Light Load for the Summer Bright

My community service has been taken care of, and a (hopefully) brief appearance in an NYC court on June 12th will put all that behind me, no more mandatory appointments to think about. The next months are filled with great destinations, some unknown, and some excitedly anticipated, like Alaska in late July.

What's better is my pack is slimming at a great rate. Once in NYC I'll be leaving a significant load of junk behind, like my ocean caked phones and camera, and the multitude of accompanying chargers. I've also decided to give up my bulky winter jacket in favor of a simple thermal under shirt, I think I'll have enough layers to equal the jacket warmth, and that'll save me a decent amount of weight and a whole mess of volume in my pack.

I've managed to slim my pack to about 1/3 or a 1/4 of the size I started with and maintain all the functionality and freedom. I can still be thrown in just about any climate or situation without a second thought. From the camping essentials like a water filter, cooking pot, and sleeping bag, to the techie hobo 2.o stuff like a gps phone, laptop, and solar charger. I'm minus a decent camera, but that may be remedied shortly.

I've been doing some interesting work with Larry at a construction site here around Phoenix, and the amount I'm getting paid will stretch a very long way. I've been pretty comfortable with the zero to near-zero dollar amount in my pocket, so anything more than that is all gravy, or in my case incredible beers and a great burger here and there.

Every day feels better than the last, lighter than the last, and that bright future I always saw is now surrounding me. Looking ahead I see something even brighter, too bright to look at sometimes, and my friends seem to have the same type of good vibes running rampant in their lives. It's gonna be one of those summers that injects a lifetime full of life into everyone, good times.

Hobo 2.0 Returns, San Diego to Phoenix

Having little money, buying a new phone seemed unlikely. With a surge of donations and some birthday cash, I was fairly close, yet still 10 shy of the phone I had my eye on. Then I realized my luck with the unexpected bingo game had pushed me over the edge, giving me what I thought would be enough. Off to Verizon I went.

I was able to get the LG Voyager, alas, connected again. So far the phone is everything I need it to be, and even has GPS which I've never had, but a perfect fit for any hobo. I've also noticed myself feeling lighter and feeling like I'm forgetting something when I stand up, I'm finally done with the awkward two phone system I'd been using before.

I met up with Sean and Kelly when they flew into town, we saw a great band called Ryan Hood and got beers at a bar familiar to Kelly. Afterwards I found myself at a post grad party before finally getting back to the couchsurfing spot, stumbling in around 5 or so after getting a bit lost... GPS is only as smart as the drunk who's wondering why the sky is bright at "night".

I spent my last night in San Diego at Kelly's mom's place drinking a mix of beers with Sean, and in the morning I was back on the on ramp with my thumb out after a couple memorial day beers with Sean near the mall. It wasn't long before a car slowed down with a driver telling me to hop in. He wore a collared shirt and claimed to be an seasoned hitchhiker back in the day. He dropped me off just up the road where he thought I'd have better luck.

I waited in this spot for 45 minutes or so before an old man in a pickup got me, his pants covered in paint. He also had the intention of getting me to a better spot rather than taking me a good distance, and shortly later I was standing on the on ramp again along I-8, just down the road there was another hitchhiker headed towards a camp site, at least that's what I figured was his destination. I took a leak in the bushes and looked down the road and he was gone, one of us got lucky.

I stayed there 2, maybe 3 hours, trying different angles and distances up and down the ramp, the cars were getting fewer and further between, I do what I usually do, and started walking down the freeway on the shoulder. Within 2 miles of walking a rusty old white van pulled into the shoulder and I ran to it. Eric pulled open the side door, the woman in the passenger seat introduced herself as Debbie. In the back of the van was a makeshift mattress and a pillow, very comfortable, he lived in the van.

We didn't talk a whole lot, they told me to feel free to sleep, so I closed my eyes and enjoyed the ride, they were going all the way to Phoenix. We stopped a handful of times, mostly at gas stations, but once at a hot spring was cool to see, and finally they left me in Avondale, the part of Phoenix where Larry lives and he came and got me.

In just less than an hour, at 2am, I'm off to work on a project at his, apparently Amm the Vagabond will also be meeting us there. Should be a great time in Phoenix after a perfect trip in San Diego.

