020608

                                                                                             Vinton to Lake Charles, LA

Wednesday February 6, 2008

     5:41am  I woke up around close to five underneath this loud noisy bridge. I waked and baked. I took pictures.

                   I just realized I lost my Adidas rainpants last night. I think I left them in the hippie van. They weren’t waterproof anymore, but they were my outer layer. That really sucks. What a big hit. I had those pants for years and years.

     6:59am  I just took a picture of the Lucky Longhorn. This Chevron gas station out here.

     7:08am  Denise just volunteered me a free meal ticket at the Lucky Longhorn. I appreciate it, Denise. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     7:55am  That was so cool. After I got out of the bathroom I was just standing outside. Man, it sucks I lost my pants. I put my green tights on in the bathroom. Anyway, I was just standing there and this lady offered me a meal voucher! I got me a big breakfast with scrambled eggs and a chicken friend steak. I ate it all. I've got a happy belly. I'm walking seventeen miles to the next gas station.

     8:05am  I started walking East, but I can't go past the barbwire fence. I have to double back to the truckstop, the travel center.

     8:16am  I'm walking the highway. I am fifteen miles from Sulphur and twenty three miles from Lake Charles. I'm going to stop here and stick my thumb out for a little while.

     8:31am  Taking off from a cheater break I took. I sat down and smoked and stuck my thumb out for a little bit. I'm walking on the side of the highway they will give me rides on. I'm not giving the cars the peace sign. I'm just going to walk. I should've taken another chug of Riovida, but I got stoned and forgot, hehe. I'll take it at my next rest.

     8:52am  Mile Marker 6

     9:09am  Mile Marker 7

     9:14am  Coming up on Exit 7 Vinton. I thought I was already in Vinton like three exits ago.

     9:22am  I walked up to the truckstop, Love's.

     9:58am  Ahh, I'm taking off walking. I don't even know how far the next gas station is. I'm cold. Umm, I really should've stayed with those hippie kids. I'd be all the way in Baton Rouge by now.

     10:20am  I got bored and cold at the onramp. I'm going to keep walking. Weird, I see a sign that says Vinton 1 mile. Damnit, I could've sworn I was already in Vinton fives miles ago!

     10:26am  Mile Marker 8

                     Vinton ½ mile, next exit 12 miles. Whoa. Umm, there should be some facilities here. Yeah, there's a Citgo.

                      I want to find a place to take a nap. That's what I'm going to do before I go. I didn't get enough sleep last night.

     12:30pm  Let's see, I woke up from my maybe like two hour nap. It was hard to get to sleep because of all the noise. I'm packing up and getting ready to go.

     12:41pm  All packed up and ready to go. I left a tennis ball marker.

     12:49pm  Taking Exit 8, Mile Marker 9, almost.

                      I took Exit 8 and I could've sworn there would be a gas station, but there isn't. So I walked back up and I'm going to circle back down and go back down the hill and keep walking on the highway. There's only a camping and RV park.

                     At long last I am almost to it. I see it. I have a visual. I hope it's fruitful. Please Love, mobilize me. I think I remember the sign saying no exits for like twelve miles.

     1:09pm  I just got to the gas station. A Chevron. They have a Cajun Kitchen Restaurant next door.

     1:27pm  Oh great! I found out there's a laundromat within walking distance. There's a police car.

                    I gave the cop the peace sign, like I do to all the cars.

                    I just put my stuff to wash. I'm just washing my WPTMJ shirt, my Make It Happen shirt, my handkerchief and a couple pairs of socks. A whole $1.75 to do that small load. I put on my Relax - I'm a Professional shirt.

     2:15pm  I just put my clothes to dry. A little while ago.

                   Let me check it right now. It's still a little damp.

     2:33pm  I left the laundromat. I'm going to go back to the gas station and get a ride. This lady told me it was eleven miles to the next exit.

     2:44pm  Mike is hooking me up with a ride all the way to Lake Charles. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks. Let me give you my website.

     3:06pm  Dude, that was an awesome ride I got. Right when I finished my laundry and walked back to the gas station. In Vinton. The first dude I asked who pulled up in a white truck. These two guys and a girl. I hit them up for a ride. "Are you going I10 East?" They told me they were going South, actually. I asked them if they could give me a ride back to the highway at least so I could start walking. They ended up going East, anyway. We went over this big bridge over this big lake. Lakes Charles, I think. I took pictures and stuff. I left my pocket atlas in their car. That sucks. Anyway, they told me if I keep going on 210 it eventually hits I10 again, on the other side of Lake Charles. I was riding in the back of their truck. That's why I didn't log it when it happened. I gave them my website. Mike and his friend.

