I'm in Raton, New Mexico right now - today is January 14, 2012. I will spend all day on the internet at the Raton McDonalds, and then I'll go to sleep in a field somewhere nearby. Tonight or tomorrow morning, I'll buy some more food, and then I'll go south on 25 until I catch 64 (unless this is 64 right out the window), and then I'll walk south and west on 64 until I reach Cimarron. It's about 40 miles to Cimarron, so I think I waste another day recuperating once I reach it, and then it's on to Taos. I expect it'll take me two days to reach Taos.
Once I reach Taos, I'll decide if I want to stick to the original plan - annoy the people out there who build earthships until they let me work on one and learn to build them, firsthand - or if I'll go with one of the alternates: work for someone until I have enough money for both a bus ticket and a weeks worth of food; or just keep walking west until I reach the western end of Arizona, turn north into Nevada, and then follow the western end of Nevada until I cross into Oregon, after which I make my way to the coast, (and maybe go north into Washington in the spring) and then work and send stories out to publishers until I qualify for Canadian citizenship as a Self Employed Person.
****
The road west from Muskogee was tough. I made it to Beggs, Oklahoma in 12 hours, but only after walking 35 miles and getting a ride for the other 18. Anyways, I made it to Beggs, but then, foolish me, I decided to keep going to see if I could make it to Slick before dawn.
There's an enormous hill west of Beggs, and this hill was so awful I literally forgot about it once I reached to top and started going down. At the bottom of the ravine was a bridge. My feet were killing me - walking on concrete and asphalt is painful, especially if you tie your shoes too tight - so I walked to the side of the bridge and laid down and shivered for half an hour. I felt better after that, so I ate something, and drank some water, and then (pay attention here) put on warmer clothes and started walking west again. I made it about two miles, but, since I was wearing all my warm clothes, I started to overheat. I saw circles of spinning red lights to my right, like fat red laser pointers, oscillating across the pavement. I saw shadows out of the corners of my eyes, which lept back from me when I turned to face them.
I made it past a factory on the right side of the road, slithered into a ditch, covered myself in leaves to keep warm, and then drank water, shivered, and slept for a few hours before dawn. I knew I couldn't make it to Slick, but, since I didn't remember the hill on the way back to Beggs, I figured I was only two or three miles from Beggs, and decided to turn back. What followed was the most physically exhausting revelation of my recent life.
****
I just decided to ditch the Taos/Earthship plan, and I am now zeroing in on Bastard Poetry. I'm in Trinidad, Colorado, courtesy of two very kind people who gave me rides - I hitched - and now I'm gonna find him and we're gonna watch MLP:FIM together.
Quote from: Pickle Girl Fanboy on January 14, 2012, 12:02:43 pm
****
I just decided to ditch the Taos/Earthship plan, and I am now zeroing in on Bastard Poetry. I'm in Trinidad, Colorado, courtesy of two very kind people who gave me rides - I hitched - and now I'm gonna find him and we're gonna watch MLP:FIM together.
Good news.
Oh cool escapade, I am interested to see where you end up
Whilst I'm glad you're going to be watching ponies, I still fear a bit for your safety and whatnot.
Like I said before, don't die. That would be bad.
Well, today is an extremely odd day--between my work schedule and my wife's work schedule--for me to even attempt to drive out of town, but if you can make it to Colorado Springs or Denver by Monday, I could certainly meet you there and drive you the rest of the way.. back to my Sunny Pleasure Dome (and caves of ice).
I'm at the Walsenburg Public Library. This is simply the most intelligently designed library I've ever seen. I just ate a couple sandwiches for breakfast/lunch, and I plan to rest until about 3:00 PM, after which I'll go to the local bus station and see how close $80 will get me.
Last night was just awful. I got a ride for about 20 miles between the Rest Stop north of Trinidad (BTW, rest stops are wonderful places to sleep), but then I had to walk the rest of the way. Apparently, I haven't been drinking enough water or eating right, and I was wearing too many layers, because I was very dehydrated and starting to get a temperature by the time I reached Walsenburg. I limped to a gas station, and had the clerk call an ambulance for me. FYI, I wasn't near death or anything, and I would've passed out or my leg's would've rebelled long before I got near death.
