After I made it to my hostel last night, I spent a lot of time hanging in the room with my other bunk mates. A lot of cool folks from Australia, Britain, and one other guy from the states. A few of us went and grabbed pizza, but we ended up lounging around until about 10 till the festivities started.
We went outside to the courtyard and met some more people. Everybody was getting pretty drunk already, and then we started off towards Freemont Street. Unfortunately my camera died in my pocket so it didn't get to come with us for our night on the town. Freemont street is amazing, lights and people and music, everything you could want. We did it all there. We watched a live show, I made about 50 bucks at the blackjack tables, we hung out at outdoor pool bars with cute girls in bikinis dealing at the tables, we checked out a dance club with a balcony overlooking the street. I feel like I could come back to this city with a million dollars in my pocket and a month of time an still not do it all. After all the desert and shrubs, this place will defiantly be an experience that sticks with me.
I made it back to the hostel at about 4:30, and crashed. My body being its boring old self woke me up at 8 and meandered over to the main room to make some pancakes and meet some new folks some more. Later today we will be going to a pool party, and tonight I will be seeing Penn and Teller perform at the Rio. Tomorrow I will be hitting the road again heading towards California.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
Vegas Baby!!!
Last night I got caught up in the storm, and with the flash flood warning looming, I decided to splurge on a cheap motel. I took a shower, did some laundry, got some rest, and was up ready to go the next morning.
It took me less than an hour to flag a ride out of Kingman. It was my first ride in the back of a pickup, and this is where stuff got crazy. We skirted a storm just barely, and I got a little water on my new jacket. Then the scenery came out.
For more than an hour, I was treated to some awesome storms, mountains, lakes, and some cool people driving around us. The crazy thing is that out there, in the wide spaces, the size of the clouds, the storms, the mountains, is so much different. You see the whole of the storm, you can see it tearing up the side of a mountain. You can see the shadows of the clouds passing over the barren plains. The perspective is so amazing out there. And besides a few bike riders, I was the only one who could see all of this unobstructed. No barriers for me, just atmosphere. Trust me friends, its the tits.
After my drivers bought me some ice cream at Dairy Queen, they took me into Vegas and dropped me off where I was planning to stay for the night. Turns out the room that was supposed to be $15 was actually $100, so I needed a new place to stay. I located a hostel on the other side of town, so I grabbed a bus down the strip.
In case you didn't know (I didn't), Las Vegas is one of the coolest towns ever (if you had asked me I could have guessed). Driving down the strip, on the top of a double-decker bus, all I could think about is how I want to come back to this city with a million dollars in my pocket and do everything, and see all the shows. I could blow a lot of time in this town.
Seriously, I love this place
So after I got across town, I shacked up at the hostel. They are pretty nice here, but they kind of have a nickle and dime you attitude. After setting up I met some folks in my room, and we all went and grabbed pizza. So now here I sit, waiting for tonight when we will all go and hop clubs, a scenario that will be pretty foreign to me. Tomorrow we will go to a pool party, and then I will be going to see Penn and Tellers show, and then meet them, and then I can die.
Will try to update tomorrow. Later.
It took me less than an hour to flag a ride out of Kingman. It was my first ride in the back of a pickup, and this is where stuff got crazy. We skirted a storm just barely, and I got a little water on my new jacket. Then the scenery came out.
After my drivers bought me some ice cream at Dairy Queen, they took me into Vegas and dropped me off where I was planning to stay for the night. Turns out the room that was supposed to be $15 was actually $100, so I needed a new place to stay. I located a hostel on the other side of town, so I grabbed a bus down the strip.
In case you didn't know (I didn't), Las Vegas is one of the coolest towns ever (if you had asked me I could have guessed). Driving down the strip, on the top of a double-decker bus, all I could think about is how I want to come back to this city with a million dollars in my pocket and do everything, and see all the shows. I could blow a lot of time in this town.