Drinking Up San Diego

San Diego has been filled with great nights of drinking and great people. Earlier in the week a party bus was rented as a bachelor/bachelorette event for Aaron and Jessica, and it was awesome. Loaded with beer, liquor, and great people, we cruised around San Diego and over the Coronado bridge drinking and having a great time, eventually landing back at everyone's favorite spot, JTs, where the party continued.

The next day was a needed lazy day, and my birthday landed on the day after that. We were at Dave and Busters midday playing around, then some drinks before heading to the San Diego Brewing Company. Maeve got me the best possible drink, 6 drinks, the beer sampler. Aaron then grabbed me a big glass of my favorite of the 6, Hopnotic, which he himself was not to fond of. We found ourselves at JTs again, and eventually back at Jessica's where the details of my night get hazy, but a general memory of laughter and good times remains.

Thursday we all went to a Padres game at the ballpark, Aaron and I briefly snuck in for closer seats and came pretty close to catching a home run ball. Afterwards we went to the Shout House, a piano bar downtown.

Last night Aaron and Jess dropped me off at a couchsurfer's house. I met Sara, another girls surfing here, and then met Chuy, one of the roommates who lives here. We biked to a pretty great party. It was fairly packed, everyone had a hairstyle, a hat, or an accessory it seemed. Bingo broke out, selling cards for a dollar, I used my last cash dollar to buy a card and actually won the first game getting myself $30.

The party continued until the music stopped and we learned the girl next door got raped at knife point with her child and came screaming up to the party. In no time the streets were lined with police cruisers and a helicopter flying over head. We waited a bit and hopped on the bikes and went home and to sleep.

There's probably only a couple days left here in San Diego, Sean and Kelly flew in last night too. My next stop is likely Phoenix where I may get some work and community service done. I'm also going to make an attempt to replace my phone today with that work in mind. Hobo 2.0 may return shortly, good times.

Hobo 1.5

I escaped Vegas as planned, and rode into Bakersfield with Walker. Staying with Kindra was great as usual, and little Igby rocks too. Kindra drove me a good distance to a truck stop on my way out of town giving me a head start for my hitch towards San Diego.

I got picked up pretty quickly, a mexican truck driver headed to LA. His truck had big windows all around which was perfect for taking in the landscape that surrounded us, it was pretty awesome. He spoke decent english, and given my spanish abilities, we stuck to my native tongue while talking about everything from basketball to illegal immigration.

He dropped me off in LA with a 10 dollar bill, and my thumb was out again, but to no avail. It wasn't a great spot, I began walking. I tried a few other onramps, but darkness took over quickly and I began looking for a good nook to sleep in, always a bit of a task in city areas. I found an abandoned grassy lot atop a hill, sandwiched by I-5, I-10, and the train track. The train came every 30 minutes or so about 20 feet away, several times disoriented from sleep I imagined I was on the tracks and done for. All was well.

I was up with the sun in the morning, and hit the first on ramp I came across, but the early morning yielded few cars and no stoppers. Walking to the next one I passed a starbucks, I thought about going in and relaxing for a bit, after all it was 7 or 8 and San Diego was only a couple hours away. I walked past it towards the freeway, I barely got my bag off and my thumb out when a car stopped, probably the fastest ever since I've been hitching.

I walked up to the window of the volvo, I looked at the little guy at the wheel and he asked, "You have any drugs?".

"Nope".

"Hop in! Where you headed?"

"I'm trying to get to San Diego"

"Well I guess I'm going to San Diego then". He was an interesting guy, he lived in his car, apparently for the past 20 years. He had a habit of picking people up, he said usually girls though, and usually they aren't hitchhikers. He started telling me all sorts of stories about the girls, like the one run away from a Nevada treatment center. He grabbed a photo from the dashboard he took of her, pretty girl, and he tossed it back into a pile of similar photos he'd taken of people he picked up.

He stopped at one point for gas money, he took my picture too, I'm sure I'll live forever on his dashboard with the others now. He dropped me off in downtown San Diego and I eventually found my was to Jessica's place. We picked up Aaron at the airport, and kicked things off with a bbq and beers.

I ended up at a bonfire on the beach. Waves, moonlight, the smell of fire, sand in my feet, a nice buzz from the beers and some whiskey... who wouldn't run down into the ocean and try and kick it's ass? I pulled my shorts off and went running towards it in my boxers, Christa ran along with me and I'd say we kicked it's ass pretty good. I walked back towards the fire feeling victorious and looking for my pants, then discovering them soaked and sandy. The ocean had fought back, and took the life of my two phones and my camera.

