Roswell, NM and walking
Wednesday June 18, 2003
5:34am It's already the next morning. I crashed in this vacant building over by the hippie house. It was weird. I was hoping I would stumble upon a place to crash close by the hippie house, so I could go try and talk to them in the morning. See, last night when I walked up to their place, their dogs started barking real loud. This girl had come outside, but didn't come to the fence. With all the noise the dog was making and since I didn't see the girl come over to talk to me, I gave up thinking I'd talk to them another time.
Okay, that abandoned building I crashed in is over by the railroad tracks at the intersection of Railroad Avenue and East 8th street. I'm going to go for a walk.
7:00am I walked over to some church. I forgot the name. They were having some prayer service and this preacher with a white little collar thingy came up to me. I asked him, "Can I talk to you? I'm sorry if I'm interrupting." He told me I was and I offered to come back at a later time. He said, "No, just tell me." I started telling him and he became ignorant making it seem like he had better things to do than listen to me. I asked him when could I come back and he would have the time to listen. I told him, "What I have to talk to you about takes precedence over any appointment you may have. It's really of global-importance." He couldn't tell me a time, so I told him, "Ignorance is bliss, I suppose," and walked off. Oil well. There's other fish in the sea.
I was wanting a cigarette then I remembered that Rheanna had given me two winning scratch-off tickets. One was good for three dollars and the other for a new two dollar scratch-off.
7:22am Man, I'm so fucking dumb. I remembered I had those two lottery tickets in my pocket. This Asian lady at the Chevron asked me, "Do you want $5?" I thought about it for a second, and said, "Yeah, give me $5." Then, I changed my mind. Cigarettes were cheap here, only $3.18 for a pack of Marlboro's. So, I gave her the 18 cents and asked her to give me another scratch off ticket. She asked me what kind of ticket I wanted and I told her to surprise me. She ended up giving me the same kind. I scratched it off and lost! Ooh, I was so pissed. I just wasted $2 that I could have had. I could've used that money to buy some Ziploc bags for my Muscle Blast 2000. I was a bit perturbed. Hmm, I still have a dollar left in my wallet and I'll see if I can bum up some change to get the Ziploc bags for my Muscle Blast 2000. Alright, later on.
7:47am I'm walking down Main street towards the mall. I just entered the New Mexico Military Institute.
8:57am I've been walking down Main for a long ass time. I'm all tired. I stopped at that little camp right before the mall, like I did yesterday. I'm going to rest for a while. I still have another hour until I meet Rheanna at GNC.
9:55am To kill time I listened to my whole tape. Ever since I left San Antonio four days ago. It was quite entertaining. I was just laying back on the couch cushions smoking a cigarette, a little weed and drinking my last Glytrol. I have two Repletes left. Glytrol's are for people with HyperGlycemia(whatever that is) and Repletes are better, in my eyes. I was saving the best for last.
10:19am I came to the bathroom in the mall and I'm taking a healthy shit. Now, Rheanna was there and she hooked me up with some Muscle Blast 2000 and she gave me four dollars too. How kind of her. So, I'm going to go across the street to the Walmart across the street and buy me some gallon size Ziploc bags. Then I'm going to go back down Main. I'll catch a bus and get on Interstate 70. I'm going to Ruidoso. I'll go talk to a medicine man.
10:41am I'm leaving Walmart. I just bought my bags and I'm here talking to Diane. I told her what I was going to do. She's rooting for me.
11:16am At Walmart, I sat down on a bench right inside and took the lid off the 2lb can of Muscle Blast 2000. Shit, I need a can opener. Hmm, there's one on my pocket knife, but it's going to be a real bitch to use. It's all dull and cheap. I patiently worked it around the whole lid and was able to get it off. I felt very resourceful, hehe. The Ziploc bags I had bought contained fifteen bags. I needed two for my Muscle Blast 2000. One to pour it all into, and another one so I could double seal it. Just to make sure it didn't spill in my bag. I also got the idea to carry a spare one for dirty socks. So, after I got the ones I needed, I had thirteen bags left. It was going to weigh me down(barely), so I decided I was going to give them away to someone. I was going to wait for some young person to come out so I could hook them up, but none appeared. I ended up giving them to this older dude. He told me thank you. He needed bags, too.
