090208

                                                                                                                    San Antonio, TX

Day two: 37.6 miles

Tuesday September 2, 2008

     5:35am  I just woke up. I had a good rest. I didn't take any pictures because it's all dark, but I'll be sure to have links to the pictures I took when I crashed here last time around.  San Antonio River  Under  Bridge  Bed  Incline  Incline again  Green

     6:13am  All loaded up and ready to go. My feet feel great. I feel excellent today. I'm going to totally finish off the loop today.
                  
     6:19am  I climbed up the ditch and I'm walking 1604. Hopefully there will be a gas station I can use the phone at so I can call my mom before she goes to work.

                   I didn't take pictures because it's all dark. I crashed in the same exact spot under the highway next to the San Antonio river where I crashed on my last walk around the loop. I'm walking now. I did my paranoid-checks and I have everything. I took all my trash and am leaving no trace. Only thing I am leaving is my imprint on the dirt. My neutral carbon footprint.

                   Blurry sunrise.

     6:45am  Passing Farm Road 327.

     6:50am  Just walked into the town of Elmendorf. City limits.

     6:57am  Sorry, mom. There's no gas stations forthcoming so I'm going to sit down and have my breakfast. I haven't eaten anything today yet.

                   I had thought I had lost my toothbrush and mouthwash, but I found them and used them after I ate some pasta.

     7:18am  Up and at 'em, walking. Next break at 9:18am unless I get to a gas station sooner. I have to take a shit.

                   I took a picture of the sunrise. I hope it comes out alright. The batteries in my camera just now died. I've got ten bucks so I can buy some new ones. It was awesome how I didn't have to spend any money at the Burger King yesterday. I got hooked up.

     7:22am  I just stopped to take a picture of this cute hound dog that was barking at me, but my batteries died right after I took it. After I took it the lens retracted by itself. I doubt the picture came out.

     7:24am  Passing Schultz Road.

                   The sun is up and my peace signs are flying. I'm having a great second day so far. I ate and I'm not hungry. At first I had a cramp when I started walking but it went away. I want to call my mom so she won't worry. I'll leave her a message, at least.

     7:58am  Cool, coming up on the 181 JCT. Sweet, I can see a Valero sign.

     8:08am  Coming up on the Valero on 181. I walked down this big hill.

     8:12am  I called my mom and left a message. I'm going to take a shit now.

     8:45am  Leaving from the Valero. I had a badass little break. Still walking East. I refilled my ice too.

                   Singing: "Loop 1604 is shaped exactly like the Earth. If you go straight long enough you end up where you were."

     8:51am  From the Valero I didn't go under 1604 and turn right to start walking 1604. Before the highway I turned right and cut through the grass. I'm almost to 1604 and I see the sign that says I am walking 1604 North now. The next town is Converse. 8 miles to 87. Shit, it's thirty something to Converse. Fuck, I don't know if I can finish off the loop today.

                   Whew, 23 to Converse, not 33. My next rest is in 8 miles at 87. Maybe.

     8:59am  Passing over Calaveras Creek.

     9:10am  Passing Stuart Road.

                   Hehe, yesterday I pulled a five to nine shift. 5am to 9pm.

     9:20am  Crossing Parita Creek.

     9:33am  Crossing Bernhardt Road.

     9:56am  Jim Terrill Road, passing it.

     10:09am  Passing the Colonial Cottage. 10620 is the address. I should have been recording addresses all around the loop so I could clock the distance easier on mapquest.com.

     10:14am  Passing Roddy Road.

     10:16am  I'm taking a piss-pause.

     10:17am  Leaving from my piss-pause.

                     Coming up on the 3432 Farm Road JCT.

     10:29am  I'm going to sit in the shade and rest at this gas station. I am about fifteen minutes early for my rest. I took a picture of the shade I'm going to sit in.

     10:45am  Leaving. I took a break on top of this GRILLA GAS thing. I smoked a cigarette, even though it said no smoking. I took two big resin hits too. I have six dollars left, by the way.

     11:15am  Passing Cooksey Road.

     11:21am  Walking in front of Haven Estates.

     11:23am  Passing Dubose Lane.

     11:24am  Coming up on Farm Road 3465.

     11:26am  Cool, I see the highway off in the distance. 87, I think.

     11:29am  7 miles to St. Hedwig's.

                     Coming up on the 87 junction. There might not even be a gas station here. Wait, there's the FINA right there.

                     I'm not going to stop at the FINA. I'm going to keep going.

     11:45am  6 miles to St. Hedwig's and 8 to I10.

     12:12pm  6 miles to I10 now.

     12:20pm  I forgot to mention. I passed by the store with the big Sinclair sign, some barbecue place or a bar. Some country thing, but it seems to be closed. That really sucks. I'm totally out of water. I thought it was open because I saw a car parked in front. I'm out of water. I just have ice in my bag. I have to let it melt.

