The Middle of Nowhere, TX: Home, Home on the Range

Miles since last blog: 27.2
Miles Total: 2414.0

Route


A blog in three parts:

1) Today I met James Bond. Really. This guy's name was James Bond, he was older and even had a little card that said "James Bond 007" on it amongst the other writing. He was in a truck outside of Llano and pulled over to see what I was doing. He introduced himself and explained that he had been named that long before the fictional character existed, I'm guessing the '007' part was new though.

I don't really get excited about celebrities, maybe one or two would make me go ooh, or ahh, but they aren't the standard celebs either, more like Adam West and Bruce Campbell, people that make their living off of being living jokes. That takes some profound awesomeness and inner peace. To me for the most part, celebs are like screwed up versions of normal people that just have PR agents to make them look good, not my bag. Fictional characters however are quite alluring, they are, for all intents and purposes, exactly as they appear. No one dresses them up or takes their picture under the right light, that's just who they are. Superman never trips, Sherlock Holmes never belched and Rocky never gave up.

So meeting James Bond, the name, was maybe even better than any actor that played him. It was so pure, just the character. There wasn't to much interaction between us, mostly he talked about how he had met Johnny Depp working in Austin on the movie "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?"

"Oh wow, that was a really good movie," I said.

"Yeah, well, it was interesting." He responded in clear disagreement. He drove off shortly after giving me his card. I got the feeling his name and working on that one movie was about 70% of what he talked about.

2) Hill Country. That's where I've been for the last 70 miles or so, and according to James Bond, I've got another 30 left at least. Going into Llano was 33 miles of rolling hills and a dramatic elevation climb leaving me in high hills overlooking the ground I had covered. Since the hills were rolling there would be a climb, then a drop almost as low as before, followed by a slightly higher climb. What ever the elevation I gained was that day, I climbed at least 50% more than that due to downhills which are none to exciting for me either.

To here was all rolling hills to a lower elevation, I'm looking forward to the plains beyond Brady and into San Angelo where I should arrive in 4 days. Hills aren't so bad until you couple them with heat, when the sun comes out it melts me, almost immediately.

One of the many ways in which I am not like Superman is that the sun is not necessarily my friend. Put Superman in Hawaii for a week and he could bench press Jupiter for kicks, put me in the sun for a few minutes and you wind up with a week and whining pile of goo that does nothing much except ooze sweat. Here's to the last two days of cloud cover and torturous future in the West.

3) Have you ever wondered who would ask some strange bum wandering down the road if they would want to stay the night at their house? Or well, ranch?

Well, I now know the answer and it's exactly what you might expect, even here in 'The Middle of Nowhere,' TX. I didn't know who the person in the VW was that had turned around to talk to me, or why, it turned out to be a man and his daughter on their way to a music recital of some sort. I assumed he wanted me to talk to his daughter or give me a donation but in fact he was asking me where I was staying.

"I don't know," I said, "I'm on my way to Brady about 30 miles up the road, I figured I'd just walk till I got tired."

He gave me directions to his house a mile off the highway down dirt county roads and told me his wife's name, C. When I arrived a grueling hour and a half later I heard the sound of music, not the movie, actual, man-made music. Man and boy made as it turns out. I knocked on the door and came in to find a boy and his grandfather putting away instruments and a grandmother in the kitchen. It's been a while since I just walked into a house unexpected, but they seemed to be unphased in the least. I explained who I was and what I was doing there (I was mildly nervous since I didn't know the gentleman's name, only C's name).

Immediately they told me that his wife would be back shortly and started making me dinner. It turns out these were C's parents who were visiting from Oregon. It turns out that C herself, had ridden her bike across the country and her husband had hitchhiked from Texas to Alaska and back. They had met about 20 years ago at an organic gardening course in California and now were full fledged organic farmers for six months out of the year while traveling the rest.

"Are you a vegetarian?" C asked.

"No," I said.

"Well you are tonight," C's mother replied giving me a bowl of delicious chili, some raw veggie spring rolls and a jello with fruit dessert.

They had seen me yesterday on my way to Llano while taking one of their bi-weekly runs to Austin. Whole Foods Market had grown over the years and they had grown a bit with it, they now had two interns that also lived on the properties in trailers not unlike the one I was in when I wrote this. I learned most of this from C's son, who is young, plays an instrument, is well spoken and clearly intelligent, they had done quite a good job with him.