     3:18pm  I've been walking down College Street which runs parallel to 210.

     3:37pm  Leaving from the gas station at Enterprise Boulevard. This black dude came outside and told me, "We can't have anybody standing out here." I told him I was just smoking a cigarette. I'm resting. I really was. I'm going to walk the two or three miles to the next gas station.

     4:08pm  Joey just volunteered me some food on Industrial. He hooked me up. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit.

                   Hell yeah, I got munchies! Traveling food.

     4:12pm  I'm leaving from my smokebreak. It was badass. I was walking down the street through some neighborhood. I just randomly picked a spot to take a smokebreak. There were these black kids outside in front of the house I sat down in front of, across the street. Their mom was outside and she waved at me. They even gave me a soda, which I left there. I don't drink soda. I've got enough gas. I'm going to keep walking. There's a Shell station up ahead.

                   I think Industrial turns into Van Buren. That's the street I'm on now. In this neighborhood. The highway is on the other side of the houses.

     4:16pm  I just offered this guy my webpage across the street from 2246.

     4:19pm  Turning left on Mckinley. I'm not going to celebrate, because I already did when I sat down earlier.

                   That's the second Walmart I see in this town already. I passed another one not too long ago.

     4:31pm  I'm fearless. I put my shirt on. I'm going to stand here on the onramp right next to the Walmart and stick my thumb out. I'll smoke a cigarette and smoke some weed. I don't care. I'm going to go to jail pretty soon, hehe. I need another chapter for my book.

     4:48pm  There's a State Trooper. Showtime, maybe. Let's see what he does.

                   He just kept on. I had put my hoodie on. I'm going to take it off again.

     5:03pm  Another cop just drove by and I thought it was showtime again, but they just kept going. I've got my weed stashed so I'm really fearless right now. I want them to come talk to me. I don't know what the legalities are for hitchhiking here. They haven't told me shit. I'm sure they see me.

     5:23pm  A cop just drove by and yelled at me on his intercom, "Keep moving! Get your stuff and go!"

     5:25pm  I'm walking on the access road of the highway.

     5:59pm  I forgot to mention. Oh yeah, a cop finally ran me off. I started walking and all of a sudden I see hey, there's a bus stop! I don't know when the bus is going to come, so I sat down at the bus stop. It came eventually and I am going East.

     6:04pm  Hell yeah, that was badass. I can walk to I10 now, awesome. I see a sign that says I10 East. The bus driver just dropped me off. I'm all paranoid that I forgot something.

     6:09pm  I am one mile away from I10.

                  Gas station. I'm going to go buy some cigarettes. Some Buglers.

     7:26pm  I walked all the way down Bunk Road. I can see the highway to my left. I thought it was I10, but it ended up being 210. Fuck, I'm going to double back and walk back to the gas station and mack with that girl. I don't want to be walking the wrong highway.

     7:46pm  Oh, I didn't go back and talk to Tiffany. I double backed Bunk Road to the Exxon Minimart and I asked Reggie which way was I10. He told me it was the way I just walked from. He's going to give me a ride back over there though. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, man. Thanks a lot.

     8:22pm  Reggie just hooked me up with a fat nugget of weed! I don't care if it's shwag. Shweet. Maybe I should take my shirt off now.
 
                   He gave me a ride over to the gas station on I10, where his girlfriend works.

                   I got to tell Reggie my whole Odyssey.

     9:05pm  Wild Horse hooked me up with a cigarette at the gas station. I appreciate it, brother.

                   Man, that sucks. I smoked a lot of weed with them. See, at that gas station I made friends with this dude who works there named Thomas. He really dug my story and agreed with all of it. I smoked him out hardcore. What's the point of having weed if you don't share it? Anyway, Thomas said I might be able to crash where he stays, but it was like a mile away. When he got off of work I walked with him to this trailer park that looks like a concentration camp. I went in their trailer and smoked his friends out, but in the end they said I couldn't crash. His brother-in-law wouldn't listen to me at all.

                   Thomas is cool as hell. I told him he should just take off traveling. He told me he doesn't want to be part of the system.

     12:12am  Kenny Hay, see I got lost in the concentration camp where Thomas lives, the FEMA Trailer Park. The security guard drove up to me and I told him I was lost. He let me put my stuff in the back of his truck and gave me a ride to the front gate. He's directing me to the truckstop.

                     I have successfully secured myself a campsite right before this light in the woods right off the street. I had to crawl under some branches and stuff. I'll take a picture in the morning.

Next day..