010507

 Ventura to Carpinteria to Santa Barbara, CA

Friday January 5, 2007

     7:31am  I am leaving. I am breaking up with Carol and I'm going to go on my solo mission. I am walking away right now. Me and her had a big understanding a couple days ago. Man, I'm going to miss her so much. I realized that when Bear came over. I even told Carol, "I really wish I wasn't on this mission, but I already have this obsession and I have to keep going. I've got a world to save." She says she understands, but I'm leaving. Let's see what happens.

     7:32am  I'm walking from River Haven right now. I was going to walk all the way to Turning Point to take a shower. I'm going to try and get a courtesy ride on the bus. Then I'm going to go back to the Chevron and try and get a ride out of town.

     7:39am  I walked all the way to the harbor and I just realized that I left my Leatherman, so I'm going back. That's mission-critical.

     8:15am  I walked up to the bus stop at the Holiday Inn Express at Ventura Harbor. The bus comes at eight twenty. I'm going to go to Turning Point and take a shower. I'm thinking about going to Sanjón, since it's not that far from Turning Point. I'll Fly my sign there for a couple hours, then I'll ride the bus back to the Chevron and get a ride South.

     10:04am  I ran into Amy at Turning Point. I gave her a hug and she kicked me down a little nugget. Right now I came to the highway entrance on Chestnut and Thompson. I'm going to stick my thumb out here and see if I can get a ride.

     10:33am  I walked all the way over to the pier where the bus stop is. I'm going to try and get a courtesy ride back to the Chevron. Fuck the onramp. I stood there for like half an hour and nobody picked me up. I guess it is a little awkward to pull over there on Chestnut and Thompson. I figured I'd go to the Chevron and ask people for rides individually, then they can tell me yes or no.

     10:48am  Hell yeah, I had a badass presentation with a cop on a motorcycle. Officer Corving. He approached me with, "How's it going?" I told him I was the happiest man in the world and he asked me why. He listened to my platform and I gave him my webpage. I missed my bus because of that, but oh well. I'll just catch the next one. That was totally worth it.

     11:31am  It's weird. I ran into Amy of all people at the bus stop at the pier. When the bus came I got hooked up with a courtesy ride by the driver to Pierpont and Seaward.

     1:27pm  Reggie hooked me up with a buck in front of Seaward and Harbor. I appreciate it, Reggie. By the Chevron. Everybody gets credit, Reggie.

     1:36pm  This guy Tristan, I just gave him my webpage. At first I asked him for a ride and he said, "I don't pick up hitchhikers." When I pulled out my recorder he pulled out a five dollar bill! Hell yeah!

     1:51pm  I'm standing out here in front of the Chevron. Lance, the guy who hooked me up at last time from Rell's food, that day(12-1-06-11:56am) I was playing around with that realty lady and he hooked me up again! With sandwiches. Traveling food. Perfect.

     2:37pm  Scott, this random guy at the Chevron just took me to his house and smoked me out! I'm sitting here telling him my story. He said he's traveled to Europe and Asia before. What's up with Nepal? Scott: "Basically in Katmandu in Nepal there's bushes of marijuana, it's a weed about five, ten feet tall, on the sides of roads, everywhere. People look at it everyday. It's part of their lives. We come back here and it's looked at as such a bad thing. Because it's illegal and we can afford to make it illegal. In a country like Nepal, even though it's illegal the country can't afford to get rid of it, like really criminalize it and promote it. People in Nepal make less than two hundred dollars a month."

     4:16pm  Oh yeah, Scott's the dude who gave me hash one day. Look where I ended up today.

     4:45pm  Scott drove me to Oxnard. A little bit South. He told me the story of Two Trees which I could see from River Haven. I always wondered about that. What's up with Two Trees? Scott: "In the 1930s there were five trees up on that ridge. They were these rare type of trees that don't exist anywhere else. These kids, these hoodlums climbed up there in the middle of the night and cut three of them and burned them."

     5:23pm  I have to update my journal. Some cool shit has happened. Man, I am having fun. Back to work, Victor. This random eighteen year old kid Scott, he was the one the dude who had given me hash. He came back around and walked up to me. I hit him up for my story and everything. He invited me back to his house to smoke. We smoked some hash. His dad's like some architect or something. A carpenter. He built the house they live in. We smoked some weed and I told them all  my stories, except my Bexar County Jail story. I showed him my webpage. He had the internet right there. It's already five thirty almost and I am back at the Chevron. At first he was going to take me to Oxnard, but then he told me I would probably have better luck at the Chevron.

     5:29pm  Man, I always have that worry about switching out the batteries in my digital voice recorder. I'm always scared I'll lose my entries. I just switched out the batteries right now and I didn't lose anything. Anyway, I am at the Chevron right now. Scott ended up not taking me to Oxnard. Like a long time afterwards I'm at the Chevron again. That girl Martha is working and she won't let me ask for rides, so I just came by the stoplight on the sidewalk and I am thumbing people. I made a 101 South sign. Then this cool girl Cherie who's a cashier at the Chevron, she's got tattoos and stuff, she gave me permission. I am here right in front of the door. 101 South. Let's see what happens.

     6:14pm  I'm standing here holding my 101 South sign and I just talked to this guy. This guy walked up to me. I had seen him standing by the air pumps earlier. He came over and held out a dollar to me, judging me, not reading the sign I was holding. Then he actually read my sign and told me, "I thought you were asking for money. Here's a dollar anyway." I hit him up for my story. He tells me, "Well hey, that's funny, because sitting in the car next to me is an Emmy Award winning journalist." Sweet, I gave him my webpage quick. His phone number is 805-290-2710. His name is Ryan.

     6:28pm  I got exasperated so I wrote in "Or North" on my sign. As soon as I did that Henry offered me a ride to Carpinteria, which is only ten miles shy of Santa Barbara. I guess I'll go meet up with Si and everybody there, hehe. Thanks a lot, Henry. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     6:49pm  I have to make an update. This guy Henry gave me a ride from the Chevron. He had two kids with him and everything. He gave me a ride to Carpintaria and now I'm going to catch a bus to Santa Barbara. I was going to go to Venice Beach but at the last second I said screw it. I'll go to Santa Barbara. I'll go to Santa Barbara and tell my story there.

     7:46pm  I am in Santa Barbara already. Cool.

     7:48pm  The guy who was on the bus with me on the way from Carpinteria, Sheldon. He came up to me and told me it looked like I needed some guidance, like I didn't know where I was going. I just hit him up for my story and he says, "Oh, I remember you. Have you been in Boulder before(8-6-05-10:14pm)?" What was your name again? Sheldon? I'll look that up. Sheldon: "I live in Boulder actually."

     8:31pm  I've had me some good presentations right here in front of Blue Bee Jeans. I'm soliciting people for my story as they walk by. Steve Romo just gave me his card.

     9:49pm  Jeff and Janelle just hooked me up with some food. I was just walking around.

Next day..