From Chalmette to Mobile

Steve and Josh dropped me off outside of Chalmette and it didn't take long for a kind woman named Miranda to pick me up off the side of the road. Her and her husband had spotted me and made an illegal U-turn to double back and then made another to pick me up. They took me over Lake Ponchatrain and into Slidell. We rocked out to some classic rock (CCR) and Kid Rock's 'All Summer Long'. This really lifted my spirits and got me into the mood for more travel. They dropped me off at a truck stop and I slept under some trees until the heat of the day had passed. Then it was back to I-10 where I was immediately picked up by a 350 lb. transexual named Lynn. He/she was in full drag, including a red dress, clear heels, and a Cher wig. He talked about hiking the Appalachain Trail when he was younger. Now he's a 47 year old man who is one surgery away from being a 47 year old woman. He's trying to get a job as a chef/chefette, but says that for now his occupation is to "entertain truckers". I didn't ask for an explanation.

He/she dropped me off in Mobile, Alabama. Mobile is a strange place and if you're into hitching, DON'T GO TO MOBILE! The cops are first-grade assholes. One picked me up this morning when I was asking him directions. He put me in the car, drove me to I-10 and told me to get out of town or he'd arrest me for public intoxication. I told him I wasn't a bum, but he didn't care. I snuck back into town to refill some water bottles and was immediately harrassed by another cop. He pulled pretty much the same stunt, though he didn't specify any charges. Many of the people here are rude as shit. I asked a man if he could tell me what road I was on (Mobile lacks street signs) and he barked at me. On the flipside, on two separate occasions, once last night and once today, very attractive young women have simply walked up to me and handed me money. The first was outside of Wal-Mart. I was waiting for the rain to stop last night so I could get to the overpass to sleep. A cute girl named Donna walked up and handed me $8. I refused, telling her that I wasn't destitute and explained my trip to her. She insisted and eventually won the argument. Then, just about an hour ago while eating at "Steak and Shake", my waitress, Caroline, gave me $5. Again, I explained the situation and again she insisted that I take it to help with my journey. I gave her this website and left the money with her tip.

I'm currently in Best Buy on Airport Blvd and I-65. I'm going to look for a place to crash tonight if I can't hitch to Montgomery. Hitching around here seems a little more difficult than in Louisiana. Come to think of it, the nicest people I've met in Mobile were the three bums that greeted me when I arrived under an overpass last night. Eddie and Jerry were warm, friendly hosts who had known each other for about five minutes when I showed up. I didn't catch the other guy's name. I told them about my trip and they praised me for it. We chatted for a few hours before retiring for the night. They gave me some pointers for living on the road and saw me off this morning when I took off.

Signing out for now, but I'll be back soon.