Winnemucca to Mcdermitt, NV
Friday September 10, 2004
5:51am I woke up around five in my little camp right underneath the Model T sign. Umm, I just came to the bathroom at the truckstop. I just took a shit and stuff. They told me they were going to run me out last night, but they didn't. I went right to sleep after that. Let's see what happens.
6:10am I went to the truckstop and I asked for a lighter. They won't give me a lighter. They won't let me buy a lighter. They wouldn't even give me matches. I saw some lady smoking a cigarette in the casino if I could borrow her lighter and she gave me some matches. Now, I'm at the Burger King and I'm going to try and score some free food. A cop just pulled up, so I don't know. I might be having me a good presentation soon, hehe. I'm going to get ready for my walk.
6:12am No-go at the Burger King. They failed. He said, "Not this time."
6:19am I just had an awesome presentation with the cop that just pulled up. I asked him where was highway 95 and he told me. Then I asked him if I could tell him an interesting story. He told me sure. When I got to the part where I say, "How can alcohol be legal?" The cop said, "Alcohol is only here for biblical reasons. So is marijuana." When I asked him, "What do you think would happen if all the world leaders got together and smoked some weed," he said, "Oh, I'd hate to see what happens if that were to happen."
6:58am I went to the Chevron across the street and had a good presentation with some guy Mike. He listened to me and agreed with me. I told another guy my story too. I got his email.
8:14am I had a good presentation at the Riverside Grocery Liquor. With the girl who works there. Some highschool kid. She listened to me. I got her email address. I'm going to stand right here and stick my thumb out. 95 North.
Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you I'm walking on 95. I passed by a place called Sonora Thrift Shop.
8:55am I came to the Sonora Thrift Shop here. There's a quote on the wall that says, "Never be afraid of change - it just means new opportunities."
"Friends! You can never have too many."
"Aim high - you can be anything you want."
"Give whatever it is you can give."
I'm going to tell this lady my story.
9:08am I walked out of the thrift store and Doreen hooked me up with a cigarette outside. I appreciate it, Doreen. Everybody gets credit, thanks.
9:09am Oh yeah, in that thrift store I walked in I saw all those cool quotes on the wall. I was just convinced the lady would listen to me. When I said, "If you are willing to listen . . ." she went, "No, I don't want to listen." I told her, "Ignorance is bliss," and walked off. I went and took a couple shots of Muscleblast in front of the thrift store. Afterwards I said, "I wish I had a cigarette." Lo and behold, this girl Doreen walked up.
9:45am Passing sign that says Orovada 38, Mcdermitt 69.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. There's a Humboldt County in Nevada too. I'm in it. I just passed the sign that says Humboldt County Regional Landfill on the left.
10:12am Passing mile marker that says US 95 HU400.
10:29am Passing Mile marker 500.
10:47am Mile marker 600.
I didn't tell you I see a little town in the distance. I'm almost to it. Let's see if I can get some food.
11:05am I'm coming up on Mile Marker 700. The street this little community is on is Lambert Drive.
11:14am I got to that street, this lady stopped her car and checked the mailbox that's right next to the highway. I asked her how far the highway was and she said like fifty miles. Then another guy came later and I asked him and he said it was more like twenty five. He told me I've walked like six to eight miles from downtown Winnemucca.
Please Love, I ask you. Please let somebody stop for me.
11:49am Whoa, this guy in a pickup truck just pulled over. I'm on my way to 40 now.
12:10pm Larson McKee is the generous soul giving me the ride to 40. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.
12:18pm My prayers were answered! Remember I made that prayer to love right before? I just got dropped off at 40 and 95. I40 is barely traveled at all. It's a long ass road. There's nothing here until Denayo, almost on the Oregon border.
I don't know if I'm pushing my luck but I'm going to say another prayer to Love. Love, please grant me another ride. I want to get to Oregon already. I'm not that far. Sixty nine miles away. Oh, and I never mentioned I'm on my last tennis ball. All those tennis balls in Santa Fe lasted me until now.
1:25pm I talked to this one rancher guy hauling a horse. He asked me if I wanted a ride. I told him, "Yeah, I'm trying to get to Oregon." He told me he was going back to Winnemucca, so I told him, "Thanks anyway. It's the thought that counts. You wouldn't happen to have a cigarette?" He didn't have one. Nobody smokes around here.
Love, at least grant me a cigarette, please.
I shouldn't be begging for a cigarette, I know.
1:35pm I got my cigarette! Thank you, Love! I got my cigarette. This trucker pulled up to the stop sign and I gave him the smoking hand gesture.
2:08pm Gary hooked me up with a brand new pack of cigarettes! Score! I appreciate it.
What a blessing! Gary told me, "I just quit like a month ago and forgot I had a whole pack of cigarettes left. I got me a whole pack of cigarettes!
Ask and thou shall receive!
2:17pm I'm just out here all happy and giving people the peace sign. I gave it to this one guy going North on 95 and he pulled over and he's going to give me a ride to Oregon! Cool, cool. Not the right way I wanted to go, but I'll still be in Oregon.
2:53pm This dude Sheldon just dropped me off in Mcdermitt, NV. Right on the Oregon border. He just hooked me up with a twenty dollar bill! Sweet! I can get me some food. Thanks, brother.
