062705

 

Weed to Alamogordo to Las Cruces, NM

Monday June 27, 2005

     6:22am  Let's see, I woke up around six this morning. Sean and I are about to take off pretty soon. I had an awesome little vacation here in Weed, NM. Well, it's not really Weed. It's Sacramento. It's close enough though.

     7:26am  I just got dropped off at the Timeout place, The Diamond Shamrock truckstop in Alamogordo. I'm going to try and get to Las Cruces today.

     8:01am  I am sitting here at the truckstop still. I went inside and took a shit. I bought some snacks so I'm not hungry. I used that five dollar bill I got the other day from the guy who gave me a ride to Cloudcroft. Please Love, give me a ride to Las Cruces.

     8:55am  Christy gave me a cigarette here at the Diamond Shamrock. I appreciate it, Christy. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     8:56am  This girl who works here Christy came outside and I asked her, "Hey, do you think my chances of getting to Las Cruces would be better if I walked to the intersection and stuck my thumb out?" She told me maybe. I told her my platform. She had asked me, "Where are you from? What are you doing?" She gave me a cigarette. Thank you, Christy. Pretty girl, pretty girl.

     9:05am  Okay, I'm at the intersection. I'm not going to give them the thumb at all. Peace sign to every car. I70 West.

                   Please Love, grant me a ride, please.

                   Oh yeah, earlier at the Diamond Shamrock I asked this one guy for a ride, but he was going to Ruidoso. I told him I had just come from there. He said, "I know, you talked to me at the Greyhound station, remember?"

     9:48am  In no time at all, Trey and Christina pulled over for me at the intersection. I appreciate it, guys. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     10:01am  I'm telling Trey and Christina my story. What was your mail? treeablaze@hotmail.com

     10:57am  I can't believe it. Guess where I am. I am already in Las Cruces. On Lowman Avenue and Walton Blvd. It was so awesome. I wasn't out there long at all and before I knew it these kids pulled over for me. Just behold the synchronicity. If I hadn't thought about going to the intersection when I did, I would still be at that truckstop right now. Sure enough, these two kids picked me up. Perfect.

                     It was awesome. The first thing Trey said when I got in his car was, "Do you smoke?" I told him, "Let me tell you guys what I'm doing."

                     I'm going to go in the Arby's and ask for directions downtown.

                     I got directions from some guy at the Arby's. I'm not that far from downtown. He told me to go West down this road and turn right on Main Street. I'm not that far, he said.

     11:23am  I am walking down Lohman. Right when I was crossing the street in front of this kid at the stoplight, when I walked by I gave him the peace and he turned his head away real quick! I just walked by pointing at the peace sign on the back of my neck. I'm going to walk downtown, wherever that is.

     11:24am  Oh, I never mentioned that Las Cruces is way ignorant. So many people don't wave back at all.

                     I am wearing my bright ass tie-dye.

                     Okay, now that I'm getting closer to downtown people are waving back.

     11:32am  I hit Main Street. Turning right.

     11:35am  Just entered the downtown mall right now.

     11:38am  I walked Church Street and I ran into some kid who recognized me from when the bus got a flat tire on the way up here. That's awesome. Thanks for making contact. When he saw me he was all, "Wow, you made it here already." I told him, "I am everywhere."

                     Umm, I'm just going to walk North. Screw it, I don't want to stay here. This is one ignorant town.

                     I ended up walking in a circle. I ended up by that Master of Life Sciences place at the downtown mall. Wait, there's a library. I don't have any email to check.

     11:36am  Walking North on Main Street. I'm going to stop in the Pizza Hut and see if they have any mistakes they can hook me up with.

     11:57am  No-go at the Pizza Hut.

     12:14pm  I'm going to stop and eat at the Burger King, then keep walking north. It's real hot today.

     12:20pm  I am leaving the Burger King. I had a Whopper. $2.19 + tax.

     12:41pm  I stopped in at the Walgreen's. I'm going to print out some pictures I need.

     1:16pm  Oh yeah, did I tell you I already went to the Walgreen's. I got the picture of the statue of San Antonio printed out to show people! I also got the sliced dog head one again.

                   I came to the Diamond Shamrock across the street from the Walgreen's and I bought an apple pie.

     1:25pm  Good lunch break at the corner store. I'm going to start walking the highway now. I25.

     1:37pm  I went over and under an underpass. I am officially on 25 now. Walking North on 25.

     1:52pm  Mile marker 7.

                   Truth or Consequences 71, Albuquerque 223.

     1:58pm  I stopped because I had something stuck in my eye. I poured some water in it.

                   That's cool, if T or C is only 71 miles away, that means I am going to walk past the rest stop I found a place to crash at back in 2003(7-10-03, 7:10pm).

                   It is my persistent-consistency.

     2:10pm  Mile marker 8. I'm going to keep going. Haven't rested yet. Score, found me a snipe! I was looking for one bad. Cool, I get some tobacco for my rest at the next mile marker.

                   Oh yeah, I found a green lei on the side of the highway. I put it on.

     2:18pm  Doña Ana, 1 mile. Exit 9.

     2:25pm  Exit 9, Camping.

                   Badass, there's a Chevron at the next exit.

     2:40pm  Guess where I am. I am at the same gas station I've been before where it said Free Water(6-22-03, 1:00am) on the side. I have to look that up and make a link. I'm going to do this all over again. Just like I did in 2003.

                   I came to the place where I crashed out last time by the benches. I'm going to sit down and rest and smoke a cigarette. A snipe I found.

