freaking
lake, after all). A push broom works great to sweep out the water and slime,
and then spread some kitty litter into the pipe to soak up any residual
moisture. Voila - a good skating surface.
IS IT A BUST? Nope. It's been skated for decades by local skaters. I even
met up with a park ranger walking in one day, and he was only interested in
me to see if I was going to go fishing, and whether or not I had a fishing
license. He asked me where I was going, so I told him. He just told me to
be careful, and let me go on my way.
WHAT'S IT LIKE? The pipe is huge. It's a spillway pipe for a reservoir, and
it's 30 feet in diameter, and extends about 200-300 feet into the face of a
dam. It then bends upward until it hits vertical, then pokes out above the
surface of the lake above the dam. You can climb up the elbow bend if you're
feeling adventurous. I've seen guys climb up a very short way up that elbow
and then skate down the length of the pipe. It's dark, it's fast, and
there's a lot of debris at the bottom of the pipe, so watch where you're
skating.
Most skaters stick to the first two sections of pipe at the end. The decades
of flowing water has pitted the bottom of the pipe, so it's a little rough.
Softer wheel durometers are recommended for best results. The bigger the
wheel, the better. You're not grinding here, and you need lots of speed.
The second section back is smoother, and you can start there, and skate out
to the front of the pipe. You can even grind the lip of the pipe when you're
feeling particularly gnarly. The coolest move I ever saw there was a local
doing a bert slide to vertical, then grinding down the lip. A few inches the
wrong way, and he'd have been dropping fifteen feet to the flat concrete
outside the pipe.
If you go in the summer, it's hot. Very hot. You'll skate for a few
minutes, and then collapse from the heat. There are no services anywhere
nearby. Bring plenty to drink or eat, because you have to hike in about 1/4-
mile from the parking area to get there, then paddle across about fifty feet
of water to access the pipe. Bring toilet paper if you're prone to
unexpected bowel movements. Plan to spend several hours there, at least.
It's a unique skating experience that should be enjoyed for as long as
possible. It's usually an all-day session.
One last note - this little tale is written in 1998. We've just had the
wettest year in 15 years, so the spillway pipe was most likely flooded out
all winter long. Conditions in the pipe may be worse than I remember, since
a lot more water was probably pumping through the spillway pipe. Your
mileage may vary.
I hope someday you'll be able to hit the Glory Hole with the same spirit of
fun and awe that I experienced. I've skated it hundreds of times since I
first found it back in 1987, and there's always a fun vibe that I pick up
there. The locals from Winters are totally cool (at least, they were when I
was skating it), so respect the Glory Hole, and clean up after yourself.
If you've been there lately, maybe you can drop me an email and tell me how
it was. I still dream of it, sometimes.
Joe Griego - just another old skater
jgr...@enron.blah.com
(remove between the dots to get to my true email address)
-----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==-----
http://www.dejanews.com/ Now offering spam-free web-based newsreading
Richard Jones
Just keep skating man !!!!
33 is YOUNG !
>I'm a 33-year old man now. I've got a real job, a wife, and a baby son to
>take care of.
Rich the Critch
visit the longboard zine SOULED OUT
http://www.netspace.net.au/~richardj/
Maciej Matthew Matyjas
post of the month.
.maciej
Excerpts from netnews.alt.skate-board: 27-Apr-98 A Moment Basking in the
Glo.. by wind...@lightspeed.net
Dberard
post of the year! if you don't write for a skate mag, ya should!
wind...@lightspeed.net
In article <199804290500...@ladder03.news.aol.com>,
Hey, glad you liked it. Maybe I'll try to get that little story published
sometime...
Looks like El Nino's grasp has finally loosened here in California, and I was
just waxing nostalgic about the Glory Hole, and whipped up the article for
the hell of it. I just hope a few of you new schoolers out there might get
inspired, and test your limits against the biggest concrete structure folks
are ever likely to skate. It's a blast, and I hope others will make the
pilgramage to the Glory Hole. It's worth it.
Joe G.
jgr...@enron.blah.com
(remove between the dots for my true email address)
wind...@lightspeed.net
In article <richardj-280...@dialup-m1-3.hobart.netspace.net.au>,
> >take care of.
Heh. It doesn't FEEL very young sometimes. And unfortunately, I just don't
live anywhere near a good vert spot. Street skating is a fine diversion, but
it doesn't give me the true rush I need to get when I step on a skate. Maybe
I'll build a ramp someday when my son is old enough to be interested...
Joe G.
jgr...@enron.blah.com
(remove between the dots for my true email address)
wind...@lightspeed.net
In article <gpFTLGq00...@andrew.cmu.edu>,
Maciej Matthew Matyjas <mm...@andrew.cmu.edu> wrote:
>
>
> post of the month.
