062304

 

Truth or Consequences, walking towards Socorro, NM

Wednesday June 23, 2004

     6:15am  I just woke up. I found a corner to sleep in last night. I slept pretty good.

     6:32am  I walked into Town Talk Cafe and asked the girl where the youth hostel was. She told me. I should've told her my story, but I didn't. I knew she would have listened to me. She was smoking a cigarette. I should go back and tell her.

     6:48am  I found the youth hostel.

 

                  There's nobody awake, so I just walked in. I knew where the bathroom was, so I went over there. I just sat down in the stall. Oh yeah, they have that poem on the back of the door. "The Tramp." I mentioned it last time I was here(6-25-03, 6:36am). I transcribed it all. I am a knight of the open road.

     7:00am  I came over by where they have the hot springs and I was just looking at the river. Some guy comes out and asks me, "Can I help you?" I told him, "I came by here last year and I was just checking it out again." He asks me, "Do you need to be registered?" I told him I didn't have any money. He told me, "You need money to stay here." I said, "I don't want to stay here. I just want to hang out." He told me I couldn't hang out without any money. I told him, "They let me last year." He said, "I don't know why, it's always been a policy you have to be a paying customer." Oh well. That place sucks now.

                   I'm going to go to the police station and see if they'll hook me up with a bus ticket again. They probably won't. That youth hostel was basically the only follow-up I wanted to make in Truth or Consequences. Now that option is gone, I am free to skip town. I'm going to aim for Socorro, then head off to the Rainbow Gathering in Humboldt.

                   That youth hostel is all hippie'd out with peace signs and stuff like that. They got a big picture of Happy Hippie. Then they kick me out because I don't have any money. Hippiecrites.

                   I should have told him, "Man, don't you know money is the root of all evil? Haven't you learned?"

                   I just walked up to the Circle K. I went in there and took off my army pants. Outside I stepped on my backpack and broke one of the plastic buckles. Shit, my bag can't die right now. Whew, good thing I have some super glue. I'm going to try to get out of town. I need to go talk to the cops. I need to find that main strip again. I've been walking around Truth or Consequences all morning long.

                   I took a picture of that Dukatt71 store with all the CD's in front of it.  

     8:34am  I walked all the way up Date Street. I'm walking out of town now, because I am going north. Northwest. Which is where I should be going, but I need to find the police station again and see if they'll hook me up with a bus ticket. Also, I need to find that restaurant they hooked me up at last time and see if they'll fill my tank for some walking if I don't get a bus ticket.

     8:36am  I am going to read the official historical marker for Truth or Consequences. "Population: 5219. Elevation: 4576. In 1581, Captain Francisco Sanchez Camuscado took possession of this region for the king of Spain, named it the Province of San Felipe. Significant European settlement of the area, however powerful did not occur until the mid-1800s. Once called Hot Springs because of its curative natural hot springs, T or C in 1950 took its present name from Ralph Edwards radio program."

     9:05am  I passed by the Hot Springs Museum. They have this cool thing where you can put your feet in the water. There's a sign that says, "Take your shoes off, sit on the bench and soak your aching feet in the warm mineral waters." How perfect. I took my socks and I'm going to soak my feet.

     9:22am  I put a different pair of socks on. I just realized I lost my rainbow scarf! I think I left it in the bathroom at the Circle K. I'm going to walk back there and get it. I hope it's still there. That sucks, I need that thing!"

                   Please Love, let me get it back. Let me get it back.

                   I need that scarf. It's part of my uniform.

     9:37am  I am back at the Circle K. Let me try my luck. I really hope it's here.

                   Jeff hooked me up with a cigarette here at the Circle K. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit.

                   Shit, my scarf wasn't here. I don't know what to do! I guess I'll go check the youth hostel. That's the only other place I've used the restroom. I remember hanging it on something.

                   I bummed a cigarette at the Circle K and I'm going to smoke it. Then, I'm going to walk all the way back. I've walked a shitload today. I really hope I left it at the youth hostel.

