020809

                                                     Cayucos to Harmony to Cambria to Ragged Point, CA

Sunday February 8, 2009

     5:51am  I just woke up. I got ten hours of sleep! I woke up at like twelve or one because it got cold, but I went back to sleep.

                   Highway

     7:53am  Up and at 'em. I took my time.

     7:57am  Passing mile marker 3500

                   This morning I took my time getting up. I took my last hit of weed. I don't have any more matches. I am passing a sign that says Beach Area Next Exit. Diesel. I'm going to walk to the gas station and buy a lighter.

     8:18am  Coming up on Cayucos Drive. There's a pier at the end. I'm going to go to the gas station and take a shit.

     9:05am  I stopped at the Cayucos gas station. I got like seven bucks worth of food. I bought a lighter too. I'm going to walk to Cambria. I'll keep walking the 1.

     9:19am  Charlotte pulled over to give me a ride to Cambria, but I kindly refused. I have two legs for a reason, plus I have food. Thanks anyway. It's the thought that counts, Charlotte. Everybody gets credit.

     9:29am  Cambria 13, Monterey 116, San Francisco 230

     9:30am  I paused to put my clown wig on.

                   Looking back to Morro Bay.                                       

     9:57am  I'm stopping to rest right across the street from Fawley Ranch. 5445 Hwy 1.

     10:21am  Walking.

     10:48am  I took a pause to layer up.

     10:57am  Crossing Villa Creek Road.

     11:26am  Stopped for a smokebreak.

     11:48am  Walking.

     12:25pm  Coming up on Harmony Street. Hmm, is there a town of Harmony? I don't know. I'm going to go explore.

     12:50pm  I took a little smokebreak in this little plaza they have here in Harmony. I am walking again. I am going to walk back to the highway.

                    Pictures I took at Harmony.

     1:18pm  Coming up on sign that says Paso Robles 46 East turnoff.

     1:32pm  In the distance I see the sign that says Cambria, Monterey and San Francisco. I can see from here that Cambria is only four miles away.

                   Random highway shot.

     1:48pm  First police contact on this walk. This cop pulled over and just checked me out. He ran my ID and returned saying I was free to go, that everything came back fine. I tried to tell him my story, but he didn't have time. I gave him my website though. Four measly miles until Cambria. I am still in SLO County. San Luis Obispo County. It was funny, when I told the cop my mission objectives, when I mentioned marijuana he asked me if I had any marijuana on me. I told him I wished I did. He said he just pulled over just in case I was missing. He asked me if my mom was worrying about me. I told him how I try to call her as much as I can, that she's who I am working my mission for the most. Officer Muñoz.

                   AZ-HI-AZ-I-AM

     2:16pm  I'm real close to town already. I'm taking a rest. There's a little ditch with all this graffiti. I should take a picture.

     2:32pm  Leaving.

     2:38pm  Passing Cambria City Limits. Population 6444 Elevation 60

     2:45pm  I just turned around and read the sign facing South. I am 14 miles from Cayucos. 33 miles from San Luis Obispo. 33 miles of walking so far. That's not bad for like two days.

     2:47pm  Turning right on Main Street. There's a welcome to Cambria sign. Free and accepted Masons, my ass.

     3:07pm  It started drizzling and I have donned my poncho.

                   I've been walking on Main Street, but it doesn't seem busy at all. It's this winding road that's going nowhere. It went by a couple of houses. My legs are starting to hurt from walking. I need to sit down and rest, and it's raining now. I saw a billboard for a Chevron, but it didn't say how far it was.

     3:17pm  At long last I am at Hwy 1 Business District, Downtown Cambria. I see the Chevron. I'm going to go stand in front of it.

     3:25pm  I walked to the Chevron, finally a store in town on Main Street Cambria. John is out here with his daughter and VW bus. He saw my shirt and I told him what I was doing and he volunteered me seven dollars! I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     3:31pm  Some magic happened. John agreed to give me a ride up North a little bit. We were all able to fit in his bug. Walking stick and everything. Thanks a lot, John. Everybody gets credit.