The night went on into a bar with beer pong and great beers like Arrogant Bastard. The end of the night was hazy, but I woke up at Jessica's place remembering my busted phones and camera. I got one phone working, but the screen is dead. The other phone I use for the internet is down for the count and the camera is shot. No videos for a little while among other things.

That night brought more bbq, beers, and an early bar night at JTs, and later drinking with cards back at the place. A couple nights in and I'm having a great time, despite the loss of means of communication that defines Hobo 2.0. For now I'm 1.5, and fine with that, because times always find a way to be good.

Never a Dull Vegas

My first day in Vegas started with collecting my $60 in promotional chips, which I turned into just over $100 in real cash within 10 or 20 minutes at the craps table. I took all of that to the poker room, 50 into a cash game, 50 into the buy-in of the upcoming tournament. I left the cash game with $175, and got knocked out of the tournament quickly with my A-K vs and A-8, an 8 came on the board, it happens.

I took 100 of my 175 and put it on Boston to beat the Cavs, I lost that money. 60 or more of my remaining cash was lost at the craps table, I found myself basically back at broke. This same day I received a $150 donation from great friend, so I wasn't worried about money, 150 is more than enough. Walker's friends came around, it was his birthday, and shots and beers were flowing on a typical Vegas party night.

We wound up in some club whose name I can't remember, everyone well into their intoxication comfort zone. I got caught up with a girl at the bar and lost track of everyone I was with, and eventually ended up back at the room. After a while it was just me in the room and the phone rang, security on the line. They asked me if I knew Walker, they said he had gotten in trouble at some club and would be escorted up to the room to collect his belongings and was no longer welcome on any MGM properties.

They wheeled him up eventually and he collected his bags, I asked what happened and got no notable answer from him or security, but he tossed me his phone and car keys telling me to drive to Bakersfield and San Fran, then they wheeled him away. I sat for a second contemplating what just happened, and decided to go out and find him so he wouldn't be on the street.

I walked out to the Tropicana to see if he checked in there like security had suggested, they hadn't heard of them there. I came back to the Luxor to see him being wheeled through the lobby, and followed them out. I asked the trailing security guard what the problem was, "Your friend is fucking up!", I thought of Carl and Astoria, "What's his problem?", I had no idea what happened, and the security guard didn't seem to know what the original disturbance was, just that he didn't like his attitude now.

They dropped him out of the wheel chair on the sidewalk, and after some laughs and vaugue explanation Walker told me to grab his car. I went off towards the garage and called the girls we were with earlier to see if they knew what was going on, they were currently getting kicked out of Mandalay Bay for drunkenness, but agreed to meet outside the Luxor, so I skipped getting the car and met everyone in front.

Without a sober one in the group, we hopped in a couple cars with food as motivation. We wound up at a bar around 3am way off the strip, I was kicked out immediately for not having my ID on me. I told everyone to stick around and have a good time and started walking back towards the Luxor, a good 3 or 4 miles away.

I decided to stick my thumb out as I walked back, and sure enough a cabbie pulled over just ahead of me. I ran up the window saying I didn't have any money, he said to hop in anyways, he wanted to do me a favor. He drove me back to the strip and I landed in the Luxor room. My old friend called, drunk or otherwise, and eventually ended up making a sizable donation to my bank account via the Hobo site, which was surprising and awesome.

I woke up and called Walker to make sure all was cool, it was, he crashed at his cousin's place and was still on for riding to Bakersfield the next day. I thought I'd grabbed another hour of sleep, but ended up passing out for most of the day and caught up on weeks of sleep deprivation.

I was hungry, with over 30 in cash and the thought of money coming into my account this week I thought I'd treat myself to volcano nachos or something otherwise awesome. I saw a note about a place called the Burger Bar near the Luxor that had 2 dozen beers on tap, and thought that would work. When I got there I saw the prices... a little off putting, about 10 bucks for a burger and 7+ for any given beer. A look at the beer menu and I went for it, that's what I wanted.

I ordered a Stone Ruination, a beer I'd had back in new york I really liked. Usually I'd order a beer I'd never had, but it was too tempting. The guy next to me at the bar ordered the same thing, and we got to talking basketball and beer, the hornets spurs game was on the TV. I ordered another beer, and the bar tender made a mistake with a pitcher and gave it to us for free, that's the benefit of being the only guys at the bar taking interest in the great selection of beer, she also gave us a sampler of her favorite beer.

