111004

 

Silver City to Deming to Las Cruces and walking..

Wednesday November 10, 2004

     8:53am  I'm leaving Jesse's in the morning. Today I'm going to try to get bus fare out to Deming.

                   I'm going to go to The Grinder Mill and get breakfast. I'm going to tell them, "I'm going to leave today. Can I get some breakfast?"

     9:05am  They hooked me up again at The Grinder Mill. I'm leaving.

                   Ask and thou shall receive. Sweet, scored me a loaded burrito like last time.

                   I came to the Silver Shamrock and bummed a cigarette off Terry. I appreciate it, Terry. After-meal smoke.

                   Big breakfast taco. Filled me up. It had some good stuff in it.

     9:32am  After I bummed a cigarette off Terry, I went outside the Silver Shamrock and started eating my taco. All of a sudden she comes out and says, "You can't be sitting there." I told her, "I'm just going to sit and smoke." She said, "Well, I have customers complaining." God-damn. Who the hell complained on me? I haven't done anything. I haven't even talked to anybody. I just wanted to eat my taco.

                    I'm going to go to Gouge Park and eat it. Hopefully nobody will have a problem with that.

     9:35am  I finished eating my taco at the park. There's this building, it's right down the street. It's called Life Quest. I should tell them my story. I'll tell them, "Let me tell you about my life quest." Right before I leave. Maybe I'll get some busfare.

     9:52am  I went back in the gas station and shaved. I wrote Victor the Liberator on the door. My marker ran out, but I was able to do it with a yellow marker I found on the side of the highway. I found all this stuff on the highway.

                   I'm at the Life Quest building. I'm going to tell them my story.

                   The ignorant girl at the Life Quest building wouldn't listen to my story. I was all, "What do ya'll do here? Why is this building called Life Quest?" She told me, "We train people to work here."

                   Life Quest, my ass.

                   I went to that house with the peace flag again. Nobody answered the door, so I walked off. Finally, some girl came outside. I had woken her up. I got her email address. She didn't have time for my story though. I'm walking now. I need to see how much bus fare to Deming is.

     10:13am  Jason is hooking me up with some change at the Snappy Mart. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     10:35am  I am at the Corre Caminos, the bus station here on Silver Heights Blvd. The bus costs $2.50 to Deming. I barely had enough and some lady hooked me up with fourteen cents. I didn't get her name, but she knows who she is. I got my ticket to Deming. At two I'm leaving.

     11:21am  What was your name again? I'm talking to Jake in front of the Rejuvenation Coffee Shop on Bullard. I'm just waiting until two for my bus to Deming. He said he saw me on the highway walking. What's up with that?

                     Jake: "I was driving to Tucson to do music down there. This was days ago, on a Sunday at noon. I'm going 70 down highway 90 and I look and there you are walking, all by yourself. And for no reason, it came upon me to stop and hand this guy a joint . . . and then be gone. Now why did I think that? You're emanating. It's your vibe."

     11:42pm  Jake hooked me up with a little traveling weed! I appreciate it, brother.

     12:30pm  Connie, after I stuffed myself at the mission, gave me a cigarette. I appreciate it, Connie. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     1:23pm  I am sitting here at the bus station. I came early. Like at one and smoked a cigarette outside. A snipe I found in the ashtray. I'm sitting down and the secretary, Rosalinda has all this Jesus stuff around her desk. I can't wait to tell her my story.

     1:48pm  We left early. What was your name, brother? Gilbert is driving the bus to Deming. We're leaving early.

     1:58pm  Not only is Gilbert listening to my story, he let me have a cigarette too. We're waiting outside for something.

                    I just got dropped off on I10. Cool, Burger King. I'm going to go change in the bathroom. I'm hungry.

     2:32pm  Some dude gave me a cigarette, but he didn't understand what I was saying.

     3:49pm  I walked to this gas station right now. I just sparked up a cigarette. The first guy I ask who walks in front of me, I asked him if he was going to Las Cruces and he told me yes. Perfect, things happen for a reason.

     4:37pm  Jesse is giving me some destinations.

                   Jesse: "If you can get down to Olmacia, man it's real historical down there. A lot of cool shit to check out. You follow highway 28 like your going towards El Paso, you follow that South. You run into a bunch of small little towns. They're real beautiful, man. Awesome, awesome trip, man. And there's a little town, La Union. That's where I grew up, man. Born and raised. I was actually born in El Paso and I grew up in this little town. They got a little art gallery down there. If you're ever down there, dude, hit me up, dude."

                   Maybe next year.

     4:47pm  Oh man, some magical stuff happened. I was in Silver City not that long ago, man. Dude, at the gas station the first guy that walked by, I thought, "This guy seems cool." I ask him if he was going to Las Cruces and he said yes! He dropped me off over here by that church I came to last time when I got hooked up with ten bucks for bus fare. I'm going to see if that lady is there. I hope she's working.

     4:49pm  This place is closed.

