051509

                                                 Coloma to Pilot Hill to Cool to Auburn to Nevada City, CA

Friday May 15, 2009

     5:20am  I woke up.

                   benches, gas station, walking stick

                   Man, yesterday on the river was crazy wild. It was crazy fun. I mean, it wasn't that challenging, just floating down the river. The only risky part I guess was getting splashed by the ice cold water. That's the only thing that sucked, but it wasn't so bad. It was badass. We were surfing in the whirlpools and shit. I should've documented it more. I took a lot of pictures. Not nearly as many as I should have. Twenty two miles of river. The whole river. It was crazy how I ended up going white-water rafting yesterday.

     6:28am  Ah, I've had a nice relaxing morning here at my camp. I just listened to yesterday on my recorder. I am really glad it happened. It's a total highlight to my trip. Free white-water rafting expedition. They usually only do half of the river, but they decided to do the entire thing yesterday. Five hours I was on the river yesterday. I looked it up. Oh yeah, I got seven hours of sleep last night. Anyway, I don't know when I'm going to get up. I might fall back asleep. I'm all stoned off of hash.

                   I ate half a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast. I usually don't go into grocery stores because I don't know what to buy because most of the stuff in there is expensive. Anyway, I should get some more bagels and cream cheese. That's great traveling food. I want to get a summer sausage again[4-24-09 : 10:44pm]. That will last me days and it doesn't need to be refrigerated.

                   Now, Jeff is like a bonafide white-water rafting guide, but nobody is hiring him. They look down on him for giving people free rides down the river, his friends and stuff, and they think that he's taking their business away. There's some animosity towards him and it's all about money. He just loves the river. The river is his life. In fact, he's floated down eighty rivers all over the country. He knows the American River like the back of his hand. Every rapid threat had a different name. Troublemaker and Satan's Cesspool. All the other guides use the same names for the tourists. They told me people pay $130 a head to do what I did. I so lucked out yesterday. It was right up my alley.

                   It was also cool how Jeff could read the river. Like that he knew that we were at the top of the wave, the surge of water that was coming.

     7:55am  I am all packed up and leaving. I'm going to the Shell station to fill up my bag with ice and get some hot water. I have shitloads of instant oatmeal. Thank you Allen[5-13-09 : 7:21pm]. I am walking now from my hill. I'm going to go to the Shell station and stuff.

                   The hill I crash at is over by the highway and Del Oro Lane.

                   Hell yeah, I went to the gas station to get ice and hot water. Afterwards I went outside and grabbed a couple butts out of the ashtray to make a sniperat. After I had rolled one up I went to the picnic tables to sit down and eat my oatmeal and smoke my sniperat. All of a sudden the cool cashier from the Shell comes out to me and asks me, "Did I see you picking through the ashtray?" He handed me a brand new pack of Sonoma Full Flavor 100's. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit. Thanks a lot.

     9:24am  I'm out here hanging out at the picnic benches and Steve just came and talked to me. He owns the thrift store that's going to open on Saturday that's right behind the picnic tables. He told me I should stick around until tomorrow, that there will be a big crowd of people here. I'm going to stick around until then then.

     9:55am  Oh yeah, I got a hair up my ass to go to Cool and then I'll come back for the thrift store opening. I'll try to hitchhike it, but I might just walk it. It's only ten miles. Two and a half hour walk.

     10:02am  I got tired of thumbing it. I thought I would walk to Cool, but I don't have that much water. I didn't feel like walking to the gas station, so I started walking anyway.

                     Nevermind again. I am going to go back to the gas station. I'll eat some more oatmeal and get some water. Last time they didn't have any ice and the cool dude told me he would get some more, so I can fill up my bag with ice. Then I'll walk to Cool. Or I'll see if I can get a ride from the gas station.

     10:20am  Amanda aka Mandolin is going to give me a ride to Pilot Hill, only three miles away from Cool. I'm going to come back, I just want to check out Cool, or any place else. I don't care. If you don't make plans you never get let down. Thanks for mobilizing me, Amanda. It's a good cause.

     10:35am  I just got dropped off on Pilot Hill. I am three miles from Cool, but I want to go to Auburn too. Mandolin, aww this beautiful butterfly landed on my pack. Mandolin told me about some party at the Miner's Foundry in Nevada City I should go to. She wrote out directions for me on a piece of paper and everything. I have to follow my signs.

     10:57am  I am walking.

     11:01am  Save the Bayley House. www.thebayleyhouse.com

     11:19am  Walking. I got bored of thumbing it.

     11:37am  Passing Silk Tree Lane.

     11:42am  Passing Catecroft Lane.

