061604

 

     El Dorado to San Angelo to Water Valley to Sterling City, TX

Wednesday June 16, 2004

     7:21am  I woke up around seven in the garage. I slept on a mattress. El Dorado has been treating me real good. I came to the Chevron and took a shit and brushed my teeth. I still had my cup from last night so I got a refill.

     7:35am  Lalo Rodriguez me dio un dolar. Todo mundo recibe crédito en mi juego.

                   Whoa, I just got a dollar, just like that. I was just standing there and this guy comes up to me and asks me, "Do you need help?"

                    I got eight dollars for weed now.

     7:39am  Gordo me dio un cigaro alfrente del Chevron.

     8:05am  I already got my ride to San Angelo. Chance and Billy Bob are hooking me up.

     8:29am  Man, I just scored me a ride almost to Midland, right where I am trying to go. Awesome. Shit happens for a reason. The universe provides.

     8:32am  Chance smoked me out right when I got into his truck. He had a little joint left. I appreciate it, brother.

                   Man, this is badass the stuff that's happened today so far. In no time I'm already getting a ride to almost Midland. I thought I was going to have to spend the night in San Angelo at least. Almost Midland. That's where I needed to go. Now I can go to the Warfield truckstop and get a ride. Things have been so awesome today. I just woke up and it started happening. Oh yeah, and I'm going to get some weed! Chance is going to sell me a nickel sack!

                    I just took a picture of Chance.

 

He works out on oil rigs. Raping the planet. He drove me in his company truck to some place to get his van. Oh yeah, Chance is going to take me almost all the way to Odessa. How perfect.

     9:08am  We pulled into this yard where his van was and Chance saw this big air conditioner unit that he thinks he can catch crickets in. All of a sudden, he decided to throw it in his van and he now has himself a project.

     9:26am  I'm in Chance's van and he just stopped at this alternator shop to get an alternator. There's a book here on the dashboard titled Prophecies 2000. It was written in 1990 by David Allen Lewis. I am reading it right now. Maybe I can get him to give it to me.

     9:30am  I am already in San Angelo. I didn't even notice. Interesting book so far.

     9:35am  We are at Menchaca's and Neira's wrecking yard.

     9:37am  Rogelio me dio un cigaro al frente de Neira's wrecking yard.

     9:59am  Chance and I are riding around looking for a tire for his van. We passed by this other Dodge Ram that he's going to try to get for nothing. It's an MHMR van. Mental Health/Mental Retardation. That's the same people who came and talked to me when I was in Brewster County Jail in Alpine.

                    Now we are driving around downtown San Angelo.

     10:25am  Chance smoked me out. We smoked a fat joint.

                     That's funny. I told Chance, "Man, thanks for living up to your name." What synchronicity. It was just perfect. I had a great night's sleep. I slept on a mattress last night. This adventure has been so awesome so far. I so wish I had someone to share this all with.

     10:50am  We stopped at some tire shop where Chance was getting a wheel replaced. There, at the tire shop there was a cool mirror 

in between the buildings and I thought it would make a good picture. I asked Chance if he could take a picture of me. He told me, "Okay, stand behind the fence." Then he called all the junkyard dogs and took a picture.

 

                      Perfect.

     11:10am  We came over to Trigg Leather. This cool leather store here in San Angelo. I am just touching everything. It's a very tactile place.

                     The tire shop we were at earlier was JT's Tires. 658-4149

     11:36am  Chance just invited me to eat pizza! He said he was going to go home and make some pizza. Awesome.

     11:50am  We came over to Alternative Auto Sales. Chance is looking for a car for his wife. He just stumbled onto a pop-up trailer. He had mentioned wanting a pop-up trailer earlier today. The one here is selling for only nine hundred dollars. Chance went inside and told the guy, "Hey, can I make a deposit on that pop-up trailer?" So bam, just like that. Chance got what he wanted.

     11:52am  Hal is hooking me up with a cigarette here at Alternative Auto Sales.

     2:09pm  Chance took me to his trailer where his wife and three kids live. Chance and his wife are a bit old fashioned. Chance gives her commands and she follows them all. I couldn't help feeling a bit uncomfortable there. Seeing his wife obey his every command. I don't know. She made some delicious pizza, though. It was really good.

                   Chance's wife, Marie is now giving me a ride to the gas station so I can get a ride to Odessa. Oh yeah, Chance lives in Grape Creek, TX.

