071508

 

Eaton to New Madison to Greenville, OH

Tuesday July 15, 2008

     6:54am  I just woke up. Let me see how much sleep I got. Seven hours.  I took a picture of my camp.

     7:09am  All packed up and ready to go.

     7:31am  I am leaving from the Sunoco. I had a good morning break in front of it. I brushed my teeth and smoked a cigarette. Tom in Cincinnati had given me some lunchmeat and some bread. I made a sandwich this morning at my camp. I'm going to walk. This town is dead. At least right now it is. Some lady told me the library opened at eight, but I don't really need to check my email or nothing. I'm going to keep walking. I'm going to try and make it to Celina today.

     7:39am  I just stopped and took a picture of the statue of William Bruce, founder of Eaton. February 20, 1806.

     7:56am  I just walked up to Five Points by the Speedway. I'm going to go inside and take a shit.

     8:20am  I had a good presentation with this guy wearing a Tool shirt that works at the Speedway here. He came outside to smoke a cigarette and I told him my intro and mission-objectives. He told me he had to get back to work so I just closed him with the two favors and gave him my website. In the end he told me I was a good storyteller.

     8:40am  Leaving from the Speedway. I got bored. Seven miles to Highway 70, I think.

     8:41am  Wait, there's a McDonald's right here. I'm going to eat a burger, take a resin hit and start walking.

     8:49am  I am leaving the McDonald's. I gave the pretty cashier my website. I got a sausage burrito to-go.

     8:54am  I walked up to the Marathon. There's a Big K and there's a Walmart close by. They've got benches in front of the Marathon, so I'm going to sit down and eat my burrito.

     9:08am  Taking off from the Marathon. Man, I'm all stoned. I'm resinated.

     9:11am  I picked up a burnt CD on the ground. It says Jim Jones, re-up, MIMS. I don't know what it is. Maybe I should keep it.

     9:23am  I stopped at the first shade I came to. It's hot. I'm going to rest and thumb it.

     9:36am  Leaving from my rest.

     9:45am  Coming up on the 726 Junction. I'm still walking 127 North.

     9:47am  West Manchester 8 miles and Greenville 23.

     9:48am  I see a sign that says BARN SALE. I'm going to go check that out. I have a dollar or something. Barn sale at the Bowser's.

     9:53am  There was nothing good at the barn sale. Hmm, I should've left a havethisbook.com inside the "barn." The lady was inside the house watching the kid.

     9:55am  I just put one in their mailbox. There was a letter there too. She hasn't checked her mail yet.

     9:56am  Back on 127, walking. Little detour there.

                   On my website instead of asking, "And what exactly are you doing for world peace. Besides fueling the evil machine preventing it," say, "Are you doing anything for world peace? Or are you just fueling the evil machine preventing it?"

     10:25am  I walked the sight-distance, to the next turn in the highway. I'm going to sit and rest in the shade next to this cemetery.

     10:44am  Leaving from my rest in the shade next to the Zion Cemetery. Right next to the Cool Gospel Temple.

     10:52am  Coming up on Winnerline Road.

     10:55am  Target Enforcement Area, whatever that means.

     10:59am  Hell yeah, I see a TA in the distance. A truckstop sign. I hope that's what that is.

     11:13pm  I just took a picture of the Pilot truckstop at I70.

     11:39pm  Leaving from my break at the Pilot.

                     I'm out of food and I am out of money. I'm going to go thumb it North, but I might come back to the gas station to hang out.

     12:06pm  Right on the other side of the interstate is the TA truckstop, the sign I saw earlier. I had bought two donuts at the Pilot and ate them both. I'm going to stand here and thumb it for an hour or so. Hopefully somebody will give me a ride. Actually, I have one slice of sandwich meat and one slice of bread.

                     I've been waving the peace sign to every single car on the walk up here. Even the ones going my way get the peace sign. Everybody waves back. I've also been walking on the opposite side facing cars so they can see me give them the peace sign.

                     Dayton Travel Center is where I'm at.

     12:14pm  The sun is really getting into my eyes without a hat on. I just got my camo do-rag on. I'm going to walk until there's some shade and thumb it.

     12:18pm  About to pass the Treble County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

     12:40pm  I walked up towards the Marathon gas station and I saw a fruit stand. The guy inside saw me walking and called me over. He listened to my story and he volunteered me some ears of corn. I appreciate it. Everybody gets credit.

