061809

                                                                                Eugene to Albany to Oregon City, OR

Thursday June 18, 2009

     4:12am  I woke up this morning after only three hours of sleep. I'm going back to sleep. Sorry I woke you up, Brittney.

     7:15am  I woke up again about ten minutes ago. I woke up and Brittney was already packing up and ready to go. I had her help me fold up my tarp real quick and she just took off. I wonder what's going to happen today.  101camp.JPG

     7:25am  I got plenty of sleep last night. Brittney has some beautiful dreadlocks and I am always wanting to check them for lice. She's been sleeping outside without a tent for a while now. I'm going to go find a bathroom somewhere.

                   I need to find a thrift store today and switch out these shoes, these Timberlands I've had since San Luis Obispo[3-30-09 : 10:35am]. They hurt. My Columbia sandals feel good, but they're, umm, sandals.
                  
     7:32am  Mike is being nice enough to let me roll a cigarette on Willamette. I appreciate it, Mike. Everybody gets credit.

     10:24pm  103bushes.JPG, 104eugene.JPG                     

     11:45am  106aww.JPG

     12:00pm  I don't know. I kind of want to get out of town today. I thought I had some projects to do in Eugene, but I can do my laundry somewhere else later on. I met up with Brittney again. Last night I was like falling in love with this girl. She's beautiful and she's 24 and she can totally keep up with me. She walks good. All these thoughts were floating around in my head last night. There's always a catch though. She drinks and I hate alcohol. She listened to my story last night. Not the whole odyssey, just the important part. Today she met up with her road-dawg and they were all talking about stupid shit like beer and drinking. She can't come with me. I walk alone.

     12:53pm  I came over here to the onramp by the courthouse. Nobody is going to pull over for me. I'm going to wait until one. If somebody hasn't given me a ride yet I'm going to walk into town.

     1:05pm  The greedy ass at the Burrito Boy won't give me any food. Nobody wants world peace! Good little slave!

     1:10pm  I'm going to go hit up Daniel's Mexican Restaurant.

     1:11pm  Daniel en Daniels' me esta dando comida. Te lo agradesco, Daniel. Todo el mundo recibe credito, gracias.

     1:12pm  Sweet, Daniel himself hooked me up. I'm going to take a picture.

     1:22pm  Andrew is hooking me up with a cigarette at the 7-11. I appreciate it, bro. Everybody gets credit.

     2:04pm  I had an awesome presentation with Marigold in the plaza. This pretty girl trying to sell jewelry. Ugh, the whole world is cashed.

                   Even the bums, even Brittney yesterday are all fixated with money. Every single person that passed her she was all, "Can you spare some change?" Pathetic.

     2:28pm  Sweet, the Burrito Boy downtown is hooking me up.

     2:28pm  Susanna y Pedro en Burrito Boy me estan dando comida. Todo el mundo recibe credito, gracias.

     3:12pm  To kill time for the bus to come at 3:30pm I am spreading the word to traffic in front of the plaza.

                   Jerry was nice enough to give me a cigarette over by the plaza. I appreciate it, Jerry. Everybody gets credit. Thanks a lot.

     3:25pm  Haj just hooked me up with some change for busfare. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit.

     3:39pm  Courtesy ride on #12. The driver asked me, "How do you know we give courtesy rides?" I told him, "I've been all over the country for seven years. I'm a journalist. I'm writing a book on generosity." He told me, "I'm sure you are. Come on."

     3:57pm  We stopped at some transfer terminal. I thought this was the end of my line and I went to get off. The driver told me not yet, but then he told me, "You'll have to excuse me. Today is my day off and a free ride doesn't appeal to me." Umm, why did you tell me yes when I asked you?"

     4:02pm  I just got off the bus over by I5. I'm going to thumb it.

                   There's bums out here flying signs bumming change off of people. Beltline Road and Gateway Street. I'm going to post up and hand out my website to cars. I'll fly my support the cause sign with my shirt.

     5:13pm  I came to the onramp.

     5:20pm  In no-time Chuck pulled over for me in his truck. Chuck and Greg. They're going to take me like thirty miles.

     5:47pm  I am getting dropped off ten miles from Corvalis, I think. Chuck and Greg smoked a brother out. They first asked me if I had weed and I told them I wished I did. They asked me how can I be going around spreading world peace and not have any weed.

     5:49pm  That was some magic that happened. I am so glad I decided to stop spreading my word and walked to the onramp. Right when I walked up Chuck and Greg pulled over for me. They even kicked me down a nugget! That's awesome, man. I tried to tell them my story, but they wouldn't listen.