     2:25pm  Oh yeah, at Chance's house, they have a trailer out here in Grape Creek. He was all telling his wife what to do and she'd do it. Damn, she's twenty three and he's thirty eight. They have three kids already. Oh yeah, and she made this badass pizza on Boboli crust.

     2:30pm  Irene gave me a cigarette at the Shamrock.

     2:37pm  I left the Shamrock. No cars were coming. I'm going to walk.

     2:51pm  32 miles to Sterling City and 75 miles to Big Spring.

                    I stopped underneath this tree in the shade.

     3:10pm  I am up walking.

     3:15pm  Weird, I keep finding white zip ties on the ground. There's another one.

     3:20pm  Passing Susan's Family Haircuts. 486-9099

     3:32pm  I am going to sit under the Grape Creek bridge and rest my feet in the shade. I'm going to write, "Victor the Liberator" under this bridge.

                   No, I'm not. My marker ran out.

                   I'm walking the highway again.

     3:47pm  I'm passing mile marker 436. I think that's a mile marker. It's some highway 87 sign.

     4:10pm  Passing East Carlsbad Loop.

     4:13pm  Passing Sharp Road.

     4:20pm  I'm going to stop and take a 4:20 break underneath the Mule Creek Bridge.

     4:35pm  I am up walking from Mule Creek.

     4:45pm  Some guy in his Blue Sierra just pulled over. It's got New Mexico plates.

     4:47pm  Kit Cobb is the guy who pulled over in the truck for me. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit.

     4:52pm  That guy didn't take me too far at all. Like maybe a mile. He dropped me off in front of this bar. The Hay Barn.

     5:03pm  I'm up walking from the Hay Barn. I went inside and asked the old dude if I could get some water. He told me there was another store about five miles down the road.

                   That guy who picked me up earlier was all a bible thumper. He was going on and on about how Jesus saved him.

     5:10pm  Passing San Antonio Street.

     5:23pm  About to pass Beaumount Street. There's a sign that says, "San Angelo State School." I'm going to go look for a tennis ball.

     5:45pm  I only stopped for like twenty seconds to bend over and rest my shoulders. I'm all hungry now. I took some vitamins earlier. I hauled ass. I was speed-walking the whole way. I am resting underneath bridge #0069-06051. That's the bridge number. It has a 61 next to it.

     6:25pm  I'm getting up from my rest. I had a good rest. The gas station shouldn't be far. The guy told me five miles, but I've walked more than that, I think.

     6:29pm  Passing the sign that says, "Old Sterling City Hwy <-- Hopper Road -->"

     6:48pm  Some guy just drove by and honked a big police siren. He was just hauling this trailer and just messing with me. Scared the shit out of me, though.

     6:56pm  Passing a sign that says, Hwy 87. It says 448 underneath it. I'm guessing that's a mile marker.

     7:12pm  Passing sign that says Historical Marker 1 mile. Let's see how fast I can walk a mile right now.

     7:27pm  Entering the town of Water Valley.

     7:29pm  I got to the historical marker. I wonder how long that took.

     7:30pm  I got to the WW1 Peace Monument.

     7:32pm  Passing the Water Valley High School. Home of the Wildcats. I remember seeing a sign earlier that said, "Wildcat territory." It's a high school. Tennis courts! I'm going to go look for a tennis ball.

     7:45pm  No tennis ball at the Wildcat's.

     7:55pm  Coming up on the 2034 junction.

     8:03pm  I just got to the Chevron finally. Going to stop and rest.

     8:14pm  Anisa, the cashier in the Chevron gave me two cigarettes. I only asked her for one.

                   Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, that girl Anisa who gave me two cigarettes earlier is going to give me a ride to Sterling City when she gets off at ten.

                   I walked like eight miles yesterday. I walked a shitload the day before that too. I'm going to walk a lot tomorrow, too. I'm going to find a place to crash in Sterling City.

     10:24pm  Anisa and I are on our way to Sterling City.

     10:46pm  I just got dropped off at the Town and Country in Sterling City. Let me see if I can get a ride.

     11:15pm  I am leaving the Town and Country. Anisa had told me there was a park nearby so I'm going to go look for it and see if I can crash.

     11:23pm  You will not believe what I just stumbled onto. Right across the street from the Town and Country there is an abandoned house with the front window broken out. I just climbed in it and what do I see? A bed! I have another mattress to sleep on tonight! Praise Love, Praise Love. I really hope nothing bad happens. This is way too good to be true.

Next day..