Beaner Bowl Photo Album

Beaner Bowl (1977-1978): TOP of Page

These images were taken in late 1977 and early 1978 at a pool in central Phoenix. I only skated this pool a few times, as it was in a bad part of the city.

The Beaner Bowl [which was named by John Sachen and I] is where I met Tony Simons [he was already old]. The first guys to skate it (which I believe were Greg Davis, Tony and Crayfish) called it the Wrangler Pool [after the original hotel name where it was situated] but Sachen and I [under protest from the ever mellow and young idealist Tony] called it the Beaner Bowl because we were bitter about having to deal with the local vatos who would fill the pool with junk and then throw rocks at us while we skated. The GO FOR IT graffiti in the pool with Sims-like stripes was actually my handiwork. These pics are unreal for me. We weren't old enough to drive so we rode the bus to 24th and Van Buren to skate it.....every Saturday and Sunday. I remember when Tony gave the 2 local kids the board. Jesse and Hector......I also remember a guy breaking both wrists in the drain one day..harsh. In these pics the guy in the white Norcon was my then best friend Jon Sachen, not Hoss. The guy in blue OP's is Bob Bates and he is way too well dressed to be a west-sider.....he lived in the Biltmore and was inseparable from Sachen and I . We later formed the Sun Cyclery team and worked at High Roller for John "beatnik" Butler and his wife........Tom Butterfly

The "Beaner Bowl".....Many a day was spent at that place. Anyone remember the little Mexican kids who lived right near there? There were two of them, little boys....both brothers, I think. I believe one of them was named Jesse? I remember Tony Simons (VW Tony, with the beard) gave them an old piece of crap board and they would try and skate the bowl. It's amazing how a picture can dust off the old,dead, burned out brain cells from the past and bring things right back to you in living color! As far as the "Unknown" guy in picture 17 you are calling Bates? I think his name was Tim but I might be wrong.... anyone else know? The guy in picture 35, it looks to me like is Scott McFate, who was a friend of mine that lived over near us off Granite Reef Rd. and Montebello. He drove a Toyota land cruiser and we used to also go out to the pipes at red mountain for midnight skates. Really fun times. Good work Scott....Greg Davis

Garfield / Obstacle Bowl (1978) Photo Album

Garfield / Obstacle Bowl (Winter 1983) Photo Album

Garfield Pool / Obstacle Bowl - New Year's Eve party at Theo's (1984) Photo Album

Obstacle / Garfield Bowl (1977-1984): TOP of Page

These images were shot at two divergently different time periods, but at the same location. This pool was located at a rental house on Garfield Road in south Scottsdale (almost Tempe). It became a mainstay for the Scottsdale pool-skating community, though I only skated it a few times myself. The most memorable early times there (for me) were with Barry Finnerty, Andy Spade, and his younger brother David Spade. Yes, this is the SAME David Spade who went on to make a name for himself in the comedy world, with a run on SNL, movies with Chris Farley, and the successful sitcom "Just Shoot Me". Ron Theobald (& friends) actually ended up renting and taking residence at this house. What better backyard for a skating enthusiast!!?? Just as this was happening, I joined the Navy (1981) and moved to San Diego. The second & third sets of photos were taken while I was on leave. The 2nd set was just before Susie and I got married, putting it in the winter of 1983 time frame. The 3rd was from New Years's Eve (1984/85?). I was using my new Nikon EM camera (the most basic body Nikon made) and the Sigma 8mm fisheye lens (what I would give to have this lens back [you can't find them anywhere] - it was stolen 7 years later). I got this lens in the Philippines while on my second WESPAC cruise (in 1984), which is sadly the only way I could date the photos - the actual night was kind of a blur. Most of the people at the party, I hadn't seen in several years...... and it was a typical Theobald affair: TONS of people, TONS of fun - including a late night skate session in the pool. This was the last time I saw most of these great people. If only I had the camera I have NOW, then....

