062004

 

El Paso, TX to Las Cruces, NM

Sunday June 20, 2004

     9:25am  It's already the next morning. I got a couch to sleep on last night. I woke up in Jimmy's house. I woke up, took a shit, got to smoke some weed, wake-n-baked. I ate a Wendy's burger they got last night for breakfast. He said he'd give me a ride to the Petro truckstop in El Paso.

                   Oh yeah, that trucker Jimmy told me, "I think you're on the right track, but I don't think it's ever going to happen." I tried telling the girl who was at Jimmy's place this morning, but they had to go.

     10:01am  I just had this other hitchhiker take a picture of me with my sign.

 

    

At the Petro truckstop in El Paso.

     10:11am  I am here at the truckstop in El Paso and what was your name? It doesn't really matter. You could make something up. I am telling Peter Pan my story at the truckstop and he stops me and tells me, "I've seen you before. We blew past you one time on I10." Whoa!

     10:54am  Time for an update. That guy told me I should come out to where the trucks exit the truckstop and fly my sign there. That I should get a ride soon like that.

                      I came over here by where the trucks come out. This guy Alex walked up. I loaded a bowl and promptly offered him some. I smoked him out and he listened to my story. He even volunteered me a five dollar bill when I finished. Now I can eat. I borrowed his cellphone and tried calling my mom. Nobody answered on her cellphone or the house.

     12:08pm  I say screw this truckstop. I'm going to take off walking. It's only twenty miles to the New Mexico border.

     12:32pm  I've been walking. Like half an hour. Passed Ellsworth Drive. I am in the Horizon Regional Municipal Utilities District. I'm going to rest my feet.

                     Umm, I'm passing the El Paso Intermediate Sanction Facility. It's like a jail or something. Nobody is going to pick me up around here. The street I am walking down is Horizon Boulevard North. Passing 1550.

     2:48pm  Now entering the town of Green Desert.

     2:51pm  I forgot to tell you. I stopped at some laundromat. They have an air conditioner in here, so I'm going to sit down and eat.

     3:14pm  I'm leaving the laundromat.

     3:18pm  Passing sign for East Farm Road 1281.

     3:20pm  Passing Ellsworth Drive. That street sounds familiar.

     3:26pm  Passing Forty Pines Estates.

     3:31pm  I'm going to randomly go down Richard Smith street. There's some nice houses. I'm going to go North and take a left at the light up there. Let's see if I can find someone to tell my story to.

     3:42pm  Walking across Darrington here, at the light. I'm going to walk to that Chevron.

                    I need to get back to El Paso to get on 54 to go North. I just found out that's on the other side of town.

                   This guy just came out and handed me seventy five cents. I'm not even asking for money.

     4:25pm  I was just sitting there at the Chevron. This guy comes up to me and says, "Hey, how's it going? I saw you walking." I told him, "Yeah, I walked all that for nothing. I have to go back to El Paso and go to the Greyhound station. It was cool, he gave me a ride back to the Petro truckstop. Perfect.

     4:35pm  His email was adrian@renteria.com

                   Cool! Adrian just gave me fifteen dollars! Bus fare!

                   That was such an awesome blessing I just got. Fifteen dollars! That's bus fare. I'm going to walk to the closest bus stop and go to the Greyhound station.

     5:07pm  These kids at the truckstop told me there was a bus stop like a mile away from the truckstop.

     5:36pm  I just passed this cabaret place. I went inside to ask them where the bus stop was. The place was really seedy. The lady there was real slutty looking. She wouldn't listen to me at all. She said she would listen to my story, but she didn't. I walked out of there quick. Hmm, I have fifteen dollars. I'm curious now. Maybe I should have asked her, "What do you guys do here? Can you provide any service for $15?" Hehe, just wondering.

     5:50pm  I am so dumb. I could've sworn that kid at the truckstop told me the bus stop was one mile away on the highway. But now that I think of it, he told me to go down the street. That street I was walking on earlier. I had to walk the opposite way on it. Horizon Blvd, I think. Argh, I hate doubling back. Like two miles.

     6:37pm  I walked all the way back to the truckstop. I came in the McDonald's here and rested my feet in the grass. I went inside and used the restroom and got some water. I'm going to rest a little longer under this tree. I'll smoke a cigarette and smoke some weed.

     6:48pm  Okay, I'm going to walk that mile in the right direction.

     7:26pm  I walked all the way down Horizon Blvd. I went in the Chevron there and I asked them where the bus stop was. The cashier told me it was pretty far. Then this generous soul Ivan offered me a ride. Thank you, brother. Everybody gets credit.

     6:37pm  I just realized that my watch was set back an hour. Damn time-zone difference. So, all these loggings I've made today have been an hour ahead.

     6:42pm  I forgot to tell you. That cool dude Ivan who I met at the gas station brought me over to the bus stop at Nevarez and Moses.

