030808

                                                                       Live Oak and walking to Lake City, FL

Saturday March 8, 2008

     6:52am  I woke up around six behind my bush. Dude, there's a State Law Enforcement truck parked right across from the bushes.
                  
     7:26am  I am up and at 'em. I took a picture of where I slept underneath. The platform holds speakers for the baseball field. Underneath the plaform behind the bushes was all concealed and dry. That was awesome how I found a place to crash last night. I had been zigzagging around the neighborhoods and stuff. I'll tell you what street I am on when I get to a sign.

                   Parshley.

                   I walked Parshley Street to Ohio/Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. I'm going to look for a store.

                   24 miles from Lake City. 84 from Jacksonville. Yesterday Clay had told me when he dropped me off, "Thanks for much for talking to me. I appreciate it. It was a good talk."

                   I walked to 90 and turned right towards Lake City.

     7:54am  I just walked to Lee Avenue and there's another Jiffy.

     8:12am  I smoked a cigarette at Lee Avenue and I'm going to keep walking.

     8:15am  Walking in front of the Bulldog Flea Market.

     8:16am  All I had for breakfast was a Ramen this morning. I'm hungry. I don't have any food or money.

     8:31am  Coming up on Junction 49. There's a Shell station.

     8:32am  In the Shell they have an Anne's Kitchen. I'm going to go hit that up.

     8:54am  I am a measly twenty four miles away from Lake City. Eighty two from Jacksonville.

     9:31am  Carol at Anne's Kitchen is hooking me up with some food. I appreciate it, Carol. Everybody gets credit.

     9:56am  After I ate I went and stood on the shoulder right at the sign that says how far to Lake City. It was cool how I got hooked up at Anne's Kitchen. Called that shit. I'm walking to Lake City now.

                   It awesome. I found a quarter on the ground in front of the Jiffy and I was able to get another Ramen cake.

     10:44am  I walked to the top of the hill for sight-distance and in no-time Paul pulled over for me. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, man. Thanks a lot.

     10:46am  Clifford is his friend's name who's riding with him. Clifford just turned around and asked me, "Hey man, do you smoke?" I told him hell yeah, that that's what my mission was all about. He smoked a brother out. I appreciate it, man.

                      Clifford, like the big red dog.

     11:13am  Hell yeah, once again I had another roller-coaster ride. Right now we came to Zaxby's chicken and they're going to buy me some food. This is a big-ass town, Lake City. I didn't think it was this big. There's a Walmart there. They might have a city bus. I don't know. I've got work to do here.

     11:55am  I just got out of the bathroom at Zaxby's. I had gone back in there because I thought I had left my scarf, but it was in my frontpack. That was some good chicken. I'm all full now. Somebody told me to turn right on this street on 90.

     12:18pm  I'm walking 90 still in Lake City. All of a sudden I see this dude standing on the sidewalk. Mitch Jones, he said he saw me walking in Tallahassee. Where in Tallahassee did you see me? He was part of a construction crew off of I10. Remember(3-3-08 11:53pm), when I rode the bus from downtown and starting walking the I10 on that paved lane? I think I mentioned waving a peace sign to some construction workers, or something. Mitch Jones was one of the construction workers that I waved to. He saw me walking today and pulled over to talk to me. I'm going to tell him my story at his car.

                   I'm telling my story to Mitch Jones and what did you think when you saw me walking today? Mitch: "I knew there had to be a reason for you to be walking from Tallahassee to Lake City. I saw you in Tallahassee Tuesday and here it is Saturday and you're in Lake City which is over a hundred miles away."

                   Mitch was nice enough to volunteer me three bucks. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks. Nobody is paying me to do this. Every little bit helps.

                   Shweet. Welcome to Lake City, Victor. I've got me three bucks and two cigarettes, thanks.

                   Freedom Tree

                   He didn't have any weed, because he got busted for having hydro and gets tested now. Cursed.

     12:36pm  I see a sign for Lake City Community College. I'm going to go finish typing.

     12:54pm  I took a picture of where I stopped and smoked a cigarette.