                   I remember hanging it on a hook. I think there was one in the youth hostel bathroom.

     10:10am  Back at the hostel. Riverboat(I think) Springs. That is the name of this business.

     10:11am  Kickass! I found it. It was in the bathroom. Perfect, perfect. I can get out of here now.

                     Thank you, Love. I really need this scarf. I'll put it to good use. I promise.

     10:21am  I just saw this really good quote on the window of Xochi's Bookstore. It says, "Degrade first the arts. If you'd Mankind degrade. Hire idiots to paint with cold lights and hot shade: give high price for the worst, leave the best in disgrace. And with the labours of ignorance fill every place." By William Blake. Good quote.

     10:27am  I walked down Broadway and I didn't find the restaurant I got hooked up at. I'm going to double back on the other side of the street and maybe I'll find it. I know it was called Something on Broadway.

                     Cool, it's BBQ on Broadway. I see it. I'm going to go over there. Wish me luck.

                     I can't believe I've walked so much this morning with no food. Some food would really hit the spot.

     10:37am  I'm going to score again! I told the lady my line and she asked me, "What do you want?" I told her to surprise me. She told me, "He'll feed you. Go ahead and sit down." See, I can count on it.

     11:05am  I asked this old man at the BBQ Cafe, "Don't suppose you could spare an after-meal-smoke?" He gives me a dirty look and says, "If you can't afford them, then you don't need them."

     11:10am  The lady told me no at the police station. She told me they only did it one time. It was the same lady and everything. Oh well. She told me to try the Catholic church, that they sometimes helped with bus fare.

                      I went to the Greyhound station and a ticket to Socorro is $17.50.

     11:30am  I walked to the Catholic Church. Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

     12:15pm  Screw it. I'm going to walk. I'm about to get on the Hwy 25. Albuquerque Right Lane, Las Cruces Left Lane. I wonder if someone will pick me up.

     12:31pm  I was going to start walking the highway, but there's a Pedestrian Prohibited sign here. I don't know. Maybe I'll stand here with my thumb out.

     12:48pm  Screw it. I just took off walking. If a cop stops me maybe he'll give me a ride.

     12:54pm  Passing a sign that says, "Elephant Butte 4 miles." There's a mile marker coming up pretty soon. I'll tell you what it is.

     12:58pm  Passing Mile Marker 80.

     1:13pm  Mile Marker 81.

     1:30pm  Mile Marker 82. Exactly fifteen minutes. I'm going to stop and rest. I hauled ass on that one.

     1:45pm  I am up walking again.

     2:00pm  Mile Marker 83. That was a fast ass mile. Fifteen minutes exactly. I didn't slow down one bit on those last couple miles. Fifteen minutes consistently. Like I say. It is my persistent consistency that will ensure the success of this mission. I'm going to wait until 2:05 to start walking again. City of Elephant Butte, next exit. It's only half a mile to Elephant Butte, so it should take only ten minutes. I'm going to rest a little more.

                   Man, I fly with these shoes. 

     2:04pm  I am off.

     2:11pm  Getting on the Exit 83 ramp. The town of Elephant Butte.

     2:22pm  Oh yeah, I am walking to this town. Elephant Butte. It's not like right off the highway. I think it's like three or four miles away. I need food, so I'm going to try and score there. There's a lot of water. I might be able to take a dip.

     2:55pm  Entering Elephant Butte City limits. Damn, I walked a hell of a lot. I wonder how far it is from the highway to here.

     2:56pm  Oh shit, there's a billboard here with that Dukat71 T-Shirt shop. He's got a store here too.

     3:06pm  Rhonda hooked me up with a cigarette here in Elephant Butte. I just walked to this town for no reason. It was just on the way. Well, let's see what happens.

                   I went in some restaurant here and hit them up. The lady told me, "Oh, you'd have to talk to the manager and he's not here right now."

                   I'm going to go to some Chevron and see if I can score there.

     3:37pm  They told me no. He told me, "No, not today."