     11:45am  Passing Pierro Lane.

     11:49am  I am going to take a pause in the shade at Gillespie Road. I walked for a long time.
                    
                     I am about done with my rest in the shade at Gillespie Road. I scraped a resin hit. I can't believe it. I'm resinated. There's some little schoolkids nearby. I hear a playground.

                    Northside school

                     That girl Mandolin was a pretty hippie girl with braids. I tried to tell her my story, but she dropped me off pretty soon afterwards. I gave her my website. She was talking about stuff like elders and Rainbow Gatherings and stuff. She told me about some party in Nevada City. She gave me her phone number too and told me if I got to Auburn to give me a call and she would come pick me up to go to the party.

                     Northside Bears. All these little kids playing in front of the school.

     12:13pm  Crossing Cave Valley Road in front of the Northside School.

     12:25pm  Passing Grand Fir Circle again, I think. 40 zone ahead. That means there's probably a store.

     12:30pm  Coming up on Junction 193. Greenland/Georgetown that way and Auburn straight.

                      There's a sign for a park and ride. I guess buses come out here.

     12:32pm  Cool, there's a Valero gas station. I might get a ride to Auburn from there.

                     Walking

                     Main Street Pizza Grill and Mexican Food. I'm going to go hit them up. If they're Mexican I'm going to give them my line in Spanish.

                     Sweet, I'm going to score. I talked to the guy outside and he told me yeah, come right on in. He told me I could set my bags down and come inside. He's going to surprise me with food. Awesome.

     12:40pm  Jose at Main Street Grill in Cool, California is hooking it up. I'll take a picture.

     12:50pm  Oh man, this huge burrito is delicious. I wasn't expecting this big a surprise. I ate like half of it and asked for a to-go box.

                      Aim to please

     1:00pm  Man, I was only able to eat half of that thing. I took a picture of it.

     1:03pm  Ah, scratch that. It's six miles to Auburn. I'm going to get a ride there. Grass Valley 29 and Nevada City 33. That's my destination. Nevada City.

                   Dude who gave me a ride.

     1:29pm  Mandolin told me she would give me a ride if I got to Auburn so I'm going to chill here and spread the word.

                   Downtown Auburn

     2:10pm  I walked down High Street and I saw these two kids in front of The Pizza Place and I am telling them my story now.

     2:52pm  I had an awesome presentation with these two kids. They were all about my shit. I told them my whole Odyssey and The Note From the Rich and the lizards song.

                   Smoke a brother out

     4:23pm  I wish I could celebrate. I made friends with those two guys and chilled out in this little plaza. I even played around with my flying my sign to traffic for a little bit. It wasn't productive. Then I heard the bus went to Nevada City from here so I came to the bus stop.

                   Anthony just hooked me up with a bus ticket so I won't have to pay bus fare. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit.

     4:48pm  Leaving on the bus to Nevada Station and I have to transfer to Nevada City. That's awesome.

     4:55pm  I just got off at Nevada Station. I'm waiting for the Gold Country Stage.

                   www.twainquotes.com I am reading my Mark Twain book.

     6:04pm  At long-last the bus came. The transfer I had will only get me to Alta-Sierra. I can't get all the way to Nevada City, so I'm going to have to hitch hike. I am looking at the schedule on the map right now.

     6:06pm  The greedy ass bus driver won't give me a ride all the way to Nevada City. Nobody wants world peace!

     6:14pm  The greedy driver wouldn't give me a ride all the way to Nevada City, but luckily Brian got on the bus a couple stops later and I asked him if he could help me with fare. He said sure and gave me the dollar fifty. I walked up and put the money in the farebox and told the driver, "I was just testing you both. He passed."

     6:57pm  I didn't tell you, to kill time for the bus to come I stood at the stoplight at Nevada Station and let cars read my shirt and passed out my website.

                    It seems like I am meant to go to this party tonight. I'm going to be there right on time. It starts at eight. I don't think it's that far.

     7:00pm  I am in Nevada City not that far from the foundry.

     7:10pm  I walked to the foundry and there were all these hippies in front waiting for the party to start. I walked up and asked what was going on. They told me a party and I asked if I could crash. They told me it costs twenty bucks to get in. Argh, what hippiecrites. Fuck that. I'm gong to walk into town and tell my story.

                   I rushed all the way over here and it costs twenty bucks. What bullshit.

     7:15pm  I went to the Broad Street and offered people my website. This wingnut lady came up to me and asked me for some change. I didn't have any. I hate money, remember. I was standing there with her talking to me and this dude David walked by and I offered him my site. Then he offered me some peanut butter cup ganja food! I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit. thanks a lot, bro. Welcome to Nevada City, Victor.

