061504

 

Bandera to Kerrville to Sonora to El Dorado, TX

Tuesday June 15, 2004

     10:08am  I just woke up in the truck. I got a lot of sleep last night. Patrick told me if I woke up before him and was bored, that I could just walk into town and meet him in front of the bar we went to last night. That he would meet me there. Oh yeah, Patrick told me he was going to give me a ride to Kerrville today! I never told you. Anyway, it's a beautiful morning and I am going to go for a walk.

     10:21am  The street Patrick's parents live off is Robindale East.

     10:31am  I stopped at Bandera Creek. I'm going to smoke a cigarette. Oh yeah, on the walk up here I saw an ostrich. It was cool.

     10:43am  I stopped and smoked a cigarette at Bandera Creek. Leaving now.

                     Just took a picture of Bandera Creek.  

    

     10:47am  Passing Old San Antonio Hwy.

     11:02am  I just got to the Exxon I got dropped off at last night.

     11:30am  Oh yeah, I never mentioned I walked back to the bar. It was not far. I'm going to wait for Patrick to show up. He told me that he might have to go to work today, but he was still asleep when I woke up, so I doubt it. I'm just going to wait. If I get tired of waiting I'll take off walking towards Kerrville. Twenty six miles.

     11:41pm  I am giving up on Patrick. I asked some dude in the Conoco if he knew where there were any tennis courts and he told me right down the street. That there's a junior high school.

     11:46pm  Scored a tennis ball! Perfect. I'm going to walk back now. Man, that wasn't far at all.

                     Man, that tennis court was like a block away from the Conoco!

     11:52pm  I came back to the Purple Cow Saloon. I lit up a cigarette and just chilled out to see if Patrick shows up. When I finish my cigarette I'm going to take off walking towards Kerrville(after I take a shit at the Conoco).

     12:15pm  I just came out of the BBQ place across the street. I used their restroom and took a shit. When I walked out I went over to these cops sitting there and asked them if I could get a courtesy ride to the county line. They told me no, that there had to be a reason for the ride.

     12:24pm  I'm going to go in the Subway and see if they'll hook me up.

     12:25pm  She told me, "No, we can't do that."

     12:34pm  I came over to the Shell gas station, over by the Sonic. I was just standing there smoking and all of a sudden Patrick shows up! Just out of the blue. I had already given up on Patrick and was going to take off walking after I smoked my cigarette, but here he is. He said he was looking for me.

                    Oh yeah, Patrick's email is el_pimp_dd@yahoo.com

     12:40pm  I am on my way to Kerrville. Just like that. What synchronicity. I had given up on him. It's cool that I found a tennis ball. And all of a sudden he pulls up. I go, "Hey, I know you." Now, we're going to Kerrville. Oh yeah, those cops last night told me that the Folk Fest was over. I thought it might still be going on. I'm just going to head West when I get to Kerrville, just as planned. Actually, in Kerrville I can go to the Greyhound station and see how much money a bus ticket to Midland is. I have friends in Midland. And I can go to the Warfield truck terminal and get a ride all the way to California.

                     New Mexico, I mean.

     2:08pm  Oh, it was weird, right before we got to a gas station, Patrick ran out of gas. Like we had to push the truck like five feet to the pump. Right now he came to Autozone to buy a fuel filter, because he knew his was going out soon. Well, as we are pulling off, the car stops. He thinks it's the fuel filter.

     2:19pm  Patrick switched out the fuel filters, with the help of my Endeavor tool. Let's see if it works.

                   We have lift-off! Problem solved. Owned to the bone. Wow, check out those two coincidences. The whole running out of gas at just the last minute, and the fuel filter going out right after he had bought a new one. Weird, wacky stuff.

     2:32pm  Dude, check this out! Right when we got to the bus station there was a bus leaving West. I asked the lady how far West I could get on twenty four dollars and she told me a ticket to Sonora is twenty six and that she would let it slide.

                    Just like that, I'm off.

     3:28pm  The bus stopped in Junction and Michael hooked me up with a cigarette.

                   He even gave me an extra cigarette. I appreciate it, bro.

     4:37pm  I am in Sonora now. I'm going to ask them how much it is to Midland. I don't have any money though.

     4:52pm  Frausto me va a dar un ride a San Angelo. Gracias hermano. Todo mundo recibe crédito en mi juegeo.

