Today’s distance / ???????: about 45km Average speed / ????: Dunno…don’t care Time on skateboard / ????: Dunno…don’t care Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: Dunno…don’t care Ascent / ??: Dunno…don’t care Descent / ??: Dunno…don’t care End-of-day GPS coordinates: Dunno…don’t care Just let me sink into a pit […]
Monthly Archives: April 2008
Today’s distance / ???????: 64 miles / 102km Average speed / ????: 11mph / 17.6km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 5h 48m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 4280mi plus 280mi (?) / 6889km plus 450km (?) Ascent / ??: 1875m Descent / ??: 215m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N44° […]
Day 648 – CHINA (XINJIANG): From Santai to 45km from ...
Today’s distance / ???????: 28 miles / 46km Average speed / ????: 7mph / 11km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 4h 04m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 4217mi plus 280mi (?) / 6786km plus 450km (?) Ascent / ??: 900m Descent / ??: 400m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N44° […]
Day 647 – CHINA (XINJIANG): From Gotsugu to Santai
Today’s distance / ???????: 43km Average speed / ????: 13.3km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 3h 17m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 6740km plus 450km (?) Ascent / ??: 435m Descent / ??: 150m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N44.19.47.0, E080.57.08.8 So…the beginning of the skate across China on a […]
Day 646 – CHINA (XINJIANG): From Khorogs to Gotsugu
What a mission. Two days on a train, one night on a bus. I guess it could have been worse, but I have finally made it to the China/Kazakhstan border at Khorgos, Xinjiang Province, the northwest corner of China. I left Shanghai at 8:40pm April the 24th on the Shanghai-Urumqi […]
Day 644 and 645 and 646 – CHINA: Getting to ...
On a whim, I decided to do a quick internet search for skateboard related organisations and/or companies in Shanghai. I stumbled upon these legendary folk: www.funboxx.cn They are the real deal here in Shanghai. Distributors of high-end skate and outdoor goods, promotors of all manner of extreme sports, and all […]
Days 642 and 643 – CHINA: Organising life in Shanghai
The traveler travels by bicycle. The traveler has 5,000 Euro to last two years. The traveler sleeps outside, sans-tent. The traveler is not fazed by the prospect of 5,000m plus high plateaus in Tibet. The traveler is content with cycling 10 months to get from home to their destination. The […]
Day 639 – CHINA: A profile of a human powered ...
I need a Lease Contract in order to get a temporary residence permit in order to apply for a visa extension. If I was staying at a hotel here in Shanghai, you get a temporary residence permit automatically. Not so if you’re staying with a friend. So…I gave up. No […]
Days 636 and 637 – CHINA: Visa dejavu all over ...
Got there. Skateboard and trailer boxed up. Left Kirk and Donna’s place in a mess. Thanks guys, you are legendary. Awesome. On the plane. At the beginning of the flight, I looked at the screen at the front of the plane. 10,500km to Shanghai. “Whoa!” I thought. “That’s going to […]
Day 634 – CHINA: Arrival in Shanghai
Today’s distance / ???????: 22 miles / 36km Average speed / ????: 12.8mph / 20.7km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 1h 43m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 4161mi plus 280mi (?) / 6697km plus 450km (?) Ascent / ??: n/a Descent / ??: n/a End-of-day GPS coordinates: n/a […]
Day 633 – USA (CALIFORNIA): Game on!
Nothing quite like leaving everything to the very last minute. We are experiencing some major issues with the trailer at present, and I’m leaving tomorrow night. Ouch. This is going to be a cliff hanger. Kirk and I made an early start on getting the longboard trailer into shape. We […]
Day 632 – USA (CALIFORNIA): Great idea but…
OK, um…uh oh…what have I gotten myself into…?! Will this really work?! So, after a long day of chasing visas, buying travel gear, and around-city driving (thanks Donna!), the new board and trailer coupling from Longboard Larry arrived today. It arrived nicely protected in bubble wrap and a tough cardboard […]
Day 631 – USA (CALIFORNIA): Let the madness begin…
Day 630 was a full rest day. Did nothing. Watched videos at Kirk and Donna’s. Got a stuffy nose. Blah.
Day 630 – USA (CALIFORNIA): Resting
Here’s the latest video update. Personally, my favourite so far. Shows some of the toughest terrain I’ve experienced so far on the board. Including of course the Guinness World Record breaking moment, and the moment I reached the Pacific Ocean. Enjoy. Those with weak stomachs beware: You will see me […]
Day 629 – USA (CALIFORNIA): Video Update!
Mmmmmmmm. Fruit. Went to the farmer’s market with Donna today. Mmmmm. Fruit. But in more important matters…I’ll be blowed if I’m going to haul 20kg of gear and food and water across China on my back. So I’m going to use a trailer. Let me tell you how this is […]
Day 628 – USA (CALIFORNIA): A trailer? On a skateboard?
Nope. Stiff bickies. No 90-day visa application option for you, foreigner boy. I typed out a full and detailed itinerary of my planned travels in China, included a brief employment summary, a formal letter of request to the Consulate General, and even attached photocopies of newspaper clippings of my journey […]
Day 627 – USA (CALIFORNIA): And the Chinese Visa Woes ...
Thanks to Mike and Anita, friends of Kirk and Donna, I made it to a church service at The King’s Harbour Church in Redondo Beach this morning. It was a great service, that among other things, introduced some amazing individuals and families working to help the not-so-fortunate in countries in […]
Day 626 – USA (CALIFORNIA): A touch of the Middle ...
Before I arrived in the US, I emailed a few random people I found by on www.crazyguyonabike.com who had cycled the southern part of the US. I was wanting to get an idea of how feasible skateboarding across the US would be. Among the answers, I got the following answer: […]
Day 625 – USA (CALIFORNIA): Looking back
Well I must say I am stoked. Stoked to at last meet Kirk and Donna of www.kirkanddonna.com fame. I am staying with them here at their apartment in Redondo Beach until my flight to Shanghai leaves on the 13th. Last night Kirk and I were trying to figure out how […]
Day 624 – USA (CALIFORNIA): Chinese visa woes…
Today’s distance / ???????: 55 miles / 88.2km Average speed / ????: 9.5mph / 15.3km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 5h 44m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 4139mi plus 280mi (?) / 6661km plus 450km (?) Ascent / ??: 475m Descent / ??: 475m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N33° […]
Day 623 – USA (CALIFORNIA): From Dana Point to Redondo ...
Today’s distance / ???????: 46 miles / 73.8km Average speed / ????: 9.4mph / 15.2km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 4h 53m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 4084mi plus 280mi (?) / 6573km plus 450km (?) Ascent / ??: n/a Descent / ??: n/a End-of-day GPS coordinates: N33.27.43.4, […]
Day 622 – USA (CALIFORNIA): From CA76 to Dana Point ...
Today’s distance / ???????: 41.4 miles / 66.6km Average speed / ????: 9.4mph / 15.2km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 4h 23m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 4038mi plus 280mi (?) / 6499km plus 450km (?) Ascent / ??: 180 Descent / ??: 580 End-of-day GPS coordinates: N33.18.53.8, […]
Day 621 – USA (CALIFORNIA): From Hemet to CA76
Hi folks. Sorry for the lack of posting recently. I have had my nose to the grind, pulling back-to-back 60 mile plus days trying to get to Hemet on time for the Lowe Syndrome Association fundraiser I spoke at on Saturday. I am now about to leave Hemet after a […]