                   It's raining harder now, perfect. See, my right knee is starting to give out and I am limping. I felt really lucky I had a walking stick and I kept going. Thanks for the ride, John. Now I don't have to walk so much and I can rest.

     4:02pm  I am in Ragged Point, CA. John came up here to eat with his daughter. I think I'm like twenty miles from Big Sur.

                   Correction, I am forty five miles away from Big Sur.

                   The only cigarettes they sold were Marlboro Reds $8 a pack. I bought me two Clif Bars for five bucks. Oh yeah, and some guys told me that my camera was worth five hundred dollars, awesome.

     4:44pm  Toby, working in the deli here at Ragged Point, just volunteered me some food. I really appreciate it. Thanks for feeding the peace machine.

                   Sweet! Some other guy who works here saw me and asked me if I wanted a beer. I told him no, thanks anyway. He said he had six of them. Then I told him, "Here, check out my website. I'm a journalist." I asked him, "Do you have any weed?" He smiled and said, "I must, I'm from Big Sur."

     4:47pm  The Honkey, he's called, hooked me up with a little weed. I appreciate it, brother. For the cause. Thanks for helping me live the dream.

     4:52pm  It started drizzling harder so I came over under the covering in front of the snack bar place.

     5:25pm  Hell yeah, I've gotten all loaded up at Ragged Point. I got a couple of hits of weed, I got food, I got extra hotdogs. I totally got hooked up at that place. Right now it's dead. It's not raining so I think I'm going to try and walk the next twelve miles. I'm going to go find a bridge I can crash underneath. It's going to get dark pretty soon. My leg doesn't hurt too bad anymore. I'm walking away from Ragged Point. Next gas station is twelve miles away.

                   I had taken my clown wig off when I walked into Cambria, but I just put it back on, hehe. I've been waving at cars like crazy ever since San Luis. People honk at me sometimes with the clown wig on.

     5:54pm  Crossing into the Monterey County Line. Leaving San Luis Obispo County. Mile marker 0.  Walking

     6:58pm  I walked for about another hour and finally found a campsite. This little trail past these two boulders that were there so a car couldn't drive in. Right when I found it it started raining harder. I had to throw down my military rain poncho. I used my blue tarp and my blue poncho that I have and covered up the best I could and got in my sleeping bag. It was still raining while I did it, but now it stopped.

     10:21pm  Oh man, some crazy stuff happened. I got like two hours of sleep and then it started raining hard! I didn't know what I was going to do. All of my stuff got pretty soaked. The only thing I thought of doing was walking out to the road and wishing someone would drive by. The traffic is really sparse on this stretch. Plus, nobody will stop for hitchhikers in this area, not to mention tall guys in big ponchos at night. I totally didn't know what to do. I prayed to LOVE, send me an angel. Before I know it, the next car that rounds the corner, sees me and pulls over. I have never been so happy to see the police before.  They shined their light on me and I was actually relieved to see them. I thought maybe they were going to try to give me a camping ticket. Surprisingly, the car pulled up and I heard one say, "How can we help you?" Deputy Castaneda and Deputy Bodine. They rescued me and all my damp gear and brought me back to Ragged Point where I was earlier. Everybody gets credit.

                      Damnit, I forgot to take their picture!

     10:47pm  The magic just doesn't stop tonight. I got dropped off back at Ragged Point, where I was last time. The police dropped me off. They had ran my ID and it came back clear and they gave me my Leatherman back and my ID. When they dropped me off they told me, "Now we're not giving you permission to stay here, but you seem to be a survivor." They dropped me off and I started moving my stuff to the covering by the deli and then all of a sudden I hear someone yelling, "Hey! You can't stay here!" Some people who work here live here too. Then all of a sudden Aaron, the guy who hooked me up with weed earlier came to my rescue. See, my leg was killing me and the other guy said that I couldn't stay there, that I had to walk to the next rest area South. Aaron chimes in with, "I have a truck and you can crash in the cab." That's where I am right now. In the cab of his truck. It's raining much harder now.

                     I should also mention that Aaron brought me a dry comforter and a pillow too. I am all comfortable, goodnight.

Next day..