Day One, Friday
After checking out a full day of competition on Friday, I joined B3 television host Sal Masekela and an ESPN crew. Together we hopped on a boat to check out the Lake Havasu spring break scene. Our skipper was Ken McKinney of Blue Water Charters.

We started out in the channel beneath the famed London Bridge. Why anyone would put the London Bridge in the middle of the Mohave Desert is anybody's guess, but the "Build it and they will come" philosophy has definitely paid off.

Andy Macdonald hangin' on the shore

We wanted to get to the heart of the action, so we headed a few miles down the lake to Copper Canyon. On our way, we stopped at a tiny pontoon refreshment shack in the middle of the lake, run by a guy named Gino. Gino was selling sno-cones, sodas, popsicles, and a plastic snowboard circa 1989 for 15 dollars. Sal couldn't pass on the novelty of it all, so he talked Gino down to ten bucks and we were gone.

Sal and his new ten dollar ride

When we pulled into Copper Canyon at 5 p.m., things were still hopping. A group of testosterone-jazzed frat boys climbed the walls of the canyon and hurled themselves 40 feet into the water below. Copper Canyon has been a popular spot with spring breakers for years because of its beauty, seclusion, and the fact that it's on an Indian reservation placing it out of the jurisdiction of the Lake Havasu police boats.

Several clusters of boats were tied together, with spring breakers spilling out over the sides. Girls on jet skis and guys in kayaks were buzzing between parties, and empty beer cans floated like breadcrumbs leading people from boat to boat. Clothing was optional, though it was not a very popular option.

On our way back to the docks, we saw Andy Macdonald on the shore so we stopped to say hello. He had just come from the site of the "World's Longest Skateboard Jump", where master ramp builder Tim Payne and his crew were constructing the ramp for Monday's World Record attempt. Andy, who established the record at just over 52 feet, was doing a bit of advanced scouting.

Danny Way and son, never too young to start skating

Later that night, the scene shifted to Kokomo's Night Clubthe place to see and be seen. Kokomo's is designed around one central theme: the wet T-shirt. A large but shallow swimming pool takes up most of the space in the club's open air patio. Navigating the crowds and staying dry is no simple trick. Someone falls, gets pushed, or jumps into the drink every 20 minutes or so.

Robert Earl Wells, host of ESPN's "Paved New World," stopped in to see what was going on. Rob came to Havasu to check out the skating scene, and deciding to "keep it in spring break mode," he left his ascots at home.

Day Two, Saturday
On Saturday morning, the previous night's party heroes were a bit achy and bloodshot. I decided to take advantage of the morning sunshine and cruise down to the local skatepark before the competition got underway.

About a dozen little rippers were tearing it up on their skateboards. Most of these kids were in the 10 to 13 year-old range. Many were local, and some were on vacation with parents or friends, but all were imitating the skaters they saw at the B3 prelims. They emulated the likes of Pat Channita, Chet Thomas, and Willy Santos.

After hanging at the park for a while, I headed back to the competition site, where I later saw many of the kids I had met that morning. Some were wearing t-shirts covered with autographs from the skaters and bikers. Others brought their boards to get signed.

After a full day of competition, a few people headed to the "Break at the Lake Music Fest" next door. It featured performances by Spearhead and Primus, but most of the athletes went back to their hotels to rest up before heading out for the night.

Jay Miron, Schwinn's Team Manager John and Dave Osato at Miguel's

A large group of athletes headed to Miguel's a Mexican restaurant about a half of a mile from the B3 venue. Things got under way around 10 p.m. The bike crew was out in full force including Chad Kagy, Dave Mirra, Dave Osato, Mat Hoffman, Jay Miron, Sean Peters, Chad DeGroot, Rob Nolli, Trevor Meyer, Rooftop, Ruben Alcantara (sporting blue hair), and Simon Tabron. Flatlander Andrew Faris headed up the all-style team with his black cowboy shirt that, he claims, "came compliments of Kenny Rogers."

The one o'clock last call caught most people off guard, and Miguel herded us all outside so he could close up and head home.

Day Three, Sunday
Sunday morning, I made my way back down past the London Bridge, to Coco Beach. There I watched as Tim Payne's ramp builders were putting the final touches on the ramp for "The World's Longest Skateboard Jump", which was set for Monday. The top of the monster roll-in measured 44 feet high. The landing ramp was 20 feet wide and set on rollers to allow for an adjustable gap. Danny Way, Brian Patch, Andy Macdonald, and Bob Burnquist were all signed up to take aim at Macdonald's existing record of 52.

Back at the B3 site, the skateboard Vert riders were going off. It was great to see skateboard legend Lance Mountain, dropping in and holding his own against the youngsters.

At the other end of the spectrum Danny Way's Toddler, Rydn, is already developing his skate legs. He got curious and decided to check out pop's board on the Vert ramp.

After the In-line Street, Skateboard Vert, and Bike Stunt Street finals finished up, some people headed to the park next door to catch the Phunk Junkeez and Pennywise. Others headed off to various parties in dark hotel bars. This sun-beat scenester fished the last Andy Jackson out of his shoe, and lit-out across the desert night for the lights of Vegas.