I asked about internet and was told they had just gotten dial-up because their newest intern couldn't live without it. There's no cell phone reception out here, they don't have a TV and said they had even gone without a phone for a long time but that they were slowly being dragged into the twentieth century. Luddites, not like the green people, hippies and wannabes that normally throw the word around, real live luddites, I was impressed and opted to skip out on the net for the night, sorry fans.

We talked for a while before they showed me to a shower and my trailer. Very nice people, all of them, unfortunately I went off to bed before S, the husband, came home. There you have it. Who would take in a traveling hobo? Vegetarian Luddite Organic Farmers from the West Coast, how about that? I'm almost home.

Llano, TX: THANK YOU!!! Days Inn & Suites

Miles since last blog: 33.6
Miles Total: 2389.8

Route

And thank you to the many people who have contacted me about yesterday's blog. Don't worry, I won't let you down, I'll reach the coast one BYAHHH!!! at a time.

Tonight I have been shown very generous hospitality here in Llano, the clerk at the Days Inn got a room donated to me for the night and it doesn't get much better than a really good shower and a nearby laundromat after having no clean clothes for the last week. Being dirty and gross shouldn't slow you down much but it really effects how you feel and as I've said before, it's all mental out here. The only things you need to take care of are your head and your feet ultimately. The feet you get the hang of, the head is a constant battle.

Down to business.

Everything in Texas is bigger, even the variety in responses I get. Whereas in the south I would wave at people and they would always wave and smile back, here that happens about 50% of the time, 25% of the time I get no response at all, and lastly about 25% of people give me a glare. I was stopped by a police officer today again, like I said, I don't really mind this, but I was surprised. It's the first time I have ever been stopped during the day. Things went normally and I could here the woman over the radio say, "it's clean!?!" with complete surprise to my record. I think, for those 25%, the thought process is something like this, but probably not exactly:

I am normal
I am good
normal=good
That isn't normal
That isn't good
It's bad
Bad is probably illegal
If it's not illegal, it's probably immoral

On a more specific level relating to me I think it goes like this:

What the hell is that weirdo doing with a stroller? He must be up to no good.

In fact, I have received emails to this effect that were from before people saw the sign.

With that said, I did say, "everything is bigger in Texas." And that includes the generosity and goodness, today was the single biggest day for donations that I have had on the walk and I am not even in a heavily populated area. The donations today in fact exceeded that of most states entire course.

And never before has an employee, rather than a manager, approved a room being donated. The exceptionally nice man behind the counter here at the hotel gave me a room saying, "I can't get ahold of my manager, you are doing good work, I will give you the room and deal with it later." I hope that his manager doesn't mind or dock his pay, I am continually astounded with the goodness and generosity of strangers.

Once again, thanks to all who wrote me. I'll continue on for you and everyone else that doesn't have the chances I do. I'll continue on for the charity. I'll continue on because it's the right thing to do and because everyday I meet people who are inspired but what I'm doing and who I can remind for a moment that the world is at once very big and very small, and there are good people out there.

Marble Falls, TX: What is this 'momentum' and why don't I have it?

Miles since last blog: 17.3
Miles Total: 2356.2

Route

I've got a case of the slows. I'm just not moving. Every time I come to anything with food and a chair I settle in for hours at a time. Perhaps you've noticed that my blogs over the last few weeks have been searching for the meaning left in this walk. I'm sure it's there but with so much personally already achieved it's hard to stay motivated to move at a good pace, without that great calling I have always felt, well, it becomes dangerously close to turning into a job. Shiver, let's just forget I even used that word, that's for later, after the walk if need be.

Even as I type this I am sitting in a gas station not far from where I started the day with the excuse of charging my computer. Later I will get up and move, but I question how far and I do have certain goals and self imposed deadlines that need to be met. They, in and of themselves simply aren't enough to drive me though. When I settle in for the evening I'll update and publish the blog, but more and more I find myself in a midday bitch session online. I like this, I'll finish, but I was spoiled with a deep and meaningful life that now is markedly absent. I keep feeling that something will take it's place, some new meaning and deep resounding goals, but right now, I got nothing but hope that it will come and endless calculations on when this walk will end given different scenarios.

