So it looked like we had found a safe haven for the week's sessions in the parkinglot of Circus Circus (AKA Ganji Headquarters). We were wrong and got kicked out. So we set out on the strip to stir up some ruckus and get some cool photos!

While Shayne K. re-ups on supplies elsewhere, resident pro rider, Stephen Hearn, puts in work on the strip, repping Ganji. Stephen taking you to the back wheel in front of Ganji World Headquarters.

JoWii-Z becomes a mirage in front of the Mirage.

I think Stephen Hearn has an unknown photo taking talent. He got this shot of me throwing down at the Flamingo hotel before security starts up with all their static!

3 players on the strip. Word up.

BMXer's take over Lake Mead

The next day the riders from Hawaii, Scott Powell and his crew, and some more BMX riders from Oklahoma, and I got together and rented a boat and some jet skis and rolled out to Lake Mead.

The water level has dropped hundreds of feet over the years. You can can see the previous level marked by the color change in the rock. When will the lake completely dry up??

Check out the photos from the Lake outing below:

JoWii-Z outside the new Ganji World Headquarters.

After the lake, I dropped off badges for the Ganji Crew.

A. Kha$h presiding.

Exploits in the Desert: Interbike 2010

Rebel Yell! It's September and FlatMode rolls out to Las Vegas for the 2010 Interbike Trade Show.

9AM: Los Angeles.

I arrive at the Studio City parkinglot at the agreed upon time and Jowii is throwing down an "ON-time-machine."

We got the bikes and a full tank of gas. It's me and JoWii-Z.

The rest of the crew will arrive in Las Vegas a few days later.

Let's roll!

In the middle of the Mojave, we take a rest stop. Seems as good a spot as any to hit a quick desert session.

This desert is pretty flat. Let's keep rolling.

Mid afternoon, we arrive in Las Vegas on time. No traffic. Boom!

Stay tuned for part 2. Coming soon: BMXers take over Lake Mead!

Cool Edit.

Cool edit dropped by our friend in Japan, York Uno.

Mini-Trip: Fullerton- Ninja Flava!

I decided to pay a visit to our boy, John Ing, in Diamond Bar.

We ended up riding at CalState Fullerton. South East of Los Angeles.

There's a bunch of spots to ride out there. A couple of students, Ashwin and Michael, saw us riding and got stoked on flatland.

We taught them a few stunts to give them a taste of the ninja realm.

Ashwin mastering the front wheel, while John strikes a pose.

Michael also gets introduced to the flatland ninja training program.

Shaka, Peace, West Coast, baby!

West Coast Flava!

Track: Hamilton High School Session

Cut Creator: Mike Chua

Riders: Mike Chua, Ahmed Johnson, Bobby Carter

Man of da Hour: Stephen Hearn!

BMX Plus! Magazine photo shoot.

Call time: 8 AM, Santa Monica, California.

It's 7Am and A. Kha$h is at the helm, handling LA morning traffic from the Diversion Lab to the beach for Stephen Hearn's interview photoshoot.

A rare glimpse inside the Ganji tour vehicle.

Stephen Hearn and the Ganji Crew doin' big thangz!

Stephen Hearn: "Make sure you get my good side!"

Ben Crockett representing for flatland in BMX Plus!

D. Wright ques up Hearn's favorite track to keep him pumped during the shoot.

A man and his dream. Going worldwide. Check BMX Plus! magazine real soon!

Ganji was here.

Soulstyce- A Labor Day Session

Thanks to Lalo and Josh of Linq bicycles for hooking up the flatland session at "Soulstyce." Soulstyce is a hip-hop and arts festival at a place called Crazy Horse in West Covina on Labor Day. The Ganji crew was in town and everything was tight. The flatlanders had VIP access, free food and free drinks all day. They even had a trailer for us to chill in and the performances were free for the riders.

Bobby Carter

Bo Wade

Thanks, Lalo!

Mad Chillin'.

John Ing sets up for his "opener" with the photographer girl while Stephen Hearn contemplates the 7 paths of the cross-footed dragon.

Gabe Kadmiri was flossing his shoe lacing strategy.

They had rap battles and all sort of groups on stage outside.

On the inside stage, Dead Prez performed!

Encouter!

I dropped my neighbor off at LAX airport the other day. I was hungry so I decided to eat lunch at the famous "Encounter" restaurant.

If you don't know Encounter restuarant, it is the Jetsons looking building in the middle of LAX. You can't miss it.

Flatland encounter.

As I waited for my lunch, little did I know that the inventor of the cliffhanger was standing 500 feet from the plane in this photo. Yes, Bill Freeman grinding for SouthWest. What! What!

The hamburger was just OK. I expected more for the price. However the interior is sweet! Looks like the Jetsons. I half expected R.o.s.i.e. to come out and serve me!

Anyway, they do have a bar and it would be a pretty cool place to chill with the homies!

Real Talk.

I went to a memorial concert for a musician called Fela Kuti. He was an innovator of Nigerian music and sang to educate the people of his country about what was happening to Nigeria because of a corrupted government working with the corporations of the United States and other foreign countries. Considered a musical genius and credited for creating a new genre of music called "AfroPop" or "AfroBeat," Fela was probably the largest act to come from the continent of Africa.

The late Fela Kuti performing on stage.

The memorial concert was full of positive vibes and music. I only have some cell phone shots that really don't do justice. A couple of groups played, some girls did some traditional dances, there was also a drum circle. People were really enjoying their instruments and the scene was that of a jam circle. Pretty much the same as when you go out to ride and jam with your friends. Everybody feeding off the good energy, having fun!

We go and ride flatland at the local parks, there's water fountains, a sewage system, etc. and we don't think twice about why we are able to go to the park and enjoy riding. Parks are always around. The thought of living where you can't go to a park doesn't really enter the mind. What if the city where you lived didn't fund the construction of any of any infrastructure and in some cases, not even infrastructure for basic living like electricity and running water? What if you wanted to speak up because the money that should have been used to build up your country was being funneled out of country? Perhaps you might be thrown in jail for speaking up? Perhaps the military might burn your house down? Is there a place where this happens? Yes. Welcome to Nigeria.

Oil companies go into Nigeria and pump out crude oil. Nigeria is the 5th largest provider of oil to the USA. The wealth is being funneled back to the United States, various corporations around the world, and corrupted government officials in Nigeria. The money from the crude oil is not being allocated to the people. The people are left in poverty without any means to build any type of infrastructure, even for basic living in many cases, let alone trying to ride flatland.

Fela wanted to empower people who have been rendered powerless. As he pushed to educate the world about what was happening, the Nigerian military burned down his house. He was thrown in jail on false charges and finally killed in 1997.

Fela's message and stories not only reflect what is happening in Nigeria, but also all over the world to this day in 2010. If you want to understand more, check out the following documentary.

To all my flatland friends living in developing countries, I apologize. The american corporations are bankrupting your countries and the people of my country are being misinformed about the situation by the mainstream media owned by the same corporations.

How old can you be and still ride flatland?

Here's a guy named Kuwamoto who is apparently 47 years old and still riding.

You can see more of Kuwamoto over at Shinde's blog.

Josh Evans.

I just got a link from another Michigan friend of mine, Josh Evans. Josh is another rider I looked up to when I was a teenager. Josh can do a lot of tricks, using many different techniques. It no doubt influenced my gravitation to learn as many different concepts as I could. This is just scratching the surface of his vast tricktionary. Enjoy the video!