061704

 

Sterling City to Warfield Truck Terminal in Odessa, TX

Thursday June 17, 2004

     6:48am  I just woke up in my house, hehe. I'll take a picture of where I crashed.

 

                    It was perfect. It just fell in my lap last night. It was awesome.

     7:20am  I just had a good morning smoking session. I smoked some weed and a cigarette in my bed. Damnit, the flash didn't go off on my camera so I hope there was enough light. I'll take another picture from outside the window,

 

where the sun is out.
                   Anyway, when I woke up I noticed there was this little baby bird on the floor crying. I thought it about it for a second and looked up. There was a nest in the light thing up on the ceiling. He must've fallen out of the nest. "That little bird is going to die if he doesn't get back in that nest," I thought. So I picked him up and tried throwing him up there. I threw him like three or four times and missed and he fell hard on the bed. Then I stood up on the bed and tossed him back in there.

                   He's back. I saved him. And if I hadn't crashed here last night he would be a dead little bird. I love making a difference. What can I say? Poor birdie.

                   Like before when he was on the floor I would whistle and he'd open his mouth to eat. Aww. At first I tore off a peace of corndog and tried to feed it to him. He wouldn't eat it though. I have like three corndogs.

                   Okay, I'm going to go out this cracked window I came in last night.

     8:11am  I came to the Town and Country, but changed my mind. I'm going to start walking.

                   Oh yeah, I went to the Town and Country to use the restroom. Afterwards, I treated, I soaked the tip of my stick with crazy glue, so it'll last longer since I don't have a tennis ball.

     8:20am  Walking past the sign that says Garden City 31, Midland 68.

     8:22am  Walking past sign that says Big Spring 42, Colorado City 44.

                   Oh yeah, I forgot to mention I woke up with morning-wood this morning and jerked it in my room, hehe.

     8:37am  I got to the historical marker. Let me read it. It says:

                   "Site of Town of Cummins(100 yards SW) The pioneer development of Cummins developed at this site about 1890 around a saddle and harness shop of the earliest permanent settler, Mississippi native Robert Benjamin Cummins (b. 1848). A post office opened here in 1890 with J.H. Kellis as postmaster. The following year the nearby town of Sterling City(1.9 miles east)was founded. (I've walked two miles today). The two towns became rivals for the designation of county seat and the Texas legislature created Sterling County from the Tom Greene County on March 4, 1891. An intense publicity campaign devoloped, aided by the briding of the respected town newspaper editors W. L. Thurman of the Cummins paper, "The North Counter News" and S.R. Ezzell of the Sterling Courier. An election conducted in May 20, 1891, appeared to be a victory for Cummins until several voting boxes were dismissed for technical reasons, resulting in a tie. A second election on July 7 gave Sterling City a 13 vote margin and it was named the county seat. Most Cummins businesses and residents had moved to Sterling City by the end of 1891. Nothing remains of the early town site, which once included a school, saloon, meat market, mercantile, bridesmith's shop, breakast shop and grocery stores. 1981"

                   So nothing remains. I'm walking. I didn't rest too much there. Another thirty minutes and I'll rest.

     8:44am  Passing another Hwy 87 sign that says 4321.

                   Badass, there's a picnic area coming up. I can stop and rest.

     8:57am  I'm about to turn left on Hwy 158, going towards Midland, West.

     9:03am  I just took a picture of the big Sterling City water tower 

right here at the 158/87 junction.

                   I walked up to the sign that says Garden City 21, Midland 66. I'm going to rest.

     9:32am  I am leaving my rest. I ate a hotdog. I've got two corndogs left.

     9:39am  Passing over the dried up North Concho River.

     10:12am  I have to walk on the very edge of the road. It's all loose gravel here which is bad for my thin-soled Nikes.

     10:24am  I came across this place where some 18 wheeler was stopped. He hooked me up with two cigarettes. I offered him a hit of weed, but he said no. He's hauling oil wastewater. He says he was only going ten miles more North. Let's see if he'll give me a ride. This place is loud.

                     I just got dropped off by this trucker hauling wastewater. He just dropped me off at the Canyon Pipeline Corporation, Sterling Plant. He gave me like a ten mile jump. He warned me about Garden City. He told me the sheriff was real nosy and that he would find my marijuana. Damn.

     11:02am  Passing the Hwy 158 sign that says 340 on it.

                     Whoa! Somebody just pulled over! A white van.