>
> .maciej
>
> Excerpts from netnews.alt.skate-board: 27-Apr-98 A Moment Basking in the
> Glo.. by wind...@lightspeed.net
> > A Moment of Glory at the Hole
> > By: Joe Griego
Glad you liked it, Maciej. How the hell do you pronounce that name, anyhow?
At any rate, it's a true story, and I thought newer skaters might benefit
from a few random thoughts from an old fart like me. I'll try to post about
other spots I've skated, and hopefully read about other spots from other
skaters as well.
Joe G.
jgr...@enron.blah.com
Tehachapi, CA
(remove between the dots for my true email address)
Phil
Please send me some new wierd and fucked moves for flatland as well as
mini ramp. anything even if completely rude
old school accepted
Maciej Matthew Matyjas
Excerpts from netnews.alt.skate-board: 29-Apr-98 Re: A Moment Basking in
the.. by wind...@lightspeed.net
> Glad you liked it, Maciej. How the hell do you pronounce that name, anyhow?
>
> At any rate, it's a true story, and I thought newer skaters might benefit
> from a few random thoughts from an old fart like me. I'll try to post about
> other spots I've skated, and hopefully read about other spots from other
> skaters as well.
>
its like mach-ay.
I wonder how many of those guys riding around in VWs with secret
spots in their heads still exist. I bet thats just a california thing.
So, how long ago did you start skating? You were talking about logan
earth skis so I'm curious if you actually skated in that era, it seems
to me, especially from all the concrete tales, that you are from the
pool era when Jay Adams and Alva were kings.
.maciej
wind...@lightspeed.net
> I wonder how many of those guys riding around in VWs with secret
> spots in their heads still exist. I bet thats just a california thing.
Oh, I dunno about that. You'll find skate-safarists traveling from spot to
spot even today. I did that a lot in college. Making friends with locals
and finding new pools, ditches, culverts, or other skate terrain is always a
thrill. I'm sure *someone* is still doing that...
> So, how long ago did you start skating? You were talking about logan
> earth skis so I'm curious if you actually skated in that era, it seems
> to me, especially from all the concrete tales, that you are from the
> pool era when Jay Adams and Alva were kings.
Man, you're making me feel fucking ancient. I first set foot on a skate in
the spring of 1970. I was five years old. This was before urethane wheels
and laminated decks. It was a piece of plywood with steel roller skate
wheels screwed into it. My first "real" board was a Roller Derby brand deck
(still plywood), but it had real trucks with rubber bushings on it, and clay
wheels. That was in 1974. By the summer of 1976 I had a clear plastic deck
with Cadillac trucks and urethane wheels (still had loose bearings, though).
That was when I first skated on a ramp (a wooden quarter pipe that the local
BMXers built to jump off of). This was in Havelock, North Carolina. In 1977
I moved to Southern California (Garden Grove) and was plunked smack dab into
the middle of the golden age of concrete skateparks. Anaheim had Concrete
Wave, Orange had Big O. Over in Buena Park was Skatopia. A couple hours
south was the Del Mar Skate Ranch. Upland had the Pipeline skatepark.
I never had a Logan Earth Ski, although I wanted one. I built my own in
junior high wood shop using the Logan as a template (I borrowed a friend's).
I used koa and oak, put a set of ACS 650 trucks (considered "slalom" trucks
at the time) and Road Rider wheels on it, and hit the parks. I never saw Jay
Adams, but I did get to meet and skate in the same park with Stacy Peralta,
Alan Gelfand, the Alba bros., Chris Miller, Tony Alva, et al. I miss those
days of concrete parks, before sky-high liability insurance costs.
But, I'm sure it's just as fun to skate today, albeit on different terrain.
Street skating seems to be all the rage, with really groovy flippy-dippy
tricks that I can't do. I'm afraid I'm spoiled by the memory of huge
vertical and the harsh bark of pool coping.
So, where do you skate these days? Mostly street, or what? I'm sure you've
got a spot you prefer to skate, because you've got the lines just wired...
Joe G.
Maciej Matthew Matyjas
Excerpts from netnews.alt.skate-board: 30-Apr-98 Re: A Moment Basking in
the.. by wind...@lightspeed.net
Thats rad.
i gotta go make a database, we'll talk soon.
.maciej
econobeer
wind...@lightspeed.net wrote:
>
> In article <gpFTLGq00...@andrew.cmu.edu>,
> Maciej Matthew Matyjas <mm...@andrew.cmu.edu> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> > .maciej
> >
> > Excerpts from netnews.alt.skate-board: 27-Apr-98 A Moment Basking in the
> > Glo.. by wind...@lightspeed.net
> > > A Moment of Glory at the Hole
> > > By: Joe Griego
>
>
> At any rate, it's a true story, and I thought newer skaters might benefit
> from a few random thoughts from an old fart like me. I'll try to post about
> other spots I've skated, and hopefully read about other spots from other
> skaters as well.
