Day 2 Wednesday 09-30-09

I woke up at about 10:30, bad time to start. I then walked from campus to Glennwood exit, about 4 miles. I waited in the rain for an hour and then decided to walk.

First ride. After about a half mile, a couple that was on the Northbound saw me in the rain, turned around and gave me a ride to Cottage Grove. Great...

This time I met a guy, who like myself, doesn't drink, or do drugs, he isn't
homeless, just wants to explore and travel. His name is Cory Watkins, and is part of YWAM. We became partners. After eating at McDonalds, we head out. Instead of trying our luck at the ramp, we decide to walk. We walked for hours, starting and stopping. Danced on the side of the road to lure people to pick us up. A cop stopped and told us that another group was doing the same thing up the road. Haha. Then he told us to stop...

Second ride. We walked some more, and finally got picked up by a short bus converted to an RV by a young hippy couple. Their daughter Cassidy kept messing with me and Cory. We stopped at a rest stop in Rice Hill, OR. The hippy family goes rest stop to rest stop, and spange (spare change), for a few days at each place. They gave us a few cans of food, and we went and found a place to sleep for the night.

We set up camp behind the rest stop, by the tree line. Covered ourselves with a tarp and called it good.

Day 1 - Tuesday 09-29-09

I left my house at 10:31 am, with my backpack, and $50. In my backpack, I had some rolls, chilli, Top Ramen, and two waterbottles full of water. For clothes, packed I had two shirts, a pair of shorts, a pair of boxers, and 3 pairs of socks. I had enough wilderness survival stuff to last me pretty well. So I set off.

First Ride. I set off walking down Kuebler towards I-5, with a sign saying "I-5 SOUTH". I walked for 5 minutes with the sign out, and I got my first ride. She was headed north on I-5 but took me to the exit. We talked about how she used to get rides from truckers all over So Cal, it was pretty cool hearing her story for a short while.

Second ride. I sat at the exit for about 45 minutes when I got a ride. The guy was around my age, slightly older, say 22. He was going on and on about differnt conspiracies and I was sort of egging him on. But we talked all the way to Eugene. That is a pretty good ride.

Third ride. I walked from the gas station I was dropped off at, for about a half mile. As soon as I got to the ramp, I got a ride. I shouldn't have taken it, because they dropped me off at the worst spot ever, just a few miles down the road. It stated to rain, and I seeked shelter under an overpass. I eventually said "screw it" and started walking.

Fourth ride. I walked about 2 miles, and then got a ride to Cottage Grove. Which really isn't that far, but at least it was a better ramp... or So I thought.

Fifth ride. After waiting at the ramp for an hour and a half, I went to the northbound ramp. As soon as I got their, a guy picked me up. He was heading back to Eugene, and didn't want to go to his office right away. He asked me where I wanted to be dropped off at and I said U of O Campus. He took me right there.

I then walked around the campus looking for people I knew to see if I could get a place to sleep. I ran in to Ty Hendrix, and he said I could crash in his dorm room. I then called up Gregory Parker, and he picked me up, took me to his apartment, and we had free tacos for "Taco Tuesdays". Then got a ride to Ty's dorm, and talked to people on Skype.