Spooge Bowl (April 1978) Photo Album

Spooge Bowl (April 1978): TOP of Page

These images were taken at a pool in Scottsdale in April of 1978. This pool was found, the way many pools are - by looking over fences (from alleys) at backyards of houses that were for sale or rent. This one was found, bailed out, and cleaned by my friend Colby Getchell and myself. The name came about (as all pool names do), by some representative characteristic that is uniquely identifiable - and agreed upon by the finders. The "spooge" label here accurately described the stinky muck we hauled up from the bottom couple of feet. This had to be done to make it skateable. The end results were always worth the manual labor. It was all done low-profile (no loud music or noise of any kind) and we damaged nothing at the property, nor in the house. This was the code, as this behavior kept neighbors from looking for signs of skating activity - and calling the cops. And, as always, the fewer people that know, the better. We were the only ones that skated it for months, and nobody ever knew we were there.

Big Surf (April - July 1978) Photo Album

Miscellaneous Big Surf (1976-1979) Photo Album

Big Surf (July 1979) Photo Album

Big Surf (June 1982) Photo Album

Big Surf Overview (National Geographic) 1977

Big Surf (1976-1983): TOP of Page

These images were taken at Big Surf in Tempe, AZ, which was the first wave-pool of its kind in the world - and located smack-dab in the middle of the Arizona desert. The system worked on a principal similar to a toilet, and it was consequently referred to {by us} as "The Flush" . A lot of my friends actually learned how to surf here, and here is where I fostered friendships that still exist today. This was our "hood", and we were "the locals". We knew all of the lifeguards (the authority figures of the facility) and found every way possible to get in - as cheaply as possible, and as often as possible. The best times were during the pre-season months (Mar-May), when it was only open for a short time during the day, with a surfing session beginning at 11:00 am. I barely passed Biology my senior year at Saguaro High School because it was my 4th period class - which was right when the first preseason surf session occurred during the weekdays. I could go to Biology (and sit next to my lovely lab partner, Tammy Duckworth), or I could go to "the flush" and be assured that I could surf every wave pumped out in the one-hour period, and I could have exclusive "rights" (by virtue of unwritten, but respected pecking order) to the "outside" (the entire unbroken face) of the "lefts". It was fortunate that almost ALL of the other locals surfed the "rights", leaving the "lefts" for me (unless they opted for a rare backside wave). It was NOT a tough choice for me to skip one class. I could get in as many as 15-20 consistent, near-perfect, waist-to-chest high waves. Then, I could get back to school in time to finish the afternoon schedule. The next (and final) hour-long session began at 4:00 or 5:00, so I would race back home, grab my board again and get back there for another hour. A lot of times, this last session would be much more crowded (the after-work group), so it was great to have surfed the first session....thus the "D" in Biology (my only "D" ever)!! It was worth it. I knew it then, and looking back, I wouldn't have done it any other way. "Swimmers and rafters, you now have THREE waves. There are THREE WAVES before the three o'clock surfing session"

This is really a flash from the past. I have not thought of this place for so many years and the fun we all had there. Hell, I drive by the damn place everyday going to work!! Not the same as the good old days I'll tell ya. No sand, what was once a beach is now replaced with concrete and grass (not the kind we all liked though!) Really fun stuff here Scott!! Keep up the good work and thanks for the flash back to a fond time in all of our lives!!.... Greg Davis

What happened to all of the Shredder's on the right-hand side... Oh yeah, they live on the coast and still surf... Come on out and have some fun with the Pun, Kray, Gank, Dar, Bare, Gram, and Pede...... John Malpede

Some classic old pictures! If you make it to our annual Mex surf trip (Sept 26-30), I'm sure we can come up with a lot more. Pun......Dean Nunley

Check out the results from this Baja 2002 trip under the SURFING category

High Roller Skate Park (night) - October 1978 Photo Album

High Roller Park skate contest (1) (December 1978) Photo Album

High Roller Park skate contest (2) (December 1978) Photo Album

High Roller Skatepark (April 1979) Photo Album

High Roller Skatepark (1978-79): TOP of Page

These images were taken at High Roller Skatepark in October & December of 1978, and in April of 1979. One set of photos was a typical evening session in October 1978, another during a typical day session in April of 1979, and two more were shot one weekend day in December 1978. There was a pretty big skate contest there this day, with pros from California and photographers from the skate magazines. Things like this expanded EVERYONE'S horizons as we got to see whole new ways of skating the places we went often. Skateboarding was, and continues to be this way. Whenever there is a gathering, envelopes are pushed and creativity is given free reign - always inspiring.