11:35pm I'm on the bus. Surprisingly, it came right in front of the Walmart. Right before it got there, I noticed this cool-lookin' couple in a VW bus pull up. They parked near me and I walked over to them. I asked them if they were headed to Ruidoso and they told me no. I told them I had some very important news to tell them and they were all ready to listen. Just then, I saw the bus pull up to the Walmart. I told the hippies sorry, but I had to go and that they would hear about it eventually.
I boarded the bus and the driver wasn't even there. He had gone inside for something. Bus fare was 75 cents, so I had the three quarters ready in my hand. I sat down and contemplated not paying. When the driver finally came back, he just sat down and got ready to drive. I went ahead and volunteered the bus fare, just for good measure. He thanked me.
Oh yeah, Bill just hooked me up on the bus. He was eating some sunflower seeds and asked me if I wanted some. I said sure, thinking he was just going to pour some into my hand. I held out my hand and he reached into his grocery bag, pulled out a brand new bag of seeds and gave them to me. Badass Bill. That's very generous of you. I appreciate it, brother.
12:14pm I thought I had never been here before, but I recognize it now. I'm walking down N street. The street that trucker dropped me off on. I'm doubling back now.
12:51pm I just got run out of the Allsups for asking for rides. I'm just going to walk the highway. Wow, Arizona..umm New Mexico I mean.
1:28pm Now leaving Roswell city limits.
1:39pm I'm going to smoke a cigarette and rest my feet. I just clocked that last mile. Fifteen minute mile. How awesome. Practice makes perfect, eh?
2:06pm I'm resting at this place. I took my boots off and I'm airing out my feet. They say the best thing is to always make sure your feet stay dry.
2:26pm I went inside the Cactus Cove Gift Shop to use their restroom. 5305 W. Second street, Roswell, NM 88201, 505-625-9770. The lady inside asked me where I was walking to and I told her Ruidoso. She handed me this little card with an "Ojo de Dios". It means eye of God in Spanish. It's this cool yarn weaving thing with two toothpicks. She told me it would bring me good luck and I would probably get a ride sooner. Aww, she cares. Here, let me show you what it says on the piece of paper it was stapled to:
"Ojo de DIOS"
An Ojo(oh-ho) de Dios or eye of God is a type of Paho, a prayer offering used by the Hiuchol Indians of Mexico to bring good and erase evil.
The symbolism of God's Eye goes back many thousands of years and was found in many cultures. On the back of the dollar bill appears a God's Eye(above the pyramid).
In its original form, the Oho is made of colored yarn or string, sometimes with tufts of the squash blossom added, thus the tassels. No two are ever alike and are made in all sizes. It is said in various ways to invoke protection or blessing on the user. May the Ojo de Dios bring good fortune to you.
2:50pm It took me another sixteen minutes to walk that mile. There's no shade, so I have to sit in the sun and rest my feet. I'm going to take my boots off again. I'll smoke a cigarette and a little weed. Gasoline for my mind, hehe.
3:15pm Another sixteen minute mile. Wow. Now I'm not going to stop on this one. I'm going to try and go for two miles at a time between rests. Practice makes perfect.
3:20pm Something state monument - 57 miles, Smoky Bear Historical Park - 69 miles.
3:35pm Damn, that mile took twenty minutes. It's because I didn't rest. Now I'm going to rest. Now I'm going to eat, too.
4:16pm Another mile marker. I think that's five or six so far. I don't know. I lost count. I'm not going to rest either. I'm going to keep going.
4:30pm I can see the mile marker in the distance. I'm about five minutes away. I'm going to the Buena Villa clubhouse. I'm going to see if they have any water.
