090604

 

Moab to Spanish Fork to Salt Lake City to Ogden, UT

Monday September 6, 2004

     6:32am  I just woke up over by the bridge that Jessica told me about. This wooden bridge that people walk over. I crashed out by this tree behind some rocks. I had a good night's sleep. I had a great time last night.

     7:16am  I'm walking North on Main and I'm going to go try the Burger King again for breakfast.

     7:20am  Angie, at the Burger King is hooking me up with some gasoline for my stomach. I appreciate it, Angie. Everybody gets credit.

     7:30am  Josh hooked me up with a cigarette for my after-meal smoke at the Burger King.

     7:51am  I walked all the way where Main Street hits Jackson Street. I'm walking the wrong way again, so I have to go all the way back now. Aiming for Interstate 70.

     7:54am  I went to the gas station and asked some foreign bike rider guy which way was the highway. Some guy from Europe. I am walking and he just rode by and yelled, "Gut luck!" I had told him my introduction and mission-objectives before at the gas station.

     8:12am  I walked in front of some carwash right in front of the "Coming Soon Zion's Bank." I saw a box of cigarettes on the ground and I bent down to pick it up. I picked it up to see if there were any in there. There was like six cigarettes in there! Some foreign cigarettes.

     8:24am  I came to this bench by the Eddie-something plaza. In front of the Visitor Info place. I took off my layers. The sun's out and shining bright. It's amazing how it's warmer here than in Durango. I'm going to smoke a cigarette. Oh yeah, I was able to take one last hit of weed. I thought I didn't have any left.

     9:09am  I'm walking past a Denny's. Let's see if I can score some food.

                   There was a big crowd of Babylonians at Denny's, so I didn't ask for some food. I should wait until it slows down. I came across the street. I'm going to stick my thumb out.

     9:35am  Gary's picking me up in front of Denny's. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     9:40am  I just got dropped off about three miles away. Gary had told me he wasn't going that far. Every little bit helps. I'm going to walk down here and stick my thumb out.

                   Arches National Park ¼ mile. I'm just walking.

     9:52am  I walked in front of this big sand dune. All these people are climbing it. It would be funny if one of them rolled down.

     10:15am  I stopped to rest and smoke a cigarette. I'm going to keep walking this highway. These mountains are awesome.

     11:12am  I walked to the top of the summit. This big hill. I can see some civilization like a mile away.

     11:52am  I am twenty miles away from I70. I'm almost to the Shell station I saw when I was at the top of the hill.

                     I walked my ass off, man. I feel good.

     12:22pm  I got to the gas station. They said I had to wait for the manager to show up. That they couldn't give me any free food. I asked how far away I was from Moab and she told me nine miles. Wow, I walked nine miles. Cool.

     12:32pm  I went outside and sat on the bench to smoke a cigarette and Alice, the nice cashier came out and handed me some pastries. I appreciate it, Alice. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

                     This guy pulled up in a Hummer and he walked up and asked me, "Didn't I see you walking earlier?"

     1:15pm  I already got my ride to I70. This guy in a truck and a couple girls. One's name is Cassidy. They're these two hot girls.

     1:49pm  Cassidy, Elizabeth and Rico(Mr. Suave) hooked me up with a ride to I70. I appreciate it, guys.

     2:02pm  Rico is going to take me all the way almost to Provo! Almost to Salt Lake City already. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     3:07pm  We stopped at the Conoco in Wellington, I think the town is. I'm going to use the restroom.

     4:28pm  I got dropped off in Spanish Fork at a gas station. The Chevron next to the Little Acorn Drive-in.

     5:05pm  I just told these two really pretty girls my story. They were in the military. One of the girls listened to my whole odyssey story. All the way through.

     5:09pm  Dan, at the Little Acorn Drive-in is hooking me up with some gasoline for my stomach. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

                   Scored me a sandwich and fries at the drive-in here. Thanks for feeding the peace machine, Dan.

     5:55pm  Rustin hooked me up with a cigarette in front of the gas station. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     6:29pm  Julio hooked me up with a cigarette in front of the Chevron. I appreciate it, brother.

     6:44pm  They finally ran me out of the Chevron for asking for rides. They even called the cops. I wasn't doing anything. Anyway, Officer Rudd is giving me a courtesy ride to highway 15. I appreciate it, brother.

