Hitchin'

So I hitchhiked down the coast of the U.S. recently and I guess today’s entry is gonna be about that little adventure. I had never hitchhiked in my life, so I was definitely throwing myself “out there” in life. After deciding to leave Oregon in confidence that it was time to go, I had to decide how I was going to get from there to California. Many times in my life have I read about adventures of people hitchhiking and you always hear those scary stories people tell, I had enough cash for the bus or train, but my heat yearned for adventure, for freedom, I needed to just trust life. I hopped online and went to Craiglist and saw someone who was going into California, but just after Humboldt County. I sent an email and it was done, I had NO idea what to expect.
The next morning I went outside at 7 with my 3 bags in hand and waited to se what was going to pull up. It was cold and wet outside and every car that pulled up, I thought was my ride. Pretty soon a little Honda pulled up and a cute little hippie girl hopped out of the drivers side. “Hop in she said” I hopped into a front seat full of different Indian images. When I say India I mean pictures of God’s and Goddesses and a picture of Mother Theresa in India. How cool! There wasn’t much conversation, I thanked my driver, I felt safe and it had been a rough couple of days emotionally, so I ate a few Zanis and went to sleep. We were going through Grants Pass and I woke up for that and we talked briefly about life and peace and random acts of kindness and I felt good. I knew just what kind of trip as this would be! Pretty soon we hit this little Redwood town off of 101, right near the tree that you can drive through (or one of them) and she informed me that is was time to hop out. I popped a Zani and got a beer and some peanuts in the store and that ride was over.
What was I to do now? Now I had to REALLY hitch....in the woods with the biggest trees I had ever seen. It was getting dark and I AM SURE there were bears and shit. As I turned to say goodbye 3 tweaky looking guys who looked TOTALLY methed out said “Ya need a ride, we going into town”. I asked if there was a bus there and they said yes and hopped in the back..right before I hopped one of the guys turned at me, I noticed he had 1 tooth, he said “Have a nice ride” and handed me a joint. Welcome to California Tilly.
I rode in that truck for what seemed like hours. What the fuck is up with these dudes, I am just trusting life. We pulled into a little town and they let me out, they informed me that they were going to sleep here in there truck, I told them I had no destination, I may be back, and I went to the gas station. I waited at the gas station for what seemed like forever trying to figure out what to do. I was cold standing there in my Dickies jacket and so I decided to ask customers for a ride to Santa Rosa, I knew I could catch a bus to San Francisco there. I went into the gas station and told the clerk my story (sorta) and he allowed me to try and find a ride there. I tried and tired and it got later soon I had to leave. There was frost on the ground. I decided to be happy and not worry and make it an adventure. I walked into the forest.
As I walked into the forest I noticed I was walking into bigger and bigger trees and there was less and less people, none. “I am going to die out here” I thought and then peace came upon me. I realized looking at those Redwoods and I remembered from New Orleans that God feeds all his creatures, I would be fine, things became VERY fun to me. I packed up under a giant Redwood and wrapped up to sleep listening to my favorite AM show Coast to Coast AM with George Nory. That night was the most peaceful sleep of my life and I was sleeping outside and it was less than 30 degrees.
I woke up with the sunshine the next day and was in awe at how beautiful things were, hills and giant Redwoods. I was in the middle of nowhere. How would I get to civilization? I went to a tiny store and got a hard-boiled egg and a cup of joe and after the morning paper (like a normal day) I started hiking. The clerk informed me that the highway was only 1 ½ miles. As I walked I was at peace, no one had my phone number and no one could contact me, it was me, just me, off the grid. No one could find me...WHAT A RUSH! I walked until the highway, it was finally warming up and I was grateful for the setting that surrounded me and VERY grateful that the highway was right there. I stumbled over to the shoulder and I dropped my bags...I could see signs of past hitchers.
I put my thumb out and BAM! A ride, on a Sunday morning, for real. I hopped in and asked an African American guy where he was headed, he said Santa Rosa, I was stoked and I sat back to relax. This dude was cool y’all! He informed me that he had just got done hitchhiking South America and he HAD to pick up this kid hitchin’ with a laptop and hear my stories. I told STORIES and told him about my blog and all sorts of things. I was so grateful and this guy was so interested, so I rapped about Tilly’s travels through life. I finally asked him his story and we compared stories about guns and cops and being stuck and how all of the magic happens when you just put yourself out there! I remembered when in New Orleans me and my friend Patience used to talk about that a lot and it made me feel REAL good about my adventure. We arrived in Santa Rosa, a very posh little town and my friend informed me that he would feel privileged to help me find the bus if I showed him my writing.
We went to a little coffee shop and my boy hooked up breakfast up! I busted out my laptop and showed him some of my friends music and my blog and we had a good old time. On the internet I looked up Greyhound and it was a few miles away, dude told me he would take me. We hopped in the car and right in front of us was an Amtrak bus that said San Francisco. I jumped out of his car and flagged the bus, thanked my friend and off I was $6 bucks. I stashed my bags and sat back to some music and the road. Out of the woods we traveled over the rolling hills of Northern California. I was going to San Francisco!! As we rode on the scene began to change, I was approaching the city...the Golden Gate Bridge.
I rolled into the city a very content and happy and accomplished man. I was pleased, I rode by famous landmarks, I saw San Quentin and Alcatraz I was here!! As we pulled into the city I picked up my phone and called my boy Patience from The Omega Project, he was in Santa Cruz and I was getting close. The bus pulled into the city and I pretty much had to get out on the side of the road. Frisco is dope...huge hills everywhere, I wasn’t gonna catch a cab, this adventure was fun, so I starting asking where I could catch a train to Santa Cruz, I had know idea if that was possible or not. People sent me everywhere, I walked blocks and blocks and finally found the Greyhound, when I got into the station it wasn’t like New York, the homeless RAN that terminal, there feces on the ground and shady people everywhere. 2 gay guys followed me in the restroom and were all eyeballin’ me. Fuck this, I thought I am not gonna take no bus here and I will be damned if I wait here for 2 hours. I hopped out and jumped in a cab...TAKE ME TO THE TRAIN!
The driver dropped me off at the train, I paid him 10 bucks and hopped out. I looked at the building and it reminded me of the Staten Island Railroad in N.Y., comforting. I went to the counter and requested a ticket to Santa Cruz and was informed that I would go to San Jose and catch a bus from there, about an hours ride to San Jose. I paid my six bucks and rolled through the tunnels out of Frisco, there was a guy next to me who looked exactly like Silent Bob and he smelled like dank weed. I knew I was going to a great place. We arrived in San Jose and I walked over to the bus area. There were a TON of people, apparently the bus wasn’t coming. This really beautiful girl approached me and asked for a smoke, I obliged and we started chatting. Turns out she made skateboards and to me that she was staying in the Cruz, her friend was coming and I could hitch a ride. That was my last hitch, I was among friends. What an experience y’all. I learned, again, that I can just trust life in any circumstance, no need to worry, everything works out and everything happens for a reason. I grew on that adventure, ad always. All I can say to anyone who reads this: life will take care of you if you trust it and fearlessly take on the obstacles in your way. I f you are afraid of something DO IT, that’s when the magic happens and the more you are afraid of something, the more you should take on that fear head on, if you can manipulate the energy from fear onto drive, well, that’s how people get famous and shit. Watch me through this blog. I WILL BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE and you can all see it happen on this BLOG!
One Love
~tilly