     3:38pm  I saw this dude walking away from the Chevron and I hit him up for a cigarette. He hooked me up. His name is Dean. Everybody gets credit. Thanks.

     4:35pm  The coolest shit happened. Oh yeah, I told you I was walking all the way to Elephant Butte. Some random town off I25. Nobody hooked me up with any food. I met this dude Dean. He had just bought a pack of smokes and he hooked me up with one. I started telling him my story. He seemed really interested, so I asked him if there was anywhere we could sit down. He invited me over to his trailer where I blew his mind with the rest of my story. His friend came over and Dean told him what I was doing. I had pinched my last hit of weed and when his friend noticed I was out, he said he was going to try and get me some. That he knew what it was like to be on the road with no weed. And now, after overhearing that no one hooked me up with food, Dean just offered me a sandwich! How perfect. Now I can walk some more. Oh yeah, and Dean is even going to give me a ride back to 25. Perfect. The universe provides. Thank you, Love.

     5:06pm  Cool, that dude Dean just brought me back to the highway. Oh yeah, his friend wasn't able to score any weed. Now I don't have to walk all the way to the highway. Next town is Cuchillo, I think. I don't know. I'm going to stick my thumb out.

     5:13pm  Passing Mile Marker 84. I hauled ass. That was so awesome. I walked into that town and found somebody to listen to my story and give me some food and he gave me a ride back to the highway. The universe provides, we need to let it already.

     5:25pm  Exit 89 5 miles, Socorro 66, Santa Fe 200.

     5:30pm  Mile Marker 85.

     5:47pm  Mile Marker 86. I'm going to sit down and rest.

     5:57pm  I am up and walking.

     6:06pm  Passing sign that says, "Camping Exit 89, Monticello RV Park." It doesn't say how many miles.

     6:14pm  Mile Marker 87. About fourteen, fifteen minutes. Well, about eighteen or so.

     6:27pm  Exit 89 1 mile. One mile to the RV park.

     6:32pm  Passing Mile Marker 88.

     6:50pm  I ran into what's your name, brother? Don McNeil. He's hauling some petroleum. He had pulled over and I walked up to him and asked him for a cigarette. I kind of startled him. I told him my platform and he told me an interesting fact. What was that fact again about the oil? He said, "Every seven barrels of oil pumped over the entire face of the earth is burnt on our highways. That's not necessarily consumed by industry. They said burnt on the highway. I think we are driving too much."

     7:24pm  That was awesome how I ran into Don. He had just pulled over. He hooked me up with half a pack of cigarettes. He topped off my water for me. He gave me a can of beans to eat. Oh yeah, and two apples for breakfast. How perfect. There's Exit 89. I'm going to go camping. Shit, it says forty miles that way. Forget it..

                   Oh, it's 4.0 miles. That is still too big a detour for me.

                   Let's see, I have two apples. I have cigarettes. I'm just going to keep going straight. I would have to go four miles to the left to hit the RV park. Screw it, I'm sure I'll find somewhere to sleep out here. Maybe somebody will pick me up.

     7:42pm  Passing sign that says US 380 49 miles, Albuquerque 134.

     7:47pm  Passing Mile Marker 90. There's a big uphill part coming up.

     7:52pm  Walking past La Cañada Aramosa. Whatever the hell that is. It's some dry river.

     7:57pm  Passing sign that says Mitchell Point 1 mile. On Exit 92. It's a big uphill climb.

     8:05pm  Passing Mile Marker 91.

     8:13pm  Coming up on Mitchell Point. Exit 92.

                    I came to the overpass here. There's a sign that says, "Mitchell Point Rockhouse." Pointing to the right. I don't see a rockhouse anywhere. What the hell is a rockhouse?

     8:25pm  Mile Marker 92. I'm going to rest my feet for ten minutes.

     8:42pm  I am up from my rest.

     8:58pm  Passing sign that says San Antonio 47, Socorro 57, Albuquerque 131.

     9:25pm  Passing Mile Marker 94. It's all dark.

Next day..