Day 12

I came on this journey hoping for something more. I don't know exactly what but I am on the road because I had a feeling that something greater Is to come. Maybe it's experience, maybe it's faith, maybe it's love, maybe it's something else. But I know what I feel and I feel something big. I could have stayed in a life where I was secretly miserable. That might have made some people happy. Maybe there was another way to do this. I don't know the answers or what is right. All I know is what I feel and that's what brought me here. I'm just a normal guy who wants to find what happiness is. 

     I woke up in a park in south Sacramento around 9:30 from the heat. I got up and packed my stuff. I went to Starbucks across the street to clean up in the bathroom. I now distinctively know the smell of the soap in Starbucks bathrooms. When I was done I emailed my cousin and left from there walking north. 
      I walked for 3 miles into the downtown area heading to another Starbucks. I was meeting a very close friend (basically a 2nd dad) there at around 1. I got to Starbucks and wrote in my journal a bit. A man sat next to me named Brian. We started talking and carried a good conversation for about 10 minutes before Johnny arrived. Brian grew up in the bay area and moved to Sacramento about 10 years ago. He graduated from Berkely and was I think in his mid thirties. He had become disabled about 5 years ago... 
      When Johnny arrived I was very exited to see him. He has been like a father to me at times and I always have looked up to him. I gotta say, knowing Johnny, I was a little nervous he might not like what I'm doing. Me and Johnny hugged and then sat down to talk. Indeed, Johnny didn't like that I have been in places or situations with potential danger. He's an x cop and know the streets much better than I do. He has seen how people can be monsters and bring harm for no good reasons. He had read the blog and enjoyed reading some of it but still didn't agree with my decision. He also didn't like how I make people worry. I understood where Johnny was coming from and his point were valid. Johnny then recited some bible versus that were connected to my life and broke them down for me also. He spoke his mind (something I have always respected about him) in his thoughts of this journey. The cool thing about Johnny is he wasn't arguing or telling me what to do. He just calmly shares his feelings then moves on. Right away after he shares the versus he listed a few tips in how to protect myself from other peoples harm. He told me wasp spray is like another form of pepper spray and has a good range to keep attackers ect. Away from me. Also that a walking stick is legal and can be used as a club if necessary. Johnny only had little time and in about an hour he had to be going. I told him thanks for visiting me and for sharing his honest thoughts. Even though some of it was hard to hear I respect the truth. I hugged him and said goodbye for now.
       After he left Brian looked at me and smirked. I laughed and said "tough love". He was right next to us and obviously heard us so we talked about it a little. He told me not to worry and that I can't please everyone. That is something hard for me because I dwell on being negatively criticized, mostly when it's a respected critic. Brian said it's hard for us to understand other generations sometimes and visa-versa. I just told him I have tried many times to please everyone but it always leaves me unhappy. I believe it's important to put your happiness first even if it's hard on others sometimes. And not just what makes you happy at the moment but more of the long run search for it. Brian and I talked about it for a while and it really made me feel much better. He gave me his contact information and offered me to stay at his house. He offered hospitality for me during my stay in Sacramento if I wanted or needed it. I got a picture with him and he left. Shortly after that I left walking north.
      As I was walking I was thinking about what me and Johnny talked about. I was just thinking that I really couldn't TRY and be happy anymore in a life where it just wasn't there. If I continued to try and force it eventually it would have just boiled up and I would crash. I have always had nice things and have had good opportunities but just never could appreciate hardly anything. I was a punk who took all my stuff for granted and I just couldn't live that way. I couldn't do it. I needed to find happiness inside and this is where I ended up. I didn't think about this much, I just did it feeling like it's where I needed to go. Life isn't worth it to me if it's not real and I can't enjoy things. 
       I was walking for about 4 miles and found myself on a frontage road along highway 99. I hadn't seen a person walking in a while and all there were around me was trees and weeds on the land. I came around a corner and noticed homeless people everywhere! There were two huge lines and a whole group of people sitting along the street on sleeping bags and stuff. I walked up and got in one of the lines. I talked to some of the guys in line and it was a mission where they feed the homeless. I was starving when I got there so I was exited to get some food. 
     As I stood in line for about 20 minutes I saw people selling meth and crack right behind me. There was one guy who looked like steve bushemi in mr deeds. BLOWN! I don't think he knew where he was. I got to the front of line and I was seriously literally the last guy to get a plate before the food was out. I got the scraped food but it was still all good.
     I ate the food and they started yelling out chapel call! Everyone gathered and entered into the chapel. I was right there so I followed. I went inside and attended the 7:30 church service. The service was ok, but what really blew me away was the singing. Every single person in there was singing the Hymes and I had never heard something that pretty sounding. Who woulda thought in a room half filled with cracked out tweaks. It gave me goose bumps and was pretty powerful. 
        As I came outside after the church I would head north to a park a few miles up. A big black man stopped me and said "there's a spot right here if you want it". There were about 50 people making beds along the sidewalk. These were the ones who didn't get a bed inside. I told him I was gonna walk on. He asked me where to and we started talking a while. His name was Moses. He was a local football star in sac in both high school and college. He ended up playing on the 49er practice squad a while and eventually became a trucker. This Dude was huge. 6"8 350 and yakked. He said he quit his job when he decided he needed some time to get himself right before going on. He has been on the streets 6 months completely sober and said he has come a long way. I was amazed to hear that. It was really cool to see a person give up everything to do that and I told him we are in it together. I asked him if he was happy and he said more than ever. I was seriously trippin. We talked about 3 hours when eventually I decided to make a bed there. I asked if I was safe there and he said you got my back I got yours. I felt like I was gonna be all good there next to Moses that night. It was pretty funny because his sleeping back went from his ankles to his chest. He reminded me of the green mile Dude. Really calm and nice, but huge. We talked til about 1am. He said it was cool to meet someone real and in this searching like he is. He told me he would travel with me if he didn't have a few things he had to do around this area. He also said he was tired of two bit crackheads always around him. It was cool to meet Moses. What a unique guy and good heart. Many people around there knew him and called him big mo. 
       Eventually I went to bed. I slept feeling pretty safe there surprisingly. There were bugs everywhere and they always woke me up during the night. And a lot of people walked through there all night. Some guy came real close and woke me up asking if I knew where to find the "cris". I told him I'm not on it and I don't know. He said what do you mean you aren't on it and laughed while he walked away. Another lady ran by in the middle of the night screaming for everyone to hide. She must have been pretty high. There were some other guys smoking crack a few sleeping bags down and were building something with cardboard all night. Weird stuff. All in all I rested pretty good. I got a picture of Moses in the morning still asleep.
        
