101009

                                                                                                  Tahoka to Midland, TX

Saturday October 10, 2009

                 

     7:11am  I woke up.  I thought it was drizzling, but it was just real misty and foggy.  It's foggy as hell.  The cops  shouldn't give me any more trouble in this town.  They seemed pretty impressed with me last night. 

 

                  I couldn't take pictures because it's dark and real foggy outside. 

 

     8:12am  I went to the Town and Country.  When the sun came up a little more I layered down.  It's still all foggy.  A Lynn County sheriff pulled up and got out and went in the store.  He walked right by me.  A cop I saw last night walked by and he left me alone too.  I've got some protection.  It's twenty miles South to the next gas station I was told.  I'm going to walk it.  I've got one apple fritter left from that nice girl who hooked me up at the Donut Stop when I was leaving Amarillo[10-8-09 : 5:15pm].  I also have the makings of one taco left from that badass Mexican restaurant that hooked me up yesterday, Cancun.  That all should be twenty miles worth of walking. 

 

     8:58am  I walked the highway South for a little bit.  I got to where there are all these boulders landscaped in the grass by the access road.  I'm across the highway from the cemetery.  I'm going to sit down on one of these rocks and smoke some weed and a cigarette.

 

                  It was hard to hit my pipe because of the wind so I rolled me a little pinner.  Earlier at the gas station I took my shirt off right before all the cops showed up.  I had a gut feeling.  Oh yeah, I was sitting at this rock smoking and I saw a public transportation bus heading South.  I'm going to walk back into town to a gas station and ask them how much is bus fare.  I don't have any money now, but I'll see if I can get me a courtesy ride. 

 

                  "But we're still killing the world we depend on to live and are all connected to because killing the world makes money.  It's mass-suicide.  When will we ever learn?"

 

     9:10am  I walked Avenue J to downtown, I guess.  I see a big courthouse.  I'll take a picture.  Lynn County Courthouse.

 

     9:19am  Lynn County Centennial Time Capsule.  Buried September 13, 2003.  To be opened 2103.  Yeah, right.  Like we have that long.

 

     9:40am  I walked back to the Town and Country and saw Jesse, Jesus, the guy I talked to last night that never showed up at the gas station.  He told me I should ask the cops if they'll give me a ride to the next county.  Right now I talked to the sheriff again.  He told me, "I thought you were leaving."  I told him what happened, how I sat down on the rock to smoke a cigarette and saw a bus go by that said public transportation.  He told me that no bus goes through there at all.  I asked him if he would give me a ride to the next county and he said no.  Oh well, I'm just going to walk.  Maybe somebody will give me a ride.

 

     9:58am  Leaving Tahoka City Limits.

 

     10:10am  I stopped at the sign that says Odonnel 12 miles and Lamesa 32.

 

     10:28am  I just sat down to take my first smoke break and take my boots off and put on my sandals.  I walked maybe like a couple of miles out of Tahoka.  I stopped and all of a sudden Jim pulled over for me and his generous soul is nice enough to give me a ride.  How far are you taking me?   Jim: "Well, it depends on the route you're taking.  I'm headed to Midland, but you might want to get off at Lamesa and go South."  Umm, I don't know.  Warfield Truck Terminal[5-7-03, 6-16-03, 6-17-04, 11-12-04]  sounds real nice. 

 

     12:05pm  I just got dropped off at the Warfield Truck Terminal in Midland, TX!  I just scored an awesome ride.  This guy Jim, he interrupted my story a lot.  He was pretty cool though.  He was a total Christian dude.

 

     12:36pm  I took a nice break.  I sat down in front of all the pretty cactus in front of the Warfield Restaurant and ate my last taco.  It was good.  Thank you so much Cancun.

 

     12:38pm  I took a picture of the beautiful cactus. 

 

     1:36pm  I never told you, I made friends with the manager, or the cashier girl working here.  I walked in and went up to her and asked her, "Hey, are you guys still traveler-friendly?  I come through here every year.  I'm a journalist.  I remember you guys being cool and not charging travelers for chilidogs and stuff."   I told her I even remembered the manager there giving me a ride into town one time[6-19-04 : 2:25pm].  I didn't know his name but I told her I could look it up if there was a computer anywhere.  I asked her if she would run me out for asking truckers for rides.  She told me no, to make a sign and go sit in the lounge and watch TV.  I sat down and wrote out a sign.  I just did the dots for it first.  It's going to say VICTOR ANTONIO FROM SAN ANTONIO TRYING TO GET HOME.  That's all the direction I need.  I'm going to connect the dots.  I'm having fun.  I'm all stoned. 