So after I got across town, I shacked up at the hostel. They are pretty nice here, but they kind of have a nickle and dime you attitude. After setting up I met some folks in my room, and we all went and grabbed pizza. So now here I sit, waiting for tonight when we will all go and hop clubs, a scenario that will be pretty foreign to me. Tomorrow we will go to a pool party, and then I will be going to see Penn and Tellers show, and then meet them, and then I can die.
Will try to update tomorrow. Later.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
The Long Road
It is hard to write everything that has happened even though it has just been 2 days. The days are so much more dense, and so packed full of different experiences on the road. But I will do my humble best to describe what happened since then, followed by some abstract thoughts that you can feel free to skip.
After I left my motel room, some good sleep under my belt, I only had to hitch for a few minutes before a nice woman named Prissy, stopped in the middle of the road to pick me up. She drove me to the nearest interstate crossing which is exactly where I wanted to go. She must have also been a literalistic type because she dropped me off in the middle of the Interstate over pass.
Fun Fact: It's illegal for me to be here.
So after I broke the law a few more times to get to the other side of the big mess, I walked a ways and found myself in an intersection with some other nice wanderer types who where panhandling. We chatted for a while and they gave me the scoop on where to crash that night if I didn't pick up a ride, then left me to my own devices to try and snag one.
It was probably about 2 hours before a nice guy picked me up, I say nice guy because I never learned his name, even after asking multiple times. We had what you would call a language barrier. He spoke a little English and I speak just above no Spanish, so we managed. He said he would take me as far west as "Marillo", so I hopped in. This guy was as nice as they come, all he had were nice things to say to me, he bought me lunch, and when we got to Amarillo, he thanked me for my company and gave me a 10 so I could by dinner. As nice as they come.
And this is where limbo began, the spot I was in was pretty terrible for thumbing a ride, and it was getting to be mid afternoon. I decided to snag the last bus to the other side of town and try my luck there. Turns out it was also bad. After thumbing so long that I couldn't hold my arm up anymore, I decided to head to the Loves truck station that they told me was just down the road.
Here I have to make a point, in my few days this has been a factor multiple times. I sometimes ask people how far something is, me, standing there with my giant backpack, covered in sweat. People like to tell me, "just 15 minutes", or "just a mile or so". It is interesting because there brains are so wired into "car" mode, that even with all the evidence in front of them that I am not in a car, they still give me car times and car estimations. And let me just say that something that you think is a mile away by car, can turn out to be 6 miles if you don't think about it.
Here I find myself, walking the lone side roads of the interstate, maybe on car every 10 minutes. I mean I could walk in the middle of the road and bother nobody. I tried hitching as the cars came by but I held no delusions of a ride. So on I walked, trudging to landmark after landmark. As the Loves sign came into sight as I crested a hill, the universe decide to reward me for my struggle with a sunset. The kind of sunset you can only experience when you are beat tired, sweating through your clothes on the side of the highway in hitch hiker limbo. For the shabby quality of these pictures, I am ashamed.
I haven't figured out how to rotate the pictures yet, and if you don't like pictuers of sunsets then too bad, its my blog.
So after my nice sunset, I made it to the Loves, where limbo continues, still couldn't get a ride. Fortunately, a guy who was staying in the rv park down the road offered me a ride, and told me about a nice grassy spot in the corner where nobody would notice me. So I snuck in and set up for the night. It was pretty nice on the manacured grass, away from the noise of the highway.
I woke up to the sound of a sprinkler, it wasn't hitting my tent but I could hear it. My groggy sleepy self did a probability calculation to this being a problem, and I decided to get up and throw on my rain fly. Turned out to be a good decision because as soon as I got it on the water started hitting it. Also a good thing I had brought my bag and all my stuff in the tent as well, because after my first barrage, a head popped up right next to my tent and gave it a run for its money. In the end I endured the noise for an hour or so, then caught the rest of the Z's I could catch before I had to pack up and shove on in the morning.
