Albert Lea to Austin and walking, MN
Sunday October 7, 2007
8:07am We got the boat hooked up and we're taking off fishing again. We've got the boat in tow. Troy is going to give me a ride to Austin later on.
8:50am I just got dropped off at the Shell station here in Austin, Minnesota. I'm going to see if I can ask for rides. Troy was a badass angel. Thank you, Love. He just hooked me up with nine bucks when he dropped me off. He told me to drink lots of fluid. I said, "I know. Hydrate or die." So I've got nineteen bucks. I used one of those free coupons I got from Angi in Albert Lea, for breakfast. They're good in Austin too. I got me a McGriddle. It was damn good. Troy just brought me over to Austin. I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm all stoned, haha.
8:53am Damnit, I hate this sign. Emergency stopping only. Pedestrians, bicycles, motorized bicycles prohibited. Damn, I've got weed on me so I can't afford to get stopped by a cop.
Hmm, I'm going to have to find another way to keep going that way.
9:25am I just got an idea. I had the back panel of that Puss 'n Boots book I got in Boulder back in 2005 in my bag, just to give it shape. I got a marker and wrote on it I GOT GAS $. I took a picture of it.
I went in the Shell. At first I hit the girl up for my story and tried telling it to her. She was totally willing to listen, "Sure, sure, keep going." Then her manager came and I just gave her my website. I'm just standing in front of the Shell station thumbing it and flying my I GOT GAS $ sign.
I've started on the second fourth to my journey. The top-side. I went up and now I'm going across. Then I'm going to go down and then across again.
10:15am I didn't tell you. I took a picture of my stuff earlier with the Albert Lea sign in the background. I set my camera up on the power box there and set the timer and ran off and got in the picture. Hello.
10:31am Dan hooked me up with a ride! I was just considering walking into town to check out Austin. Dan is giving me a ride a couple exits up. Is there a gas station nearby?
10:39am I just got dropped off at the Conoco in Austin on 4th Street. I'm going to walk to the library. It might not be open.
10:44am I'm walking down 4th Avenue.
Dan was badass, He had dreadlocks in his hair. I knew he smoked weed when I got in the car. He had tattoos on his arm and stuff. I told him, "Man, I got hooked up with some good shit in Albert Lea." I got him all stoned.
10:46am The library is closed. Oh well, I'm going to take a picture of this tower down the street.
10:47am Hmm, Tienda y Taqueria Guerrero. They're going to hook me up here for sure.
11:06am Lorena en la Taqueria Guerrero me dio comida. Te lo agradezco, señora. Todo el mundo recibe credito, gracias.
11:17am Turning left on Main Street.
11:18am Damnit, I never got a picture of the water tower(lost picture). I'm going to walk back and take it. I don't know. I'll see how far it is.
11:21am I'm walking down 4th Avenue NW passing the Hormel Historic Home. This is the town SPAM® was born in, everybody.
11:25am I just took a picture of the Saint Augustine Church. Turning left on 3rd Avenue NW. I see a big castle looking building. I'll take a picture of that.
11:27am I just took a picture of that castle building.
That's a high school! I want to look up the history of that building on the Internet. Here's what it says on Wikipedia:
"Austin High School is a public high school in Austin in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Established in 1857, Austin High is one of the oldest high schools in Minnesota. The home of the Packers, the school has 1,200 students; AHS prides itself on having strong academics, athletics, and fine arts."
That's a badass high school. I wish I could've gone to high school there.
11:31am I walked 2nd Street NW to Oakland Avenue W.
12:01pm John Sullivan.
I was just walking down the sidewalk and he pulled over to talk to me. I guess he saw the big peace sign on my shirt. I told him my story. Not the whole Odyssey, but just the important part. He offered me a ride to the East end of town. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit. Thanks for mobilizing me.
Man, that was just awesome. I was just walking down the street on the incoming side so I could wave at cars. All of a sudden this guy pulls his van over and talked to me. I told him my story. Oh yeah, he was able to swing me by the McDonald's and I was able to use my other free coupon.
12:44pm I'm walking away from the BP. I'm going to go to the onramp and stick my thumb out. There's a cool sculpture. I'm going to take a picture of it.
Some birds.
12:48pm I am on the onramp.
1:32pm I came down this grass hill to the highway. I'm going to thumb it here and maybe someone will pull over for me.
1:40pm Umm, I'm just going to walk the road. I don't care. I'm fearless. Please Love, protect me. Don't let the cops take my weed away again. I doubt I would go to jail. I could talk my way out of it.
1:44pm I'm going to walk down this hill and thumb the cars on the highway. Then I saw a cop and I turned around and started walking back up the hill. I'm not going to walk the highway.
1:56pm I got tired of sticking my thumb out. I'm going to walk into town, Austin.
Actually, I'm going to walk through this neighborhood parallel to the highway going East.
1:57pm Walking down 8th Avenue NE.
I came by this big huge lake. I took a picture.
2:11pm Oakland Pl NE dead-ends. I'm going to turn right on 19th Street.
2:26pm I walked all the way to 28th Street. I don't know if it keeps going. It ends pretty quick. Let's see if I can keep going walking on the grass.