                   Oh yeah, at the Chevron the stupid bitch cashier came out and told me she was going to call the cops. I told her, "Don't you know complaining won't do shit? Actions speak louder than words. Go ahead, call the cops. Watch him give me a ride. Call my ride for me. Hurry up."
                   Then I walked to the drive-in and asked Dan if he would run me off for asking people for rides and he told me he wouldn't. Just then, Officer Rudd got there and waved me over." He asked me where I was going and I told him California eventually. He asked me what I was doing and I told him I was on a mission. I told him my intro and mission-objectives and he said, "Ahh, it's never going to happen." He gave me a ride to the gas station on 15!

                   Called that straight-up!

     6:56pm  Sweet! In no time Landon is hooking me up with a ride. He was the first person I asked after the cop dropped me off. He told me he had to use the phone though.

     8:19pm  I'm in Salt Lake City already! Landon brought me all the way over here.

                   Landon drove me around downtown SLC. I took one look at it and decided I didn't want to go downtown. It's all Babylon Mormon-ville. I asked him to take me to I80 and maybe I could score a ride from a gas station. He did. Straight shot to San Francisco.

                   There's a Greek restaurant here. I'm going to go hit them up.

     8:29pm  Mary is hooking me up with some gasoline for my stomach at the Mad Greek restaurant. I appreciate it, Mary.

     8:41pm  I walked over to the Premium gas station and Kyle is hooking me up with a cigarette. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     9:15pm  Mark, here at the gas station listened to my story. He had come up to me and asked me if I could loan him fifty cents. I hooked him up and then he listened to me.

     9:29pm  I came to the Chevron here by I80 and I told the kid inside my story. He listened to my whole odyssey. In between customers, of course. I asked him if he knew anyone who could hook me up with some weed and he told me his friend Tony should be coming by soon and he might kick me down a nugget. Tony just showed up. Here's hoping.

     10:06pm  I'm here telling Tony, this other guy who works at the gas station my story. He listened to the whole thing. He's suggesting I listen to John Brown's Body's song called The Traveling Man. I'll be sure to download that and check it out.

     10:13pm  Since Tony liked my story so much, he gave me two cigarettes. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     11:15pm  I thought I was going to just hang out at the Chevron and tell people my story when they walked in, but the bitch manager told me I couldn't. This dude showed up. What was your name? Niaz asked me if he could charge his cellphone here. I told him I didn't work here. He asked me what I was doing. I told him I was just traveling and telling people my story. He asked me, "Do you want to go to Ogden? It's kind of ghetto, but that's where I'm headed." So, I'm going to Ogden, a little North.

                     He said it was the meth capital of the world.

     10:28pm  Niaz has a story for my book.

                     Niaz: "I met this fineass girl. Half Thai, half white. The girl's eyes glow. Dark brown with a white face, like an egg yolk. I fit in the ghetto, but this girl ain't ghetto, ya know. This bitch was so beautiful. Two months later we're together and I take her back to my hometown. I was making money and thinking this is the life. I'm confident. I couldn't accept the fact that this girl was so sheisty, she had to be sheisty because I nickenamed her Sheisty. She fucking wrote down my credit card numbers. This chick thinks I'm a double-lifer dawg. She thinks I'm FBI and I'm a drug dealer and I'm somebody else and I'm somebody else, and assumes the best and the worst of some situation. That's all I gotta saw, dawg."

                     Victor: "And you were telling me about your felonies?"

                     Niaz: "That's right. Felonies can make or break a motherfucker."

                     Victor: "How many you got?"

                     Niaz: "Five. Felony, felony, felony . . for every drug that I had and I had everything. That's why I say dude, stick to the weed, dude. Cuz these Ogden motherfuckers will break you down and take you down. They're snitches, dude. See, back home on the Eastside, the country, people are all Deadheads, nice people, laid back. You know? They take care of each other. They're hicks. Then Phish came out and the hippies became yuppies and the yuppies became gummy-worms. Man, I can bite into a nigger. Gummy-nigger. Pull a nigger, stretch a nigger. Gummy-niggers. Soon we're going to have Indian gummies and off-white gummies. You can tear into a gummy.

                     Victor: "Umm, I gotta conserve tape."

Next day..