HITCHING AND SLEEPING

Left from home on Tuesday,and hiked across town on the pipeline, then up Cities Service Hwy and slept under the overpass. There was a drunk homeless guy that showed up in the middle of the night, but he didn't give me any problems. He was pretty cool when I talked to him Wednesday morning. From there, I hiked along I-10 into Westlake and then took the train tracks over the lake where an operator got pissed at me for crossing. He kept yelling for me to come back and face his wrath,but I just kept on walking. It was at this point that my cousin, who had been walking with me, finally turned around and went home. That's when the realization of my solitude really kicked in. Those first steps alone were the most difficult.

I made it to Enterprise Blvd, and was picked up by a former coworker (thanks Becky) who drove me to Welsh. I kept walking, intent on making it to Jennings before midnight. Sometime during the night I found that after walking for over twenty miles with that heavy pack in some intense heat, I was ready to collapse. I took an hour nap beneath the Mile 61 marker on I-10. I then slept in a field until 6:30. I walked into Jennings and hung around for a bit, sleeping through the heat of the day. Then I thumbed for a ride and got picked up by a Mr. Griffin (father of Minnesota Vikings' lineman Cedric Griffin, he has a ton of his son's cards and autographed photos in his truck) who drove me nearly to Baton Rouge. A few minutes later, I was picked up by two friendly guys (Steve and Josh) who drove me to their shop in Chalmette where they operate a cement works business. I got a shower and managed to get my clothes washed.

I figured that hitching would be difficult for a bearded skinhead, but I'm finding it's the exact opposite. I thought that it would take a month to get across the state. Looks like I'll be in Mississippi for the weekend. Let's see what tomorrow brings.