I started talking a girl on the other side of me, and eventually the guy I'd been talking to took off giving me his card saying to look him up in Phoenix. I finished off the free pitcher and hit the bathroom. I contemplated the dine and ditch... I wondered if my bill was larger than my cash stack. My burger was decent and my beers were great, bartender rocked... I couldn't do it. I asked for my bill hoping I had enough to cover it, she told me "That guy paid for you, and he tipped really well.", I must have looked really surprised, "really?!", I asked, "Yea! It's great when people are awesome like that", and she walked away. I couldn't believe it, I slipped a 5 bill under my empty glass and took off, not believing my luck, and happy I didn't try the dine and ditch.

Back in my room I look out the slanted window from atop the pyramid here in Vegas, staring out at the traffic on the freeway. Tomorrow I should be cruising through that and on to Bako, and I'm pumped for that. Good friends fill the future, and that's never a bad thing.

More than just Hitchhiking to Vegas

I booked my free room in Vegas my second night in Denver, I knew now where I'd be hitching my way next. Meanwhile, I was having a great time at my couchsurfing spot with Dave, his new roomate PJ, and his old roommate Paul.

Communal Denver
PJ knows a good amount about programming and has been brewing beer for a while too, he was happy to share knowledge about both with me. One programming trick he showed me got me excited enough to play with my semi-secret website a lot more. The process of making a home brew also got me going, I've always wanted to know the details about making your own beer.

I spent an unexpected donation on some good beer, and they in turn bought and cooked up a good meal to go with that. One beer was particularly memorable, Left Hand's milk Stout. I recommend it to all.

My last day and night in Denver I spent some time with Paul and Lucy, they had great travel spirit, stories, and tips to talk about. The next morning I took a final shower, and PJ drove me to a great spot along I-70 to start hitching towards Vegas, the only planned stop along the way being Saint George where I had a couchsurfing host waiting.

Working Men
I stood by the onramp feeling as free as one can, bag by my feet and thumb in the air. It wasn't long before a blue pick up stopped, a sign painter at the wheel. He took me just a little ways, and I walked to the next onramp through the increasingly awesome scenery of mountains and trees.

Fairly quickly I was in another pickup truck hearing stories about roofing from a little Mexican guy named Clay. He said there was no shortage of work with Walmart trying to open at least one store everyday, he said last year they opened 200. That seemed like a lot to me, but I can believe it. He dropped me off just up the road, and I waited and waited until walking seemed like the plan.

I walked for a while, west, along the shoulder of I-70 looking at all the junk on the side of the road and the great mountains surrounding me and in the distance. At one point I passed a guy in an orange vest picking stuff up on the side of the freeway. It reminded me of the community service I've yet to finish. As I came up on the second guy doing the same a quarter mile later, he approached me with a gatorade bottle, "It isn't much, but should help. We're picking up cans, I don't have a job, we rake in three or four hundred a week! You saw all those cans back there by the truck, and we're not even done, I saw the mother load just a ways back!", I thanked him for the gatorade and kept moving forward.

Weather or Not
I got off at the next exit, which led me about another mile to the onramp, I waited there a while without seeing a single car. I gave Terry the trucker a call to see how he was doing, he had just passed Saint George. That woman who refused to sign the papers for the car had called the cops, and in short they called her an idiot and made her sign them an take her car.

I got off the phone and started walking again, another 2 miles to the next exit. I saw some big horned sheep along the way, at the time I called them crazy mountain goats. I waited just a bit at the next on ramp before a nurse picked me up. She drove me through the canyon and a decent snowstorm, which was apparently common there this time of year.

She dropped me off in a busy spot with questionable clouds above, but I was picked up again before it broke on me. Another pickup truck, this time a musician who was a junior from the school in Boulder. We talked mostly music and recording for the 100 or so miles he drove me, he dropped me off in a great looking spot.

I went 30 or 40 yards up the on ramp, thumb out for every car. Another hitcher emerged at the bottom, also thumbing for rides. After a couple minutes he happened to turn around and see me, and took a seat in the bushes waiting for me to get my ride, hitchers code, common courtesy.

