063003

 

Santa Fe to Taos, NM

Monday June 30, 2003

     5:00am  Monday I think. Err, Tuesday. I just woke up. I crashed in this ditch. It's between these houses in a neighborhood. I had to move all these rocks and I crashed out in my poncho. It wasn't too comfortable, but eventually I fell asleep. And I woke up. That's all that matters. I got a full night's worth of sleep. I have my stick and everything I need. I'm cold, though, but not that cold. I'm going to get my stuff, get up and keep on going.

                   Man, the place where I crashed last night, that little creek, that little ditch was over by Cerrillos and 25. Two r's, two l's. I crashed over by the New Mexico School for the Deaf. Founded in 1887.

     5:47am  I walked into Dunkin' Donuts. I thought I had one dollar in my wallet. I look in my wallet and I end up having three! Man, that's almost enough to buy cigarettes. Hmm, I'm hungry, too. I told the guy, "I just want as much donuts as you can give me for a dollar." He agreed to give me two of them. He asked me what I wanted and I said, "Surprise me." He gave me an apple fritter and a regular glazed donut. That's not bad for a dollar. I think he hooked me up.

     6:04am  I came over to the Giant and bought me a pack of Marlboro's. I didn't have enough change and the guy hooked me up. Awesome.

     6:20am  Time to celebrate. Anyway, I'm walking down Cerrillos road. Passing the New Mexico State Highway building. I'm just going to walk and see where I end up.

     6:35am  I'm reviewing my signs now. I got some traveling weed. I bought a pack of cigarettes. I just saw a sign that said Highway 25 this way. Hmm, I think I'm going to get out of here. Skip town already. Head North. Now, the bus driver told me I could get to Española for a buck. I'm thinking courtesy ride. I was walking towards 25, I don't know how far it is. I see this girl sitting at the bus stop that's going downtown. Now, I'm going to wait this bus out and if I don't get a courtesy ride, I'll keep walking to 25. If I do get a ride, I'll ask the driver where I can get on the bus to Española. Cool. It'll all be good.

                   Okay, I'm waiting for the bus downtown that comes at 39. It's like 36 right now.

     6:55am  The bus driver is giving me a courtesy ride to the park and ride. At first he wouldn't, but he changed his mind after a bit. Which bus was this? Route 2.

     7:04am  I tried to tell the bus driver on route 2 about what I was going to do. He wouldn't listen to me. He said, "Oh, there's only one person who can do that. Jesus Christ." I tell him, "So you're saying he brought peace to earth. If he did it sure wasn't everlasting peace.?" He said, "It's man's nature to sin."

     7:05am  This lady walked by and said, "Hey, it's Mr. Persimmon Stick." Hehe, I guess it was some lady I talked to yesterday. That's so cool. I'm already known.

     7:13am  I just took my army pants off. Man, I feel homeless with those pants on. Now I got just my shorts on and my poncho. I got my tie-dye with my fleece shirt underneath it and I got my uniform on the bottom.

     7:36am  Hehe, I just unloaded on Joe the bus driver at the park and ride. He was the route 2 driver and was waiting to leave. I started talking to him. He didn't interrupt me one time. That's awesome. I impregnated his mind, hehe. With goodness.

     8:05am  I'm in the plaza.

 

I'm going to take a picture of the plaza.

     8:09am  There's this statue that says, "May the union be perpetual." I like that quote.

                   Damn, I gotta wait 'til 11:50 for the bus to come.

     8:20am  I'm just sitting down smoking a cigarette. I loaded a hit of weed for later. For about mid-cigarette. I went up to the fountain here and refilled my water. I filled my 20 ounce and I noticed that all the water was cloudy and shit. So I just poured it out. Now I'll get water somewhere else. I'll go to the Five and Dime. It's closed right now but when it opens, I'll go there.

     8:56am  I see all these people walking around eating these things, like a fritter in a white pouch. I asked this guy where they sell them, I wanted to go get me one.

     9:00am  What's the name of this place? The French Pastry Shop. Nancy is being very generous and giving me half a loaf of bread. Thank you, Nancy.