                   Oh yeah, Jesse hooked me up with a little bit more weed and some cigarettes. Perfect.

                   It's the Life Center of Religious Sciences. I guess it's not really a church. Some new-age shit.

     5:05pm  I'm just wandering around Las Cruces seeing where I end up. My course has been randomly changed twice by my path not being clear to cross the street because a car was coming. I just turned and walked down the sidewalk instead of crossing.

     5:09pm  I saw all these protesters 

picketing with signs on the sidewalk. I made sure to walk right next to them and expose the peace tattoo on the back of my neck. Oh yeah, and there was a big car wreck right now. I don't know if I should stick around. I'm going to keep walking.

                   I took a picture of the protesters.

     5:17pm  I went into this lounge place where people were walking up to a side window and buying beer. When it was my turn she asked me, "What do you want?" I talked Spanish and told her, "Agua." She said, "Oh, we don't have water here." I called her a greedy ass. She's all pissed off. She's yelling about me right now to someone else in there. Haha.

     5:22pm  I got the idea to ride the city bus as far East as I could, but somebody told me that it only goes to the Walmart on the edge of town. I might do that tomorrow, but I wanted to talk to this church, just so I can show that lady how I am still working on it. I'll show her my list.

                   I walked back over to that church and there's people here. I'm going to go see if it was the lady I talked to.

                   Ha, thanks for proving me right. Guess what just happened here. Awesome, awesome.

     5:48pm  That was hilarious. I went in there. It wasn't the lady I talked to last time. They told me, "Oh, you're welcome to hang out." I tried telling this one lady my story. Right in the intro before I tell the objectives I told her, "And you're going to think I'm crazy, just like I want you to . . ." Right after that she said, "Alright, I'm done." She walked off. Have you always been that ignorant? Thanks for making my story so interesting.

                   I guess that's out of the question. I'll ride the bus to the Walmart.

     5:52pm  I'm going to go to Denny's and score some food. Gasoline for my stomach. I'm going to walk to the highway and find a place to crash. It's all dark already.

     5:53pm  Daniel, the manager at Peter Piper Pizza hooked me up. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

                   Score! I was walking by the Denny's and I thought, "Hmm, Denny's or Peter Piper?" I decided Peter Piper, I'd save Denny's for breakfast tomorrow. Scored a couple slices. Perfect, perfect.

     6:05pm  I'm just walking South now. South on 25.

     6:32pm  I stopped at this one place where they have donuts and burritos. Let's see if they hook me up.

     6:37pm  Rodolpho me dio un burrito. Te lo agradezco, señor. Todo el mundo recibe crédito, gracias.

                   He even offered me a coffee. Perfect.

                   He hooked me up fat! He gave me four donuts too! I ate one and I have three left. Traveling-food. Oh yeah, it is time to walk. That dude gave me that bigass burrito and topped it off with donuts. Oh yeah, and the guy at Peter Piper hadn't given me two slices of pizza. He gave me tons of chicken wings! That one guy afterwards hooked me up with coffee too. That'll keep me awake while I walk.

     7:10pm  Walked to I10. Going to keep walking.

                    Going to take the Main Street exit and walk down Main Street.

     7:44pm  I stopped by some barber shop. He was all closed, so he couldn't give me a free haircut. He told me, "Come back tomorrow and I'll give you one." I told him, "It's the thought that counts. I gotta go." I'm walking to El Paso.

     7:55pm  Ricardo hooked me up with a soda. I didn't even ask him. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     8:15pm  I'm just standing here not doing anything. Seeing if I can get a ride to El Paso. Rachel just walked up and handed me a handful of change. I wasn't even asking. I appreciate it, Rachel. Everybody gets credit, thanks. Can I tell you what I'm doing?

     9:02pm  I just had me the greatest presentation with some lady. She just came up and handed me some change. I told her, "I don't need it. It's the thought that counts." She listened to a lot of my story. I got past the email addresses part. I got all the way to the Johnny Appleseed song.

                   She's going to tell all her friends.

     9:25pm  The worst shit happened. As I was walking these two guys walked by. I think one of them was gay. He came out and told me, "Hey man, do you want to buy a joint? I'll smoke you out if you want." He invited me to his house. Man, they were way ignorant. I didn't get my story out at all. They had two laptops and everything. I was all showing them the cool stuff I know on their computer. I pulled out my CD with my webpage and I tried copying it on their computer. One of the guys saw the file transfer. I told him, "It's just harmless text." He's all, "No, I want that off. It takes up room on the hard drive." I told him, "One picture file on your computer already takes up more space than my website." Screw that. I had to leave that house of ignorance. I'm going to go back to the gas station and talk to people.

     10:35pm  I've been walking I10 East this whole time. I'm coming up on a mile marker. Mile marker 145.

     10:51pm  146. Sixteen minute miles again.

     11:25pm  I crashed out by the sign that says Anthony 18, El Paso 37. I got here about fifteen minutes ago. I stopped to rest.

Next day..