     7:15pm  I am on the bus headed to Saragosa. And from there I'll catch one going downtown. I have a transfer. Some dude hooked me up and paid for me. I had my bus fare and everything.

     7:31pm  I just got dropped off at Saragosa and some other street. The bus driver told me to get off and go across the street to wait for the bus downtown. I went inside the Carl's Jr. and got some water.

     8:19pm  I've been at the bus stop here. I've been telling Julian my story and he's been interjecting with some interesting points. He wanted to make a contribution, Julian: "In essence . . I feel for some reason that Karma, in the most negative-powered form has followed me all the days of my life. Most recently, especially. As such, I implore, beseech and beg of the old man upstairs through sure, divine and providential intervention that my life be spared and that I fulfill my obligations here on Earth. And to give me a chance to prove myself worthy as a son and hopefully, eventually be called the son of man as such. I hope and pray that I can lead a life of peace, compassion, empathy, and be in the service of others like his son came to earth to show us by sure example. Victor here, I sincerely hope that his mission will be accomplished and that he lives a long, peaceful, prosperous life under the heavens. More power to the guy."

     9:05pm  I had an awesome presentation with that guy Julian at the bus stop. He was all about my stuff. He told me, "You're going to help me. I've been needing to hear these things." It's like I turned this guy around. He's thirty eight, pushing forty. He's been in El Paso his whole life. I told him, "Man, you have to get out of here. Your world is so much bigger than El Paso. You can always come back." What a great night I'm having. I was really meant to meet that guy. I was meant to talk to him. He was a really sharp guy. He had a great vocabulary. He even told me about some rescue mission I can go ask for help downtown.

                   I hope that my bus ticket isn't much more than fifteen dollars. I'm just trying to get somewhere in New Mexico.

     9:20pm  Oh yeah, when I first started talking to Julian, the first thing he asked me was, "Are you an Aquarian?" I told him, "You guessed it man. February second, Groundhog's day."

     9:38pm  I just got dropped off at the Greyhound station by the bus driver. When the bus stopped and everyone got off I asked, "Is this the end of the line?" The driver said yeah, but that he could drop me off in front of the Greyhound so I wouldn't have to walk. Let me see how much bus fare is. I got fifteen dollars.

     9:55pm  At the Greyhound station I started up a conversation with this black guy outside. He wouldn't listen to me at all. At first I had asked him, "Hey, can I tell you a story?" He said, "Sure, sure." He wouldn't listen to me, damnit. I'm going to go buy my ticket to Las Cruces for ten dollars.

     11:48pm  Oh man, I was so psyched out. Just when I thought my day couldn't get much better. I had found me a perfect traveling partner and everything. This beautiful nineteen year old girl from Virginia. I spotted her reading a book when I was in line buying my ticket. Afterwards I walked up to her and told her, "Excuse me, could I tell you a really interesting story? I'm not asking for anything. It's more interesting than what you are reading there. I guarantee it." This pretty girl listened to my whole story with wide-eyed amazement. She stared right at me. I blew her mind. She called herself Starlett. I asked her, "Where are you headed?" She told me, "Tempe, AZ. I'm homeless." My eyes lit up when she said that. I thought to myself, "Could it be? Is she free?" She was all into my story. I finally asked her, "Hey, you want to come check out New Mexico with me?" She surprisingly said, "Sure!" I was sooo stoked. I thought I had my traveling partner. Her bus was due to leave at 11:45 and mine was due to leave at 12:15. Both buses were heading west, so I didn't think it would be a big problem for her to get on my bus going to Las Cruces. Just at the last minute I got up and got in line. When it was my turn I explained the situation to the lady behind the counter. She told me that if Starlett wanted to get off in Las Cruces that she would have to buy a ticket there, even though her bus fare was paid all the way to Tempe. It didn't make much sense, but it was getting close to 11:45, so I went outside and relayed the information to Starlett. Starlett ended up telling me, "I have this gut feeling I should go to Tempe anyway." I told her, "Okay, but you better hurry. Your bus is boarding now." I gave her a great big hug and told her, "Thank you for almost going. It's the thought that counts." Now that I look back on it I should have asked her, "I don't suppose I could get a goodbye kiss?" Hehe. So just like that. Easy come, easy go. Man, this girl was sooo pretty too. She told me she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and I told her I was going to have her healed if she came with me to Oregon.

     1:17am  I just got dropped off in Las Cruces. Umm, I'm tired. The Greyhound station is deserted. I hope I can find a place to crash nearby.

                   Oh yeah, I'm in New Mexico!

     1:21am  Right next to the Greyhound station there is a place called Branigan Park. Let me see if there's anywhere to crash.

                   Man, this is just too perfect. I'm going to crash out in this little booth behind the baseball diamond. Thank you Love. I appreciate it. The universe provides. Man, that sucks about Starlett. I had me the cutest traveling partner. I wish I would have taken her picture. She was untouched, never traveled without money. She was an East coaster not familiar with generosity like I am.

Next day..