Anyways, the emergency room people gave me an IV (after poking me for ten minutes trying to find a non-dehydrated vein). I got a bag of saline solution, with multivitamins and extra B vitamins, and then a bag of water. Then, they let me sleep in the waiting room until morning.
The extreme amount of hydration, coupled with all the vitamins, left me with smooth, glowing, no n-dehydrated skin. Seriously, I looked like a beauty cream infomercial.
So I woke up every once in a while (they wouldn't let me sleep on the ground, so I arranged my pack in the seat next to me and leaned on it), and once 6:30 rolled around, I left. I had a three mile walk back to town. Along the way, I got tired of holding in a fart, so I released it, but there was just one problem; it wasn't a fart. Fortunately, it was more juicy than chunky, so I ruined my boxers instead of my boxers, pants, socks, and shoes.
What followed was an exercise in mental pain management as the unmentionable substance was massaged by the motion of walking into the chafing sores between my butt-cheeks. Eventually, I came to a 7-11, where I barricaded myself in the bathroom for twenty minutes and cleaned my stinky, aching, diarrhea-stained ass. I threw away the old pair of boxers, and - refreshed be the feel of fresh cotton clinging to my crotch - I washed my hands for at least ten minutes.
I felt guilty upon leaving the bathroom, so I bought myself a decent meal.
*A truck-stop Italian sub (I meant to buy Ham and Cheese, but maybe my mind knew better and blocked the thought)
*An equally suspect tuna sandwich
*A tiny smidgeon of carrot cake
*Two snack-sized slivers of cheddar cheese, and
*A pair of nail-clippers. I lost my last pair a few days ago.
What a detailed account. You could be a journalist you know.
Yeah, a journalist of poo, maybe.
Just to reassure you guys, he's now safely in Fort Collins with me, and looking/sounding much healthier.
Good to hear. Keep us updated!
Eating pizza I bought with BP. Life is good.
Hooray!
Want me to visit you guys over Spring Break (in March)? I know Akwikone and SilentB lives in the general area too.
Write a book about your Adventure!
That's the tipical emotional stuff that makes people rich
@fdc: I don't think I'm gonna be staying that long, but BP says you're welcome to come over anytime, if you can make it to Fort Collins, or even Denver, since he prefers hanging out in Denver anyways and he's willing to cut a little bit off your driving distance if it's convenient.
If you're close enough, or don't mind driving to Colorado, I'm pretty much always welcoming. Hell, Akwikone lives in South Park, if I recall correctly. That's only a few hours of driving.
Speaking of South Park..
Did you guys know that Casa Bonita is a real restaurant in Denver?
Quote from: Pickle Girl Fanboy on January 17, 2012, 08:30:28 pm
@fdc: I don't think I'm gonna be staying that long, but BP says you're welcome to come over anytime, if you can make it to Fort Collins, or even Denver, since he prefers hanging out in Denver anyways and he's willing to cut a little bit off your driving distance if it's convenient.
we gotta get you a residence Nikka
First I gotta find a place with:
*A climate I like. Mild weather, with plenty of rain. I hate snow. I hate 90 degree weather.
*A functioning economy.
Right now I'm looking at the Pacific Coast of southern Oregon. I figure I'll check out the bottom-right most county seat, and then if I don't like it, I'll walk to the next county seat until I find one I do like. Bonus points for a college town.
Not to sound insulting, but are you really in such a position as to be picky?
Also, DD.
Well, why not? Why stay somewhere where I'm miserable when I can be somewhere else that agrees with me? From my own experience, these stipulations are ones that make a city homeless-friendly, and good places for upwards mobility.
What is DD?
Don't die, it's said just before a game against an opponent.
The road is as tough an opponent as I can handle, I don't need any more. It kicks my ass whenever it wants.
Quote from: Pickle Girl Fanboy on January 17, 2012, 08:30:28 pm
since he prefers hanging out in Denver
Only thing I could think of upon reading that.
Heh.. I remember that one.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114660/
The movie was named after the song. The funny thing is that there's this whole scene where Andy Garcia is picking up his prostitute friend (played by Fairuza Balk, who we all know PGF is in love with) outside the Bluebird Theater on Colfax, and this was filmed back when that area of town was trashy and crime-ridden. About 5 years ago, the city started cleaning that area up and investing money in new businesses--I lived about 2 blocks away from the Bluebird, and it's so posh there that they even have a "luxury cupcake" bakery, where you can buy a single cupcake for $12, if you're feeling wealthy and/or fucking insane!
