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Paul Boards The Van And Joins The Crew

This is from Willem's dad, Paul, who joined 'Sk8 the St8s' in San Francisco, for the final stretch...

After flying into San Francisco I took the BART north to the Mission District to meet up with the Sk8 the St8s crew. Coming out of the BART station, I was looking around to get my bearings and realized most of the people around me were speaking Spanish. This was a part of Frisco I had not visited in my previous two trips years ago.

I tried to look relaxed and not stand out - with my duffel bag and skateboard strapped to my backpack. In just a few minutes, I saw the big white van pull up in front of the McDonalds across the street. Neal and I exchanged glances and I pointed to a parking spot around the corner, waited for the light and ran across and jumped in the van. High fives and a half-hug from my son across the van seats welcomed me to the crew. Then off we went towards the Embarcadero with Neal and his Jersey driving behind the wheel.

The remainder of my Frisco visit was meeting Neal's friend Reid for a beer on the Embarcadero while the boys street skated a plaza nearby, followed by cheap Chinese food and a night walk through Chinatown.

Then we headed east across the Bay Bridge and on to Sacramento to our hotel.

StJames
Paul, Tanzanite Skate Park, Sacramento

To follow the whole coast-to-coast, dads-and-sons adventure, check out http://sk8thest8s.cbslocal.com/

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