     11:10am  Terry Shannon is the guy who picked me up. He pulled over in his white GMC Convoy. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit.

     11:54am  I just got dropped off in Midland! I'm going to go to Tumbleweed Tim's(5-9-03, 9:40am) place. I got dropped off downtown and I just have to walk Big Spring to the railroad tracks. Oh yeah, I told that guy Terry my story, but I had to cut it short when we got to Midland.

     12:18pm  Tumbleweed Tim has some input:

                     Tim: "The way the government is right now, in 2004, we basically need more people watching them. Like a police force of regular people like us watching how they're spending our money. We need somebody right on their back. Not watching from outside, but from right behind them. So they can't stick money in their pockets. And after that happens, they'll say, "Geez, I can't rip off nothing. Politics sucks. I should have never gotten into Politics." Because then they can't steal nothin' because there's regular people like us making sure. Just for right now, while we still got government, that's how to fuckin' rangle 'em down."
                     Victor: "Until I murder the government. We can govern ourselves."
                     Tim: "Yeah, exactly. We need to weed them out that way, though. You can't get rid of the stealers until we get somebody right on their back."

     12:54pm  I just left Tumbleweed Tim's. I asked him if I had to, could I squat there. He told me they didn't let anyone stay there, that it's on lockdown. He told me he was going to regret telling me that. I told him, "That's cool, I got my options."

                     So no Tim's. Ahh, there's always the Salvation Army. I know. I'll go hang out at the Greyhound station all day and tell my stories. I'll smoke some weed.

                     I am walking down Indiana Road towards the Greyhound station.

     1:11pm  I just walked into the Greyhound station. Let me see if that cool Mexican dude who hooked me up with some weed last time is still working here.

     1:15pm  I am just sitting here in the back at the Greyhound station. I'm going to sit down and eat a corndog. Whoa, what's your name? Ricky just asked me if I wanted a candy bar. Surprised, I asked him, "You're not going to eat it?" He said no and handed it to me.

     1:55pm  I got this great idea. I'm going to try and contact Dalia and Tony Morales of the Crisis Intervention Department(5-7-03, 11:45). Last year when I came through Midland with that girl Remy, Remy freaked and called the police who called the CI Department. The people they sent were Tony and Dalia. I told them all about my plan and they agreed with all of it, especially the marijuana. I got the idea to call them, just to say hi. If I was lucky, they could give me a ride to the truckstop. It's like ten miles away.
                   I came to the Greyhound and asked to use the phone. I looked through the phone book and called the police non-emergency number. They gave me the number to CI, 422-685-7797. I called CI and they're going to call Dalia and relay my message to her. She's going to call back.

     2:07pm  I am leaving the Greyhound station. They did eventually call me back from Crisis Intervention. The lady who had relayed the message called me back. She told me that the reason for my contact with Dalia and Tony last time was work-affiliated, because of a CI problem. I told them, "Well I am having a bit of a crisis myself. Would you care to intervene with a courtesy ride to the truckstop?" She laughed and said, "Probably not." I told her, "That's cool, I just wanted to say hi to them and let them know I am still at it."

                  Oh yeah, the black dude who works at the Greyhound got all pissed off at me. When I was on the phone with CI earlier they asked me for a call-back number. The guy wasn't at the front desk and I interrupted what he was doing when I asked him for the number there. He gave it to me. Anyway, after about ten minutes the phone rang. The dude was nowhere in sight and the phone just kept ringing. Worried that it was Dalia or Tony trying to call me back, I reached over the counter and answered the phone. It ended up just being someone asking for bus rates. I told them to please hold and went to go look for the attendant. He was outside unloading luggage from a bus. I told him about how I had put a call on hold for him. He looks at me and yells, "Don't be answering my phone!" I told him, "It was a very important phone call I was waiting for and it didn't seem like you were going to answer it." He told me, "I understand, I understand, just don't be answering my phone." I told him it wouldn't happen again and he repeated, "Don't be answering my phone."

                  Alright, Damn. He got all pissed off. I was just trying to help. I wonder if his manager knows how this dude does his job.

                  Someone told me there was a Town and Country nearby and I can get a ride to the truckstop.

     2:32pm  I didn't tell you I got to the Town and Country. I've been here for a while now.

