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NYC-Providence trip

Skater puts his board to 200-mile test run

A 33-year-old California man, who has invented a larger, off-road skateboard, took six days to skate from New York to Providence.

By W. ZACHARY MALINOWSKI

PROVIDENCE -- Doug Dupin found the tug of the Gravity Games irresistible.

The lure of the weeklong extravaganza was so tantalizing that the California native and a friend skateboarded -- that's right, skateboarded -- from New York City to Providence.

The 200-mile journey, predominately across Route 1 in Connecticut,took six days, often in a driving rain.

"I'm happy," said Dupin. "I'm pleased with what we did,considering the weather."

The trip, undoubtedly a challenge in the best weather, also was a gimmick intended to promote Dupin's fledgling business: Migration Boards, a skateboarding outfit based in Washington, D.C.

Dupin traveled on one of his 46-inch boards that can accommodate an adult with a backpack, briefcase, or other kinds of traveling gear.

Featuring "Xtreme Wheelz," which resemble knobby rubber truck tires, it's the sport-utility vehicle of the skateboarding world.

Migration Boards are equipped to navigate roots, dirt, rocks and even potholes. And you never have to worry about getting lost. The skateboard has a sunken compass embedded in the front deck.

"I like skateboarding, and I liked traveling, so I kind of fused them together," Dupin said.

Since he launched the business via an Internet site in January, Dupin said, he has sold about 40 skateboards for $195 each. He estimated that about half went to buyers in England.

Despite a need for a shower and shave, Dupin was upbeat and chatty yesterday. The air inside his room at the Days Hotel in the city's India Point neighborhood was like that of a tropical rain forest.

He apologized for the stifling ambiance. "Sorry about the humidity in here," he said. "I'm trying to dry my wet clothes with the heating system."

Dupin doesn't fit the profile of a Generation-Xer. He's 33 years old, married, and a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley. He's without tattoos, body piercings or rainbow-colored hair.
In fact, Dupin worked five years for the Defense Department as a cartographer -- better known as a maker of maps. "It is the most secure job you could ever ask for," he said.

But it wasn't enough. In 1997, Dupin opted for insecurity. He quit his job and began exploring the world of skateboarding. He supported
himself by renovating old houses. Speed and acrobatics wasn't his thing. He was interested in creating a durable, off-road skateboard that could handle the rigors of long-distance travel.

In October 1998, he rode one of his self-designed models the length of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath -- 184 miles from Cumberland, Md., to Georgetown in Washington, D.C. He completed the trip in eight days, and even got a write-up in the New York Times Sunday Magazine.

Using his cartographic knowledge, Dupin charted his latest trek from New York City to Rhode Island. He pulled out a tattered map to show a visitor the route.

Planning for the trip began in earnest about a month ago. Through his Migration Board Web site, Dupin announced that he would be skateboarding his way to the Gravity Games.

He found two men who believed they shared his passion: Peter Ferrante, of Antioch, Calif., and Dylan Cristy, of Port Chester, N.Y. They wanted to make the trip.

Last Sunday, the trio hooked up at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. After an appearance on NBC's Today Show, they started their journey. The goal was 50 miles a day, arriving in Providence by Wednesday.


Of course, they didn't factor in the weather. It rained four of the six days.

The first day, they made it to Port Chester, but were disappointed that the rain forced them to travel only 30 miles. On Monday, they made it to Stratford, Conn., and stayed with friends.

Dupin said that it took them about two hours to get through Bridgeport, Conn., a grim, industrial city on Long Island Sound. He said they got their biggest reception from poor people who were shocked to see skateboarders traversing the ghetto with 35-pound backpacks.

"What are you guys up to?" people would say. "What are you guys doing there?"

On Tuesday, Cristy dropped out in New Haven, Conn. Dupin and Ferrante pressed on. They made it to Hammonasset Beach State Park near Madison, Conn., and camped overnight.

The next morning, after waiting out the rain in a McDonald's restaurant for 2 1/2 hours, Dupin and Ferrante continued east to Mystic, Conn. They spent the night in a motel.

It was a brutal stretch. Dupin said the hills around Groton were daunting.

On Thursday, they continued to Westerly before heading north on Route 3 to Exeter because they were tired of "Route 1 and traffic."

They camped again, this time at a campground in western Rhode Island.

The last day, Friday, was the worst. The stretch to Providence included unrelenting rainstorms and a stiff north wind. Finally, they arrived at the Gravity Games around 3 p.m.

After 200 miles, six days, and sore feet, they received the news: bad weather had canceled the day's Gravity Games.

"I was upset," Dupin said. "It wasn't the glorious finish I was hoping for."

But there was one last hill to climb. The duo made a final push up College Hill to Thayer Street, a habitue of college students and skateboarders. Dupin thought they would be in their element. He was right.

Dripping wet, they hopped off their skateboards and found a welcome sandwich shop. "We figured they wouldn't mind dirty, grubby people," he said. "We didn't have any body piercing, so we were a cut above."