Beer Me
I got my ride about 5 minutes later, Elliot headed to Grand Junction. I was the first hitchhiker he's picked up, he said he was looking for good karma. He told me to grab a beer from the back, we both cracked a can of coors light and sped down the road, I told him stories about couchsurfing and hitchhiking. When we got close, he offered to let me crash at his place and said he was meeting a buddy for beers and basketball. No one could turn that down, the Lakers were playing.

Old Chicago was the spot, and we drank all night, new beer after new beer, they were happy to pick up my tab. The better beers from the night were 1554 and Boulder's Planet Porter. We laughed and drank all night talking about old school basketball memories and entertaining various girls who kept coming over, some pretty, some not.

I woke up on the couch, and soon enough Elliot was up and driving me somewhere he thought was a good spot closer to the Utah border. It turned out to be a pretty desolate spot, so after an hour or less of waiting I decided to start walking as I often do. I saw weigh stations pretty close, and thought it best to stay off the freeway itself. After ripping my pants jumping a barbed wire fence, I found myself on a scenic bike trails running along side the freeway. I eventually made my way back onto the freeway itself, until I came upon the town of Mack.

I don't speak bueno Spanish
I waited in Mack long enough to see no one really came or left this place, and started down the freeway, once again. I stood in one part for a bit with my thumb out, but only so many cars can whiz by you before walking becomes a better idea. Soon enough a green car pulled into the shoulder in front of me, I ran up and opened the door to release the mexican music blaring from inside, "Hola Senor! Hop in!", I threw my bag in the back and we started cruising.

His name was Simon, he'd picked up a lot of hitchhikers in his day. He had some interesting stories, he picked up one guy with a big pack, and before long a helicopter hovered above him on the freeway shouting over their megaphone for him to stop the vehicle. Turns out the guy had the big pack stuffed with pot and got busted pretty good, Simon was ok though.

He was headed to Salt Lake City, so I figured I'd pop out before he started north pn I-15, but he started taking another route and off I was to Salt Lake either way. He said I could crash with him and his cousin for the night, and he hadn't seen his cousin in 30 years when they were 15 and going to school. He even offered to by me a bus ticket from SLC to Vegas, I couldn't tun that down.

We met his cousin Oscar in a parking lot in Salt Lake, lot's of hugs and shouting, joy, good times, and we followed him back to his place and started drinking beers. Soon enough the grill was heating up and more and more people were showing up. Everyone spoke Spanish, with little bits of broken English to me here and there, but Simon and Oscar's kids seemed the only ones comfortable in my native language.

I watched and listen to Simon telling jokes and cracking everybody up pretty good, I couldn't understand what he was saying but quickly got a hold of his rhythm and timing and knew when the laughs were coming. I passed out earlier then most and got a decent night's sleep.

The morning brought breakfast and then a ride to the bus station, where Simon kept his word and got me a ticket, slipped me a 10 bill, and off he went. I had 6 or 7 hours before the bus would come, and remembered the Lakers were in town and found a good bar full of mostly Jazz fans. I grabbed a beer and watch the Lakers lose in overtime, but had a good time none the less.

Viva
Back at the bus station I played with the laptop a bit, and was first on to the bus. We rode into the night, arriving at the station near Freemont in Vegas just past 1am. I met up with Walker at bar nearby, he's a cool couchsurfer who's agreed to get me a ride out of town in a couple days. I stayed at his place crashing on the couch.

This morning we came to the Luxor and checked in using my room comps, they hooked us up with a room in the pyramid itself, a nice bonus. I came down and collected my $60 in promotional chips, but have yet to lose them... er... yet to use them. I'm just here to have a good time, so far so good.

Hitchhiking towards the West

Hitchhiking and the road were on my mind Friday night, and down to chinatown I went. I couldn't find the bus I was looking for, but found one going the same way for the same price around the same time, good enough for me, off I rode towards State College, PA leaving NYC once again.

The Party College
I thought it might be too late for Jess to take me in, I contacted her through couchsurfing, but she told me that my 11:30 arrival was no problem at all. When she didn't answer the phone when I did get there, I wandered around the walmart waiting for her to call back while thinking of my backup plan, sleeping behind walmart. She called, she came, and took me back to her place with her friend.

They were both very friendly, and knew each other pretty well it seemed, often cutting themselves off when they knew they were going off track and losing the other's attention. There were a few options for the night, and after some shots of rum and an alternative use for apples I showed them, we headed into the night for a slice of pizza and a taste of the scenery.

