Keep On Walkin In The Free World

I had the strangest dream last night. I have been having very vivid ones ever since I started this trip. This one in particular had some very interesting themes to it. It was movie like. It started out with a scene from a zoo. In particular the Lion pen. It was feeding time. They were mauling a camel. Not sure why but one lion in particular stood out. It was white with a Red mane. It seemed to be in charge. The scene switched from this to a conversation between me and my mother. I can't recall what we were talking about. It was most strange though. Then there was a prison break scene of sorts. It was back at the zoo. The white lion after having fed on the camel leaped over the fence and took to the streets of a nameless town. Flip-mode back to the scene with my mother. She told me that i had to catch the Lion. So I left to track it across the city. It had been leaving bloody footprints all over. I followed them all over town. through the streets, up walls and over buildings. Finally catching up with it at the top of the tallest building. It was cleaning its paws. looking very domesticated. It saw me, roared and stood up looking like it was going to eat me. Just as I was getting ready to tackle it I woke up...

It was overcast and there was that smell of freshly fallen rain. You know that smell that people try to bottle and put in liquid detergent. Gill, the park volunteer who gave me the can of chef, was hacking up a lung over in the woods to my right. The sun was obscured by some clouds to the east making for a golden dawn. The slanty grey lines of rain on the horizon made it look very epic as if god was going to decend from the sky that very moment. Gill came by and said good morning, with a water bottle full of coffee. He continued past and went to attend to some business. I packed up my stuff, wrapping my computer up with extra care due to the ominous sky. I had an orange. Gill walked past back to his campsite. Upon leaving I went over to bid him farewell. I discovered that he was a similiar sort of fellow as I had met in BC a few years earlier. He had a bicycle and a trailer, and a few other possesions. He was thrown through a loop when I asked if I could take a picture of him. He obliged

The noble Gill


where is god he must be here somewhere

The highway west of Leo Carrillo Beach was spectacular. To quote the Talking Heads "I fell in love with a beautiful highway." There is beauty in everything after all. I got a lot of honks today. Its pretty common actually. People like to honk their horns. I bet an interesting essay could be writ on the subject. Everytime I walk down a highway I get alot of honks. Not sure why exactly. Its never because I am in their way. I am usually as far off the road as i can possibly be. I know that they aren't honking at anyone else because more often than not I am the only one around. Maybe they're just testing who knows. They pass by to quickly for me to know really. When I walked across BC there was one dude who passed me four times in one day. He honked and yelled each time. really bizzare.

I stopped at Point Mugu State park sometime around 10:00. To my surprise they had an open port there. That was the last point that I updated my Website. It was pretty awesome really. A park ranger informed me that California State Parks are trying to put in wireless at all state campgrounds. Way to go California, yet another reason to love this fine state. I also check my email for the first time in 2 days. 15 new ones. There were ones from all over. One from an american. The best one was from Terry at the Newfoundland Trail Assoc. He was most helpful when I was walking across Newfoundland. As well as Tony and Betty. I met Betty at a fruit stand in Newfoundland while walking there. She took me to the head office where I met Tony. Terry was away at a Stones Concert at the time, but i had some of his mother's Apricot cake, which was delicious. Thanks to all who sent in a little something. It was greatly appreciated. Gave me a boost for the rest of the Afternoon. Keep 'em coming too. And keep spreading the word. I am hoping for a google rank. I am currently beating my brother for most hits. He has been getting more unique IP's be he is giving out free software so it has a bit more pull. I am hoping to google at least by the end of this.

Around the corner from Point Mugu State Beach is yet another Military Installation. Its a Missle Test spot. Quite famous really. The targets are oppossite from the Highway. I wonder what happens when they miss? This is a spot where they tested alot of new missiles for the Navy. Its where they "prove" that they really can blow shit up. I found this out when I passed the base and was confronted with a little monument garden. It was full of peni. Well missiles actually, and two jets. I read a few of the informative plaques there. When I was a kid and interested in WMD's i would have probably read them all. But my mother was pretty anti-military and didn't let me play with guns, which is an attitude that I now cherish. Thanks mom. I took one clever picture for posterity.

had to be done

Highway One had turned into a freeway at this point So I had to bid farewell to it for a while. My map blew out of my back pocket a little unexpectedly. I suspect the Barn owl that I scared from its roost under a bridge took it. It seemed pretty pissed at me for waking it up. So I stopped at a scrapyard for directions. The dude behind the counter was most friendly. He drew me a little map indicating the route i should take. I flashed him my blue-collar B and D shirt to prove that i was a scrap man too. He asked why I was walking and not driving. I told him about the Cure For Cars. He seemed puzzled and warned me not to put him out of business. I told him that I only wanted to increase his business. He seemed all for it then.

I stumbled past the biggest Celery Farm i have ever seen. There were miles of it. And me without my peanut-butter. Oxnard seems to be a big ground crop area. Judging by the sattelite image of the area I'd say thats all that they do there. Well there were a few orchards of lemons and one of oranges, and a couple of feilds of strawberries. The strawberries were all fenced in though so i couldn't sneak any unfortunately. They were probably full of chemicals anyway. I stuffed my belly with wild prickly pears that morning anyway, didn't need anymore. Oh i should make a small note about prickly pears while i am talking about fruit. Prickly pear is awesome. So very tastey. The pits are a bit of a nuisance, but they are worth it. What makes them really annoying are the minute hairs that cover them. They stick in your skin something feirce. Hurt like a sonofabitch. But SOOO tastey. I have bought one in a store in Canada before. Those ones suck. You gotta get em when they are almost sunburnt. Go to the desert, its where its at. Its worth the sunburnt lips.

check next time you buy, Oxnard/Dole

Upon arriving in Port Hueneme I made a b-line for the nearest Taqueria. You really have to bug these places to make you a veg burrito. They always want to give you meat. I made the mistake of ordering a bean burrito once. It came filled with beef. Now don't get me wrong i am not a vegetarian. I have no qualms with eating meat. But i know what meat on-the-edge tastes like. It won't kill you but the taste is nasty and makes for worse gas than normal. really unpleasant gas. The kind that fills the sleeping bag and makes it unbearable to be in. The reason these Taquerias can charge so little for these burritos is that they use meat that is close to bad. Which is good for the wallet but bad for the intestines.

That brings me to here. Which is yet another roach motel. Its been the cheapest by far. $44, no tax break. The lamp is missing a prong, so the only light comes from the bathroom and this screen. I am a little worried about bed bugs, but they need to eat to i guess. And i sure as hell aint walking for another 6 miles to the other edge of town. My feet are killing me. They took a beating on the beach the other day. I sanded off a good layer of skin in a couple of important places. I don't think i'll do the barefoot backpack haul again. Not until the current blister reseal themselves. Tomorrow i will break 200 miles i think. Thats what my new map tells me at least. It calculates using the most efficient route. Which is definately not my route. So perhaps i have broken it already. What i am wonedering is where in the hell is this Trail that those People at CoastWalk claim to exist. They obviously don't have their shit together. I still haven't heard anything back from their mailerdeamon. They need to get some real people working on this like the people attrailway.ca. And those guys are Newfies, we've all heard about newfies haven't we. Maybe they SHOULD build a screen door for a submarine. It would probably work! I deem that we change all newfie jokes to californian jokes. It would make more sense don't you think? That ones for you guys Tony, Terry, and Betty. Mad props!