>
>
> -----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==-----
> http://www.dejanews.com/ Now offering spam-free web-based newsreading
Lake Berryessa is about 3 or 4 hours from here and me and my friends
have been wanting to go to the Glory Hole so thanks for the directions
man.
Maciej Matthew Matyjas
Excerpts from netnews.alt.skate-board: 30-Apr-98 Re: A Moment Basking in
the.. by wind...@lightspeed.net
>
what i think is super cool about early 80's and 70's skating is that
since there weren't as many tricks (by todays standards) there was alot
more emphasis on style. Too often people focus on the trick they do
rather than how you do it. in the 70's it was all about how you rode,
you became known for riding fast, lots of vert, and most importantly
with tons of style.
.maciej
wind...@lightspeed.net
> what i think is super cool about early 80's and 70's skating is that
> since there weren't as many tricks (by todays standards) there was alot
> more emphasis on style. Too often people focus on the trick they do
> rather than how you do it. in the 70's it was all about how you rode,
> you became known for riding fast, lots of vert, and most importantly
> with tons of style.
I guess I still come from the perspective that skateboarding is a natural
evolution from surfing. All the early moves were to emulate surfing
maneuvers. The fluid, stylish carves, grinds and slides were purposely
imitating surf moves. It was when the equipment became modernized, and new
terrain could be explored, that it became possible to do things no surfer ever
dreamed of. Inverts, ollies, and other vert-related tricks moved
skateboarding to a new level of aggressiveness and creativity that broke the
early link with surfing, and created a whole new sport. No one ever called it
"sidewalk surfing" after that.
But, the heritage is still there. Every time a kid pushes down a street, and
gains speed down a hill, the rush they feel is shared by ever surfer who ever
lived. Like any individual sport, skaters push their own limits to explore
how far they can go, and to enjoy the pure source of their joy. In my
opinion, style is just a simple expression of personal joy. Sounds silly when
you say it like that, but that's about as simple as I can describe it.
Joe G.
Tehachapi, CA
wind...@lightspeed.net
> Lake Berryessa is about 3 or 4 hours from here and me and my friends
> have been wanting to go to the Glory Hole so thanks for the directions
> man.
Cool. Be sure and post on alt.skate-board when you get back, and tell us how
the conditions are there. It's early in the season yet, so I have a feeling
it may be pretty wet still. Make sure and take that kitty litter and a broom!
Joe G.
Tehachapi, CA
DanSk8z
dood, are you a writer or something?? you should write sum books on sk8ing,
well at least the old sk8ing....
Life sux, then you die...
Dan...@aol.com.......
econobeer
wind...@lightspeed.net wrote:
>
> > Lake Berryessa is about 3 or 4 hours from here and me and my friends
> > have been wanting to go to the Glory Hole so thanks for the directions
> > man.
>
> Cool. Be sure and post on alt.skate-board when you get back, and tell us how
> the conditions are there. It's early in the season yet, so I have a feeling
> it may be pretty wet still. Make sure and take that kitty litter and a broom!
>
> Joe G.
> Tehachapi, CA
>
> http://www.dejanews.com/ Now offering spam-free web-based newsreading
Well Uvas spillway is already dry someone just needs to sweep it.
wind...@lightspeed.net
> Well Uvas spillway is already dry someone just needs to sweep it.
So, don't be a Humphrey and flow with the 'fo! What is the Uvas spillway,
and how does one get to it?
Joe G.
Tehachapi, CA
jgr...@enron.blah.com
remove between the dots for true email address.
econobeer
wind...@lightspeed.net wrote:
>
> > Well Uvas spillway is already dry someone just needs to sweep it.
>
> So, don't be a Humphrey and flow with the 'fo! What is the Uvas spillway,
> and how does one get to it?
>
> Joe G.
> Tehachapi, CA
> jgr...@enron.blah.com
>
> remove between the dots for true email address.
>
> http://www.dejanews.com/ Now offering spam-free web-based newsreading
Uvas spillway is in an old Santa Cruz video called "Streets on Fire".
I think it is in one of the Scarecrow videos also. It is a HUGE
gnarley ditch. It is pretty scary, but you can haul ass. I'm sure that
if you enjoy the Glory Hole you would like Uvas. It is by Gilroy (The
Garlic Capital). From Highway 101 in Gilroy take highway 152 towards
Watsonville. Take a right on Watsonville Road (if you are starting too
go up a big ass hill you went to far) go down about 4 miles and take a
left on Uvas Road. After a series of turns the road straightens out
and you can see the spillway on the right. Park on the wide dirt
shoulder and go skate.