     

Day 11

I woke up Saturday morning in an outfield of a baseball field in Davis,CA. Right when I woke up I was exited because I was going to get to spend the day with Ashley (a friend from home) she was meeting me at Starbucks in the afternoon.
     It was about 9:30 when I woke up (sun woke me up). I noticed a group of people in a parking lot across the way so I went to check it out. It was a senior rummage sale (basically a big garage sale for seniors to come and sell personal belongings). I walked through it but it was small and there wasn't much to see there. 
     I left to head to Starbucks. I got there in the late morning and wrote for a while and relaxed. Ashley was coming fromModesto, CA a little over an hour away. 
     When Ashley got there I was so happy to see her and was exited to spend the day with her. We have been talking on and off for about 5 months and I really like the person she is. She has a heart of gold. 
      We sat down at Starbucks for 5 minutes and then decided to go to a farmers market down the street and walk around. We walked through there and sampled fresh foods and listened to a couple park musical groups playing for money. It was such a nice day and it was real relaxing. I was always raised a country boy and never really did much like this so it is a little new and different to me. Actually cities in general feel that way to me.
      At the end of the farmers market we checked out an old library on the corner of the block. It had a bunch of historic things and information about the town. I read in there that Jesse James jumped his first train in Davis, CA. There were some other cool stuff too. 
     After we walked around a while we went to a park to relax and talk. We sat down on my blanket in some shade and just talked about both of our lives. Things we go through, feelings we have about things, and what we want in the future. I really like the things Ashley says and basically everything about her. She is proud of me and what I'm doing. The fact that she is supportive makes her more attracted than she already is. We talked about how its been cool for me to have close to no material possessions an still feel happy. We talked a while there then decided to go back downtown to eat.
      She insisted on buying me lunch even though I tried to not let her. We went to froggys bar and grill and ate really good food. That may be the first time a girl has paid for my food (besides girls I live with or shared money with in the past). It was a little weird for me but the food actually still tasted the same.
     After that, we headed to Sacramento as it was on her way home and it was the next town I was trying to get to. We stopped at a Starbucks off the 99 freeway. We went to another park across the street and hangout a little longer before she would head home. We talked again a while and it felt really good because she understands me and I can see in her eyes she respects my thoughts. It was like another me (but way prettier) and whatever I talked about she understood. I felt very close to her and have wanted to kiss her for a while so today I did. It felt really good and I was pumped. We talked for about 30 minutes there and eventually fell asleep together taking a short nap. 
     It was about time for her to go so we walked back to her car at Starbucks. She was sad to leave and even though I was not acting sad I was too. She gave me a last kiss goodbye and she headed home. It was a really great day and I never expected it to be that good. 
     I stayed at Starbucks for a bit while I wrote in my journal. They closed at 9 so I left there and headed back to the park across the street. The area was a little rough and I was spotting a lot of homeless dudes around me. I figured sleeping in the open like the other parks probably wasn't the best thing so I found a spot hidden away and dark where I was less visible. 
      I was worried about some tweakers trying to steal my backpack so I rigged up a little safety attachment to myself. I put my belt through the loop on top of my backpack. Then I wrapped the belt tight around my wrist and tied it together with some shoestring I had. That way if someone grabbed it I would feel it pull my wrist and it would wake me up. Also it would be hard for them to rip it away from me. I laid down with that connected to my arm and my knife in my other hand (in my pocket) and closes my eyes. I thought of the day I spent with Ashley while I laid there. I went to bed around 11 and slept like a log. This town has a bunch of tweakers so it might be an interesting stay.