The morning was fine, woke up, packed up, used the bathrooms of the park to clean up, then went back to Loves. Didn't even take an hour for me to get offered a ride to Tucumcari from a nice guy named Michel and his cute Pomeranian CoCo. Michael was a pilot for a companys' private plane, and he told me how there was nothing else in this world like flying a plane. He was also a good guy.
After about an hour and a half, he dropped me off and I was back on the road. It was a nice day out, nicer than I would expect from the forecast, and before long I had my next ride. This was my first ride with more than one person, David and his wife were driving to California for there sons wedding. They told me that their other son, who was about my age, was also about to leave on a trip, which is what made them pick me up. The offered to take me all the way to Kingman Arizona. It was a long trip, with not a lot of talking. I slept a bit more in the car, and they bought me lunch in Albuquerque, bringing up memories of Breaking Bad.
A long ride through some amazing country was curtailed by some storms as we swung into Kingman, not even 2 hours out of Las Vegas, where I will be going next. Unfortunately the storms picked up, and we are all here in McDonalds waiting for it to pass. I will be talking to the other travelers to see if I can catch a ride tonight, if not I will find my own corner of the world to snuggle up in for the night.
Abstract thoughts:
I have a lot of time to think these days, I think about death as I walk past a small wooden cross hammered into the grass just off the road. I think about human connections as another driver intentionally doesn't look at me, or as some teenager gives a random hitch hiker the finger. I think about my future as I am driven through the desert, staring at clouds that seem to imposable to exist. I think about how my plans have changed since faced with the realities of the roads. I think about the nature of religion, as my 6th ride in a row asks me if I am a christian. There is a whole lot of thinking going on. It is strange to be faced with so many new experiences, not entirely sure how to process them. Even in my short time, I have learned a lot about how to best flag down a ride, but Prissy picked me up in a spot that I would have never expected to get a ride, even if I had stood there all day. How valuable is my experience to someone who has never gotten a ride before? What do I have to offer to these people, who all ask the same questions, and turn on the music when they are answered? I have to ask myself what will I offer anybody once I get back, my future being so unclear. All I know is that I don't ever want to get stuck, not just in one place but with one experience. I remember this tattoo on my chest, and what it means to me, and I know I have to try to keep pushing on, even when I am stuck in a McDonalds in the rain in the middle of the dessert. I have to keep changing it up when I get back, I know I can never live a life waiting tables any more. So lets see if I can mix it up.
After I left my motel room, some good sleep under my belt, I only had to hitch for a few minutes before a nice woman named Prissy, stopped in the middle of the road to pick me up. She drove me to the nearest interstate crossing which is exactly where I wanted to go. She must have also been a literalistic type because she dropped me off in the middle of the Interstate over pass.
So after I broke the law a few more times to get to the other side of the big mess, I walked a ways and found myself in an intersection with some other nice wanderer types who where panhandling. We chatted for a while and they gave me the scoop on where to crash that night if I didn't pick up a ride, then left me to my own devices to try and snag one.
It was probably about 2 hours before a nice guy picked me up, I say nice guy because I never learned his name, even after asking multiple times. We had what you would call a language barrier. He spoke a little English and I speak just above no Spanish, so we managed. He said he would take me as far west as "Marillo", so I hopped in. This guy was as nice as they come, all he had were nice things to say to me, he bought me lunch, and when we got to Amarillo, he thanked me for my company and gave me a 10 so I could by dinner. As nice as they come.
And this is where limbo began, the spot I was in was pretty terrible for thumbing a ride, and it was getting to be mid afternoon. I decided to snag the last bus to the other side of town and try my luck there. Turns out it was also bad. After thumbing so long that I couldn't hold my arm up anymore, I decided to head to the Loves truck station that they told me was just down the road.
