090704

 

Ogden to Clearfield, UT

Tuesday September 7, 2004

     8:52am  I just woke up in Mark's motel room. Niaz had this other homeless friend who was living in a motel temporarily and he let me crash. He was all shooting up meth, I think. Last night was weird. I was at a gas station in Salt Lake City. All of a sudden this guy pulls up and he's wearing a New York Yankees hat. In the end he agreed with me. I told him my story and everything and he asked me, "Oh, could Ogden be in your mission?" I looked at my map and it was a little bit North. I told him, "Ahh, not really. I think I'm going to stay in Salt Lake and head West on I80." As he was leaving he told the manager cashier, "Take care of him." She said, "Oh, we can't do anything for him. If he doesn't leave soon I'm going to kick him out for loitering." Well, that was my sign to leave, so I guess I'm going to Ogden. So here I am in Ogden, UT. Of all places. Seems like a pretty cool town. I'm going to walk downtown and tell my stories. This is a big town.
                    Oh yeah, and last night Niaz was telling me he had a camp somewhere I could camp out at. Even a tent, so I was all, "That's cool." We came to a hotel room where his friend was staying. Some meth-head. Ogden is the meth capital of the world, he told me. They were getting it all ready for injection. I took one look at it and said, "I'll just crash on the floor," and lay down and went to sleep.

                   Now I'm going to walk downtown and tell me stories at the plaza.

                   It was the Mill Stream Motel.

     8:55am  This person didn't want to give me her name. She gave me a cigarette. A Doral.

     9:08am  Walking South on Washington Boulevard. I took a picture of the big Ogden sign.

     9:18am  I'm walking by the Pioneer Tabernacle.

     9:31am  I walked over to the Pioneer Park. I heard someone say, "Free cigarettes!" This girl Nona just bought a pack and is handing out free cigarettes.

     10:11am  Oh who would've imagined that I'd be in Ogden today? I went to the park where all the street kids were at. I told them my bad jokes. I showed them all my visual aids and my universal socket tool and my pictures. They told me, "Do you want to go for a walk?" We came to this store and I met this guy Dagger. Dagger was wearing a green shirt that said "Cannabis activist." I told him, "Man, I just have to tell you my story." I just now finished my story. He listened to me good. The whole time he was all wide-eyed.

     11:18am  Violeta me esta dando un taco para gasolina para mi estomago. Te lo agradezco, señora.

     11:20am  Scored me a taco at the burrito stand. I talked to the lady in Spanish. She hooked me up. She told me, "Well, it's not my business, but I'll give you a taco anyway."

     11:24am  Doug hooked me up with a cigarette in front of the municipal building. Thank you, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     11:48am  I got directions to St. Ann's, the church where they feed lunch. I couldn't find it, so I went to this Belt Warehouse Distributor place and I asked them and they told me it was down the street a little.

     12:14am  I'm sitting here in the lunch room waiting for seconds and Dave hooked me up with another yogurt. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit.

     12:42am  Ed gave me the rest of his rollie cigarette by St. Ann's. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit.

     1:09pm  Man, I got a full belly from St. Ann's. I ate a lot. Afterwards I told this guy Eric my whole odyssey story. Some guy from Seoul. He's from Nebraska but he was born in Seoul. He listened through the whole thing and said, "That's awesome, that's awesome."

                    I got through to somebody here at least.

                   St. Ann's is right next to this railroad track. Some guy told me that you can hop trains out of Ogden easily. I'm going to hop a train to California.

     1:24pm  Tony is hooking me up with a cigarette at Melanie Salado's Restaurant. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     1:58pm  Rene hooked me up with a courtesy ride to the college. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     2:13pm  I am at some college. I don't know. WMU, whatever that stands for. I'm going to find out if you have to be a student to use the computers at the library.

                   Oh yeah, the bus driver listened to my whole story. Well, not the odyssey. I even asked him to do me the two favors. He said he believed in me. He's going to tell all the other bus drivers.

                   This is Weber State University.

     2:15pm  Dale hooked me up with a cigarette in front of the community school. I appreciate it, brother.

     2:35pm  I had an awesome presentation with this guy. He told me he had a magazine. I told him, "I've got a story for your magazine." He went, "Really, really?" I told him my story. He didn't have time to listen to the odyssey part though.

     2:44pm  I am at the Stewart Library.

     6:18pm  I found another resource at the library here. I typed up some days and I was able to access the a: floppy drive and I was able to download my zip files from Boulder off my email so I know where I am in my typing. Perfect. I didn't type up that much, but I was able to make a list of all the cities I've been to so far that I can now show to people during my presentations. The smart man backs his shit up. There's like over fifty cities so far. How crazy. I'll come back tomorrow and type my stuff up. I'm hungry. I'm going to go see if I can score some food somewhere.