 

    2:24pm  Mr. Wallace, the dickhead manager here at the truckstop, is running me out of here.  See, I was in the middle of telling this one guy my story.  I was outside the gas station part bolding out my sign on top of the ice cooler thing.  Keep in mind I'm in full uniform, t-shirt and marijuana wreath hanging off my Camel Bak.  This guy walks up to me and tells me, "I like what you're doing, but be careful about the cops around here."  I told him I wasn't scared, that I've been here before.  Anyway, right in the middle of my story the dickhead manager walks out and asks me if I'm asking this guy for money.  The dude totally had my back and told him I wasn't bothering him at all.  The manager tells me they don't allow vagrants at their truckstop.  I told him, "I'm not a vagrant!  I'm a journalist.  I've been to this tuck stop lots of times." 

 

                  After I got run off from Warfield Brad told me he would give me a ride somewhere, but he would only take me to Midland.  Shit, I can walk to Midland.  I have before.  Or, I walked to the truck stop from Midland.  I told Brad thanks anyway.  I can go across the street to the Pilot truckstop and try to get a ride from there.  Brad gave me a dollar.  I took his picture.  He's got the hat with the star on it.

 

     2:59pm  I can't believe I just got 86ed from Warfield.  I was just standing in front of the gas station part.  I wasn't asking anybody for anything.  I was bolding out my new sign.  This guy Brad came up to me and warned me about the cops.  I hit him up for my story and he said sure.  I was already into my Odyssey when the war-loving Mr. Wallace comes out and barks at me.  I take it Virginia went home.  She was real nice to me.  I told him, "I'm not a vagrant.  I'm not asking for anything."  He told me I had to pack up and leave.  Damn, good little slave. 

 

     3:06pm  I went across the street to the Pilot and went in the bathroom and layered down all the way. I still have my green North Face shirt on, my uniform shirt I scored out of the free box in Ashland[6-11-09].  I’ve got my sandals and socks on too.  I’m all stoned.  I wrote out my sing.  I spent a lot of time sitting down in the truckstop making that sign.  I had a red marker so I did Victor Antonio from San Antonio in red and Trying to get back home in black, to separate them so there’s contrast.  Ha, this one lady right now got offended at my shirt.  I heard her as she was walking into the McDonald’s, “World peace through marijuana?  That’s offensive!”

 

     5:14pm  I’m standing in front of the Pilot because Warfield thinks I’m a vagrant.  Eric just walked up and I offered him my website.  I told him if he had time for my story I wasn’t asking for anything.  He said sure.  He gave me a cigarette too.  I appreciate it, brother.  Everybody gets credit.  I’ll type it up better, I promise. 

 

                  I just had a marvelous presentation with that Eric guy.  I told him the important part and the note from the rich.  He loved it.  He gave me like three cigarettes.  Four in all.  I’m still waiting for the cops to show up. 

 

     5:57pm  I’ve just been standing in front of the McDonald’s connected to the truckstop holding my sign,  Victor Antonio from San Antonio trying to get back home. 

 

     6:25pm  Chris walked up and volunteered me some money.  I appreciate it, Chris.  Everybody gets credit, thanks a lot. 

 

     6:47pm  I came to the onramp.  Oh yeah, that older dude who picked me up in Tahoka was 71 years old. 

 

     7:04pm  Michael just walked up to me on the onramp.  Are you hitchhiking too?  I asked him if he could spare any food and he gave me a couple egg salad sandwiches and some chips.  I really appreciate it, Michael.  Thanks for feeding the peace machine. 

 

     7:39pm  I’m here on the onramp holding my sign.  Larry Cox walked up to me and volunteered me some money.  I appreciate it, brother.  Everybody gets credit. 

 

     7:49pm  That other hitchhiker Michael came up to me again and asked me if I had an extra blanket I could spare.  I told him, “As a matter of fact, I do..”  I’ve got my red zip-up sleeping bag liner.  I had bought an extra one at the Walmart in Rexburg[9-30-09], thanks to that beautiful girl.  He had given me two sandwiches and some chips.  It was the least I could do.  I hooked him up.  It’s that red one I got with Carol a long time ago.

 

     8:23pm  I gave up on the onramp.  I’ve been standing at the back door at the Pilot asking truckers if they’re going West.  When the sun came down it got cold.  I put my tights on and layered up on the onramp. 

 

     9:12pm  I just went in the McDonald’s.  This cool girl who works here who I had given my website to earlier, she hooked me up with a hot chocolate.  I got two McDoubles too.  I’ll save one for later.

 

                  I found out the hot chocolate is free for everybody.

 

     9:55pm  I came to the field behind the Pilot and put my tarp down in the grass behind some bushes.  I hope the bugs leave me alone tonight.  I’ll take pictures if there’s light in the morning.  I’m going to go to bed pretty soon. 

 
     2:36am   About ten minutes ago I woke up for no reason.  Well, I think I thought it was drizzling, but it’s just really misty.  I’ll be alright.  I’ve got quarters for the dryer in the truckstop in the morning.  I woke up and at my other burger and smoked a cigarette.  I’m probably going to go back to sleep.  I went to bed around ten ‘o clock, I think.

Next day..