Day 10

I woke up at my friend Jakes house being served breakfast in bed. Country potatoes, scrambled eggs, sausage links, and toast. My buddy can cook! I scarfed it down before I got out of bed.
     I got out of bed and relaxed for a while watching tv with the family. I used jakes phone to call a friend from back home (Ashley). I talked to her for a while outside on the front porch while I sat in a wooden porch swing. She wanted to come visit me on the weekend wherever I was and I was exited to see her. We made an arrangement to meet in Davis, CA. The next town north of there. Ashley is such a big hearted person who I love to talk to and I couldn't wait to hangout for a day with her. She was coming the next day (Saturday) to visit me.
      Jake and his friends were on their way out to town and they were able to take me to downtown Davis to a Starbucks. I thanked him and hugged them all. It was really great to have their hospitality an support for a night.
     Davis was a pretty cool town. There were a lot of college kids around (it's a college town) and the town was old style but very nice. Just walking through the downtown was nice. There was a lot of shade and big trees too which made it nice to be out of the heat.
     I went into Starbucks and wrote a while and used the Internet. I had my stuff set down at one table but I moved to another table trying to get a better wi fi signal. There was a lady who had came in and got coffee then sat outside. About 10 minutes later she came in and yelled "who's the worldinstrides guy?!" I raised my hand slowly and said me. She said right away what I'm doing is amazing. She said she has many questions for me and asked if I minded. I told her not at all and joined her outside. After a while of talking she wanted to call her husband out there to meet me and talk also. He also came and joined us. We talked for about an hour. We talked about many different things. The lady (Terry) was very sick and had been through many injuries in her life. She was hospitalized for a few years when she severely hurt her back and neck. She was on very heavy medication and taking; vicodin, oxycontin, xainex, and ambien all together in heavy doses. She never used drugs much until then. From using all the prescriptions together like that she became physically dependent and mentally numb. Since then she has struggled to get off of opiates and blacks out often from the mixture of medicine. She was actually going through a detox as I talked to her. It was so shocking to me because I would have never guessed. She looked completely like a healthy person and did not look like she was going through that. After she mentioned it I saw her having hot flashes and could see her struggling. But I would have never thought twice when I saw her get her coffee. It was surprising and just proves to me you never know some people until you can connect to them. It was really cool.     
     I talked with them for a while before they had to be going. They were successful business people who travel through many countries for their work. They gave me a generous donation, prayed for me and were on their way.
     I walked downtown to look for a place to sleep that night. I ended up finding a baseball field and decided to sleep right next to the left center field wall. I listened to some music and fell asleep around 11. 

