I'll do my best to give you a visual of this guy for I never did take a picture of him. He had long past shoulder length hair. I long scraggly beard. Deep eyes - nice loving eyes I guess you could say. He had no front teeth and was conscious of that and hoped to get them fixed. His name was Papa Aka. Wow..I don't even really know how to continue this story....
(Hour 1/48) I'll try....Aka wouldn't stop talking. He had just left his second wife and he was going to stay with his son and Dad. I was the first person to hear the story about his breakup. I felt for this guy. He had a lot to say and I kept my mouth shut and listened. He had grown up on a hippy commune outside of Los Angeles in the sixties. He couldn't read and he couldn't write. He felt blessed by this. Aka lived in Hawaii for about ten years - in the woods, in the jungle, on people's couches. He was homeless there, but loved by the locals because he would hand out food and pick up trash. I felt a strong connection with Aka. Two hours into the ride the fact that we had the same birthday of May 18th came out. Aka is deep into astrology and he had a whole lot to say about this - he had a lot to tell me about our date of birth and it all seemed to ring true. What the hell is going on here? Is this a divine moment? I bring Aka to his father's home in Brookings, Oregon. I decide to hang out for awhile; I had no where to go and no where to be. His father is 80 and despite the fact this guy smokes an ounce of marijuana a month he was sharp as a fiddle and not at all crazy sounding. I talked with him about my astrology reading and read some literature he had on it. His 26 year old son was a spitting image of Aka, just cleaner looking - and a cool quiet guy - his name was Micah. The talk goes into past lives and energy and all kinds of crazy shit that you really need to be willing to listen too in order to really hear it. These people were not crazy - just different.
Hour 4/48 - (side story #1) So Aka and I go for a walk to a thrift store in town. I'd been feeling like getting a nice soft leather hat for a long time - so I went looking. Aka found it first though. This hat was great. Soft leather, flimsy, intricate but subtle flower imprints embroidered into the leather. The hat was old though and not in great shape. I fell in love with it. Aka found it first though - so it was his call. If he wanted it - it was his. I kept my mouth closed about how badly I wanted the hat out of respect for him to decide first, but inside I was cringing in hopes he wouldn't want it. For about ten minutes Aka kept it on his head and we walked around the store. I found a nice camera case for only fifty cents - perfect - I had lost my camera case why back in Idaho and had been rolling with out. (Remember the fact that I just bought a camera case - it's good to know for what happens to me over the next 48 hours.) So finally Aka takes the hat in his hand - standing next to me - says "It's yours man - you have it." I was so happy. I explained how much I wanted it and was excited to decorate it with stuff I could find along the trip. I'd maybe string a cloth or leather strip around it - use beads, flowers, or whatever to make this hat awesome. I'd shape the brim nice, oil it up maybe to soften the leather and clean it up. It was going to be my new hat. Up I walk to the register.
"How are you doing Ma'am? - I'd like this hat which doesn't have a price on it and this camera case - it says .50 cents. The other hats are around $10-$15 so does that sound OK for the hat?
"Hmmmm....there's no price on the hat? Hmmmmm....(silence, cold starring off to side, zero compassion). I cannot sell you that hat then."
"(Me confused and perplexed, but smiling because I assume she is crazy and joking) OK - well how bout I give you $20 for the camera case and the hat?" I hold out the $20 to her - willing her to take the money - so I could take the hat.
"WHOA, don't pay $20 for that hat man" - says another guy up near the register - Aka too is like - "man that hat isn't worth $20 dude."
"I don't care - I really want this hat and to me its worth $20 - will you please take this $20 and you give ME THE HAT??"
silence......silence....
"Is there someone you can talk too at least to possibly put a price on this hat?"
So the woman gets her supervisor to go into the back room with the hat - which I assumed would be mine. What the hell is going on here? This is a THRIFT STORE - I give you money - you give me merchandise..money - merchandise, money - merchandise...is this so fucking complicated? Am I in the twilight zone?? Where is Rod Serling??? I know he's gotta be around here somewhere. The lady comes back 5 minutes later not even looking at me or talking to me - just saying to the air.
"This hat isn't in the system, it won't be back on the shelves for a couple days." No 'I'm sorry about this sir' - no fucking common sense. When they finally sell that hat - they will get $10 for it. TOPS. I was handing them a $20 saying take it! Aka went on to say that "man you don't want this hat anymore anyways." But I still did...I let it go though..it was over. I tried to say I'm just traveling through - I won't be here in two days - I really want the hat - can you please please sell me the hat - but I was talking to morons - literal morons.
So on I walk with Aka to a health food store. The store was closed, but right by the entrance to the store is a Passion Plant with beautiful flowers I had never seen before. Aka gave me one. I saved it carefully in my bag. As we continued our walk we walked right by three beautiful beautiful girls. They had a sign up asking for gas money. Where do three beautiful girls come from asking for gas money? I'm still in the twilight zone apparently. I was saving the flower for another time - but rather than give these girls money I decided I'd give one a flower. The girl I had handed it too had just been reading about this plant in the library while looking through a Medicinal Herbs book. I fell in love with this girl. They went back to Aka's family with us and we ate a meal and enjoyed company. I wanted to travel with these girls..they were great - but it didn't happen. No crazy sex story here. They had other guys in their crew they had to meet up with and I felt depressed and rejected - so I said goodbye to Aka, and his dad, and his son and hit the road around 8:00 at night - I didn't know where I was going.