Walking through this campus town was unreal, especially given our current state of mind, it was a like walking through the opening scene of a college party movie. The street lined with houses was alive, to our right we walked buy a guy spinning around the bat while every chanted and through beer at him, the streets were covered with people drinking and shouting. Without skipping a beat we saw a drunken done up girl on her phone crying her eyes out, "Why does he have to be such an asshole?!", it was great.

We got our slice, sat for a while, saw a lot more drunken cliches, and headed back to crash out. The next morning I had a great breakfast cooked for me, and got a phone call from Karin who was making great time hitchhiking, never waiting more than 5 minutes for a ride, and currently in a truck headed all the way to Detroit. Jess drove me up to I-80 which was about 20 minutes away, a huge help. I hit the onramp with my thumb out trying to catch up to Karin.

Short Rides and Mostly Dry
I got my first ride within 5 minutes, I almost couldn't believe it. It was a couple guys, the passenger didn't say much at all, the driver was nice and they took me about 30 miles weaving through traffic pretty quick. I found myself at another onramp, a pinch closer to cleveland, although now Karin would be at least as far as Toledo.

The rain came in quick and painless sprinkles, but an hour passed with no rides. I found myself doing what I always do standing alone with my thumb out for that long, singing songs with lyrics that come out of nowhere, this time it was "So pick me up, before it rains, pick me up before I go insane, before the night, I would like to see some miles melt away".

The rain looked to pick up a bit, but the rides didn't, so I broke out the pack cover and started up the onramp intent on walking down the freeway to the next exit. No sooner did I start walking did an old man stop and pick me up. He took me as far as Dubois, another 30 or 40 miles up the road.

In Dubois I waited under the bridge by I-80 with my thumb out belting my recently found song, adding some more words as they came, "Why won't they pick me up, they think I'll stick 'em up, they think I'll stink 'em up, you're in a pick up truck! just pick me!, just pick me up! just pick me (indiscernible screaming).

Terry the Trucker
After an hour of that, I walked up the hill, set on walking to the next exit, tired of waiting any longer. I knew I was in a decent spot, but I was itching to be moving. Trucks and cars whizzed by, but the shoulder was big and I was out of the way. A big truck buzzed by, the kind that hauls a cars all stacked up. I had a quick fantasy of seeing a truck like that at a gas station and sneaking between a couple cars, truck hopping state to state.

I kept walking, but when I looked up, that very truck had pulled over about 150 yards ahead. A huge smile came over me as I started running, my 60 pound pack bouncing up and down until I finally got to the truck where the trucker had come around. I told him I was headed for Cleveland, and then on to California or somewhere out West, he told me he was going all the way to LA and I was welcome to come. Awesome.

I hopped in the truck and off we went, right as the rain and wind picked up pretty good which he said was the reason for picking me up, keeping me dry. His name was Terry, a 20 year veteran on the road, the last 7 of which were hauling cars. He told me all about it as we drove and drove, he even bought me a sandwich when we stopped once.

I shot Karin a text to let her know I had a ride cross country, she told me to keep on truckin' and she'd make her own way. We finally stopped in a small town called Ohio called Waynesville for the night, I got my choice of the 10 cars in the back to sleep in, and passed out.

The next morning Terry met with some guys, we were in town to pick up an 11th car. I couldn't see how it would fit back there, but he said it would happen. We spent the day unloading cars, making room, towing the new car on, and loading everything back up. By 4pm we were back on the road, west bound.

Karin gave me a call, she said she was stuck and asking for advice on what to do, no rides were coming and she couldn't find a good place to stand. Turns out she was just 100 miles up the road from where were on I-70, just west of Indianapolis. Terry said we should pick her up, and so we did.

Karin was a skinny 29 brunette girl, she was living on some land in Virginia, and now headed to grass valley to meet some friends. She talked a lot about healthy foods, efficient energy, things like that. Terry talked a lot about hydrogen and how sick he was of gas prices, he was getting about a mile to the dollar. "If it wasn't for the government we would already have hydrogen cars, you have no idea how much stuff the government is hiding, they control everything". Terry drove, and drove, and drove, he finally stopped a little past Kansas City around 4am. I slept in the same car again, Karin opted to sleep in the bushes in her sleeping bag.