     9:21am  I'm sitting here at the plaza in Santa Fe. Some people just walked up to me and said, "Hey man, are you from San Antonio?" I went, "Yeah, how do you know?" He told me I had met him at some park in San Antonio. Dude, what a small world. Crazy.

                   That dudes name was Peter.

     9:57am  Peter just took off and I just realized I could've probably asked him for some change for bus fare in case I don't get a courtesy ride. I called him and walked up to him. He gave me a dollar. Cool. Thanks Peter. To the victor go the spoils, hehe.

     11:02am  I'm telling this girl Theresa my ideas. I almost got through my California story, but her boyfriend showed up. She agreed with everything I said. This other girl came up and I asked her if I could bum a cigarette. She told me sure, if I would go buy some for her because she forgot her ID(yeah right, minor). I'm going to go buy her cigarettes. She gave me a ten dollar bill and I'm going' to go to the Five and Dime and buy some Camel Wides.

                     Breakin' the law, breakin' the law, tan, tan.

     12:00pm  I decided I would just wait until 1:20pm and catch the next bus. I let that girl read my California story. At first she said, "Oh, there's no way you're going to get rid of money," and at the end she went, "Wow, that's crazy. Good luck."

                     I gotta take a picture of the shopping part of town.

 

It's over here by Sandoval West San Francisco. Turning on Guadalupe street.

                     I'm walking down Mckenzie, turning left on Chapelle.

     12:39pm  Just getting up from a little smoking session in the shade. I asked this one lady which way was downtown and she told me straight ahead. I'm going to go find someone who will take my picture in the plaza. I need a picture of me. To show everybody what I look like.

 

My gear.

     1:55pm  I'm on this big bus, it's a Greyhound-type bus, to Española. It'll take me an hour to get there, I think. Well, this guy was late, so maybe longer.

                   I'm sitting with this lady who has two kids in the back of the bus. I asked her if she had the patience to read a ten page story. She said, "No, what's it about?" I told her it was about what I was going to do. I told her it was really interesting and she said ok. She's reading it right now.

     2:20pm  We stopped in Polwakee. I couldn't make out the name on the recording. That's probably wrong.

     2:29pm  I'm talking to this little girl telling her how water is medicine. She's talking to me all funny. She likes me and my rainbow beanie. Oh yeah, her mom didn't finish reading my story because her kids were bothering her.

     2:35pm  I have arrived in Española.

 

                    Early it seems. I'm going to go walk around.

     2:40pm  I stopped into this burger place to try and get something to eat. The guy told me that if I go to the police station that they would give me a food box. That's what I'm going to do. A mile walk.

     2:45pm  I'm stopping to smoke a cigarette in front of some place that says, "Valor Telecom." It's fucking hot today.

                   I came into the Blake's hamburger place and they hooked me up with some fries. The manager's name is Amanda.

     2:32pm  I just finished eating at Blake's. They had hooked me up with a really big greasy bag of French fries. I didn't think I could possibly eat them all, but I did. I'm so full. I got some calories now. Some grease to burn off. Now, I'm going to walk to the police station and get a food box. Whoopee. Food.

     3:49pm  I found the police station. It's in the middle of all these other things. It's between City Hall and . . oh man I went to the 409 address and there was a beautiful girl in there. I wish that would've been the police station, but it was next door.

     4:20pm  I have to celebrate. I was thinking about it. I'm like, "Oh shit, I'm at the police station, but screw it, I can go outside and hit my one-hitter and come back. I'm still waiting for the officer who told me, "I think we have a transient program, but I have to see if that's still running." I asked him if he could find out and he told him it might take him a while. So, I'm going to go outside and celebrate in front of the police station. I have the biggest balls of them all! Hehe.

     4:48pm  I got tired of waiting. I was almost falling asleep in the waiting room. I got up and knocked on the door. When a cop opened it I told him, "Hey, some officer told me he was checking to see if you still had a transient program running." He came and got my ID. He told me he would send the request through and we'd see what happened.

     4:55pm  I have exactly 122 Marlboro Miles in my cargo short pocket. I had less than a hundred last time I checked.

                   I want to make, stickitupyourass@hotmail.com.