                     Cool, there's a River of Life Christian Church. There's a car parked in front. Maybe I'll go ask them for some water. This is messing up my time. I only have six miles left to I10. There will be a gas station there, for sure. I'm about fifteen minutes early from my rest again.

     12:43pm  I am leaving The River of Life Church. When I first got there the front door was locked, so I buzzed the intercom. This one lady walked by and saw me through the window and quickly went to another room and got on the intercom, "May I help you?" I asked her if they had a water fountain and she said, "Umm, there's a water hose on the side of the building." That's right, lady. Be afraid. I should have told her I was a missionary walking around Loop 1604. Anyway,
when I went to the side of the building they had a hose but it wasn't connected and I didn't see the spigot. I walked to the other side and had the same situation. Luckily, there was a sprinkler valve sticking out of the ground I was able to get some water out of. The water tastes alright, I guess. I'm going to keep walking now.

                     Oh yeah, I was sure to tag the bench I sat down and smoked at with havethisbook.com with a peace sign.

     12:45pm  I'm back on 1604. I'm walking now. I ate a trailmix bar at the church. I've got one left. Next rest at two thirty.

     1:17pm  Coming up on Abbott Road in another half mile.

     1:23pm  I found a good Marlboro Red on the ground.

                   Wait, I see another one. Sweet, two.

                   I found the box they came out of and it had three more inside. I found eight total, sweet. This isn't the first time I've found scattered new cigarettes on the ground. I have to look up the last time(7-14-08:9:04pm). I think it was walking in Ohio earlier this year. I had found a whole pack scattered on the side of the highway. Actually, I think I found twenty one cigarettes total.

     1:25pm  Coming up on the St. Hedwig's City Limit sign. Coming up on the 1346 JCT.

     1:27pm  Passing 1346.

                   4 miles I think it says to I10. I can see I10 way off in the distance.

                   Found a quarter.

     1:49pm  Crossing Martinez Creek. Hmm, if there's shade down there I'm going to stop and smoke a cigarette. Screw it, I'm just going to keep walking.

     2:09pm  Passing Schuwirth Road. I10 is getting closer.

     2:17pm  I see I10 like a mile off now.

     2:30pm  I'm still like half a mile away from I10, but I'm going to sit and rest here. I don't see any gas stations up there at all.

     3:00pm  Leaving from my rest in the shade. I drank all my water. Hopefully there's a gas station at I10. I really need more water. I took a whole half hour break. I needed it.

                   Coming up on the I10/90 JCT.

     3:07pm  Wow! CW just pulled over on the other side of the highway and asked me if I needed a ride. I told him no thanks, that I was walking 1604. Then to my delight he asked me, "Do you want some water?" I needed some water, bad! I really appreciate it, CW. Everybody gets credit. Thank you so much.

                   Whoa, just what I needed. CW even told me, "Wow, perfect timing." He gave me a bottle of water. Thank you, Love! Nice!

                   I'm pretty sure I see a gas station. I see an ATM sign.

     3:12pm  Walking under I10.

                   That's not a store. That's a bank ATM drive-through and that's it. If CW wouldn't have stopped I wouldn't have any water for who knows when. The next store could be for miles. I needed water so fucking bad. I was so counting on there being a store at I10 and there wasn't.

     3:17pm  Look at those miles I have to walk.

     3:26pm  Do you see how the universe provided for me? I didn't know when the next store was going to be. I still don't know. Right now I'm to that part with the big winding road. I would've had to walk all that with no water if it weren't for CW.

     3:30pm  Walking in front of the Loop 1604 Booster Station. Water Authority.

     3:48pm  I just walked all the way to the bottom and took a picture looking back at the top of the hill.

     3:53pm  Crossing Graytown Road.

                   Entering the town of Converse. That means I have walked at the very least 23 miles today. More than that.

     3:57pm  Coming up on Autumn Run Lane. I see an Exxon down there, I think. Hallelujah.

                   Autumn Run is the name of that evil neighborhood. I had taken a picture of the nasty urban sprawl when I was walking down the hill.

     4:06pm  Holy shit, that Exxon that I see if the one right next to the Maranatha Church I crashed at last time when I walked around the loop. That means that Exxon is the Rocket Mart.

                   Old Seguin Road and 1604.

     4:12pm  Victor's back at the Rocket Mart. I wonder if they'll recognize me. I'm going the other way around.

                   I looked at a map inside the Rocket Mart and the San Antonio River hits 1604 over by S. Flores Road. For when I clock it on mapquest.

     4:54pm  Leaving from my break at the Rocket Mart. I spent all my money. I bought me a chunk of pizza and a breakfast biscuit thing for later. I refilled my ice. They didn't have any water on their soda fountain so I discreetly took a liter bottle of drinking water out of the cooler and poured it into my bag and threw the bottle away. At the end I had a dollar left. I grabbed two honeybuns and put one in my pocket and paid for the other one. Suckers. Fuck the system.

