Taos to Raton, NM to Colorado Springs to Denver, CO
Wednesday July 2, 2003
Email from <jimledz@hotmail.com>
8:00am I had a great night's sleep. I crashed out by this fence close to the Greyhound station. There were all these rocks piled up on pallets. I found me a good little spot and crashed out good. I had woken up at 5am this morning, but I went back to sleep. Hmm, I have an hour and a half to wait for the bus, which means I'll have enough time to find the station. Yesterday when I came I just remembered it was close to this big tall crane. Last night I saw the tall crane with a flag close to where I crashed, but didn't locate the bus station. It shouldn't be hard.
8:20am I'm sitting here at the spot where I crashed and these workers came by in a truck. I said hello and this guy came over and smoked a cigarette. I talk to him and tell him my ideas, but he didn't let me finish. He proved my whole ignorance thing right. He was all, "No, no, that's impossible. No one is going to work for free." I pointed out how no one was paying me to work on bringing world peace. I told him, "Ignorance is bliss," and took off walking for the Greyhound station.
9:45am The bus finally came. I'm on my way to Raton.
11:10am I was telling Rain my whole California story.
11:15am Entering Cimarron.
12:05pm I am in Raton. I asked the driver, "Hey, I don't suppose I can score a courtesy ride all the way to Cheyenne? He told me no, that he was getting off himself at Raton.
12:37pm I'm going to walk to the Denny's and see if I can get hooked up with some food.
12:41pm I came into Denny's and Lisa is hooking me up good. I went inside and gave her my shpeel about being a long-distance walker and writing a book on generosity. She agreed in a heartbeat. Then, I went and sat down and two different guys each came up to me and gave me even more money. They were just dudes standing in line waiting to pay for their food. One guy gave me $10 and the other five. I couldn't make out their names on the recording, but they know who they are.
Sweet. Badass, I got money. People love me in Raton. This is a cool town.
I just talked to Lisa. She's all being nice to me. She came up to me and told me, "To tell you the truth, I do smoke marijuana."
12:56pm Lunch is served. I got a big chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, some corn and a roll.
1:07pm I ate the food at the Denny's. Right after, I lit up a cigarette and decided to take a hit right there at the table. After I took the hit I saw a sheriff! Haha, I just took a hit of weed inside a restaurant with a sheriff sitting at the table right behind me! Owned to the bone. Fuck the system!
After that, I told Lisa goodbye and gave her a big hug. I took off walking North on the highway. They told me it would be uphill most of the way like seven or eight miles to the Colorado border. I walked like maybe a ½ mile. Then I got to thinking and realized I had some cash. Hmm, where can I score some weed? Oh yeah! Lisa told me she smoked, too. Let me go back to the Denny's and try my luck.
I came back to the Denny's and told Lisa how those two guys had just given me money. I told her I was almost out and if she knew where I could get some traveling weed. She told me, "Yeah, me." I was like, "Really? You'll sell me some?" She went, "No, I won't sell you any. But, I'll give you some." Badass! I'm going to get some weed and I'm not going to have to pay for it!
I went outside and sat down on a bench. Lisa called her son at home, I think. After about ten minutes, she came up to me and hooked me up with a little baggie. It's some really good weed. I smoked a cigarette and took some good hits. I'm ready now. I'm going to go walk those seven or eight miles uphill. Maybe someone will pick me up.
This is awesome. I got weed to share now, hehe.
1:44pm I got my water, three bottles in my bags. I got my walking staff. I got my rain poncho. I'm ready. Good 'ol Lisa equipped me to perfection. I've got weed. Enough, enough to give people. Badass.
I'm walking up Cedar street to highway 25 North.
1:46pm Turning right on Maple Street to the highway.
1:57pm Cool, I'm going to stop, smoke a cigarette and talk with these horses.
2:01pm Now I'm on East 1st Avenue. I'm going to turn on East 7th Street, up there. Then I'll be on the highway.
2:05pm Dude, I just stepped over that fence. Wasn't a problem at all. Now I'm going to walk to the other side of the highway.
2:07pm I'm walking up the highway, 25 North. I wanted to take a hit of weed, but I noticed I didn't have a lighter and I was almost out of matches. All of a sudden, I see a fuckin' lighter on the ground! I was thinking how perfect it would be if the lighter worked. I stooped down to get it and sure enough, it worked!
2:25pm I didn't walk that much. I stopped and I'm just resting my feet.
2:44pm I got all my shit together and I'm walking.
2:45pm I'm stupid. I have $20 in my wallet. I'm going to go back to the Greyhound station.
2:59pm I just walked passed this sign that says, "Hooter Brown's Truck Stop." Truck Convenient Store Open 24 Hours. Hmm, can you say my options are expanding? I'm going to go see how much a ticket is for the bus. Hell, I'm going to try and score a ride with a trucker.
I'm going to walk back over to the Denny's, sit down and rest and smoke a cigarette.
3:15pm I came back to the Denny's. I don't see anyone I recognized. I hope Lisa is still here.
I'm going to see what time Lisa gets off and walk to the truckstop and try and get a ride North. If I don't have a ride before Lisa gets off, I'll ask her if I can crash at her house. Like in her garage or backyard. Then tomorrow, when the bus station is opened, I'll come back and get out of here. Okay, later on.
Oh shit, I just found out Lisa already left for the day. Oh wait, I have her number. Cool. Maybe I'll give her a call.
3:42pm I'm having such a great day. I just chilled out and smoked. I'm going to walk to the truckstop. I gotta follow the signs.