Here I have to make a point, in my few days this has been a factor multiple times. I sometimes ask people how far something is, me, standing there with my giant backpack, covered in sweat. People like to tell me, "just 15 minutes", or "just a mile or so". It is interesting because there brains are so wired into "car" mode, that even with all the evidence in front of them that I am not in a car, they still give me car times and car estimations. And let me just say that something that you think is a mile away by car, can turn out to be 6 miles if you don't think about it.
Here I find myself, walking the lone side roads of the interstate, maybe on car every 10 minutes. I mean I could walk in the middle of the road and bother nobody. I tried hitching as the cars came by but I held no delusions of a ride. So on I walked, trudging to landmark after landmark. As the Loves sign came into sight as I crested a hill, the universe decide to reward me for my struggle with a sunset. The kind of sunset you can only experience when you are beat tired, sweating through your clothes on the side of the highway in hitch hiker limbo. For the shabby quality of these pictures, I am ashamed.
So after my nice sunset, I made it to the Loves, where limbo continues, still couldn't get a ride. Fortunately, a guy who was staying in the rv park down the road offered me a ride, and told me about a nice grassy spot in the corner where nobody would notice me. So I snuck in and set up for the night. It was pretty nice on the manacured grass, away from the noise of the highway.
I woke up to the sound of a sprinkler, it wasn't hitting my tent but I could hear it. My groggy sleepy self did a probability calculation to this being a problem, and I decided to get up and throw on my rain fly. Turned out to be a good decision because as soon as I got it on the water started hitting it. Also a good thing I had brought my bag and all my stuff in the tent as well, because after my first barrage, a head popped up right next to my tent and gave it a run for its money. In the end I endured the noise for an hour or so, then caught the rest of the Z's I could catch before I had to pack up and shove on in the morning.
The morning was fine, woke up, packed up, used the bathrooms of the park to clean up, then went back to Loves. Didn't even take an hour for me to get offered a ride to Tucumcari from a nice guy named Michel and his cute Pomeranian CoCo. Michael was a pilot for a companys' private plane, and he told me how there was nothing else in this world like flying a plane. He was also a good guy.
After about an hour and a half, he dropped me off and I was back on the road. It was a nice day out, nicer than I would expect from the forecast, and before long I had my next ride. This was my first ride with more than one person, David and his wife were driving to California for there sons wedding. They told me that their other son, who was about my age, was also about to leave on a trip, which is what made them pick me up. The offered to take me all the way to Kingman Arizona. It was a long trip, with not a lot of talking. I slept a bit more in the car, and they bought me lunch in Albuquerque, bringing up memories of Breaking Bad.
A long ride through some amazing country was curtailed by some storms as we swung into Kingman, not even 2 hours out of Las Vegas, where I will be going next. Unfortunately the storms picked up, and we are all here in McDonalds waiting for it to pass. I will be talking to the other travelers to see if I can catch a ride tonight, if not I will find my own corner of the world to snuggle up in for the night.
Abstract thoughts:
I have a lot of time to think these days, I think about death as I walk past a small wooden cross hammered into the grass just off the road. I think about human connections as another driver intentionally doesn't look at me, or as some teenager gives a random hitch hiker the finger. I think about my future as I am driven through the desert, staring at clouds that seem to imposable to exist. I think about how my plans have changed since faced with the realities of the roads. I think about the nature of religion, as my 6th ride in a row asks me if I am a christian. There is a whole lot of thinking going on. It is strange to be faced with so many new experiences, not entirely sure how to process them. Even in my short time, I have learned a lot about how to best flag down a ride, but Prissy picked me up in a spot that I would have never expected to get a ride, even if I had stood there all day. How valuable is my experience to someone who has never gotten a ride before? What do I have to offer to these people, who all ask the same questions, and turn on the music when they are answered? I have to ask myself what will I offer anybody once I get back, my future being so unclear. All I know is that I don't ever want to get stuck, not just in one place but with one experience. I remember this tattoo on my chest, and what it means to me, and I know I have to try to keep pushing on, even when I am stuck in a McDonalds in the rain in the middle of the dessert. I have to keep changing it up when I get back, I know I can never live a life waiting tables any more. So lets see if I can mix it up.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Truckers and Work
After my last post last night, I started walking down the road to see if any of the local farmers would let me camp out in their pastures. Turns out that I don't go over well with the local horse ranchers, cause they said no. So I found myself a few miles down the road out of town with the daunting prospect of walking back. Didn't sound fun.