2:38pm Since I can't walk on the highway I just kept going East cutting through these
fields that are private property. I took a picture of this big field I sploshed through. I see a street down there. Hmm, I can walk through these fields until I get access to the highway again. Umm, I don't need to get on the highway at all. What a crazy adventure I'm having cutting through these fields. My stick is exactly what I need for this walk.
2:48pm I just popped out on some road.
I don't know how far I am from the highway. I cut through this property. Address is 56540. Brown Chevrolet pickup truck. I'm walking on the road now. I turned left on the road.
I'm getting some good exercise sloshing through the mud.
3:11pm I'm going to take a breather. I walked a shitload, man. I've walked this same road for a long time.
I'm done with my smokebreak. I'm going to load up and keep walking.
3:22pm I'm in the friggin' boondocks. I don't know where I am. I don't have any food. I've got money. I just took off walking. I said screw it, I want to go East and I don't want to wait for a ride. These boots are made for walking. I'm on some country road back here running parallel to 90. I think there's a town coming up pretty soon.
3:38pm Coming up on a road, a cross street. There's an old Mobil gas station and a big water tank. I'll take a picture.
3:44pm Coming up on State Highway 56. I think the gas station is open over here.
4:04pm I went to the convenience store and utilized it. It was pretty convenient for me. I asked the beautiful cashier if I could tell her my story, but she said she had a project to do. I gave her my webpage. I asked her if she knew of an alernate route so I don't have to walk on the highway. She told me to walk down 56 about a mile to CR-3 and turn left. I've got snacks for my walk.
4:06pm Walking down South 56, Minnesota.
4:22pm Coming up on County Road 3. I'm in Mower County. County Road 3 is also known as 205 Street.
4:23pm I'm hit CR-3, turning left. That was beautiful earlier when I got a ride from that dude. Right when I was going to give up and walk into town he picks me up and takes me a couple exits down.
I'm going to pause at 600 Avenue and take a piss.
4:41pm I'm going to keep going.
4:57pm Coming up on a stop sign ahead. I'm going to follow that sign and sit down and rest. Take a breather. Smoke a cigarette. Eat a snack. I could turn left and go back to I90, but I'm going to keep walking.
4:59pm I am at the corner of 205 Street and 610 Avenue. I'm going to sit down at the stop sign. Gotta follow the signs.
5:13pm I'm going to take off walking. I ate a couple snacks and drank some Riovida. I opened up a new bottle.
I'm all high.
I've got a new idea for a hitchhiking sign. All it'll say is Do Unto Others...or Be Part of the Cure.
5:33pm Turning left on 620 Avenue.
5:44pm Passing 210 Street. I might have to walk on the highway a little bit.
5:45pm Okay, I'm going to safely assume that's the highway down there. The street sign says Dead End.
There seems to be no onramp for it and there's no traffic anyway. I'm going to walk back a little bit to 210 Street and turn left. Hopefully I am assuming right. I've perfected getting lost into an art form.
5:58pm Passing by the Cray house. 62654.
I forgot to mention. The road isn't even paved now. There's all these loose rocks(lost picture) and shit. I am really glad I have my walking stick. I'm flying over this stuff with it. I've had this particular stick since Black Bear Ranch. Travis gave it to me in the end.
6:04pm I just walked 210 to 640 Avenue. Cool, pavement. Turning left. I'm not going to stop at the stop sign.
Okay, after I turned a walked a little bit and I can see the highway in the distance. Since I got a good visual of the highway I want to keep going East. I'm going to double back a little. Hmm, maybe I should walk to the highway and there might be an access road or something. I have to take a leak.
6:16pm I'm heading towards the highway. I can see trucks flying by. The road turned left, so I'm kind of backtracking now, walking in the wrong direction. There's no access road, so I'm going to cut through private property again. If people tell me anything I have my story to protect me.
6:36pm Man, I'm totally trespassing. I just cut through this big corn field. I've already crossed like two houses. Fuck the system. I'm fearless.
Hmm, it's started to get dark out. It's going to be dark pretty soon. I'm going to keep cutting through the pastures. I don't see any houses nearby. I'm going to go East.
I'm going to cut through another field. I've been trespassing like crazy on this walk. Somebody might pull a gun on me for trespassing.
7:03pm Hmm, I'm getting real close to this house now. A little too close. I can't jump the barbwire fence because it'll shock me. I need to get on the other side of it to get to the highway. I don't know how to get on the other side though. I need access.
7:05pm I had a stroke of brilliance. I went underneath it.
7:19pm I didn't tell you. I already found my campsite. Right next to this stream. It's a beautiful place. It's private property, but I don't care. I ain't skeered. Tomorrow I'm going to have to figure out how I'm going to ford the stream. I think I can just take my boots off and wear my sandals and walk through water. Hopefully it won't get too deep. I'm going to chill out and smoke and go to sleep. I should go right to sleep. I walked a shitload today. I'm real proud of myself. It was mostly all unpaved too. Dirt roads, rock roads and cornfields.
This is beautiful, man. I get the sound of the stream to put me to sleep. I'm all stoned. I am loving this adventure this time around. I have evolved so much. I love it. Thank you, Love. So much. I'm doing some good work, right? I've got tons of pictures.
7:44pm I'm going to bed. I'm in my sleeping bag. This is going to be a beautiful night. I wish you could hear how beautiful the water sounds. I'm real close to the stream.
Please Love, don't let it rain tonight.
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