**********

Lack of momentum still very much in effect. Today in total was a very poor showing, in fact, I've been up for less than 11 hours. Something besides motivation may be to blame here, hmmmm . . . At least I met a lot of nice people today who encouraged me, going to sleep, hopefully I'll be magically all better tomorrow.

Spicewood, TX: Officer #2

Miles since last blog: 22.2
Miles Total: 2338.9

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I think by now if you have read my blog or met me it is fair to say that I am a fairly good person who is hard to upset. Most of the time I don't even view what others would call problems as problems, more just, things that happened. But one of the points I will be attempting to make tonight is that even I sometimes still get peeved if the circumstances are right and you hit one of my few 'hot buttons.'

Originally I was going to try to be very delicate about this, because I didn't want to embarrass anyone, but the right circumstances are present: I'm tired, I'm cranky and the only hot button I can think of was pressed. I blame this, in part, on my new reflective vest from REI, which surely keeps me slightly safer, but would be covered up by my sign, hence, I wasn't wearing it tonight which probably would have made this slightly less likely to have happened. Now I've gone and built it up when really it's nothing. There, I've taken care of it scaling it back down now.

I am walking at night now at times, largely to conserve water saving myself from dehydration and sunburn to boot. As is typical of night walking, I was stopped by a police officer, this is normal and doesn't bother me in the slightest, he ran my ID which happens about half the time and we talked for a minute before we were on our way. Fine and dandy.

Then a few miles up the road I was stopped again, by his partner, who had heard the story and knew "something wasn't right." He was accompanied by the first officer, back up I guess. What ultimately pressed that hot button that I was talking about was this, he asked me to search my carrier. I generally think that this is a bad practice on an officers part because it puts innocent people in the position where they have to be troubled with no cause (remember I had already been checked and found to have no record, not even a speeding ticket) or they seem suspicious for refusing. I had already been checked once and explained that I was walking at night for the reasons I've already stated. My hot button is abuse of authority, and while this is a minor abuse, the manor with which it was done and unapologetically hassling me for a second time when I was already tired gnawed at me long after #2 left. I should note that this is only the second time in over 2300 miles anyone has asked to search my carrier, and the only time someone has come back after my ID was run and came back clean.

But none of this was really my point, I'll get to that in a minute but first let's go for a bit of logic and lay down some foundations. He thought I was up to no good. Let's examine the detective work used here:

1 - I have no record and I'm 30 years old, which means, assuming I was a criminal, I've been smart or lucky.

2 - Since walking is not illegal and he searched me (which I submitted to despite the ethical and litigious reasons not to and due to practicality), which meant he thought that my suspected crime involved transporting something illegal.

3 - Walking, at night, in reflective gear, is hardly what you would call inconspicuous behavior which coupled with part one, means I would not be smart, just lucky.

4 - I have a worn banner that says 'Walk Across America' on the front of my carrier, which would mean that my cover story would have been both idiotic and well planned with supporting props, not incredibly likely I feel.

And so you have it, I would have to be a well planned idiot who allegedly was transporting a dead body, drugs, a bomb, weapons or kidnapped victim through the middle of nowhere in a stroller. Which apparently was much more likely than someone walking across the country for charity and traveling at night to stay out of the heat. I know that neither is common, I know that my life leads me to the best of most people and #2's job probably often leads him to the worst of people, but my point is this. If you think that someone, wearing in a banner for a made up charity and walk as a cover to transport something illegal through the desert by walking it in a stroller is more likely than walking at night to stay out of the heat, maybe it's time to switch jobs, or at least change your life so that you are around good people more. There are plenty of good people out there.

Incidentally, if you think that criminals would be dumb enough to try something like this, perhaps you should donate to my charity. It is for education.

Austin VII: Potts Committed

In every state it seems like there is one bubble, one spot on the map where all the states misfit toys end up. Originally, I wasn't even supposed to walk through Austin, but the people along my way, the other misfit toys of the world all steered me gently on towards Austin, a place not to be missed, at least until you go. It's a city made of glue and suction cups if you are one of us, it's hard to rip yourself away. I've been introduced to so many new and unique things here that my sense of adventure and novelty never wavered in the wind. Many times I thought of simply stopping for a few months and settling in for the music festivals and events coming up so that I could soak it all in. But I'm pot committed.