Well just in case there was a friend driving by I decided to fly my thumb and lo and behold, I picked up a ride for a few miles to a RV park where they said I could camp out for the night. After I had my camp set up, my neighbor introduced himself to me. He was a nice guy named Cowboy. He offered me a can of beans to go with my rice which I accepted and the gifts didn't stop there. He spent the entire night offering me drinks, cans, and pillows to sleep on. He also invited me into his RV to eat and watch The Waltons. Nice guy.
I woke up around 8 ish, packed camp and just as I was heading out my other neighbor introduced himself, and gave me a drink. As I left I dropped off a note thanking Cowboy for all of his kindness and hit the road.
I few minutes on the interstate I flagged a ride with a colorful woman and her son, and by colorful I mean that they cursed a lot. Fuck me they cursed a lot. They offered to take me to the next town which was exactly where I was going. The woman driving told me she was driving to Arbol for cataracts surgery. In case you were wondering you read that right, the lady driving was going to get surgery so she could see better. Luckily it was only about 10 miles.
They dropped me off at the Salvation Army and I offered my services, hoping to make some money and get some food. I worked a few hours and found out that they didn't pay in cash, only beds and foods, and that didn't cut it for me. I kept working till lunch, hoping my work would barter me a ride to the highway. Turns out no. But it did get me close, and after a short (mile or 2) walk, I found myself back on the interstate and found a quick ride to take me to Davis.
My rides name was Craig and he was from New Zealand, what he was doing in Oklahoma I have no idea. But he was nice, and picked me up on his way home from shoeing horses. He took me up to highway 7, where I got my third ride of the day with a trucker.
Marco, the trucker who picked me up, is only a trucker as his second job. His first job, he was happy to tell me, was as a faith healer and a crusader. After he asked me what my birthday was, he used that information to determine that god had put me on this earth to be a pastor, and he was quick to tell me that my life path was stupid. Although I can't complain, he drove me to Oklahoma City where I now reside.
I picked up a motel for the night, and I plan to go over my plans again. I think I will go towards Nevada tomorrow, sooner than I had planned. Night everybody.
Well just in case there was a friend driving by I decided to fly my thumb and lo and behold, I picked up a ride for a few miles to a RV park where they said I could camp out for the night. After I had my camp set up, my neighbor introduced himself to me. He was a nice guy named Cowboy. He offered me a can of beans to go with my rice which I accepted and the gifts didn't stop there. He spent the entire night offering me drinks, cans, and pillows to sleep on. He also invited me into his RV to eat and watch The Waltons. Nice guy.
I woke up around 8 ish, packed camp and just as I was heading out my other neighbor introduced himself, and gave me a drink. As I left I dropped off a note thanking Cowboy for all of his kindness and hit the road.
I few minutes on the interstate I flagged a ride with a colorful woman and her son, and by colorful I mean that they cursed a lot. Fuck me they cursed a lot. They offered to take me to the next town which was exactly where I was going. The woman driving told me she was driving to Arbol for cataracts surgery. In case you were wondering you read that right, the lady driving was going to get surgery so she could see better. Luckily it was only about 10 miles.
They dropped me off at the Salvation Army and I offered my services, hoping to make some money and get some food. I worked a few hours and found out that they didn't pay in cash, only beds and foods, and that didn't cut it for me. I kept working till lunch, hoping my work would barter me a ride to the highway. Turns out no. But it did get me close, and after a short (mile or 2) walk, I found myself back on the interstate and found a quick ride to take me to Davis.