2:54pm Whoa, what a magical occurrence. That's awesome. I got a ride to Mcdermitt already. I'm at some gas station out here in front of the Say When Casino. The unleaded gasoline is $2.24/gallon. Super Unleaded is $2.41. Premium is $2.38.
3:07pm Pauline at the food stand here hooked me up with a soda. I appreciate it, Pauline. Everybody gets credit, thanks.
The store in Mcdermitt where I got dropped off at, the people working there are Native American. I can't wait to tell them my story.
Before, that girl Pauline had told me, "Do you want a soda?" I told her, "Sure, I'll take a root beer." She got me this big root beer. I pulled out my tape recorder, gave her credit and asked her, "Can I tell you what I'm doing?" She told me, "Well, my boss is here." I got me a big double meat cheeseburger. When she hooked me up with the soda I told her, "The guy who just dropped me off gave me a twenty dollar bill. I can pay for it." She told me, "Don't worry about it."
4:36pm Time for a major update. I went inside the gas station/motel and told the lady working inside my story. She listened to me wide-eyed the whole time. I didn't get to finish. I left off in San Francisco. Oh yeah, I asked her, "Hey, do you have a dirty bathroom I can take a shower in?" She told me, "We charge seven dollars for showers." I told her forget it.
Then I saw Sheldon, the guy who had given me a ride up here. He got a room, so I asked him, "Hey, can I score a shower?" He told me sure.
Hehe, Mcdermitt is treating me real nice. Oh yeah, I'm asking every kid I see for weed, because I've got like fifteen dollars left. The girl working at the food stand told me I should ask the janitors at the motel. That they usually had some.
4:52pm I went inside the Say When Casino I had two quarters and a nickel and I played the nickel slot machine. I didn't win anything though.
I should've known better. Oh well.
Oh yeah, I had thrown my cup away at the casino. I am sitting over here by the burger stand. Pauline asks me, "Do you want another drink?" Sure. Another root beer.
6:08pm I was out here at the burger stand. I see these kids playing basketball and I went and asked them if they knew where I can score some weed. They told me no and asked me where I was from. I told them, "San Antonio, Texas." I told them about my mission and my story. What was your name? Ryan Murrah. Part-way through my presentation he told me, "Hey, everything you just said, can you say it again? I want to get this on tape." Ryan had just gotten this high-tech digital camcorder. I rewound my act and he tape recorded my emtire presentation! It was awesome. I got to review it and everything. It came out to eighteen minutes long. Man, I went way too fast. I hauled ass. Ryan Murrah. Remember that email and I want him to send it to me.
6:18pm I was so meant to come here! That kid taped my whole story. I see I have to work on it. Yeah, he had just gotten a five hundred dollar video camera. I told him, "I need one of those." I said my whole story. Well, my default presentation that I give people these days. I mentioned to Ryan that I needed a new tennis ball for my stick and he told me there was a school nearby that had tennis courts.
6:26pm I came to the school here to look in the tennis courts. They only had one tennis court, but I didn't find any balls anywhere. All of a sudden those kids call me. Steve's mom hooked him up with a tennis ball for me. I appreciate it.
6:32pm Ryan Murrah wants to say something.
Ryan: "Well, a lot places around here are owned by my family or my ancestors. My grandpa donated the money for a football field for the school. Claud Reeves. My great uncle and great aunt, they own the trailer park. My aunt owns a place where the ambulance stays right now. And, if the ambulance weren't here, a lot of people would be getting killed. And the Say When Casino and the truckstop and that little store, my uncle owns them."
Why do you hate your uncle?
Ryan: "He's just really uptight and on everyone's case. If you go over there and ask for a job, he'll want your automatic transcript and if you don't have anything good in your work history, you won't get a job. And, that's a gas station."
7:04pm I went and hung out in front of the gas station. These guys commented on my stick. This couple. A wife and husband. I told them my story and they were mighty impressed. I told them, "Yeah, I'm stuck here until I get a ride out of here." The guy told me, "Well, we're not leaving until tomorrow." I asked them where they were going and they told me Portland. I'm getting a ride to Portland tomorrow! They just showed me where their house was and everything. They told me to show up around eight thirty or nine in the morning.
I'm really doing my follow-up tour.
Mcdermitt is awesome! Those little kids videotaped me.
Oh yeah, I got money. I can get a camera. Perfect, perfect.
They're eight bucks.
8:30pm Holy shit! I had some quarters leftover for change, so I decided to go back to the casino. Get this, the first nickel I put in the slot machine this time hits jackpot! All these nickels start gushing out of the slot machine. It took a long time for it to dispense it all. I won eight hundred nickels! I filled up like four or five little cups. I just won forty dollars after putting in five cents!
10:34pm I'm leaving Tashina's house. I had asked this guy at the gas station if he knew where I could score some weed. He told me to go over to this house and ask for Tashina. To tell her David sent me. I went over there and ended up telling them my story. Some older hippie lady who lived in San Francisco. She told me she had sex with Shel Silverstein in Golden Gate Park. They told me, "Oh, well can't give you a place to stay." I told them, "That's ok. I didn't ask. I can crash in the back of Sheldon's truck at the motel."
And I didn't get any weed. That sucks.
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