Pot committed is a term from poker that means the point at which you have thrown so much into a hand that you can't back out no matter how high the stakes get, you've committed most of your chips to the pot and to back out would mean certain doom whereas staying in gives you a chance at surviving, even winning, no matter how small. That's where I am on this walk. I'm sitting in a Jack in the Box on the way out of the city, enjoying one last meal in the comfort of civilization before I head into what many people would say was the geographical equivalent of oblivion.

Sadness about leaving this wonderful place is already being drown in the rising waters of adventure alone in the desert and solitary peace. I still don't know what the rest of this trip holds for me other than reaching the coast, but I am feeling more and more certain with every step that something is out there left to find. In Austin I dumpster dove for the first time, I was introduced to a subculture of human drug testers that are like migrant lab rats, floating from city to city going through drug trials and experiments for loads of cash and then enjoying life in the multitudes of down time they have.

At the core of it, these new lives and experiences are what we are out there trying to find each other for, whether by travel, couchsurfing or whatever, the misfit toys survive in the nooks and crannies of society. I found one of these misfit toys here at Jack, he was my dining companion and we talked about Austin and the road, how so many people, us misfits come here rolling through and then are happily trapped in its web. I'd heard it before, my host for the last few nights has many friends who were never supposed to stay, but just ended up here.

One of the only things pressing me to leave even now is the surprising loom of a deadline, I have a number of people I want to visit this summer before I go to work at the Survival School and the sudden realization that I may not even have a week in each place shocked me into movement. I suppose I'll gain momentum fast in the desert with nothing to hold me back but shaking off the tar baby that is Austin is taking a while. I should have left much earlier, I'm not out yet and it is late afternoon already, but I did go to REI several times to my benefit.

Cherry, alas, will be in a future REI Austin Garage Sale, they replaced her for me completely so my worries of her breaking mid-desert are drastically reduced. REI was not the only store which was friendly though. Storyville, a shop here had a shirt I simply had to have and they were nice enough to give it to me half-price (Seen above). It's been a good town and I thank all my ambassadors to Austin, you know who you are. I'm sure I'll be back someday and I hope to see many of you on the road somewhere again. Misfit toy: 'Skip in the Box,' signing out.

Austin VI: Eat Your Garbage & The Month in Math

It goes without saying that food is a major part of any trip into a new area. You can't help but eat, and if you are at all interested in a culture or adventure than the minimal inkling one can do is to delve into locals dishes. There is however more than the food, the culture surrounding food is quite interesting, where, how, what is prepared, where it is eaten, why it is so, etc. For instance, in Alabama there are a lot of what they call, 'meat and three' buffets, where you choose one main meat dish from a selection and three side dishes. I bring these up now because I am wildly behind on blogging, but some of the most significant experiences I've had recently revolve around food and its unique subcultures.

In a few days which involved live bands, art shows, two house parts for people I had just met, a Kite Festival, canoeing and a fair amount of adventure, the thing that sticks out the most in my memory is food. But just what have I been doing? Well, I've prepared a video . . .

D & D

Yeah, I ate trash. Yeah, I climbed around in a dumpster looking for food. It wasn't my favorite experience, but it was a hell of an experience. I can't say that I'll be making this a habit, but it's an incredible little subculture to stumble upon and explore if only as a spectator. After the dive, while a few people rifled half heartedly at the thoroughly sifted top of the dumpster, the experienced leaders talked about the best places to go, what you would find there and the best scores they had ever had. Wine, Chocolates, Cake and Pie that were boxed and untouched, pounds and pounds of every variety of cheese were all finds that both parties had gotten. The leader of the other group told my host how to make cheese out of the sometimes gallons of milk that they find.

I realize that for many people this blog will be weird and more than likely worry or creep you out, perhaps both alternately, which I think would look interesting if you wear your emotions, but it's an experience and who am I to deny it?

Miles Total: 2316.7
Miles this Month: 443.1
Miles Left: 1500 +/- 50
States this Month: 2
Milestones: 2 (Halfway point and 2000 miles)
Average Daily Mileage: 15.83
Average Walking Day Mileage: 24.62
Twitter Followers: 187
Countries that have viewed my blog: 33

Austin V: Ummmm . . .

I can only say at this moment (4:30 in the morning), that it has been a hell of a day where I have tried to get as much video as possible and simply don't have the time or energy to blog it all. Hang in there gang, it's coming.