     4:55pm  Ahh, I'm not getting that ride after all. He wanted money. See, when I came out of the bathroom, the cashier Rosa told me, "This guy will take you to San Angelo." I beamed, thinking he was going to hook me up. But then it turns out the greedy ass wanted some money.

     5:00pm  Rosa is hooking me up with food at the store the Greyhound drops you off in front of. Thank you so much, Rosa.

     5:30pm  I am leaving the store the Greyhound drops you off at. I got hooked up with food. Chicken.

                   Oh yeah, at the place the Greyhound dropped me off, the lady there, Rosa gave me directions to this gas station where she said a lot of people go through there on their way to San Angelo.

     5:38pm  I am passing the Sonora Municipal Swimming Pool. Oh shit, they probably have showers there. Let me see.

     6:04pm  I just scored me a shower! This really hot girl working there in a bathing suit told me to just go ahead. I'm all fresh and changed now. Hold on, I left my soap dish.

                   Man, I feel so great! That was perfect. I hadn't taken a shower in two days. I was all oily and sweated. I didn't have a towel, but I was able to use my marijuana rag and dirty boxers to dry myself off with. I changed out my socks and put the dirty ones in a Ziploc bag.

     6:10pm  I'm going underneath this bridge. I can see the gas station Rosa was telling me about earlier.

     6:23pm  Mike gave me a cigarette here at the gas station. At the Shell on I10. I appreciate it, Mike.

     6:37pm  I'm out here telling Jenelle, the cashier at the Shell station my plan. My mission-objectives. She's busy working so she can't hear it all.

     6:50pm  I had a great presentation with the manager at the Shell gas station! I told her my whole explanation. In the end she was all, "Man, I wish you so much luck." She's going to tell all her friends.

     7:04pm  Nameless, here at the gas station is hooking me up with a hotdog. Gasoline for my stomach. Thank you.

     7:13pm  I don't want to stay there and wait for a ride. I'm going to walk up 277 towards San Angelo. Hopefully somebody will pick me up.

                   Oh yeah, last night at that bar in Bandera I requested On the Road Again by Willie Nelson on the jukebox. That's such a good song. This lady was all surprised, "Who played that song?" Hehe, I'm on the road again. Seein' places I ain't ever been.

                   I really need to burn a new CD.

     7:20pm  Just passed this sign that says, "Thanks for stopping in Sonora. Ya'll come back soon." I took a picture of it.  

     7:21pm  I was walking past the sign that says Thank for stopping in Sonora when all of a sudden, Pedro Navaretes and Rosa McGee pulled their truck over and are giving me a lift to El Dorado. Rosa is the lady who helped me out earlier where the Greyhound drops you off. Man, I walked like less than ten minutes and I already have a ride.

     7:48pm  Just got dropped off in El Dorado at the Chevron. I wonder what's going on in this town.

     7:48pm  Puck is hooking me up with a cigarette. I appreciate it, brother. Shit, he just gave me a whole pack!

                   Whoa, what a blessing. I got a whole pack of cigarettes!

     8:21pm  I am here blowing this girl's mind at the gas station. She listened to everything. When she had a customer she would go tend them, then come right back for me to continue. I think her name is Shannon.

     9:00pm  Man, Shannon hooked me up! She had told me, "If you get hungry, let me know." I got hungry and let her know. She hooked me up with all this food. Corndogs and burritos. I even have breakfast. I'm going to crash out behind this building, I think.

     10:04pm  I'm hanging out here at the Chevron in El Dorado. After I had finished telling Shannon my story, this kid Tyler came up to me and handed me a bag of chips. Without even asking or hearing my story. I appreciate it, brother. Hehe, I bet it was the peace tattoo on the back of my neck.

                      I just finished eating a corndog. There are these two kids in the back that I haven't told my story to because I didn't want to interrupt. There was a big group at their table. All of a sudden, one of the dudes just comes out and hands me a bag of chips. I like this town.

     10:28pm  Eureka, Tyler's mom right? No, Austin's mom, and Tyler is Austin's friend, she listened to my story and just out of the blue offered me three dollars!

                     Sweet, this is a badass town. Everybody is hooking me up.

     10:49pm  Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. I already found a place to crash tonight! Right behind the store. There's an old garage full of junk behind the Chevron. I even found me a twin-size mattress standing up and I laid it down right in front of this old van. How awesome I'm going to get a mattress to sleep on tonight! I came back to the Chevron and took a shit. I went in the women's bathroom, because the men's was in use. I'm just going to hang out here and talk to people.

Next day..