Day 9

A man woke me up in the park In Dixon, CA at about 10am. He asked if I was ok and that some people saw me and were worried. I told him thanks so much for asking and that I was fine. He said sorry to wake me but he just wanted to make sure. I thanked him. I fell back asleep. 
    I woke up again at 12 from the sun. I was still very tired so I moved back into tree shade. I didn't go back to sleep but ended up relaxing for an hour there listening to music. There was a little breeze and it carried nearby sprinkler waters mist towards me. It hit me very lightly and I was so relaxed listening to Jack Johnson. The park was pretty and green. 
     I got my things packed at about 1 and headed to some large restroom buildings in the park. I hoped there was randomly a shower inside but doubted it. There wasn't. I brushed my teeth and put on some facial moisturizer. My face is starting to dry up.
     I left to Starbucks. I was really suprized with how good my body felt. Even my thighs weren't hurting too bad and felt like they were gonna recover quickly. The only thing that sucked was the blister on my right foot. All in all I thought I should still take it easy for the day. I planned to do laundry at the laundromat and bathe somewhere in a bathroom. 
     When I got to Starbucks I got a water and bought a banana for a dollar. I was real hungry so I ate that and some trail mix. My appetite felt like it was light weight back. 
     I began to write my journal entry and relaxed there. I finished writing and also went through my emails. I also talked to my mom for a while to let her know I was ok. She worries often but is also very proud. If felt great to hear that from her. 
     I had a friend on facebook who found out I was in Dixon. He offered to have me stay at his house about 8 miles out of Dixon. I told him I could use a good shower and to do a load of laundry. He said absolutely and was very exited to have me. Honestly, knowing I was gonna get a shower made me soooo pumped. A girl noticed our conversation about me being in Dixon (a friend of his who I didn't know). She asked if she could give me a ride and that she really wanted to meet me. She said not to move and she was on her way. About 15 minutes later Kathie showed up at Starbucks and was so exited. She said she reads my journals and is so amazed with what I am doing. I told her I smelled like roadkill and if she was sure she wanted me to be in her car. She said of course! She drove me out to my friends house. My friend Jake locks is a pro motocross racer. I have traveled with him before when I went on the 2009 supercross tour around the country as a mechanic.
     He and his friends and family greeted me warmly and said make myself at home. I went straight for the shower. I can honestly say I have NEVER, NEVER, appreciated a shower that much in my life! All jokes aside that's the honest truth. I smiled the entire time. Amazing. 
    The locks made dinner and fed me a home cooked meal. We had rice, chicken, and veggies. It was the best meal of my life, again not even kidding. They had some questions about the trip and we talked a while and watched tosh.o. There was a video of someone trying the cinnamon challenge. It is where you try and eat a tablespoon of cinnamon and swallow it all without drinking. Do not try this please. It's basically impossible. Me and Jake both gave it a shot and it got ugly. I basically lost my dinner because of it. We got it all on tape and Jake will post it on my facebook wall soon if you want to see it.
     A friend of jakes was there (craven). He was younger than me. He said he reads my journal every day and that it really has been inspiring to him. He said he thinks differently about things since following it. That is awesome! The fact I can help with that makes being homeless more than worth it! Period! I told him about a story when I was walking through Danville. I had all my gear and was walking down the street. A car passed with a bunch of teenaged boys. Their music was loud and the windows were down. They leaned out of the windows and screamed f*ck you!! And flipped me off. Then one of them threw a cup at me. It really was crazy because I did that exact thing one time. I was a senior in high school and trying to impress people. Right after they passed it was like I was looking into a mirror and seeing myself through that. I just laughed and I was actually happy it happened later that night. Totally put that into perspective when I saw it from another point of view. When I did that in high school that wasn't me. I was just trying to fit in with people and for sure wasn't me.
     Craven was saying when he reads my journals each day he feels like he notices himself realizing that too. That made my night and really showed me this is real and is really helping others. I can't even begin to explain how good that feels. To inspire young people in that way is soooo cool. And I love how the stories are spreading to affect more and more people. (not sure if I used the right affect/effect)
     The night was good. I was around good people and enjoyed a bed that night. It felt good to not worry about tweakers roaming around me or being awakened by a cop. Although, sometimes that stuff is pretty entertaining to be around. A pretty chill day for the most part. It was cool because i know i am gonna run into some gnarly stuff back on the streets soon so it was a good little break. I fell asleep in an ACTUAL bed at around midnight. Ahhhhh...