My rides name was Craig and he was from New Zealand, what he was doing in Oklahoma I have no idea. But he was nice, and picked me up on his way home from shoeing horses. He took me up to highway 7, where I got my third ride of the day with a trucker.
Marco, the trucker who picked me up, is only a trucker as his second job. His first job, he was happy to tell me, was as a faith healer and a crusader. After he asked me what my birthday was, he used that information to determine that god had put me on this earth to be a pastor, and he was quick to tell me that my life path was stupid. Although I can't complain, he drove me to Oklahoma City where I now reside.
I picked up a motel for the night, and I plan to go over my plans again. I think I will go towards Nevada tomorrow, sooner than I had planned. Night everybody.
Monday, August 26, 2013
On the Road
Yes, that is the name of a book that should be read by every person who has an interest in shoving good things into their brains. Also I used it as a title because today I started my trip.
I left out of Dallas early this morning when my friend dropped me off at the train station. I road the trains and the buses for a good part of the day, all the way up into northern Denton. The trains were nice, and so were the people on them, I had some good conversations with people I met at the stations, which made the whole ordeal much less boring.
This guy was cool, that is all.
After I got of the bus, I made a sign and walked a mile or so to the I35 on ramp where there was a large truck stop. I sat outside the truck stop for a while with no luck, but my luck returned as soon as I walked to the road (should have known), where I picked up a ride from a great guy named Chud. He drove me all the way up into Oklahoma to the small town of Marietta, where I currently am. Tomorrow I hope to go up to Lawson or to Oklahoma City, where I have messaged some couchsurfers. I am still considering going farther tonight, since it is early and I am restless.
More images from today.
I left out of Dallas early this morning when my friend dropped me off at the train station. I road the trains and the buses for a good part of the day, all the way up into northern Denton. The trains were nice, and so were the people on them, I had some good conversations with people I met at the stations, which made the whole ordeal much less boring.
After I got of the bus, I made a sign and walked a mile or so to the I35 on ramp where there was a large truck stop. I sat outside the truck stop for a while with no luck, but my luck returned as soon as I walked to the road (should have known), where I picked up a ride from a great guy named Chud. He drove me all the way up into Oklahoma to the small town of Marietta, where I currently am. Tomorrow I hope to go up to Lawson or to Oklahoma City, where I have messaged some couchsurfers. I am still considering going farther tonight, since it is early and I am restless.
More images from today.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Early Journey
My days on the road flared up earlier than I expected, when my second to last stop on my visits before hitting the road, kicked me to curb with about an hours notice. I was left to my own volition to get from Alvin Texas to Houston. So it was time to see what I could make of hitch hiking. My bag still heavier than it will be for my main trip, weighed heavy on my shoulders as I walked out of my hosts house into the hot, humid Texas morning. I was in a neighbor hood, so I just started trying to find my way to the highway. The hitch hiking gods felt like giving me a signing bonus on the hitch hiking travel plans because I got my first ride after about 20 minutes. He was a nice guy, in maybe is 30s, he had tattoos on his arms and was driving a suburban. He told me it was to hot for me to be walking and offered to drive me up to 288, which was great for me and I gladly excepted. The drive was about 20 minutes, he told me about his job as an iron worker, and that I should be careful in south Houston on account of the crime. He dropped me off at a gas station right on the highway and handed me a 20 and wished me luck.
I went into the station to see if they had any cardboard for a sign, but I don't think the attendant understood me very well, so I headed out to the road signless to try my luck. And as luck would have it I got another ride shortly after hitting the on ramp. A nice man by the name of Fransisco, we talked about our home towns and his broken truck that he was going to get parts for. He took me as far up 288 as he could, and dropped me off at the beltway.