UPDATE TO TRAVEL LOG: Well, PGF slept on the couch for 8-9 hours last night without getting murdered in his sleep, and my wife and I slept for 8-9 hours in our bed upstairs without getting murdered in our sleep, SO GOOD NEWS! None of us are murderers!
That's the true test of friendship amongst Internet strangers.
Yep, Fairuza Balk was in Things to do in Denver when you're dead. Awesome movie.
I'm in Rock Springs, Wyoming. At the McDonalds. There's a church near the Arby's which I hear can hook you up with a warm place to sleep, and maybe even a bus voucher (though I doubt that). In any case, I expect I'll sleep somewhere warm tonight, and then tomorrow it's off to, I think, Green River.
In Salt Lake City. Lots of tweakers about, but at least the city is walkable.
Fuck, I need a shower.
Quote from: Pickle Girl Fanboy on January 23, 2012, 03:45:06 pm
In Salt Lake City. Lots of tweakers about, but at least the city is walkable.
Fuck, I need a shower.
isn't this your ideal climate?
Not really. It's too fucking cold, especially at night. And the variation between daytime and nighttime temperature is too extreme.
Too librarians just looked at me while walking by. I must smell awful. Does anyone live nearby? I can sleep at the homeless shelter, but there are too many thieves for me to shower or do laundry there.
Looks like I have some more abscesses. This time on my lower back, along the belt line of my waist.
I'm waiting for the LDS church to give the local charities their travel money, so I can get a bus voucher. Once I'm out of the mountains I can start walking, and, once I find a truck stop I can take a shower, provided I get some money.
Man, just take care of yourself, okay? Even if that means having to go back home. I don't want you to die.
Feels like the abcesses aren't swelling up, so the infection should be dying down. Now that I get enough food and sleep every day (two days so far), I'm back to normal. Just really smelly, itchy, and dirty.
Abcesses are gone, as are all other skin problems, except for a small rash caused by an allergy to the nickel in my belt buckle.
I'll wait until the 5th of this month, for my food stamps to recharge for February, before I decide what to do. If the LDS church doesn't give the local charities their travelers aid budget, then I'll walk out of Salt Lake City. But first I need a map of Utah. I'm recovered from my adventures in Wyoming (I walked about 120 miles in 72 hours, nonstop).
Target Co-ordinates: Brookings, Oregon.
I plan to follow I-80 West until I hit OR-140 at Winnemuca, Nevada. Then it's OR-140 for a while. My first target is the nearest town on 80 West, which is West Wendover, Nevada. It's about 120 miles away, so I have a ways to go. I need a blanket and a lightweight sleeping bag, but I really don't want to carry the extra weight. I also need traveling food, which is basically bread, cheese, powerbars, and water.
I lived in Taos for 6 years. It was fun when a bunch of hot air balloons would land in a field across from house.
In Portland, Oregon, at the public library on 10th and Taylor.
Some asshole is downloading a terabyte of torrents, and I can barely get FFH to load, let alone google maps. FUCK YEAH!
Quote from: Pickle Girl Fanboy on February 15, 2012, 04:04:24 pm
In Portland, Oregon, at the public library on 10th and Taylor.
Some asshole is downloading a terabyte of torrents, and I can barely get FFH to load, let alone google maps. FUCK YEAH!
Lol.
Got a ride to Florence, Oregon. Saved me 50 miles and three days of walking.
Quote from: Pickle Girl Fanboy on February 17, 2012, 02:04:28 pm
Got a ride to Florence, Oregon. Saved me 50 miles and three days of walking.
gotta find a job man, we gotta get you a place...I dont think we even have anyone on this forum near you now though
Got a ride to Coos Bay from a Vietnam Vet. Why are all Army Special Forces guys so alike, in personality and demeanor? I swear he could be related to a 26 year old SF dude I know.
I'm gonna stay here for a while, and volunteer to get a veterans hospital working in what is now an abandoned building. It was a hotel, and a hospital before that.
It's really freaking nice here. It could stand to be about 10 degrees warmer, especially at night, and it rains all the time, but it's not terrible. Not much crime, not that many other homeless people, and the ones that are around here are pretty nice. The normal people are nice too. The library is open every day of the week, that's good.