     1:09pm  I'm done with my smokebreak. I switched out my socks too.

     1:11pm  I saw a garage sale sign on Ashley Street. Turning left on Lake Jeffries Street.

     1:15pm  I never found Ashley street, but I took a picture of all the graffiti on this building across the street from some park. Right next to Parkview Baptist Church.

     1:16pm  I'm over here by Youngs Park across the street from the future home of the Lake City Skatepark.

                   I walked Madison Street to Person and turned left.

                   Turning left on Main Boulevard.

     1:53pm  I just came to this big lake. I guess it's the one Lake City is named after. It's not that big. I'll take a picture of it. Escambia County, Florida.

                   Lake Desoto is the lake I took a picture of.

                   Lake City used to be called Alligator.

                   I forget the old dude I talked to's name, but he gave me some history on the town. How they had thrown away all the Civil War muskets in the lake and they eventually drained it in 59 or something. He told me the community college is like four or five miles away. I don't need to go there. I'm going to start walking to Gainesville. I'm going to walk Highway 41.

     2:32pm  I'm leaving this store here, the Tobacco Outlet, the Stop and Go food store. This stupid bum was there when I walked up. When he saw me he hit me up for a couple bucks. Then he asked me to roll him a cigarette. Then I asked some person if they were going South and the bum got all mad at me, "I'm panhandling this store! You're going to have to find another store. You're going to end up in jail wearing that shirt." I told him, "Shit, you will before I do. You're the bum." Then I took a picture of the Fu King Chinese Restaurant sign. Man, it would be so easy to write in a cee and make it fucking. That bum was all, "Geez, why do you want to take a picture of a Chinese restaurant?" Man, it's fucking Chinese. Stupid bum.

     3:47pm  I walked 41 all the way to the top of the hill. Passing Southwest Bascom North Drive. I'm going to sit here and stick my thumb out for a little bit. Good sight-distance and a stoplight. Look at my shirt, everybody!

                   This guy in a blue Chevrolet just pulled up at the light turning left on Bascom. He asked me, "Hey, are you going to Gainesville?" I told him yeah and he said he would be back in a minute.

     3:54pm  These girls actually came back around to take my picture.

                   I am still her thumbing cars, even though it's more for publicity than anything else. I'll get a ride eventually and get to Gainesville today hopefully.

     4:44pm  I put my clown wig on. Maybe that will make a difference. When five 'o clock comes I'm going to start walking.

     5:00pm  I'm walking now. I've got my rainbow wig on. Maybe someone will pull over. Or maybe they won't because of it. I'm going to walk.

     5:31pm  I walked to the next light. There's a B&B food store and a Shell station on my right. B&B has a Subway attached to it. I'm going to go hit them up.

     5:35pm I came to the Subway and Megan is hooking me up. I really appreciate it, Megan. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     6:00pm  This lady who wouldn't tell me her name volunteered me some change, even though she shouldn't be so quick to judge. She thinks I'm a bum and she's ignoring me now. She gave me some change, thanks.

     6:19pm  I'm walking now.

                   I've seen a lot of racecars being towed. Everybody is going to Daytona, I think.

     6:52pm  That explains the racecars. There's the North Florida Speedway right here.

     7:04pm  There's another gas station. A Gas Mart Stop and Go food store.

     10:11pm  I'm looking for a campspot already. I didn't tell you. I got bored and the Gas Mart and gave up on getting a ride tonight. I'm going to go find a place to crash. It's going to be really cold tonight. I went to this Oasis Lounge. the bar they had nearby. I went inside and asked the lady if it was alright if I just sat down and smoked a cigarette. I went to the bathroom and stole a lot of toilet paper out of their dispenser. I just wrapped it up. I had seen a wooded area across the street from the Gas Mart. I went and explored around and started making my bed. Then I realized that I was way too close to the racetrack and the noise would keep me up all night. So I walked like maybe a mile up the road and found a better spot in these woods. I'll take pictures. Alright, I'm going to go to bed now.

                     Suwannee County

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