Serendipity has struck again and I randomly met a friend of my host Adam, named Scott, who is driving across Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona on his way to Berkeley and eventually Seattle. So I asked him, and he said he'd be happy to bring me along and drop me off in San Diego. He's a pretty interesting guy. 32. Spent a good amount of time in the Navy welding boats. He lives in a boat in the Puget Sound in Seattle. Taking a trip in his grandfather's truck (has 2 gas tanks, diesel) for the first time. He's made this drive 8 times in the last 13 years. He smokes vanilla tobacco from his trusty pipe. After all this Texas scenery, I yearn for a place like Devil's Lake. Oak and maple trees. Grass that ... read more

I'm in San Antonio! Ended up staying with the beautiful people mentioned earlier for one more night. Marlon and Liz drove me out of town, said goodbye, and left me at a gas station with a "San Antonio" sign and my thumb. And this is me after my first successful hitchhike! Anything different? I'm really going to miss the five in the house. I'm listening to The Tallest Man on Earth right now, and I know it will always remind me of them. Tears in my eyes. I had two people stop to pick me up today. The first one was sketchy. After a half hour of waiting, he pulled up in a black truck and motioned for me to put my bag in back. I stepped toward the truck and he got out (he looked ... read more

Flash Mob Austin FREEZE today! Pretty amazing, meaningless fun. Critical Mass Austin yesterday. Even more amazing. 400+ people. On bikes. In roundabouts. On the Capitol Steps. Partying on the top of a huge parking structure and then crusing down in figure-8s. At my second surf with Randy, Erica, Marlon, Brian, and Liz. There was a guy by the railroad tracks tonight screaming anti-capitalist gibberish at mini-golfers. A few problems with that. Mini golfers dont give a damn. And you're doing nothing to change anything by yelling anarchist lingo at random people. Go help a Food Not Bombs or something. Stop sputtering at mini-golfers. I think I might skip Albuquerque and try to run into Eric somewhere else along the line, because I don't think I can dilly-dally around in Texas long enough for it to warm ... read more

Austin, Austin, Austin! I'm staying with Jessi and Claire (have yet to meet Claire) here. Jessi is awesome. We hula hooped up a storm last night. So far, I've been riding her big cruiser bike around, asking random people for tire pumps, liberating bottles of Kombucha from Whole Foods, and keeping an eye out for goody-filled dumpsters. Sitting on Capitol Hill at the moment, contemplating. Not sure what my thoughts are on this life so far.... it's been two days. I'm suspending any kind of judgement until at least a couple weeks in.... read more