                   I looked at a map and man, I have the whole top of the loop to do. It's pretty safe to say I'm not going to finish today.

     5:08pm  I took a picture of the Boys Ville water tower.

     5:11pm  Passing Rocket Lane.

     5:29pm  I just took a piss pause in front of all the traffic here, hehe.

                   I'm right across the street from Randolph Air Force Base. Over by the High School Gate I took a picture of last time.

     5:33pm  Passing Hanover Cove.

     5:36pm  I am taking an exhaustion-break here. I've only been walking from the Rocket Mart, but I'm tired as hell. I need a break. I need a drink of water. I can see the Universal City HEB from here. That's where I'm going to call my mom. From there I'm just going to take it slow and take lots of breaks. I'll get my water refilled a lot and get hooked up at taquerias. I'll just take it slow and find a place to camp for the night. It sucks that I won't be able to do it in two days, like I had thought. I don't have it in me. But hey, two and a half is better than three and a half. Hell, even less than three days is better than three and a half.

     5:54pm  Limping away from my rest. I'm going to walk to the HEB and call my mom.

     6:00pm  Shit, I left my one-hitter from where I stopped. I have to go back for it. It's mission-critical. Man, I can't believe that little resin ball has lasted me all the way around the loop almost. I've been taking resin hits at every single smokebreak.

                   Running low on resin

     6:06pm  I walked back and discovered my one-hitter was in my pocket all along. I'm dumb. I double-backed for nothing.

     6:14pm  Walked over FM 78.

     6:37pm  Taking the Kitty Hawk Road exit. Going to the HEB. Almost there.

     6:40pm  Walking into the HEB.

     7:01pm  I went in the HEB and called my mom on the courtesy phone. She was real glad to hear from me. I was real glad to talk to her too. When the customer service girl was done with her customers she told me, "I saw you way over there and you are already over here!" I went to the deli to refill my bag with ice and another employee recognized me and told me she had seen me walking. I asked her if I had given her the peace sign and she said no, that I was looking down. I got
recognized twice in the HEB!

     7:04pm  Leaving from the HEB. Limping away.

     7:31pm  Coming up on the Pat Booker Road/Live Oak exit. I see a sign that says I35 half a mile away.

     7:38pm  I'm over here by that Redcats place I stopped at last time around.

                   I'm jumping over to the other side of the highway at Pat Booker, so I can keep giving cars the peace sign.

     7:44pm  Walking in front of the Live Oak Civic Center. I'll take a picture.

                   Whoa, the sign says it's a hundred degrees right now! It doesn't feel that hot. The sun is starting to come down. That has to be wrong. If by the off-chance that's right I wonder how hot it was earlier.

     7:54pm  Walking over I35.

                   I'm giving every car the peace sign. Every single one. So many people wave back.

                   I'm walking 1604 West now, nice.

     8:00pm  Walking in front of the Randolph Brooks Federal Credit Union. RBFCU, Live Oak.

                   I just got done taking a smokebreak right now. I just leaned on these yellow crash barriers.

                   I just found me a yellow lei. I put it around my neck.

     8:18pm  Just crossed Nacogdoches.

                   I'm going to try and score at Jim's.

     8:39pm  I'm going to go hit up Jim's. Let's see what they tell me.

     8:41pm  The greedy ass manager at Jim's told me no.

                   He was all, "No, we can't do that." This old white guy. Haha, I called him a greedy ass to his face. I yelled, "NOBODY wants world peace!" I told him I was just testing him and that he was a good little slave and just walked out.

                   It's all a number's game.

     8:44pm  Lisa at the Wendy's is being nice enough to hook me up with some food. I really appreciate it. The greedy ass at Jim's told me no.

     9:07pm  Taking off from my smokebreak in front of the Wendy's. I got hooked up. Hehe, I got the greedy asses picture at the Jim's. I hope he saw me taking it. I was just testing him anyway. His greedy ass failed.

                   At the Wendy's I went in there and told them, "This is my second walk around 1604. Will you guys hook me up?" The girl immediately asked me what I wanted and I gave her my usual, "Surprise me." She insisted I choose. I said whatever and then she just gave me a burger and fries. I told her, "I walk for peace...through marijuana." She smiled real big. For sure I gave them my website. I'm going to keep walking now.

     9:24pm  Psyche, I'm not going to keep walking. I have already secured my camp in the woods after the Walmart behind the Wendy's. I'm right across the highway from Rolling Oaks Mall. I found a spot under a tree and put my rain poncho down and pulled out my sleeping bag. I'll take pictures in the morning. I'm going to crash out hard.

Next day..