Michael Hsiung continues blogging his travels for Color Magazine's traveling skate-centric art shows up and down the west coast. This time the journey starts off with them leaving Escapist in Kansas City, MO and then heading to Austin, TX to meet up with Sieben and the guys from No Comply. We do some skating at the ditch, installing, visit Okay Mountain, have the opening, skate Alien Pond and then start our drive back.

We head over to the vegan / vegetarian place next store for our last meal in Kansas City, MO.

This guy was in the paper. Gag ball and suit and tie.

Pack it up, pack it in. . . sorry for the gross House of Pain reference

Sieben drawing one of his awesome dudes.

Greg PNUT Galinsky working on a bunch of blank VANs for the shop.

Back in the Van, you will do what I say, when I say/ . . . Back in the Van / You will die when I say, you must die / Back in the Van / you coward / You servant, you blindman. Name that tune.

Andrew Pommier drawing one of his awesome characters on the Escapist table.

Then we hit the road for Austin, TX to meet up with Michael Sieben and the dudes at No Comply, but on the way there's lots of driving and stopping. Pee stop somewhere.

Fudge Blast bar for breakfast will probably give you a fudge blast for lunch.

Andrew gets his truck stop goodies.

Corey Adams going for it with some weird hot dog corn hamburger thing.

Random hotel room shots - cards, junk food, a board I drew for the No Comply show, and Corey sketching all of us.

After leaving that nameless hotel / motel, we drove some ways before we stopped at a rest area. Local kid picking up the remains of an armadillo carcass. Corey and Phil head over to investigate and snap photos while I sit back and dry heave at the sight. I think Corey had asked him if he ever ate an armadillo to which he responded, Awh shit.

Unexpected theme crap song of the trip. Andrew played it as a joke, but then it got stuck in PNUT's head and then spread like wildfire. Later in a hotel room, we watched the video, and we were thoroughly horrified by Millie Cyrus.

More random stops. . . just taking our damn sweet time. Phil skates around the piss stop, PNUT gets excited about Willie's place, and Phil's trinket.

This is how I was treated on the trip. HAHA

We're all drinking out of our coozies while PNUT drinks Squirrel water.

My slingshot decked out with Bratrud stickers. . . in which I used to sling shot Modelos into someone's mouth.

We're officially in Texas, and good thing we got tinted windows.

We finally arrived to No Comply, and I was stoked to see Sieben's character sewn suit thing from that Adidas & Michael Sieben with FFDG and Friends commercial! We meet up with the owner Elias Bingham to talk about the installation of the show. We were originally worried about the amount of space and if it'd be possible to hang art, but you'll see that it came looking S-I-C-K.

No Comply already had some awesome artwork up by Bratrud and Sieben.

After we took a break and met up with Sieben and Allison at a local spring for a dip, they took us for some chow. And boy were the dudes hungry.

One of the best days was that day Michael took us down to skate this ditch spot. It was starting to cool down and this spot was so sweet man. We got to meet up with some locals who were really awesome and friendly dudes, like Eric Conn. He rips at skating and in his band TIA CARRERA.

We skated till the sun pretty much came down and then barely barely made into this camping ground site. The park ranger person was just closing up and leaving, but was cool and let us in.

After most of us settled, we drank, chatted, and watched a short film that Corey made called Mongo Man. (So rad) All of sudden, Corey had felt something fall on him and it turned out to be this stick bug, which we tripped out on . . . not like acid or mushroom tripped out, but just tripped out. Does anyone even use that word?

The morning time was pretty nice. . . a few guys headed to the showers and PNUT decided to give up his tent since this was our last leg of the trip. He'd be flying out of Austin. Bummertron. We were also informed by another park ranger that there was no drinking and that we had camped in the wrong areas. Whoops. . .it was late man.

We were preparing for the installation and some of the guys were preparing for their departure. We headed to the mall to grab some bags! So we made a stop and visited the VANs store.

Phil steals my Thumbs Up pose and I'm left with nothing.

I misread this sign so many times

Back at the shop where Andrew puts in his hours.

Andrew and store owner Elias Bingham.

PNUT decorates the sign outside

The side I decorated . . . Artists who smell like skateboarders!

.... Check back tomorrow for part two of this blog.

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