3:58pm Shit, I already got my ride. To Colorado Springs. At the truckstop I asked the maintenance guy working outside, "Do you mind if I ask for a ride North?" He told me, "Nah, someone will take you." Then I went inside. Shortly after, the same maintenance guy comes in and tells me, "Hey, there's a truck going to Colorado Springs." Just before the truck was going to pull out, I got the drivers attention and hit him up for a ride. He reached over and unlocked the passenger door. Dude, that was almost too easy.
4:11pm Now leaving New Mexico. Entering Colorado. Welcome to Colorful Colorado.
4:54pm 119 miles to Colorado Springs.
5:53pm We're in Pueblo now.
7:00pm The truck driver(forgot his name) was hauling all these steel rafters for a new Walmart they're going to build. I helped him unstrap it. We were driving and I spot hundreds of houses as far as the eye could see. Urban sprawl up the ass.
People need to spread out.
More urban sprawl.
7:06pm I'm out here watching the guy take all the scaffolding off the truck with this badass Caterpillar machine. It's cool. All four wheels turn so it's very maneuverable.
7:26pm Man, what luck today. I swear. I called it right from the beginning. When I saw the truckstop sign. I'm glad the Greyhound was closed so I didn't have to spend my money. I got a ride to Colorado Springs! This is so cool. Sign, sign, everywhere the signs.
Weird, I don't see any bus stops anywhere.
8:00pm Lenny(truck driver's name) just dropped me off.
Hey, there's a Denny's. I'm going to go hit 'em up for free food.
8:03pm The manager at the Denny's said no. That's alright. I'm sure the next place I walk by will be generous and help me out. So, where to? Hmm, I guess I'll go downtown. I'll go find a church and hit them up.
I'm in front of the Carnegie Library. Built in 1905. "Has been placed on the national register of historic places by the United States department of the interior." Wow, It's an old building. 1905.
8:13pm I'm at the corner of Sherra and Tejon.
8:15pm I just got directed to the plaza. It's 2 blocks this way.
I found a spot under a tree to sit down and rest. I ate some of my Muscle Blast 2000. I'm going to smoke a cigarette.
8:57pm Zack is telling me that in Mazoula, Montana there is an old hippie named Michael that lives in a bus in the Coda Reservation and that he makes amazing rum. We are talking in Acacia Plaza.
Zack just recommended I walk down Bijou to Weber.
9:10pm I talked to these kids in the plaza. I got $20 in my wallet and I'm going to get a Greyhound ticket. Let's see if I can get to Boulder, CO at least. I'm sure there will be someone going to the gathering from there.
9:25pm Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that truck driver had given me a whole pack of Dorals. I got cigarettes, I got money, I got weed.
9:37pm The coolest shit just happened. See, this guy Mark drove me to the Greyhound station. I told him he didn't have to, that I'd walk. At the Greyhound station I asked the guy, "What's the next town North I can get to with $20? He told me Denver, $14. I asked him, "What about Boulder?" He told me I could catch the city bus to Boulder from Denver. I asked him when was the next bus to Denver and he told me he had one running late right now. I told him to put me down and now I'm on the bus headed to Denver! What synchronicity.
Oh yeah, let me tell you what happened. I was outside the Greyhound station talking to some guy smoking a cigarette. I pulled out that sack of weed that Lisa had hooked me up with in Raton. I pinched off a big chunk and loaded my one-hitter. It was more like a three-hitter. I sucked it down, put the weed and pipe back in my water bottle, where I stash it and then I see a dog coming around the corner. I think, "Aww, how cute, a stray." All of a sudden, I see three K-9 cops walk around the corner following the dog on a leash. I freak. If you had put a lump of coal between my ass cheeks it would've turned into a diamond. I was almost positive I was going to get busted. It wasn't that windy outside and I had loaded like three hits into my one-hitter, so it smoked a little after I hit it. I hadn't even held the hits in. I had exhaled them out normally. The dogs and cops walked right past me. I told them good evening. One shined his flashlight right in my face. I was almost positive I was busted. But, they just kept walking. The dog didn't smell a damn thing. Good boy. I am so lucky.
Oh damn. Talk about a sign. I gotta get out of Colorado Springs. I'm not going to luck out like this again in this town.
I'm on the bus now getting the hell out of Colorado Springs. Talk about a bad sign. In the plaza earlier I was talking to these kids telling about the bad impression I had gotten from Colorado Springs. All the suburbs. This city was all Babylon. I had told them, "Yeah, there's something really unsettling about this town." The guys I was talking to agreed with me.
I'm on the bus right now in the back seat with my feet up. This bus is pretty empty. If this bus wouldn't have been late, I probably would've had to wait a lot longer. Probably until tomorrow. I would've had to find a place to crash in Colorado Springs, which would have sucked royally. I'm really glad it was late. Shit happens for a reason. Cool, I'm all by myself back here. I'm going to smoke some weed, hehe. Hmm, what I should do is break up all the weed I got. Yeah, that's what I'll do.
I'm back here, I got three cushions all to myself. I'm going to pull out my Stinky Cheese man book and break up this weed so it'll be easily-loadable.
Hmm, I got all three of these seats to myself. I'm going to crash out.
11:07pm I'm in Denver. Badass. I think today is Wednesday the 2nd. I'm going to hang out at the Greyhound station, maybe crash out and talk to people.
11:44pm I went outside to smoke a cigarette and saw this girl crying. I asked her, "Hey, why the sad face?" She told me it was because she couldn't get her bus ticket because she was short $2. I grabbed my wallet and gave her a dollar bill. She then asked me, "Do you smoke cigarettes?" I said, "Sure, do you want one?" and gave her two Doral's.
She walked off and the security guard came up to me and told me, "Don't give her any more cigarettes. She comes here all the time." Bitch just conned me. That's what I get for being nice.
I've got to wait until 9am for the bus to Boulder.
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