083009

                                                                Spokane, WA to Coeur d'Alene to Rose Lake, ID

Sunday August 30, 2009

     6:20am  Up and at 'em. Actually, I just woke up. I'm not packed or anything, I just woke up.

     7:16am  I woke up alright. I had a nice little camp last night. I crashed behind the grass next to a wall of a neighborhood. I already tagged the wall with havethisbook.com and WPTMJ with a peace sign. I'm going to wait until it gets warmer. I scraped up a resin hit and I'm going to smoke a cigarette right now. I'll do something else in a minute. I'm surprised that it's a lot warmer just a little south.

     8:17am  I had a nice little researching session here. Just making sure I haven't taped over any of my stuff. I am complete. I need to do my typing pretty soon and update my website. Hmm, I could delete some pictures off of my camera, but I should conserve battery.

     8:35am  I'm all packed up and leaving. I crashed out behind the Contact Base Education building. I'll tell you what street I'm on. Prague and University.

     9:20am  I went to the McDonald's and took a shit. I'm going to wait and catch the next bus downtown with my last dollar.

     9:43am  I am at the plaza, the transit strip here.

     11:19am  I decided to skip town. I got a courtesy ride on I forgot what bus it was.

     12:14pm  I just dropped off at I90. But, I left my rainbow pillow on the bus! I don't know if he'll come back in another hour. Oh wait, there he is right there waiting.
                    
                     Got my pillow back, whew.

     12:26pm  I've been at the onramp for about five minutes. The traffic is alright, it's pretty steady.

     12:35pm  In no-time Jeff pulled over for me. Where are you going? Post Falls. Let's see what's there. I appreciate it, man.

                     I am in Idaho right now. He's giving me a ride to Coeur d'Alene.

                    Memorial Field

     1:43pm  I got dropped off about five minutes ago in front of this park. Jeff was cool as hell. We stopped at a pawn shop in Post Falls. He had to pawn his bike for gas money. He got a hundred bucks for it. He asked me if I was hungry and he bought me a burger at Arby's. I'm all fueled up for my storytelling at this park
                  
     3:15pm  I've decided to walk out of town, the park was pretty ignorant to me. I started walking and Damon with Revolution Church volunteered me some food. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit. Thanks a lot.

                   God-damnit, how unlike Christ Christians can be. Nobody wants world peace!

                   See, after I got some food I told them I had a really interesting story to tell. They told me to go ahead. One of the girls there told me she loved my shirt. I started my presentation and when I got to the as far as marijuana goes part this older lady cut me off. I laughed and told her, "Oh, you don't want world peace? Of all people." She said, "Not like that." Whatever works, lady. She told me I couldn't talk about that. I was just testing you anyway, you hypocrite.

     3:49pm  Man, as ignorant as they get, stupid Christians. At least they gave me food. I'll show them. I told her it would be a surprise. Before I left I was sure to tell them, "Thanks for making my story so interesting. Everybody gets credit."

     4:58pm  I thought I was going to keep going on 95, but I got bored thumbing it. I'm going to walk to I90 and hitch there.

                   I walked to the gas station and I had a good presentation with beautiful Heather. She listened to me great.

     6:06pm  I got bored on the onramp. I need some ice in my bag so I went to the Mobil and told this cute girl Heather my story. I told her the important part and the note from the rich. She gave me a good hug.

     6:38pm  Man, in no-time Scott pulled over for me. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit. Thanks a lot.

     7:00pm  Hell yeah, Scott just dropped me off at Highway 3/90 and gave me a five dollar bill! He dropped me at Rose Lake General Store. I'm going to go to the onramp. There's a bridge right here I can crash under if I don't get a ride. I've got five dollars for food.

                   Tagged the rail

     8:03pm  It's starting to get dark. I'm going to go make my camp under the bridge at the 4th of July Creek.

                   I checked and there was nowhere to sleep under that bridge, so I walked into the field behind the store and found a cool spot under this tree by the creek-bank behind the store to camp at. I'm going to go back to the store and take a shit.

     8:39pm  I came back to use the restroom at the Rose Lake Store. Right as I was walking out Alisha volunteered me a burger! I appreciate it, sister. Everybody gets credit. Thanks a lot.

     8:58pm  I forgot to tell you, I am reading Into the Wild. I started reading it yesterday. At the beginning of Chapter 9 there's the last letter ever received from Everett Ruess, to his brother, Waldo, dated November 11, 1934:

                   "As to when I shall visit civilization, it will not be soon, I think. I have not tired of the wilderness, rather I enjoy its beauty and the vagrant life I lead, more keenly all the time. I prefer the saddle to the streetcar and the star sprinkled sky to a roof, the obscure and the difficult trail, leading into the unknown, to any paved highway, and the deep peace of the wild to the discontent bred by cities. Do you blame me then for staying here, where I feel that I belong and am one with the world around me? It is true that I miss intelligent companionship, but there are so few with whom I can share the things that mean so much to me that I have learned to contain myself. It is enough that I am surrounded by beauty....
                   Even from your scant description, I know that I could not bare the routine and humdrum of the life that you are forced to lead. I don't think I could ever settle down. I have known too much of the depths of life already, and I would prefer anything to an anticlimax."

Page 91:

                   "The beauty of this country is becoming part of me. I feel more detached from life and somehow gentler... I have some good friends here, but no one who really understands why I am here or what I do. I don't know of anyone, though, who would have more than a partial understanding; I have gone too far alone.
I have always been unsatisfied with life as most people live it. Always I want to live more intensely and richly."

Next day..