            7 DAY REFLECTION

     It's been a week since this blog page has started and I want to briefly reflect on the past 7 days. Let me say thanks to all my supporters first. Without you it would for sure be less fulfilling. This journey has quickly turned into a miracle. I have traveled less than a hundred miles but already have a lifetime of difference. I will never forget this. A week ago I didn't even know what a blog was but my cousin told me to keep a journal everyday and email it to him. He said he would post it on a blog page so my family could follow my journey. And now in one week I have 11 different countries following my journals and over 2,000 hits. That might be nothing for blogs in general but to me it has been incredible. I have been getting emails off the charts from people around the world who say I'm inspiring them. Many emails have said I have helped people open they're eyes and have been a big inspiration to them to want to make a difference. I have made some amazing friends along the way. My eyes and mind continue to open along the way. I gave up my life (job, house, truck, toys ect.) to follow my heart on this journey, and it is already more than worth it. I followed what my heart told me and it is leading me to some really amazing truths. I am very eager to continue my search of more truth and am happy to share it with anyone! Donations are coming in for my plans to clean up in japan and support other areas hit by natural disasters. Thank you all for that and please send contact information along with your donations. I really would love to give back in the future to all who helped me, even if it's nothing big. You all mean so much to my life. Every email/ facebook message/ comment on here of support really makes me feel amazing. Thank you everyone and YOU are changing my life, and helping me to change other lives! Thank you for continuing to support me and spreading the word!

Nickkleck@hotmail.com

Facebook name: Nick Kleckner 

Day 8

So I heard a voice say "hey". I opened my eyes from sleeping behind Starbucks and a cop stood over me. His headlights were bright and pointed right at me also. I woke up so tired I actually thought it was a dream. He asked where I was going. I started to tell him and was so tired my words were mumbled. I stopped and said sorry, I'm so tired. I felt the cold and knew it was no dream. He said it's ok. I continued to tell him what I was doing. After letting him know of my journey and the purpose he asked for my ID. I handed it to him. He called it in to the station. His outfit said Vacaville pd. As he waited he asked why I was going to Seattle. I told him I didnt have a good answer and that it just kinda came to me. He said that's ok, sometimes things just come to us for no apparent reason. He was really calm and friendly. He seemed to be ok with my journey. He gave me my ID back. He asked me for some information and wrote it on a card. He asked more questions about my travels and seemed to enjoy hearing about it. He told me that's a great thing I'm doing. Then he said he was sorry to have to tell me this but Vacaville has a no camping policy and I would have to find somewhere to go or continue out of town. I said I completely understand and thanks for being so friendly. He said good luck as I picked up my things and walked away. I said thanks. 
   I walked to walmart and thought I could kill some time there. It was 2:30 and Starbucks opens at 4:30 so I had two hours to kill. I was so exhausted I felt like a zombie. Walmart was closed. I was shocked and that's the only walmart I've seen that wasn't open 24 hours. I had nowhere I could think of to go. I was so tired and didn't want to start walking to the next town. I walked through the last street before the town ended. Only thing I thought of was dennys but didn't see any. I was walking and saw a resturant that had an open sign on. I was shocked and thought maybe they just left it on. But I went up to it and it was open. Mels dinner. I came in and told the hostess/waitress they saved my night! Thank god they were open. I went in and figured I would just order the cheapest thing there and hangout until Starbucks opened. I stayed there and talked to the waitress for 2 hours while I sat in a booth. I never ended up ordering and the waitress didn't care saying she liked company because she was bored. The waitress name was Sera. She was so nice and sweet. She was getting ready for med school in Florida and saving money working as a waitress. We talked about all kinds of stuff and it was nice. I shared my headphone story to her and she had a similar story. When she was real little she was saving money dollar at a time so she could buy a cute radio toy she wanted. She raised 10 dollars and traded ones for bigger bills till she had a 10 dollar bill. She was so proud of her savings and she carried it everywhere. Well she went to church with a friend one day, and the offering tray came around. She never seen it but noticed everyone was putting money in. It came to her and thought she needed to contribute but only had her 10 dollar bill that she worked so hard to save for the radio. She grabbed her money and very hesitantly placed it in and was very sad. She was crushed the rest of the service. After the service her and her friend went to the playground and guess what she found? 50 bucks! It was a great story.
   Me and her talked a while and thought much alike. We also talked about things that didn't make sense in life and how it's hard to accept stuff when it doesn't fit. Things like great young people dying. I agree that is unfitting and hard to deal with.