Hey Scott! That's Me with the camera on the left side of pic 18! Wow! Good to see I was young once. Ha! Sandy @ Sidewalk Surfer has my contact info if you are interested in some pics of you that I took. talk to you soon..... Tony Hernandez

Pic 32 skater is Steve Ford from Litchfield Park..He shredded the deadly slamwall better than anyone.... High Roller employee sitting down with white YO Yo's cap and High Roller shirt is me T. Butterfly.......anyone remember the North Mountain Park after skate sessions?..... Tom Butterfly

The Crew - Howard's Bowl (1978)

Classic Howards Bowl (1) (January 1978) Photo Album

Classic Howards Bowl (2) (January 1978) Photo Album

Howards Bowl (1) (October 1978) Photo Album

Howards Bowl (2) (October 1978) Photo Album

Howard's Bowl (1978): TOP of Page

These images were taken at another pool that we found, bailed, cleaned, and christened in Scottsdale, AZ. This pool was on a huge section of property off Camelback Rd and was set in an area of orchards, which shielded the view from the busy road. In these pictures, you can see the changes that evolved in the year that we all skated here. This pool was almost perfect for skating. The transitions were smooth, all around - even in the shallow end. This meant that, with the right line, you could work this pool from shallow, to deep, back to shallow, then back to deep, then the side wall, then the other side wall, then the shallow, and over and over until you ran out of steam, bailed, or crashed.

For more skateboarding history, check out Adam Trahan's site.

Dude...classic pix! Hard to believe I was never around for the group pix. But some really quality ones of people I forgot Ron Theobald, Greg Davis. I like the Team Frog T's...I still have mine.....Barry Finnerty

Scott, Pede told me about your page!! Great old skate shots... We should all get together for a POOL session? I still SKATE pools whenever I can. I even got in trouble the other day skating a pipe... The cop even asked me if I was a little old to be skateboarding? Haha. It was worth it. My wife just laughs at me. Thanks for the great memory's. Skate safe. Hoss PS Howards Bowl 2 (09) is me frontside TEAM FROG, RED VANS. PSS: I think the guy at The "BEANER BOWL" with the cowboy hat is John Wilsy?.... Hoss Rogers

Hey Scott. Sandy @ Sidewalk Surfer hipped me to your pics on this site. Very cool..... Tony Hernandez

Howards Bowl Classic 2, pic 25 "unknown" and "unknown next to John Sachen" are Tom and David Butterfly. "Unknown" pic 00 Howards (Oct '78) is Bob Miles - famed downhiller and member of the Sun Cyclery team that dominated the Jerome contest. Killer pics, Scott. Uncle Tony turned me on to your site....he heard it from Hoss. John Sachen and Hoss were the 2 best all around skaters in town back then. Later, Sachen and I were original High Roller employees. We also took Peralta, Greg Ayers and Doug Schneider to the pipes with us that year. I remember the whole Z-Flex team stayed at Sachen's house for the High Roller contest. It was out of hand..... Tom Butterfly

Tucson skate park (October 1978) Photo Album

Tucson Skatepark (Oct 1978): TOP of Page

These images were shot during a quick day-trip down to Tucson (from Scottsdale) in October of 1978. None of us had been there before and I seem to recall that not all of us got to actually skate in the park. There was some kind of ID / underage problem with some of the guys. I was 18 at the time, and this got me in the gate. The entourage included Greg Williams, Paul Seroka, Eric Mullenberg, myself and one other person (whom I cannot remember). Whoever that other person was, he snapped the picture inside the Burger King. Maybe Evan Jones? It sucks that I can't remember, which is why I'm glad I snapped the photos that I did during these years.