     7:57pm  I am standing here in front of the foundry. I don't know if I'm going to get in or not. Mark and Chris smoked a brother out. I appreciate it. Everybody gets credit. Thanks a lot.

                   I overheard them talking French and asked them where they were from. They were from Canada.

     8:04pm  I came back to the Miner's Foundry to see if I can get in. These French Canadian guys were sitting down smoking weed and I asked them for a hit. They let me hit their mixture. They've got a pelton wheel historical marker and I'm going to go take a picture of it.

     8:40pm  I went back to Broad Street and I was walking back to the foundry to see if they would let me in the party without twenty bucks. Right at the entrance I saw a girl walking with a wooden cane with no tip. I walked by and told her, "Looks like you could use a tennis ball like me." She totally agreed so I gave her one of mine. I cut if for her and everything,

     8:46pm  Ha, I got in. I went up to the security dude and told him, "I'm a long-distance walker and freelance journalist. I'm conducting a study on generosity the whole world is going to read on the internet.." He cut me off and said, "You want in for free, right? Well, just go in and if somebody tells you anything because you're not wearing a bracelet you'll have to leave." Good thing I put on my long sleeve shirt when it got colder.

     10:27pm  I should totally make an update. I am a clown! I didn't tell you. I came back to the foundry. I didn't pay to get in or nothing. Inside it was all boring. I would much rather stay at the front and let people see my shirt and pass out my website. All of a sudden I was outside and I saw this beautiful girl from England named Ruth, she was dressed up like a clown. I thought, "Hey, I've got a clown wig." I went and got it out of my bag and put it on. As soon as my clown sister saw me she came over and asked me if I wanted to get my face painted. I went in the kid's room and she painted my face. Then I got to clown around with all the kids! I was passing my website out to their parents! Just imagine, a tall guy with a clown wig and make-up wearing a shirt that loudly says WORLD PEACE THROUGH MARIJUANA. Talk about classic. Haha, look what happened to me tonight! Let's see what happens next.

                      Pretty girl I told my story to.

                      Blurry picture of kids

     10:43pm  I've got another magical update to make. After I got done clowning around I came outside and I got to yell my story to Jethro. He listened very attentively and he's smoking a brother out, for the cause. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit. Thanks a lot.

                     He wouldn't let me take his picture though. That's right. Be afraid, be afraid.

                     Haha, I became a clown!

     11:41pm  Ha, that was so funny. I didn't take that many pictures. When I first got let in I asked them if I was at the liberty to take pictures and they told me no. But, in the clown room I said screw it and snapped some of all the little kids and stuff. A lot came out fuzzy. I still can't believe I got to be a clown and play with little kids! I passed out my website plenty too. I am totally saturating this town with my presence from the first night here. Right now as I am leaving all these cops came to make sure nobody was drinking. I hope they got a good look at my shirt as they walked in and out. I'm bored. I'm going to go to Broad Street and see if I can find somebody to tell my story to. I wonder if there is a taqueria open anywhere.

     11:46pm  Tim is being nice enough to give me a cigarette on Broad Street. Everybody gets credit. Thanks a lot.

     11:49pm  I have to make an update. Tim just hooked me up with a cigarette. I think I already told you this. Can I take your picture?

                     Tim directed me uphill to look for some woods. He said there were some on the other side of the highway close to the jail. I'm walking now.

                      Download Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortison

                      Cop giving me directions to a campspot: "Make a left at the Y and walk to the highway. About a quarter mile on your right you should be able to find a spot."

                      A cop just directed me to a campspot. That's so awesome. He pulled up as I was walking and ran my ID. He asked me where I was walking to and I told him a place to camp. He said, "You are not allowed to sleep anywhere in this city unless you're in a room." Good thing I wasn't that far from the city limit.

     12:49am  I already found my camp. It's a perfect spot. I'll take pictures of this cool little nook in the morning. I know I'm not that first person to crash here. There's a little bit of trash. Also, from all the needles that have fallen from the trees it makes a really comfortable mattress. I don't even need my sleeping pad.

                      I didn't tell you. I was walking downtown after the party. I'm all dressed up as a clown. As I was walking downtown some guy told me hello and I offered him my website. He was really interested and I told him my story. He loved it and in the end told me he appreciated what I was doing. His friend walked up and I had to cut it short. I am going to have badass guestbook signatures soon. Nevada City is awesome so far.

     1:26am  I'm going to bed. I'm going to set my watch. I love it out here. The frogs are going to put me to sleep.

Next day..