020408

                                                                                                               Luling to Houston, TX

Monday February 4, 2008

     6:30am  I woke up at five forty eight this morning behind the abandoned gas station. I'm going to go to the gas station across the street and take a shit. I'm almost done packing up my stuff.

                   Luling is the town I am in.

     6:37am  I'm walking across the street to the gas station. I took a picture. I'll take another one coming out of it. I need to take a shit at the Luling Mini Mart.   Tagged the bathroom.

     7:36am  I took off walking. I got bored standing there. No cars or nothing. I'm going to walk the access road.

     7:45am  The access road is about to end right here. I'm going to keep walking straight on the Jeep trail. I could go up on the highway and walk that and give cars the peace sign.

                    I walked down the dirt road for a little bit. Then this truck drove up and some Mexican dude told me there wasn't a way out to the highway. He gave me a ride back to where the access road ended. I'm walking up on the highway now. I'll walk opposed to traffic and give cars the peace sign.

                    I found me a mini flashlight/marijuana pipe on the ground.

     8:02am  I stopped for a meal-break. I had Girlscout cookies for breakfast.

     8:15am  I'm up from my meal-break. I took a shot of Riovida. First chug of Riovida this trip. I opened a brand new bottle. I've got two. I'm walking now.

                   I think I saw a billboard earlier that said Dippin' Dots three miles.

     8:21am  About to cross the Caldwell County Line/San Marcos River.

     8:45am  About to pass the sign that says Gonzales/Cuero one mile over at Mile Marker 61. There's a gas station up ahead. I'm going to go there.

                   I have been hauling ass nonstop. I'm all charged up on that chug of Riovida.

     9:02am  Just passed Plum Creek. There's a Love's truckstop and a gas station coming up.

     9:10am  Walking up to the Buckee's Shell gas station.

                   Took a picture of  myself in the mirror.

     9:43am  I have donned my shirt. I'm going to stay out here until they run me off and then I'll walk fifteen miles to the next gas station. In Flatonia, I think they said.

                   Oh hell yeah, these dudes pulled up driving a truck that said Digital Camera Surveillance. 866-606-1308 They might hook me up with a ride. One of the guys walked by me and saw my shirt and said, "That'll work." He went inside then came back out and asked me, "Do you want something?" I told him no, not really. He asked me if I wanted a drink and I told him, "I've got my water. I'm alright." Then I told him, "Umm, I want a ride." He told me he would see what he could do. They're going to Houston, awesome.

     10:05am  I'm all packed up and ready to go. I'm going to Houston already. Day two and I'm already in Houston.

     10:16am  Tom and Ed, the surveillance guys are giving me a ride to Houston. I appreciate it, guys. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

                     Be sure to look up Under The Bridge. Do you know the author?

                     Brian Mcclaren.

                     ekklesia, Greek for church. I'll look that up. http://www.hisholychurch.net/ekklesia.html

                     That little dog I took a picture of earlier, her name was Pinky.

                     Todd, not Tom.

                      I called my mom and got my sister's phone number in Houston.

                      Pictures out of car as we're driving into Houston.

     12:41pm  William, the guy who initiated this hookup. I just dropped off in Houston at Dowling and Francis Street. I'm going to try and get a courtesy ride on the bus and go downtown.

     12:46pm  The nice driver on the 46 hooked me up with a ride.

                      I got off the bus because it didn't go downtown, so I'm going to walk. I'm walking down LaBranch Street right now.

     12:54pm  I crossed the street and sat down on some bench at LaBranch and Rosalie. I'm going to have a little smoking session. I haven't smoked a cigarette since before I got the ride.

     1:10pm  I'm up and walking. I'm turning right because I saw a bus. I'm going to go stand over there. Sweet, on the wall someone wrote Start A Revolution! I'm going to take a picture. Graffiti on the wall.

     1:15pm  I was walking down Anita Street. Like right after I turned off LaBranch I saw all this graffiti. I tagged it with havethisbook.com. I'll take pictures.

     1:22pm  This guy just pulled over right now. Texas license plate CCD-030. This old guy. He pulled over out of the blue and walked up to me. He was all frantic about how he did street art and how he was doing something new. I went, "Great, you're going to love my story then." I tried telling him but he wouldn't listen at all. I gave him my website, thanked him for proving me right and told him I was going to go find someone who would listen and not be ignorant. I was just testing you, dude. You failed hardcore. I even took his picture, hehe. He told me his name. I wish I could remember it.