     3:09pm  Frank Cole hooked me up with some Gatorade at the gas station at Doña Ana.

                   Frank Cole gave me some uvas too. Some grapes. He told me he designed the museum in Santa Fe.

                   Frank: "I didn't design it. I put it up, but I changed a bunch of designs. The Indian Arts Museum."

     3:23pm  Tom gave me a cigarette at the gas station at Doña Ana. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     3:54pm  I had a cool conversation with that old dude. He even knew Spanish. He was this crazy white dude. He was all telling me about his Mexican wife that got killed by the Mexican Mafia. He told me that he was in the market for a new Mexican wife now. He was from Durango, CO. He knew about the Manna kitchen(9-2-04, 9:48am) and stuff. His wife used to work there. I'm going to keep walking 25 now. I was told it's only eight or nine miles to the rest stop.

     3:40pm  Mile marker 10.

                   I'm walking on the southbound side so I can give each car the peace sign. Everybody is seeing me. I got some good publicity in Las Cruces too. Tons of ignorant drivers cramming the roads.

     3:56pm  Mile marker 11. I'm going to walk to 15. Rest every five miles. Just like I did in New Mexico last year. I'll get to that rest stop in no time.

                   This one truck had pulled over. I thought he was waiting for me, but when I walked up he kept going.

     4:28pm  Mile marker 13. I'm going to keep going to 15.

     4:46pm  Mile marker 14.

     4:48pm  Passing a water tower on my left that says Leasburg. I vaguely remember me having gone to Leasburg State Dam(6-23-03, 3:30pm) before.

     5:03pm  Mile marker 15. I'm going to sit down and rest.

     5:20pm  Taking off from marker 15. Next rest at 20.

                   After 14 I was on the other side of the highway giving people the peace sign. Right before I finished the last mile I hopped on the Northbound side again to look for cigarette snipes. I did find a couple. Right now I'm crossing back across the highway so I can wave at people.

     5:26pm  I stopped for a minute to pick up this blue dragon I found on the ground.

     5:31pm  I didn't tell you. About five minutes ago I passed another mile marker. I didn't read it off.

     5:37pm  Passing mile marker.

     6:03pm  Passing by sign that says Radium Springs 1 mile.

     6:12pm  Exit 19, Radium Springs ½ mile.

     6:27pm  Mile marker 19. There's a bridge before it. I'm going to stop and rest. I'm tired.

                   Whoa, I just saw the same billboard I saw in 2003 that says, "Contact Socorro(6-23-03, 9:33am)." Hmm, I think that means I am quite a length away from the rest stop.

     6:37pm  I came up here and rested underneath the bridge. There was all this graffiti up here. A lot of religious bible quotes and stuff. One says, "Read your bible everyday because it is God's roadmap to heaven."

                   I tagged Victor the Liberator with a peace sign under the bridge. I dated it 6-27-05.

     6:56pm  I'm up walking away from the bridge now. I'm going to keep walking.

                   I'm a little more tired now, so I'm not going to walk on the Southside and wave at everybody. I'll walk on the Northbound side in hopes someone will pick me up.

     7:14pm  Mile marker 20. I'm going to keep walking.

     7:25pm  Hallelujah, rest area 2 miles. I'm almost there.

                   I'm going to make it there before eight.

     7:31pm  Mile marker 21.

     7:43pm  Rest area 1 mile.

     7:47pm  Mile marker 22. I'm going to make it before eight. That's awesome.

     7:59pm  I am taking the exit to the rest area.

                   I remembered the historical marker here talks about the Journey of the Dead Man(6-23-03, 7:10pm).

                   I ate my last Powerbar. I thought that was the last of my food, but I just remembered I had a box of raisins in my pocket.

     8:02pm  Made it to the rest stop. I'm tired.

                   Larry, a trucker at the rest area hooked me up with a cigarette. I appreciate it, brother.

                   Whoa, cool. Because of the nickel I found on the ground on the way over here, I have fifty cents. That dude Larry gave me an extra cigarette too. He said, "Here, here's one for later. I've been on long walks before. I know what it's like."

     8:22pm  Mile marker 23 is right after the rest area.

                   It's so cool that I already know where to crash at this rest area. I'll just climb up the tree and sleep on the roof like I did last time(6-23-03, 9:55pm).

     8:32pm  I calculated all my walking today. I walked, since two 'o clock. Well, I started walking before two. I hit the highway around two. From two 'o clock I walked sixteen miles.

                   I didn't tell you. I lost my lighter. That sucks. My Slidelight(6-6-05, 7:18pm, paragraph that starts with: "I went in the Conoco right there").

                   This greedy ass trucker right now. He was all crashed out with his head down. I was going to ask him, "Hey, can you spare any food? I just walked all the way from Las Cruces." Wait, to begin with the inside of his truck was all decked out with Jesus stuff and crosses. He had a thing that said, "God is my co-pilot." Well, as soon as he saw me walking up to his truck he started shaking his head no." I yelled, "You sinner! You're going to hell!"

     8:48pm  I just switched out the tape. I'm typing over an old tape that I had already recorded on. I just started #5. I had been typing on #4. Umm, I am still at the rest stop. I've been thinking about asking people, "Hey, I just walked all the way from Las Cruces. Can you spare any food? The vending machine is broken(which it is)."

                   I had a box or raisins, so I'm not that hungry. I got another cigarette to smoke too.

                   The sun's going down, so I'm going to climb the tree up into my loft and crash for the night.

     9:04pm  I am all situated in my loft. I have my bed made and I'm ready to go to sleep. Just like last time. Two years ago.

Next day..