(Hour 13/48) I wanted to just drive straight to San Francisco...I was going too. Like Dean Moriarty style - just roll and roll through the night and show up at Frisco's doorstep. I smartened up though - I got a motel in Eureka around midnight and stopped at a Denny's trying to digest what the hell just happened today. It's a school night and there is this kid - like 13 ordering food by himself at midnight. Half way through my meal I walk up to the waitress - and hush her down the counter out of hearing of the boy - she was a bit freaked out about why I couldn't ask the question from where she was originally standing. "I know I'm being a bit creepy, but I just need to ask you something down here in private." I decided to pay for this kids meal, but I didn't want him to know I did. "If you need cheering up yourself - cheer someone else up" - Mark Twain. I needed it - and I got it.
Hour 24/48 - So I leave Eureka - heading down the 101 - 5 hours from San Fran. Pull off to get a coffee - get back on the highway - another hitch hiker. I pick him up. Now this guy....shit. Well he looked like a pirate. Name was Phoenix. He had a pirate hat, a thick wool coat - piratey looking - yellow/black checkered pants. He wore a goatee with a mustache. He was carrying a long hollowed out wooden tube - it was a musical instrument. Phoenix was Israli - born and raised - but has been in the USA for about three years mostly wondering and traveling. He had a lot of drugs on him. Shortly into our trip we stopped to admire some of the giant redwoods we were driving through. Phoenix played his instrument too the redwoods. Yes he was playing too the redwoods - talking to them through his instrument. He was spitting all kinds of knowledge about energy and auras and 2012. Ridiculous shit like you need to sniff glue in order to time travel. I'll say that again and capitalize it for you if you read through that last sentence quickly. YOU NEED TO SNIFF GLUE TO TIME TRAVEL. I couldn't make that up man. Sniff glue and you can time travel - that's what he said. I hope you realize that I cannot possible say every detail of all the conversations I had with first Aka and now Phoenix. First off there was so much I just cannot remember it all and second off your head might explode...or you might think I was the one sniffing glue and this never actually happened and I just woke up under a giant redwood tree or its still Thursday and I never left Monroe and I'd just passed out on the couch watching "Ancient Aliens" on the history channel. What is happening? Oh yah...forgot...still in the Twilight Zone.
(Hour 29/42) I needed gas. Phoenix was passed out in my front seat. He had taken a bunch of mushrooms. Offered me some, but I politely declined - I was the driver you see. After talking like a rasta, and then in some other accent I didn't quiet recognize he thankfully fell asleep. So I'm filling up my gas. I'd filled up gas many times before, but this was the first time the gas decided NOT to shut off once the tank was filled up. Or even to shut off when I let go of the latch that keeps the gas flowing. Yes folks - gas was spilling all over the gas station, it wasn't turning off, and I have a hitch hiker from Israeli in my front seat dressed like a pirate, talking about time travel, and aura cameras the government knows about, passed out in my front seat. An older lady sees the gas flowing and wants to help. I thought there should have been an emergency shut up around the pump somewhere...but of course not. I kept stepping toward the market part of the gas station then turning back thinking I shouldn't leave gas spilling everywhere. So this lady gets up to go inside to have the gas shut off. She doesn't make it. The lady runs, slips, smashes into the wall of the market, hits her head on hard rock and is laying in a heap on the ground moaning. Now do I go help her or do I attend to the gas that by the way is still pouring out all over the place? I leave her a minute and run inside. Finally - the gas attendant comes out and hits the emergency shut off for the gas. Two minutes go by and I look over and still see this woman laying in clump against the wall - moaning. She's hurt pretty bad. I call 911 and speak with paramedics to please get to the Quick Mart off Highway 20 a couple miles from the 101. The lady was "coming too", but had a dislocated shoulder and hurting head. I took off as soon as the ambulance arrived because I swear I saw Rod Serling walking down the street speaking into a video camera.
(Hour 33/48) So Phoenix finally wakes from his stupor - I decided to take highway 20 to the coast - then ran up 128 back to 101. I was rolling into San Francisco around 7 that night. Phoenix was supposed to be going to SoulFest - a music festival that we learned actually happened last weekend. So he was rolling with me to Frisco apparently. He wanted to hang with me - but I had to let him go - I just dropped him on the street in SF. I don't know what street, but he had to go. He's a hitcher and a traveler, he'll be alright.
It was at this time I realized my camera was gone. I lost my camera...or my camera was stolen by either Phoenix or one of the two hippies I gave a ride to a campground too on one of me and Phoenix's many road side stops. To shorten this up a bit around hour 50/48 two days after I had left the camera under that giant redwood I drive four hours north from San Fran and find my camera sitting there. There is so much I left out of this tale - so much that just cannot be said or cannot be remembered - I have my camera, and now I have Aka and Phoenix immortalized in my brain. I'm still 150 miles north of SF. Not sure where the hell I'm going - but I'll get there.
We gonna have room for hitch-hikers in the desert? If we do I suggest we only pick up girls 18-25. Hope all is well.
ReplyDeleteI almost booted the second one out the door and turned around to go the other direction for this gorgeous hitch hiker....i would have turned around too....those chances don't exist.
ReplyDeletehaha....that is one crazy story though, best part about it was that it all happened in 48 hours
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