4:35pm I didn't see anyone here at this place, but I walked around this building and found a water spigot. I'm going to rest my feet in the shade and dry off my feet.
5:00pm Okay, now I'm getting up and leaving this place. Oh, I saw a tennis court over here, so I scanned the perimeter for tennis balls. None.
5:11pm Now passing mile marker 322, the one I saw right before I went in the clubhouse.
5:31pm Mile marker 321. I'm not going to stop and rest, even though I should.
5:45pm I'm going to stop and rest at the top of this hill.
6:04pm Mile marker 320.
6:25pm Mile marker 319.
6:45pm 318, I'm going to stop and rest now. I'm hungry, too. I'm going to eat.
7:00pm I'm done resting. I drank my last Replete. It's all Muscle Blast 2000 now. Good thing I ran into Rheanna. She hooked me up.
7:15pm I just stopped and took a piss behind this big white box with a little solar panel on top. It says: "New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department. Call 48 hours before digging." It has some phone numbers on it.
7:20pm Passing mile marker 317.
Okay, now I have this big incline. A big hill. I wonder what's on the other side. Hopefully civilization. Ooh, a dead deer. Yet another example of how cars are death machines. That deer didn't need to die. Nobody needs to die.
7:40pm Mile marker 316. Going to stop and rest.
7:55pm I rested and smoked at marker 316. I'm going to keep walking and see what's on the other side of this hill.
8:03pm Cool, I can see the sun going down behind the mountains in the background. Cool. Umm, it's starting to drizzle and I saw some lightning bolts in the distance. There seems to be a big thunderstorm ahead. Let it rain. Good thing I have my TWA raincoat that I got at the thrift store back when I lived with Chasity.
8:06pm Okay, I'm going to put my raincoat on. The sky is all pink out there. That's so rad. If that mountain wasn't in the way, I could still see the sun. Damn mountain.
8:20pm Mile marker 315. I see something in this distance. It's either a big white billboard or a big white building. I can't make it out from here. Hopefully I can get water there. I'm almost out. Hmm, a little part of me wishes I would run out of water. Then, I could just hold my bottle upside down as cars pass and somebody will stop and help me out. If not to give me a ride, to give me water.
8:45pm Mile marker 314. It's coming down like a bitch. I'm walking backwards. I bet I look funny with my walking stick walking backwards. I don't want my front cargo short pockets getting wet and the wind is blowing hard, so this way my butt will get soaked more. It's not getting that wet.
8:55pm Well, I finally got to this rest stop. The big white thing I saw in the distance turned out being a parked 18 wheeler. There was some coverings and picnic tables on the other side of the highway. There was a fence in the median of the highway and I jumped over it. I accidentally ripped my shorts a little in the crotch getting over it. Damn, it's getting cold. I didn't have any other clothes besides my shorts and polyester shirt. I thought I was going to be on I10 the whole way and it's the middle of the summer. I didn't think I needed warm clothes. It sucks when you're wrong, hehe. Hmm, I could sleep under this picnic table if I had to. I think I shall. I'm pretty tired. Cool, here comes a truck right now. I'm going to ask him if he has any water.
Cool, this trucker who just pulled in who is pulling a lot of livestock, told me there was a cafe about seven or eight miles away. I asked him if he could spare any water and he told me, "I got a whole jugful of water. I've had it for like three or four months. It's in an old bottle of antifreeze." I told him forget it. Maybe if I had a radiator in my chest. He then remembered his wife had given him a big bottle of water that he was willing to share with me. I took the top off my 32oz water bottle and handed it to him. He had just enough water to fill it to the brim. Perfection. I asked him his name and he said Evans. I take it that's his last name.
Well, I'm going to crash out for the night. Evans couldn't give me a ride because he was heading in the opposite direction. Remember, I jumped the fence. Damn, it's cold. I hope I can fall asleep.
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