Sidewalk Surfer team at El Dorado Park (October 1978) Photo Album

Sidewalk Surfer Team Demo at ElDorado Park (Oct 1978): TOP of Page

These images were taken in October of 1978. Sandie Hamilton at Sidewalk Surfer had put together a demonstration team to showcase, and give public exposure to, the better aspects of skateboarding. She also wanted to show-boat the local talent. Great vision on her part !! I was fortunate to be a part of that. These photos were taken during a freestyle / street skating demonstration at El Dorado Park (when the park, and entire Indian Bend Wash system, was just being created). In attendance were Paul Seroka, Chipper Quinn, Evan Jones, Shannon Hamilton, Stuart Anglin, Tony Cholewa, Jiggs Hamilton, Tammy Herman, Ruthie Ellwood, John Wilsie

Sidewalk Surfer Shop (1978-1983) Photo Album

Sidewalk Surfer Shop (1978-1983): TOP of Page

These images were taken of the Sidewalk Surfer, which was (and still is) a home-away-from home for hundreds of skaters [of all kinds], surfers, and snowboarders. Founded in 1977 by Sandie Hamilton, the Sidewalk Surfer has had three different locations in Scottsdale, Arizona. Each time she moved, she moved up and into MORE space. However, she always fills whatever space she is in to the rafters with the COOLEST stuff. She stays on top of what's hot and has made a name for herself in this business. And she is like a 2nd mother (the really cool one) to many of us and is always upbeat and interested in everyone's lives. She is also a great source for "who is where", and she has put several people (whom I haven't seen in ages) in touch with me in the last year or so - keeping the big family together. Cheers to her, from ALL of us!!

Scott's Ramp (1979) Photo Album

Scott's Ramp (1979): TOP of Page

Long before there were even conceived notions of the ramps and skateparks that are prevalent today, there were the back yard (or front yard, as in this case) ramps that provided an escape from the angst of teen boredom in the desert of Arizona. This is the one I built. There were others, like Barry Finnerty's and Tony Cholewa's. When you just couldn't get to an empty pool, or to the infant skate parks (Permanent Wave, High Roller, Skate-N-The-Shade), this made do and allowed for some brief vertical hangtime.

Skate-N-The-Shade (April 1979) Photo Album

Playtime in the Parking Lot (1979) - courtesy of Tony Hernandaz

Skate-N-The-Shade (April 1979): TOP of Page

These images were taken at one of the nicest pools I ever skated that was designed solely for skateboarding. It had tile and coping, like a normal swimming pool, which is part of what made it so cool. It sort of gave pool skating the legitimacy it deserved. Tile and coping were benchmarks, and THIS "skatepark" pool allowed that aspect of "guerilla" skating to be brought into the skating mainstream. It wasn't just a cement hole in the ground - put there for skaters to make due with. It was a POOL, that was built for skaters. I don't know if they ever completed the rest of the park.