This is where my luck turned south. I found a tractor rental place that was willing to give me some cardboard for a sign, and they took my picture and told me I was a mad man. After that the rides stopped. I realized to late that I was too close to the city, where it is notoriously hard to catch a ride from what I have read. I slowly waved my sign and walked, in the hot brutal Texas sun, It wasn't long before I had sweated through my clothes, and I was drinking most of my water. I walked for about 5 miles inhaling the exhaust when I happened upon a couple of gents selling melons and other fruits under a canopy on the side of the road. They let me rest under there shade and gave me a cold water bottle, which was great. I chatted for a while and asked them how much longer it would take me to walk into the city. The answer they gave me didn't bode well for my moral. I then asked them if there was a bus stop around, to which they said there was one right on the other side of the overpass we were next to, just in front of the community college (which I had missed due to walking backwards sailing my sign). I ran over to catch the bus, I was the only one on at the time. The bus driver told me that the bus couldn't take me downtown, but he said I could ride for free, and he would show me the right bus to take.
I took one more bus for about 30 minutes and this brought me right into downtown where I was to meet my friend who was going to drive me to Dallas. I was lucky and landed right next to the highway. So I meandered over to a McDonalds that was easy to see from the highway, but it was to crowded inside for my liking, so I went out back and sat in the shade and smiled and sighed for an hour or so until my friend showed up.
We drove back to Dallas, through a storm of quality proportions, ate some burgers, and arrived at his appartment after the sun had set.
And here I am for a few days, enjoying great company, and making final preparations for my long journey. My short stint into the world of charity traveling has given me hope for what is to come, for although I ended up tired and sweaty. The people I met in cars and on busses and even just on the side walk were great people, people who were just happy to meet someone new and swap a few stories or pieces of advice. Next update will be from the open road.
I went into the station to see if they had any cardboard for a sign, but I don't think the attendant understood me very well, so I headed out to the road signless to try my luck. And as luck would have it I got another ride shortly after hitting the on ramp. A nice man by the name of Fransisco, we talked about our home towns and his broken truck that he was going to get parts for. He took me as far up 288 as he could, and dropped me off at the beltway.
This is where my luck turned south. I found a tractor rental place that was willing to give me some cardboard for a sign, and they took my picture and told me I was a mad man. After that the rides stopped. I realized to late that I was too close to the city, where it is notoriously hard to catch a ride from what I have read. I slowly waved my sign and walked, in the hot brutal Texas sun, It wasn't long before I had sweated through my clothes, and I was drinking most of my water. I walked for about 5 miles inhaling the exhaust when I happened upon a couple of gents selling melons and other fruits under a canopy on the side of the road. They let me rest under there shade and gave me a cold water bottle, which was great. I chatted for a while and asked them how much longer it would take me to walk into the city. The answer they gave me didn't bode well for my moral. I then asked them if there was a bus stop around, to which they said there was one right on the other side of the overpass we were next to, just in front of the community college (which I had missed due to walking backwards sailing my sign). I ran over to catch the bus, I was the only one on at the time. The bus driver told me that the bus couldn't take me downtown, but he said I could ride for free, and he would show me the right bus to take.
I took one more bus for about 30 minutes and this brought me right into downtown where I was to meet my friend who was going to drive me to Dallas. I was lucky and landed right next to the highway. So I meandered over to a McDonalds that was easy to see from the highway, but it was to crowded inside for my liking, so I went out back and sat in the shade and smiled and sighed for an hour or so until my friend showed up.
We drove back to Dallas, through a storm of quality proportions, ate some burgers, and arrived at his appartment after the sun had set.
And here I am for a few days, enjoying great company, and making final preparations for my long journey. My short stint into the world of charity traveling has given me hope for what is to come, for although I ended up tired and sweaty. The people I met in cars and on busses and even just on the side walk were great people, people who were just happy to meet someone new and swap a few stories or pieces of advice. Next update will be from the open road.
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