San Antonio to Bandera, TX
Monday June 14, 2004
9:25am I woke up. My little brother woke up too. When I woke up I saw him asleep on the couch. He said he was treating me to breakfast this morning. I woke up and I ate some chicken in the kitchen and when he woke up he asked me if I minded going to Jim's for breakfast. I told him sure.
9:32am We just got to Jim's. I can't believe I am taking off today. That's so fucking awesome. June 14, just like last year. My little brother offered to take me to Jim's so I'll have a big breakfast to start my journey on.
11:10am My mom never got around to buying me that MuscleBlast 2000 stuff, so she just gave me a twenty dollar bill and I told her I would buy it on the road(bullshit). I got my little brother to take me to the Walmart, so I can buy a disposable camera.
11:18am He also agreed to give me a ride to Bandera and Scenic Loop road, over in Helotes. See, since I went to the Folk Fest in Kerrville I found out Bandera eventually hits Interstate 10. So, instead of taking I10 all the way from San Antonio, I'm going to walk up Bandera to I10. I just got dropped off. I'm going to walk Highway 16, Bandera Road and see how long it takes for someone to pick me up.
When my little brother dropped me off he handed me a five dollar bill. He told me, "That's all I got." I told him I appreciated it. Now I have twenty two dollars total. Oh yeah, when my mom gave me the twenty, she all reminded me, "That MuscleBlast stuff is only fifteen." Like she was all hesitant because I would owe her change. God damnit, mother. Here I am on my way to save the world and you want your five dollars change?! How more brainwashed can you be?
11:47am I am walking North on Bandera. Passing the San Antonio Ranch neighborhood. There is some great mountain biking in them there woods. I just passed by the Helotes Catholic Cemetery. I gave the peace sign to all the graves as I walked by.
11:57pm I stopped in front of Mountainview Woodyard. 17215 Bandera Road. I stopped and rested and smoked a cigarette.
12:06pm I am leaving my rest. I switched my tennis ball.
12:29pm Passing the Hindu Temple of San Antonio. I'm going to see if I can get my water refilled.
Man, there's this big hill I have to climb. So maybe not.
Cool, there's stairs going up all the way up this steep hill.
12:34pm I just climbed all the way up the stairs. I'll take a picture of it after I go back down. I need some water. I'm thirsty. That was a good workout.
12:47pm I found a place to sit down by some house. This Mexican dude and his mom pulled up in a car and smiled at me. Then, this Hindu guy came outside and started bitching at me. I told him, "With the Internet I am going to bring peace to the world. I walk for peace. I am a long-distance walker." He tells me, "What do you want? We are closed." I told him, "I was just wondering if you could give me some water. This is a temple, no? You guys like helping people here, don't you?"
I don't know about these Hindu's. I didn't get a good impression from them. He was as ignorant as the rest of them.
Okay, I'm going to walk all the way down these stairs back to the highway.
12:55pm I walked all the way down the stairs. I'm on the highway now. Oh yeah, I needed to take a picture.
1:07pm Passing the Picosos Peanut Company Incorporated. 18620 Highway 16.
Passing the Shadow Canyon neighborhood.
1:18pm I stopped to rest underneath some tree. I walked non-stop since last time I recorded. I know that. I didn't rest. I'm really not keeping track of time. There haven't been any mile-markers. I've been doing pretty good with these shoes on. I'm only carrying two bags and a stick. And a water bottle.
1:31pm I am leaving my little rest under the tree.
1:39pm Passing Rancho Blanco, John H. White.
1:51pm I stopped to rest underneath a tree. I don't know how much I walked. I walked non-stop though. My feet feel great.
2:11pm I'm all stoned. I scraped up a good resin hit and I'm smoking. I'm all resinated.
2:17pm Passing Helotes Ridge Road. Speed limit 65mph. Hehe, I'm going to get a ticket for walking too slow.
2:20pm I found this really cool metal stamp thing on the ground.
2:30pm Passing the Bentley Mailbox. 19045.
2:35pm I'm about to pass the 211/Hwy 16 junction. Bandera 22 miles. By Susan Kay Sanchez Ranch.
2:39pm Bandera 22, Kerrville 60.
2:42pm Passing a sign that says, "San Geronimo." I don't know if that's a town.
2:47pm Passing over the San Geronimo Creek.
I took a picture of it.
3:00pm I stopped to rest at Haby Lane. I'm going to sit down in this ditch and rest. I'll smoke some weed and smoke a cigarette. I just walked a whole fifty minutes non-stop. Something like that. I told myself I was going to walk all the way until three. I was going to stop at 2:40, but decided to just go all the way until three. An extra mile. I feel great. I'm going to rest for like fifteen minutes.
3:14pm I am leaving my rest at the ditch at Haby Lane.