     6:37pm  I left the library. Before I left I went to the bathroom and shaved. Some guy who had seen me earlier at the computers walked by and said, "Hey, how's it going?" I told him I was the happiest man in the world. He asked me why. I promptly told him, "Because with the Internet I have discovered a way to fight the world's greatest problem." He said, "And what's that?" I asked him what he thought it was and he said he didn't know. I told him, "I say it's ignorance. The root of all problems. Nobody listens," and he started walking off right when I said that. As he was leaving he said, "You're right. Nobody will listen," and he walked out the door.

     6:50pm  Kenta hooked me up with a cigarette. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit.

     7:08pm  The bus driver gave me a courtesy ride, cool. I'm going back downtown. 

     7:26pm  No-go at the Subway. Oh well, next place. It's all a number's game.

                   Bus fare to California is like seventy five dollars from here.

     7:28pm  Tonia hooked me up with a cigarette here at the bus station. I appreciate it, Tonia. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

                   Danny hooked me up with a cigarette at the bus station. I appreciate it, Danny. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     7:52pm  I told these two kids in the grass my story. They didn't have any weed, though. I want to get smoked out, damnit.

     7:58pm  I came to the park where everybody hangs out. I asked this dude Billy if he knew anyone who could smoke me out or kick me down a nug. He told me he'd smoke me out. I gotta catch the bus with him to his house.

                  To Clearfield, I'm going. I guess I'll hop the train there.

     8:19pm  I'm all the way in Clearfield already. The driver gave me a courtesy ride. Cool, cool. Let's see where I end up.

     8:45pm  I'm in Clearfield with Bill. We're going to go smoke at his house. I appreciate it, brother.

     9:20pm  Praise Love for what just happened! I got smoked out hardcore. I even have half a joint left and he kicked me down a lot of weed. I have weed for my train ride! I keep thinking I'm not going to have the balls to actually do it, but I gotta follow the signs I'm getting.

                   I want to go score at KFC too. I want to test this theory I've heard. There's this rumor that they have a policy where they have to hook people up if they ask them for food. I'm going to eat.

                   I got stoned. I got a couple cigarettes.

                   Praise Love, praise love.

                   Things happen for a reason.

     9:27pm  Dude, I have a veritable cornucopia of selections for my dinner tonight where I am. I'm at 650 North and Main Street in Clearfield, UT. I got a Subway down there, I've got a Carl's Jr, I've got a Taco Bell, a McDonald's, and a Kentucky Fried Chicken. Man, I am going to eat goooood tonight.

     9:29pm  Jamie here at the KFC is hooking me up with some gasoline for my stomach so I can keep walking. I appreciate it, Jamie. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     9:33pm  Shweet. She hooked me up with two big pieces of chicken and a biscuit.

                   Hmm, where should I get seconds? Subway. I don't know.

                   Man, it's so amazing how my presentation improves after I smoke weed. I just went off on them.

     9:52pm  I'm just sitting here at the bus stop. I'm waiting for the bus to go back to Ogden. In Ogden they have the big Union Station Train Station. There should be people working there 24 hours. I got the idea that I'm just going to go there and when the train drivers pull up I'll ask them, "Can I tell you a really interesting story for a courtesy ride to California? It would be really good for my one hundred percent true story that the whole world is going to read on the Internet."

                   Think I can get a ride like that? Hehe.

                   If they say no I'll tell them, "Well, thanks anyways. Maybe the next guy will be generous and give me a ride."

                   "I mean, you're going there anyway, right?"

     10:11pm  I'm sitting in front of the Taco Bell on these bus benches. Actually, no buses stop here. They have these all up and down the street just for advertisements. I sat there for a while until I realized no buses stopped at the bench. I looked down the street and in front of the Chevron there's a bus stop . . . but there's no bench! It sucks I can't sit down at the bus stop when there's all these benches everywhere around here except at the bus stop.
                     I noticed that there's some grass right there and I thought I could sit down in the grass. Then all of a sudden, The sprinklers came on! I have to stand up and wait for this bus. I don't even know if another bus is coming or not. Damnit, the last one might have already passed.

     10:19pm  I saw a bus going South, the other way. I figured, "At least I know there's one coming back still." So, I'm going to go score me some more food from the Arby's.

     11:18pm  Oh yeah, I desperately need to make an update. At the Arby's I just put on an award-winning presentation! Not only did they hook me up phat, but the girl manager listened to all my stories! Well, not all of them but a lot. I had the greatest audience. She was nodding her head up and down the whole time. She was laughing out loud at the funny parts. And they hooked me up with a fat Arby's burger in the end. Somebody called and ordered twenty sandwiches, so story-time had to end.

                     Oh yeah, she even said she was going to hook me up with a ride back to Ogden when she gets off work! I told her I didn't think the buses were running anymore. I asked her when she was getting off and she told me that because she listened to me so long, that she wouldn't get off until like twelve or twelve thirty.

     11:45pm  Man, I just saw the bus pass. I could've caught it. This sucks. Now I have to wait until the Arby's closes at midnight or twelve thirty.

     12:00am  I am giving up on going back to the Arby's. The lights are still on inside, but I don't see anybody in there cleaning up or anything. I don't see any cars around.

Next day..