The next day we cruised onward, off to Denver where 6 or 7 cars needed to be unloaded. Along the way we stopped at a walmart so he could get some oil and whatnot. Out in the parking lot Karin asked another trucker if she could ride with him towards salt lake city. The guy grabbed her breasts and told her to turn around. She turned down that ride, and continued with us.

Karin had plenty of money I gathered, she wanted to hitchhike for the experience and prove she was brave, that women were brave. She had a nice camera and filmed things here and there saying she was making a film for women hitchhikers. As we got closer to Denver she got into a gentle argument with Terry about women. Terry said "Women have their place, and they should stay there, stop trying to put on the man pants."

"What place is that?", Karin asked with a smirk.

"Taking care of the children, taking care of the house, children need a woman's affection that most men can't provide. They break down to easy, they can't be trying to be truckers or getting involved in the corporate world, they'll break down".

Karin had little to say other than "I don't agree with all of that", and Terry kept talking about it, bringing up Hilary Clinton and whatnot. We finally got to Aurora, just outside of Denver, and Karin went into the truck stop in her own direction, trying to find the next ride. I stuck with Terry to help him deliver cars.

I zipped around in someone's BMW following him down the freeway to deliver the first one, then a couple guys met us at the truck to pick up another. At this point it was late, and I spent my third night in the car whose new car smell was all but gone by now.

The next morning we took one car into the shop that he'd damaged, and then unloaded more while phone calls and conversations with other truckers kept him fairly distracted. Eventually we took off to meet a woman near the airport, I drove her car and he drove someone else's and I followed him there. He didn't like this woman, he said no one did. She came walking out when we pulled up, he asked her to sign the papers, but she wanted to see the car start first. Terry started it and then turned it off. She demanded to get in, they start arguing, Terry knew if she got in the car she'd drive off without signing anything or paying. He tossed me the keys to the other car and told me to drive off, so we both drove away leaving her standing there.

Down the freeway a minute or so he pulled over into the shoulder, and came to my car to grab the papers. When he went back to the car he was driving he realized he'd locked the keys in there, the car running and all. We drove around and found a locksmith, and were off again, him on the phone with someone talking about the "dumb bitch woman", she wasn't the sweetest. He got us some ice cream and we headed back to the truck.

After we made another delivery, I finally went my own way, off to Dave's house from couchsurfing. I got Terry's number, he said to call anytime to see where he was at if I needed a ride, or a job hauling cars. It was great times with Terry, and a great ride, but I was happy to move on to the next thing, a shower on my mind.

I got to Dave's house, and within 5 minutes I was in a car again headed towards the Rockies game, he had an extra ticket. Dave and his friends were great, and the baseball and beer is just what I needed, the light rain that came and went felt great too.

This morning I took a much needed shower, cooked up a couple eggs, and relaxed. I like the vibe in Denver. I'll likely stay another night or two, then see if I end up going north through some breweries, towards Vegas, or something else.

Hitting the Road Tonight

I am ridiculously excited to get back on the road. My pack has been getting teased by my obsessive repacking, but staying on the same spot on the floor in NYC, with the exception of two or three jumps to Philly and Connecticut. Tonight though, I hit the open road in the fashion I love best, without a clue of what the next night will bring. Where on the map I'll be, where I'll be sleeping, who I'll be with, just a vague direction, west, that can be easily swayed given the right winds or persuasion.

I do know a couple things, although they might change. My friend, awesome as always, is picking me up a bus ticket that will get me clear through New Jersey and into State College, PA, which is close by I-80. I may or may not have a couchsurfing pad setup when I get there. Wherever I sleep tonight, the morning will likely have me on I-80 with my thumb out where I'll make my way towards Cleveland. There's still a chance I'll meet up with Karin there, the girl who got in touch about hitching west with me.

After that, west. I have some thoughts in my head for places to go, people to see... Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, Bakersfield, Sacramento, San Francisco, Jackson Hole, and more than likely San Diego in the end of May. Those are on my mind, but I don't know what's in the cards. About Las Vegas, if anyone is willing to drive me in and out, I'll pick up the room for as many people can fit in it at the Luxor and we can party a couple nights (weekdays only, some restrictions apply, small print, good times). Let me know!

All my gear is charging, I'm on my final repack/assessment of my junk, and a trip to C-Town for my bread and peanut butter is about to happen. After that and the metro card I'll be down to about 6 or 7 bucks including my loose change, so that should get me out west without any problems. Once I get there, and require beer.... we'll see what happens.