As I said before, last December I was handed a BMX photographer’s dream assignment: Chase Hawk riding pools solo in California for etnies over the course of a week. A small crew, early morning wake up, cooperative weather- needless to say I didn't’ think it could get any better.

To break it down further, consider the elements. Chase Hawk: ultimate respected rider from all angles. Abandoned pools: great to photograph, always different, rewarding, and weird. One-on-One: some riders would buckle under the pressure but with the ambition Chase had for what he wanted to get done it was a necessity. And with local Fresno skate legend Peacock not only tour-guiding us around the area but also lending his pool cleaning equipment, the recipe was there for a solid time.

The experience certainly didn’t disappoint. Chase produced so much on that trip, handling nearly as much riding as an entire team would on a similarly lengthed mission. It was rare we’d wrap before the sun forced our end to the day. And though I love street riding and all its charm, it was refreshing to be shooting a rider who wasn’t in anguish at the top of a stairset doing internal mental gymnastics trying to validate his plane ticket. The sessions were chill, though by the nature of Chase’s smooth riding that may be a bit deceptive.

The cream of this trip as well as all DIG’s other ongoing coverage of the Etnies Chapters project is being saved for a cumulative print piece to go alongside the DVD release. We shot some heavy bangers which will be reserved for print (at Chase’s insistence no less, a rarity these days). To see a rider so stoked to save photos no less for a long term project was pretty refreshing. Here’s the others from our trip to the sketchiest weirdest place in California.