The second button brings up a wonderful photograph, which has been graciously submitted by Tony Hernandez. It was taken in the parking lot next to the pool at Skate-N-The-Shade, which was in Mesa, AZ. It had been a typical skate session, and everyone had skated until there was no more light left in the early evening sky. I had only met Tony a few other times, but knew he was close friends with Ron, Mike, Paul and Tim (among many others). On this particular night, we had arrived at the scene in my classic 1967 VW Safari Bus, and were preparing to depart when Tony said he wanted to get a group photo. I knew he was into photography, and I didn't really know anybody else who was, so the situation interested me. At the time, I was in no way interested in photography, I just snapped pictures as "records" from time to time. Tony, however,....Tony was a "photographer", and he didn't want to take a "normal" photo. No, he had us take a pose, then (with the camera on a tripod, about 18" off the ground), he opened the shutter - using a cable release. We held position, then he put a black cardboard sheet in front of the lens (with the shutter still open) and had us change into a different pose, but that interacted with where we were with the first pose. Then, he removed the cardboard and allowed the new image to impose itself on the same negative. The result, which I didn't see until a long time after this was taken, speaks for itself. I had a copy of it for the longest time, and then it disappeared. Then, Tony contacted me [out of the blue], thanks to Sandie at Sidewalk Surfer, and he sent this image to me before I could even ask him about it. How's that for karma? In the photo are Ron Theobald, Frank Sylvestro (sp?), Mike Muir and me. Though he probably never knew it, Tony influenced me tremendously that evening, with this ONE photograph. The time and preparation he put into snapping ONE image didn't escape me, and I would never forget it. I never looked at "taking pictures" the same after this night. ..........Thanks, Tony

Desert Pipes (1978) Photo Album

Arizona Pipes Expedition (winter 1978) Photo Album

Desert Pipes (1977-78): TOP of Page

What can you say about these monsters?? For a while, when skateboarding was reborne and allowed to be pushed to incredible new dimensions, we lived in what would be heralded as a skateboarding Mecca. With the advent of the urethane wheel, precision bearings, and responsive trucks - the possibilities were limitless, and we explored ever-widening arenas to take our boards, and our creative enthusiasm. Enter the CAP (Central Arizona Project) , and the master plan for bringing water to the thirsty, burgeoning metropoli of Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona. Water would be routed through the desert via long canals, and when they had to go THROUGH a mountain, or under some other ubstruction, they put in giant underground pipes. These huge cement pipes had a 22-foot interior diameter, and were manufactured "out in the field" by the Ameron Company. After creation, they were left in the desert to dry and cure, then they were put into place by these behemoth crawler tractors. We would seek these sites out [in the middle of the desert] and just skate all day . Each and every time, it was an adventure (thanks, Tony H.), and everyone who ever skated out there has a story about the events that surrounded the trek. When they were WAY out in the desert, we would actually leave the night before. Where the trenches were, we would go "moon-booting" [a phrase conined by Adam Trahan ]. That's when you leap from the top edge of the trench and see how far you can land down the embankment. We were, in a word, quite crazy. The guys in the enormous Ameron trucks simply ignored us [for the most part]. At one point, construction got close to the east side of Scottsdale (on the Pima Indian reservation), and I actually had as many as a dozen perfect sections of pipe just a few miles away from my house, and skating there was just a daily diversion. That I don't have more photos is a travesty. There were many times when the pro skaters would come out [from southern California] and hang out with the local AZ skaters , just to have a place to stay so that they could spend a day (or few) skating the most perfectly surfaced skating environment around. Sometimes, they brought magazine contributers and camera gear, and the rest of the world got to see the secret playground. This is what made the security guys go nuts....too much exposure. Like with a good pool, the less people that know, the better.

In addition to the great skating that the pipes brought us, we delved even further into the "birth of the X-treme Sports" and used these desert canals for other recreational endeavors. See the next CANAL SURFING section.