     12:46pm  I just walked across the street to the Marathon. I'm going to smoke a cigarette and expose my shirt.

     1:05pm  I stopped in the shade right in front of Ceder Brooke Farm. Ohio Bicentennial 1803-2003. I'll take a picture. I'm going to rest in the shade and thumb it and smoke a cigarette. I'm in front of 7874 whatever street this is.

     1:21pm  Hmm, I don't know how far the next gas station is, and I'm out of food, so I'm not going to keep walking. Well, just back to the Marathon.

     1:33pm  Back at the Marathon at the stoplight. I'm standing in the shade right next to this billboard. They've got a big couch here I'm sitting on.

     1:54pm  Did I tell you they have a couch right here? I scooted it over so it would be in the shade of the billboard. I'm going to try and take a nap. Resin makes me tired.

     3:12pm  Man, I got rescued! See, I took a nap in the couch I put in the shade. I woke up and before you know it I'm getting a ride to Greenville, awesome. Let's see if the town lives up to its name.

     3:36pm  Some more magic happened. I just finished telling Rob my story. He asked me if I was doing anything in particular right now and I told him no, not really. If you don't plan things you never get let down. It's good to be free. He's got to run some errands at the courthouse, but then he's going to take me to his house so I can meet his wife and he said he'd smoke me out! I appreciate it, brother.

     4:12pm  We just drove over to New Madison where Rob lives. Sweet, we're going to make four twenty right on time!

     4:26pm  What a magical adventure I am on. We smoked some kynd bud! We smoked this badass weed in Rob's garage here. I'm going to get to tell his wife my story. She's twenty eight and he's thirty four.

     5:41pm  I was just magically delivered to Greenville. Man, I had the most awesome presentation with Amy, his beautiful wife. She was one of the best listener's I have ever had, seriously. Her eyes were locked on mine the whole time. She heard every word I said. In the end Rob hooked me up with a bud AND ten dollars, hell yeah! Everything happens for a reason.

                   Rob gave me a big bag full of snacks, too. I've got food.

     5:51pm  Rob dropped me off at this Sunoco. Right now a white van full of Lighthouse Christian Church kids saw my shirt and they were all giving me the peace sign and laughing. I took my pack off and showed them the back of my shirt.

                   I just got run off from the gas station by a cop. The owner of the store got all scared. The cop was cool as hell with me though. I'm going to go thumb it on the onramp or something. I don't know.

     6:43pm  I am almost to the onramp. I've got thirty two miles to Celina.

     6:47pm  Made it to the onramp.

     7:44pm  Curt and James just pulled over for me. How old are you guys? Sixteen and seventeen. I appreciate it, guys. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     7:56pm  I just got magically teleported by Curt and James. I am only fifteen miles away from Celina now. I'm thinking about just walking it. Maybe I can get a ride. Twenty five miles away, I mean. The sun is coming down. It's not that hot anymore. I got food. I got weed. I got it all.

     7:59pm  I got dropped off in front of the Annie Oakley Restaurant. I'll take a picture.

     8:44pm  I walked around the vicinity. I'm thinking about camping for the night. I was looking around the picnic area right across the street from the restaurant and Terry just walked up to me and handed me a plate of food! I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit. Thanks a lot.

     8:54pm  I just ate a huge plate of food. I am so stuffed. I'm going to walk to Celina tonight. I'm not going to wait until tomorrow. Umm, or at least I'm going to walk to my campspot.

                   Screw camping. I'm walking to Celina. I've got me a full tank.

                   Right across the street from the restaurant there is an Annie Oakley Picnic Area. I took a picture of the plaque. I thought I was going to jump the fence and camp in the corner behind it, but I'm not. I was blessed with a bigass plate of food. These people were standing in front of the restaurant and had seen me hitchhiking earlier, they made me a plate of food. That was awesome.

                   I took a picture of the purple sky. It's beautiful. I hope it comes out good.

     9:22pm  Passing Burch Road.

     9:34pm  Coming up on the 47 Junction. I'm scanning for a campspot.

                   Versailles five to the right and something three miles to the left. I see a tree line up ahead. Maybe I can crash in those woods.

     10:01pm  I secured my campspot for the night. I walked to that tree line I mentioned earlier. I walked into the woods and found a spot and cleaned up all these spiny sticks, made a little corridor and put my military rain poncho down. I hope the bugs leave me alone tonight.

     10:48pm  I'm going to bed. Goodnight, everybody.

Next day..