                    I walked Crawford and now I'm turning left on Joseph Street. Towards the tall buildings.

     1:35pm  I took a picture of Sisters of Charity Park.

                   Turning right on San Jacinto.

     2:24pm  I walked down to Main Street. This guy who saw my shirt offered to smoke me out later on.

                   I noticed that across the street there's a Tropioca Tea and Coffee bar. I'm going to stand in front and show my shirt.

                  Temperance's Nature Preserve on Macedonia Church Road by Lake Nacogdoches. A couple hundred miles North of here. I'll check that out, maybe.

     2:58pm  I am talking to Rob, telling him my story. This magic happened for me in the park. I was searching for trees. Fuck Babylon. I found a park and I saw Rob sitting down eating. I got the idea to try and smoke this guy out. Maybe he'll show me around town. I pinched him a hit and asked him if he wanted a drag off of my special cigarette. He accepted and in turn smoked me out with some badass weed. He even kicked me down a nugget. I appreciate it, bro. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

                   Picture of downtown from where we smoked.

     3:41pm  That was awesome. I got to tell Rob my whole Odyssey story. Umm, I can just hang out downtown all day and later on call my sister Diana. I should call her right now. I should go bum a cellphone off of somebody.

     4:34pm  I forgot to tell you. I decided I'm going to go to the college. I'm going to ride the train for free. The last bus driver I asked told me it was a two hundred and fifty dollar ticket if I got caught. That's what they all say. Bullshit. That's right, be afraid. Nobody pays for the train. Rob told me that.

     4:38pm  I got on the train.

     4:50pm  I was walking on the sidewalk. I don't know what street it is. Gary and Annemarie from Holland. They listened to my story and Gary gave me a cigarette. I appreciate it. Everybody gets credit, thanks a lot. They offered to buy me a beer, but I refused. It's the thought that counts. Thanks anyway.

                  What's the name of this pub? See, right now they offered to buy me a drink. At first I refused but then I said okay. Well, Annemarie goes inside to buy it and the ignorant old lady working tells her, "Sorry, we don't serve bums here." Sheeet, I'm not a bum. It's an illusion, hehe.

                   I shouldn't be drinking anyway. I'm glad I didn't get that drink. I need to be able to tell my story.

                  Chris just walked by at the trainstop and hooked me up with his cellphone. I appreciate it, brother.

                  Man, Houston is lame. I'm not getting any good reactions to my shirt here. Well, a little bit. I'm going to keep moving.

     7:10pm  The nice driver on the 131 is hooking me up with a ride closer to I10. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     7:16pm  I ended up getting on the wrong bus. The 131 doesn't go East on I10. They told me that no buses go East on 10.

                   I got off the bus at Rusk and Louisiana. I'll wait for some other buses to pass and ask the drivers. Umm, I need to get out of town.

                   I walked to Chapel and Travis. I need to catch the 137, Northshore Express. That's what the last bus driver told me. He's probably wrong too. I've been getting wrong directions all day.

     7:29pm  That last bus driver even hooked me up with a transfer.

                    I called my mom and she said Belfontaine is her street.

     7:38pm  Annan was nice enough to let me borrow his cellphone in downtown Houston. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks a lot.

     7:44pm  Man, I'm bouncing around like a pinball. I was able to call my mom. My sister wouldn't answer her phone. I called my mom. She said she had been waiting for me to call, that she was worried. At least I found out whereabouts my sister lives. Over by Rice University on Belfontaine. I'm going to aim for that. Umm, I shouldn't be telling you where my sister lives.

     8:04pm  I jumped on the train going to Rice University.

                   Marilyn just dropped me off at the college strip at Rice University. At the Ginger Man bar. I was able to call my sister and told her to meet me here.

     9:13pm  I forgot to tell you. This nice lawyer guy. When I got off the train I asked this guy if he knew where Belfontaine was. He was walking. Surprisingly, he asked me, "Do you want a ride?" He told me we had to go get his bike and then walk to his house. So we did that and walked over to his house. I met his wife Marilyn and got to tell them my story. They were both very nice. Marilyn gave me a ride to where I'm supposed to meet Diana. I thought the Ginger Man was a coffee shop, but it ended up being a bar.

     9:58pm  I forgot to tell you. Diana finally showed up. I stood waiting for her across the street from the Ginger Man, underneath this bright light letting people read my shirt.
 

Next day..