     5:52pm  I am a measly twenty five miles away from Salem. I have a bigass burrito in my bag. All these signs are lining up. I'm going to walk to Salem. I'm going to walk in my Columbia sandals until they die. Hmm, even if somebody pulls over and offers me a ride I'll tell them I rather walk and see if they'll listen to my story.

                   On my journal page be sure to add, "You can email me and ask me questions." I wonder if anybody has read a lot of it. Oh man, I just had a brilliant idea. That's going to be a prerequisite for my traveling partner. Before she can come on this mission with me she's going to have to read all of me and know me, all the stuff in my journal since 2002, before she can come with me.

                   Man, what a difference getting sleep makes. Yesterday I was all bummed out and tired, but not today. I am having the best presentations. Screw it, I'm going to walk to Salem. That's how awake I am.

                   In more ways than one.

     6:25pm  I just took a picture. I just passed Mile Marker 229. I've been walking since 228. Cool, the town of Albany is only five miles away. I should get there before dark.

     6:32pm  I have hereby donned my clown wig.

     6:38pm  Cool, found a bungee cord.

     6:45pm  Oh yeah, I overshot Mile Marker 230. I thought I would wait to take a rest at the bridge up ahead. Then I thought it's not too hot, so I walked back to the marker and I'm going to rest and eat.

     7:08pm  Leaving. I had a nice four twenty break.

     7:09pm  Hopping over to the other side so I can give cars the peace sign. Shoot for the gap.

                   115river.JPG

     7:15pm  My arm is going up and down. Each car is getting the peace sign. Everybody is waving back. I love it. A lot of people wave back. I get so many smiles. So many people wave back. Sometimes I get the craziest looks from people too. They're hilarious. People are always pointing at me and saying to others, "Look at that!" I can tell.

     7:19pm  Passing Oak Creek. I took a picture.
    
     7:21pm  I paused for a second or two to take out the shit stuck in my sandal.

     7:26pm  Mile Marker 231.

                   Albany next exit.

                   I have half the mind to walk all the way to Portland.

     8:06pm  Entering the town of Albany. This won't be the last Albany I go to on this trip.

     8:08pm  Coming up on Exit 233.

     8:13pm  Taking Exit 233, Albany keep right.

     8:14pm  No, I am not taking exit 233. I'm going to keep going straight on the highway. There's a sign that says Albany Historic District. Heritage shopping center.

     8:22pm  Whoa, somebody just pulled over for me. I'm not thumbing it or nothing. I'm walking to Exit 234. I guess I'm not staying in Albany. Let's see where I'm going.

     8:24pm  Dude, I was just walking. I didn't take Exit 233 because I saw the sign pointing to the historic district. All of a sudden some truck pulls over for me. I guess I am going to Portland today. That's so quick. I didn't think I'd get there that fast. Sweet. I miss Portland. It was awesome last time I was there.

     9:30pm  I just got dropped off in Oregon City.

     9:40pm  I just got hit by a car!
 
     10:05pm  I should be more descriptive. I just got hit by a car, sort of. He was going like maybe one mile per hour. This Asian guy was stopped at the light and he didn't see me so he kept going. I was like an inch away from the car so I kind of rolled onto the hood and fell on the ground in front of the driver door pinning it shut with the frame of my pack. The guy inside was trying to open the door and seemed frantic. I had to loosen a strap on my pack because it was pinned with the car. I bumped my knee pretty bad but I was okay. The Asian guy got out of his car all scared asking me if I was okay. This other car at the light stuck around and told me he would be a witness if I was going to call the police. I told him I was fine and assured the Asian guy not to worry about it. I gave him my website. Now that I think about it I should've asked him for some money, hehe. I was really tired from walking and had just spotted a wooded bridge I could crash under so I said I was okay and limped away. My knee hurt, but it wasn't serious. I should've told him I forgave him, but I forgot.

                     Right near the site of my auto/pedestrian accident I came underneath the bridge here, under the highway, 215, I think. There's a river and all these woods down here. I was trying to get down to the very bottom, to the riverbank, but I started slipping and almost fell down. I settled for this spot. I'll take pictures in the morning. Right now I'm going to make my bed and eat a burrito and smoke a cigarette. I got blessed with a little tobacco from an ashtray at a gas station.

     10:30pm  I am crashing out. Setting my watch.

Next day..