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# Team skates for ‘liberty’ Rollerbladers skate across country, end in Santa Monica
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/team-skates-for-liberty-rollerbladers-skate-across-country-end-in-santa-monica/
- Published: 2002-08-09T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T00:36:31.000Z
- Author: Carolyn Sackariason
- Tags: Environment, Pier, #archive-import

*Bladers searching for leaders*

Three East coasters ended their four-month, 3,500-mile long journey across the country on rollerblades at the Santa Monica Pier Thursday.

Rik Humboldt, 53, Aureus Humboldt, 26, and Jessica Jackson, 25, quit their jobs after the Sept. 11 terrorists attacks and began their trek from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The trip was part of an effort to create a continuous line of people from Boston to Los Angeles on the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

Dubbed “Libertystand,” the three hope to muster up enough participation across the country that there will be line of people from Boston to LA on Sept. 11 from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. (EST), standing united along the route they skated.

The idea was born from Rik Humboldt, who was supposed to be at the World Trade Center on Sept. 15\. Humboldt was in Edison, N.J., looking at the smoke from the towers.

“I had this vision of people standing alongside of each other,” he said, adding he chose the route in part because the four planes that crashed were bound for California. “The whole thing is about ‘Let’s roll’ and create a ground swell of human beings for peace.”

Rik Humboldt skated from Boston to New York City alone in 10 days carrying a 30-pound pack. After his son, Aureus Humboldt, expressed concern for his safety, Rik Humboldt returned to New Hampshire to regroup and get a support vehicle. Aureus Humboldt and his girlfriend, Jessica, quit their jobs and joined him on the adventure. Rik Humboldt purchased a motorhome by taking a loan on his house and financed the trip from his life savings.

The mobile team worked long hours to promote their efforts with the communities they passed through while trying to get as much media attention as possible.

From Boston, Rik Humboldt skated down historic Route 1 to New York City and Ground Zero. The team covered New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore and the Pentagon. Carolyn Sackariason/Daily Press From left to right: Aureus Humboldt, Rik Humboldt and Jessica Jackson come to the end of the line in their journey across the United States on rollerblades at the pier Thursday. The threesome spent months on the open road skating for a cause. Big Blue Bus has new director From Washington D.C., Routes 97 and 30 led the team through Gettysburg to Shanksville, Penn., and around the crash site of Flight 93\. In Uniontown, Penn., the team picked up Route 40 to go across Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and into St. Louis. Interstate 44 and Route 66 led them to The Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. From there, the team followed Route 66 to California through Santa Fe, N.M., Flagstaff, AZ., and across the Mojave Desert to the Santa Monica Pier.

As the team approached Santa Monica, Hollywood resident Andy Sykora, who was going home after doing errands on his bike, noticed the threesome and decided to finish the route with them. He biked alongside of them on Santa Monica Boulevard from Sunset Boulevard.

No injuries occurred during the trek, and they all reported they lost 15 pounds each.

The team is looking for “mile leaders” along the route. More information can be obtained at www.libertystand.org.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/080902-02_01.jpg)

From left to right: Aureus Humboldt, Rik Humboldt and Jessica Jackson come to the end of the line in their journey across the United States on rollerblades at the pier Thursday. (Photo: From Boston, Rik Humboldt skated down historic Route 1 to New York City and Ground Zero. The team covered New Jersey, Ph)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 9, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/080902.pdf?ref=smdp.com)