     2:40pm  I was just standing there smoking a cigarette. When I finished it, I walked over towards the ashtray that was by the door. At the same time some guy was walking towards the door from his car. I didn't ask him for anything and he yells at me, "NO! NO! Go fall in a dumpster and fucking die, bitch!" He walks in the store. I open the door and yell, "I didn't ask you for shit you ignorant old man." Thanks for making my book so interesting.

                   His license plate was W19-PRW. A van.

     2:53pm  I asked this guy for a ride to the truckstop and he said he was going to be headed that way in half an hour and he would swing by the Town and Country. That if I was still here, he would give me a ride to the truckstop.

     3:05pm  I got run out of the Town and Country. The lady came out and asked me, "Are you soliciting?" I told her, "I'm waiting for a ride." She told me that if I didn't leave she was going to call the police. I told her, "Good, maybe they will give me a courtesy ride to the truckstop."

     3:32pm  I am walking to the Denny's on Wallstreet. Let's see if they hook me up with some food.

                   I scored at Denny's!

     3:34pm  Sherry is hooking me up with a Grand Slam. I appreciate it, Sherry.

     3:57pm  I am leaving Denny's. I had a Grand Slam breakfast. A good ten-mile meal.

                  George W. Bush, eat your heart out.

     4:04pm  Just found me a quarter on Internet 20.

     4:35pm  Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you I stopped at the Fina. I asked the lady, "I'm trying to get to the Warfield truckstop down the road. I'll walk if I have to. Will you run me off for asking for rides?" She goes, "No, if you can find a ride you are welcome to it." Awesome.

                   Screw it, not enough Southbound traffic at this gas station. I'm going to keep walking.

     4:50pm  Michael even hooked me up with a cigarette after hearing my story. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit.

                   He gave me a soda too.

     5:06pm  Whoa, there's some dude spanging with a sign. I'm going to stand here and stick my thumb out.

     5:37pm  Passing the Midland City Limits. Population 94,996

     5:47pm  I stopped walking. I'm going to sit down in the shade and get some rest. I walked for more than an hour, I think.

     5:55pm  I am up walking from my short rest.

     6:10pm  Walking up to the Fina gas station.

     6:11pm  Joe hooked me up with a cigarette for my journey. I appreciate it, brother.

     6:22pm  Joe told me I'm only four miles away from the truckstop! I'm going to walk it. I don't need a ride. I have two legs for a reason. It's not to push the gas and the brake. I've been walking great these past days.

     6:32pm  I'm about to walk in front of the Midland International Airport.

     6:55pm  I can see the truckstop. I'm not that far. I walked a lot today. I'm going to walk all the way to the truckstop.

     7:02pm  I'm getting up from my rest and I'm going to walk to the truckstop.

     7:10pm  I just hopped over the railroad tracks. I'm over here by 1788. I'm going to go down SCR-1276 and I think that'll take me to the truckstop.

     7:12pm  I just asked this guy directions and I'm walking the right way now. There's a cop over here. I'm going to walk past him and see if he tells me anything. I've got my weed bandana showing and everything.

                   I walked right past him and gave him the peace sign. He waved back and everything.

                   I have just arrived at the Warfield Truck Terminal.  

     7:59pm  I just told my presentation to all these young kids at the truckstop.

                   I made up a couple signs.

 

One just says West? real big and the other one says, "On my way to save the world."

     8:05pm  Joe hooked me up with a cigarette here at the truckstop. I appreciate it, Joe. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     8:14pm  Mark, one of the guys I told my story to earlier, just walked outside and handed me a cigarette. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

                    It was cool, those kids had been gone for a long time and that dude remembered and came back with a cigarette. How awesome. He told me he was from Midland.

     8:41pm  I went up to the girl at the Subway in the truckstop, where they sell ice cream. I asked her, "I don't suppose I could get a courtesy cone?" I was totally joking around and didn't expect for her to be cool with it. She looks at me and says, "Well, we're not supposed to . ." She hooks me up with this big ass ice cream. It was damn good. Thanks Yvonne. Thanks for proving me right.

     9:29pm  Sue just hooked me up with a bottle of water here at the truckstop. I appreciate it, Sue.

     10:11pm  I was tired and wanted to go see if I could put my head down somewhere. I went to that arcade Remy had fallen asleep in that one time. They did have a spare table, but it was all wobbly. With my badass Endeavor tool, I fixed it. I had the exact tool I needed. I used the socket and Phillips screwdriver. I took it all apart. I had to unscrew the table from the thing. I held the thing while I tightened it. Perfection. Now I can crash out. Awesome.

Next day..