     5:23pm  Finally, they came out. They gave me an $8 voucher for food. So I'm going to go score some traveling food. Getting ready. I'm going to walk down to the Greyhound station and see how much it is to Taos.

     5:44pm  The food voucher they gave me was only good at the Triple S gas station close to the police station. I scored at the Triple S. They have this Mexican food in there and I asked the guy, "Hey man, you guys would let me get some of that Mexican food with this voucher they gave me at the police station?" The guy told me if it was a problem, he would cover me. I asked him, "Well, I have $8 - could I get both? Some food here and from the gas station?" He said he didn't see how that would be a problem.

                    I went on a little shopping spree. I got me all these cake donuts, a big box of cookies and all this other shit. Like $8 worth of shit. Oh yeah, and the guy at the Mexican food part hooked me up with a huge half-price breakfast taco. He only charged me two dollars for it. I scored good.

     5:56pm  I walked down the street and I saw a sign that said, "420 Gear." Oh shit, a headshop. I stopped and ate my huge ass breakfast taco that guy hooked me up with. I smoked a cigarette and some weed and now I'm going to go in and talk to these people.

                   Let me tell you my inventory of what I scored at the Triple S. I got 2 things of Little Debbie glazed donuts - one frosted and one powdered, I got a Zebra Cake, I got a Little Debbie coffee cake, I got a Little Debbie donut stix, I got two Little Debbie oatmeal cream pies and a big thing of Keebler Chips Deluxe and all that fucking Mexican food. Mmm. I scored sooo good.

     6:05pm  I'm done eating. I'm going to go talk to these people.

     6:18pm  I'm over here at the 420 Gear shop telling these people about my mission. I'm going to go smoke another cigarette.

     6:44pm  I left the 420 place. They didn't hook me up with anything nor would they listen to my story. They had a computer right there and I was trying to let me put my harmless text files on it. I told them ignorance is bliss and kept walking. I'm at the Northern New Mexico community college now. Came to the vocational building to ask someone where I can get on a computer, but there's nobody anywhere. I'm going to keep on walking through the campus.

     6:51pm  I walked by and noticed an open door. I walk in and there's a computer right there. I easily hop on and check my email. This lady comes out and says, "We're closed." Oh well. I'm going to walk back to the Greyhound station. I can bum up $10 there.

                   I stopped at the Quickstop Conoco gas station and asked directions to the Greyhound. I gotta go down the street to the BoxStack place.

     7:36pm  I'm crossing Phil I. Valdez bridge.

     7:45pm  Passing the sign where it says Taos to the left and Santa Fe to the right. I'm going to Taos. It also points to Rio Arriba County Oñate Monument and Visitor Resource Center, that way.

                   The road I was walking down is called Fairview Drive. At the intersection of Fairview and Riverside. Big intersection.

     7:55pm  Ruby was gracious enough to give me a cigarette at the Quickstop. Thank you Ruby. I appreciate it.

     9:17pm  What's your name, brother? You can make something up if you want. Steven gave me a lift from the gas station. I don't know how far North he's taking me, but closer to Taos than I was before. That's very generous of you, man. I appreciate it.

                    Ahhh, we're going to die! He's going like 80 in a 45 zone! Flashback!

     10:00pm  We were driving and Steven tells me, "Man, if you would've shown up like an hour earlier, we could've gone and got my girl and I could've taken you all the way to Taos." I said, "Well, let's turn around and go get her." So that's what we just did. We're here at the restaurant she works at and we're picking her up. Steven's taking me all the way to Taos!!! Yeehaw!!

     11:45pm  Now entering Taos County Line.

     11:51pm  Steven is taking my ass to Taos. Him and Amanda are proving me right on my whole generosity thing.

     12:10am  We're getting pulled over by the cops.

     12:19am  The cops let me go. They didn't have anything on me. I got my ID back. Now I'm just going to keep walking, I guess. I don't know. Let's see what happens. I'm in Taos, hehe.

     12:46am  I'm walking around looking for a place to sleep. I found a church. I'm going to walk around behind it and see if I can crash anywhere.

 

Next day..