3:22pm Entering Medina County. Also about to pass the 37 junction.
3:24pm Passing some paintball park. Bandera 18, Medina Lake 14 to the left. Hmm, I think last time it said Bandera 22 miles. I walked four miles already.
3:30pm Passing the San Geronimo Creek. Again, I think.
This time it's not worth a picture.
3:32pm Bandera 18 again. Damnit, I already know that. You don't have to remind me.
4:02pm Man, I walked a lot. I'm going to stop and rest and drink some water. I don't know where I am. I'll find out after I get up and walk a little more.
4:15pm Took a hit of weed and I'm up walking. I even massaged my feet for good measure.
4:20pm Entering Bandera County.
4:29pm Passing La Negra Ranch. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I'm out of water. I drank it all on my last break. There's nothing out here. I might have to stand out here with my empty water bottle.
Passing Timbercreek Road. I'm holding my bottle out upside down in hopes someone will stop and give me some water. I'm just going to keep walking and see where I end up. Someone will refill my elixir of life.
I just took a picture of the beautiful Texas Hill Country.
5:00pm If this isn't some kind of sign, I don't know what is. Check this out. Here's a picture.
Zoom in to see the tall cross on top of the mountain.
5:21pm I walked for a whole hour. More than an hour. I stopped in front of Freedom Springs Ranch. I don't know what the road is. Red Bluff Road, I think. There's a sign that says, "Pipe Creek Massage Therapy." There's some houses around here. Maybe I can get my water refilled.
5:27pm I was finally able to talk to someone. Some dude's dogs were all barking and the guy eventually came out to investigate. I yelled over the barking, "Don't suppose you could spare any water?" This redneck dude looks at me funny and says, "Not right now." I am walking. I'm trying to save the world, damnit. I just kept walking. It's weird how I decided to come down this random road. Maybe something cool will happen to me.
5:59pm I opened up a can of tuna fish with my knife. I'm glad it was tuna in water and not tuna in oil. Not only did I get a little fuel for my walking, but also a tad bit of water. I'm going to smoke a cigarette and some marijuana.
6:10pm I am up walking. I got all my shit together. I did all my Tai-Chi stretches, neck rolls, ankle rotations and everything.
Damn, this road just ended with no outlet. This sucks. I hate doubling back.
6:13pm What is this? Red Bluff Road, right? No, it's Diamond J South. What was your name? Jackie had driven by and smiled at me and I asked her if she could spare some water. She gave me some. Thanks a lot Jackie. You're a lifesaver. I was going to die.
6:19pm I am back at Hwy 16, where I started. It was Diamond J road that I went down. I'm going to sit down and smoke a cigarette and stick my thumb out. Ask and thou shall receive.
6:47pm Now passing Red Bluff Creek.
7:05pm Coming on the 46 junction. Ten miles to Boerne if I turn right. I'm going straight.
7:12pm I have twelve miles to Bandera, which means I've walked six miles because the sign said eighteen when I started. I only have three miles left to Pipe Creek. There will be some water there for sure. I'm going to smoke a cigarette.
7:25pm I'm off. Three miles to Pipe Creek.
7:32pm Holy shit. Clear Channel even owns the billboards out here. God damn.
7:35pm This deer just came up to me.
He just came up to me and let me pet him. That's so awesome.
I'm in front of Kelly's Tavern. I'm going to get some water.
7:39pm Vicky, here at Kelly's Tavern is hooking me up with some water. She's a lifesaver. I was going to die. Oh yeah, I never mentioned it, but I wanted to point out that ever since I left San Antonio I have been giving every single car passing me the peace sign. Almost all of them waved back. I just realized that this walk is exceptional publicity for me. I am using my time wisely. Everybody's going to know about me when my site goes up. They're all going to be, "Oh yeah, we saw that guy."
7:50pm Passing Deer Forest Drive.
8:37pm I came over to this Shamrock gas station and told Matt my story. He listened to me like crazy and is hooking me up with a pack of cigarettes. Awesome. I just ran out. His email is chozenwon@earthlink.net
That dude told me if I was back in San Antonio to look up some guy named Cory Lemly. I'm taking off walking. The sun's about to go down. I ate a granola bar. I'm going to walk to Pipe Creek. Actually, Matt told me I was already in Pipe Creek. I want to find a place to crash.
Matt had asked me, "Would you say you're Jesus?" I told him, "No, I'm Victor. I am just following his same path. Trying to bring peace to the world." He listened to me a lot and even hooked me up with a pack of cigarettes. Awesome. He told me, "Man, even if you don't accomplish these things you say you are doing . . . You are actually doing it." I smiled and told him, "That's right. Somebody has to."
9:08pm I am up walking again. Let's see where I end up tonight.