Canal Surfing - Slides (1983) Photo Album

Canal Surfing (1983) Photo Album

Canal Surfing (1979) Photo Album

Canal Surfing (1978-1983): TOP of Page

These images were taken at various times between 1978 and 1983. For a period in 1978 and 1979, a select few of us would often canal surf in the SRP (Salt River Project) canal that led into East Scottsdale. This included Ron Theobald, Mike Muir, Monte Aye, Adam Trahan, Colby Getchell and myself. We would tie a long ski rope to my (or Ron's) VW bus and then the driver would cruise along at about 16 mph. In the water, we would start out on our bellies, like surfing, then pop up once the bus got up to speed. The system worked great, and we could carve desert glass for miles. I actually shaped a board that was designed specifically for surfing in the canal. It was very thin, slightly narrow, and carved amazing clean lines. This same design concept was used for the first production wakeboards - some 20 years later!! We surfed out on the Pima Indian reservation, as this was more isolated, and it was easy to get onto the canal bank out there. The main reason was that it was less likely that we would get in trouble with the law, as this was trespassing - and they took that seriously, even then. NOW, it would be all but impossible. This was the case up until late 1979, when I actually got arrested for surfing the canal out there. 24 hours in custody (at the reservation jail, then Maricopa County Annex - on a Saturday night), while wearing only a bright red swimsuit, a white shirt and sandals, was a learning experience. This also put a big hindrance on future canal surfing adventures, but it didn't stop us completely. I remember one trip out to the deep desert (to get a way from the city cops) that took us to a prime section of canal that fed into a dead end (where it would eventually open up into the already laid pipe). On this trip, in the middle of nowhere, I got a flat tire on my VW bus. Unbeleivably, one of the security guys from the isolated construction site was driving a VW bug at the time and actually had a complete tire and rim in his backseat that fit my bus. We traded wheels and we were on our way. Man, talk about amazing luck!! Good times, good times......

Miscellaneous BMX (1974-1976) Photo Album

BMX Nationals (September 1976) Photo Album

BMX (1974-1976): TOP of Page

These images are the lone remnants of our earliest experiences with what would become one of the first of the "Extreme Sports".......BMX, or bicycle motocross (which also included "trials riding" and the first freestyle tricks). Technology jumps seemed to come a bout just as we were at the perfect age to exploit and experience the drastic changes that would occur in recreational adventure-sports. Included here are images of "Jackson's Track" in Scottsdale, the "hill's" behind Basha's off of Granite Reef Rd., The BMX track on the Pima Indian Reservation, the "dike" in front of Ray Fox's house, and in front of our house on San Miguel. I wish I had a LOT of photos from the dike. Guys like Carl Rausch and Ray Fox "owned" that perfect dirt launching platform. During these days, we were chopping and re-welding our own Schwinn frames to raise the lower clearance, buying oversize cranks, hardened forks, heavy duty guagae rims and we knew EVERYTHING about sprocket combinations (training versus racing). Then, the industry caught on and frames could be bought that were designed for the racing and off-road riding we were doing. Moto-mags, knobby tires, Ashtbula forks and cranks, Redline chromeolly frames and forks - all of these arose from the garage bikes being built all across Arizona and southern California during the early 1970's.

Wintersticking in New Mexico (winter 1983) Photo Album

Wintersticking In New Mexico (1983): TOP of Page

These images were shot in Ruidoso, New Mexico in the winter of 1983. Wintersticking, or snowsurfing, or as it is now known, snowboarding, began in the late 1970's. Adam Trahan was one of the first participating members of this fledgling sport, taking it to the slopes of Arizona in 1978. His story is excellent, and documents the early history of what is now an Olympic event. Personally, I never got into the snowy aspects of our pusuits into desert boredom prevention until the early 80s. By this time, Adam, Monte Aye, Tony Cholewa, Greg Davis, Ron Theobald, Evan Jones, and Mike Muir were quite skilled. Ron showed me the ropes during this trip to Ruidoso, NM in 1983. I caught on quickly, though it was WAY different than anything else I had tried. The snow didn't offer the same controlled resistance as water or cement, which made all movements seem very "floating". We tore up this section of the hill that faces the ski lodge at Sierra Blanca, before being told that this area was off-limits to all skiing-related activities. If I remember correctly, snowboards were still being banned from most ski slopes, due to their "radical" nature. Needless to say, the sensation of carving giant lines in the virgin snow is one that is not easily forgotten. I didn't do this NEARLY enough when I was younger.

Miscellaneous Action (1974-1984) Photo Album

Miscellaneous Action (1974-1984): TOP of Page

These images are just a hodge-podge of miscellaneous photos that didn't seem to fit anywhere else, so I gathered them up here. Some of these photos aren't actually mine, but somehow ended up in my possesion, so they are included here, too.