9:19pm Passing the Pipe Creek Animal Clinic. 830-535-4406
9:30pm Passing over Pipe Creek.
9:35pm Bear Springs Road. Coming up on the 1283 Junction.
9:37pm Medina Lake 14 miles to the left. There's a gas station over here.
9:44pm I just walked to the EZ Mart. The Citgo in Pipe Creek.
10:36pm I asked Rick, I was telling this guy in the Citgo my story and Rick walks in. I ask him if he's going North any and he says yeah, that he's going to Bandera. I asked him if I could score a ride and he said sure. I appreciate it, bro. Everybody gets credit.
10:47pm I just got dropped off at the Citgo in Bandera. That guy mobilized me.
11:02pm I got some weird directions. I thought I was walking North. I don't know what the hell happened. I went inside the Citgo and asked people directions. They told me I couldn't get to Kerrville on I10 from Bandera. That I would have to go to Kerrville to get on I10. They told me to walk to the stop light, take a right then take another right at the Church's Chicken. Yeah, that will get me to Kerrville.
11:07pm I am walking through downtown Bandera. Just took a picture of Bandera Bank(it was dark, picture didn't come out). Proof I was here. At night. I'm supposed to turn right at this light.
I walked in front of this courthouse or something. There's a big plaque that says, "In honor of the Bandera County Boys that made the supreme sacrifice during the world war." On the bottom there is a quote that says, "Greater love hath no man than he let down his life for his friends."
11:25pm I just had this great presentation with a police officer. When he drove by I gave him the peace sign and he drove back around and talked to me. I told him my whole explanation. Marijuana and everything. I told him I was walking to Kerrville. He listened to everything I said. He didn't disagree with any of it. Then he had to go check out some robbery in progress or something, so he couldn't keep listening to me.
Hehe, he told me, "Yeah, you're going to put me out of a job." I told him, "That's right. Your job will be unnecessary."
I had told the cop I was getting tired and I might go look for a place to squat. He told me, "Just be careful around here. The deer will eat you."
9:32pm I am walking up to this Sonic.
12:10am I came over to the Sonic and told these kids my story. This one guy Patrick listened to the whole thing. I asked Patrick, "Hey, do you have a garage or a back yard I could crash in for the night?" He told me he was going to try and sneak me in. That he had a roommate, but he's not always there.
Cool! I got a place to crash tonight. Excellent.
12:11am Not only do I get a place to sleep tonight, but they're going to hook me up with some food at the Sonic! Badass!
12:32am Patrick drove me in his big truck to a bar here in Bandera. They're even buying me a beer.
12:55am I ended up at a bar with Patrick, drinking beer and everything. Patrick told me a story about some guy who's in the Guinness Book of World Records. He carries a cross with a wheel on it. He walks around and preaches about God. People feed him and give him a place to stay. One guy gave him a brand new truck and now he lives in Utopia. Patrick even met this guy and he fed him lunch at the Subway once.
2:10am I am riding around in the back of Patrick's pickup. He's taking some other dude somewhere. He even told me I might get a mattress to sleep on tonight. That we're going to his mom's house in their shed. We are on West 27 right now. I don't know what town we're in. We are ten miles from Kerrville, fifty three miles to Junction.
We are in the town of Centerpoint. That's the name of the town we are in.
2:37am Hehe, I was standing in the back of Patrick's truck at another Shamrock gas station and these two cops pulled up and started asking us questions. The lady cop mentioned my marijuana rag sticking out of my pocket. She asked me if I had any marijuana on me and I told her I didn't. Actually, I told her, "I wish I did." She told me, "You knew that when we saw your marijuana rag that we were going to stop and talk to you." I told her, "I have absolutely nothing to hide." When her partner pulled up I gave them both my presentation. Marijuana and all. They all tried to give me some bullshit how it was a proven fact that marijuana stayed in your body longer than alcohol. I told her, "Yeah, and? So what if it stays in my body? At least it doesn't take control of my mind like alcohol does. It can stay as long as it wants." She was all, "It can flare up any time." I ask her, "What can flare up any time? The weed? And what? I'll get high? Oh no!" After I gave them my verbose presentation the lady cop asks the dude, "Do you want to tackle this one?" The guy looks at her and says, "Umm, I don't think so."
Hehe, the spirits got my back remember.
Oh yeah, I even showed them my cool fossil which anchors my weed rag in my pocket.
Oh yeah, and Patrick told me that busting people for weed was the cops' main source of income out here. I got lucky.
2:57am We are back in Bandera. Forty eight miles to San Antonio. That's how far I am. We are over by the Purple Cow Saloon, the bar we went to earlier. In the Frontier Hotel Building.
3:10am I got a place to sleep tonight. In the back of Patrick's truck. It's so rad I got all this generosity from Patrick. He believes in me.
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