   I left at 5am and went to Starbucks. I went to charge my phone but my charger was nowhere in my bag. My front zipper was open a little and it must have fallen out. I was bummed. I wrote my journal and then tried to go to sleep there for a little nap. I couldn't sleep. I was frustrated because I needed to get to Dixon and wanted to rest before I took off walking. I tried again but it wasn't happening. So I just left Starbucks and would start walking. I stopped at walmart and bought a charger for 14 bucks. Kinda upset I had to spend the money but everyone has been so helpful and supportive on the road I knew they wanted to keep reading my journal. Outside of walmart I brushed my teeth and took my undershirts off. I just wore the sleeveless jersey an put sunscreen on my white arms. I took off from there through the country towards Dixon. 
  I passed a golf course and really missed playing. Before I left to do this I played 4-5 days a week after work and on weekends. It was addicting and relaxing.
   There was one gas station left before nothing but farmland started. I stopped there and asked how much it would be to fill up my water bottles in the dispenser. They actually didn't even have the water option, it was only soda. So I said it's ok and thank you anyways. I smiled and walked out and on down the road.
   I got a half mile into the country where a guy pulled up next to me. He said he was in the gas station and he heard me ask for water. He handed me a gallon of cold water and I was so thankful. He was dressed in military uniform and said good luck on my travels. I didn't get to tell him what I was doing or anything but he was a nice man.
   I continued towards Dixon. It was all row crops, orchards and farm animals. I had a while to go and it was hot so I paced myself. Along the way I ran into a cow crossing the road. It had obviously escaped from somewhere. It walked into a driveway after crossing in front of me but it didn't look like that's where he came out of as there were no pastures or barn at that house. A ways up I came to a cow pasture and saw where it escaped through the fence. I didn't see a house around to let anyone know. I walked for 10 miles in the heat and had 2 miles to go. The gallon of water was almost gone and what was left was really hot. Without the water it would have been rough as I only carry 3 bottles. Thanks to that man I was hydrated. The last two miles were painful. My back, knees, feet, neck, and thighs hurt. My inner thighs were rubbing on my boxers and were wearing my skin off. That was a little painful but not unbearable. I finally found a Starbucks. 12 miles of walking off one hour of sleep and no food. It was for sure a mission especially carrying everything. I got to Starbucks and went into the bathroom. I probably brought the worse case of mudd butt Dixon has ever seen, and it was high in the running county wide. I noticed in the bathroom my thighs were bleeding and running down my legs. My boxers and pants had some blood on them. They hurt and were really sensitive. I put some cortisone cream on them. I used my email at Starbucks and got a large iced water which was awesome! It felt good to relax. I left Starbucks at 10. I walked a mile to a park nearby. I was walking with my legs spread apart so my thighs didn't rub on my boxers between my legs. If your a guy u know what I mean. A man came up and gave me some money. I told him why I was walking like that so he knew I wasn't injured or something. He asked for my story. I told him. He then shared his and I found he was sleeping in his van. How nice is that of a homeless guy to give me money, what a great heart. So cool! Thank you Zeek. I got to the park and it was really nice and a good place to sleep. I laid down in the middle on some grass in my bag and closed my eyes. It felt so good. I went to sleep right away at about 11. I woke up in the middle of the night because I got blasted by some sprinklers. I woke up, grabbed all my stuff in my hands, and drug it out of the range of the sprinklers. I was running dragging it all with my legs spread and I was moving slow through my soreness. But I doubt anyone saw how dumb it might have looked. I fell right back down on my bag and right back to sleep. Not sure what time it was at in the night. I went back to bed and again and it felt so good.

Day 7

 It was definitely a bizarre day yesterday. I woke up in a park in Vacaville CA. I was waken by the heat of the sun. It was only 9:30 and the heat was already pretty overbearing. I tried to go back to sleep but way too hot. I got up, did my morning stuff and walked 15 minutes to the closest Starbucks. I stayed at Starbucks for about 4 hours writing and relaxing. 
     I decided to walk north east and check out the down town where there was another park. I took my time walking there because it was hot and hauling all my stuff only made it worse. Downtown Vacaville is really nice. At the end of the downtown street there is a bridge that crosses a creek entering a park. Very pretty. 
    As I entered and looked around. There were a bunch of people and traffic around there. I right away thought I probably wouldn't stay the night there. As I walked through the park, 3 teenaged girls approached me. They said their family party has a bunch of extra food and if I was hungry they would give me a plate. For some reason I havnt been having much of an appetite the last few days so I told them very sincerely thank you anyways. 
    As I walked further down the path there was a older african American man on a bench. He was dressed in ragged clothes. He was drinking a jug of orange juice and reading some papers in a packet. He shouted out "say man! Take off a load!". I have been thinking of using the yes man strategy (to an extent) on this journey so without hesitation I said ok and sat down. The man introduced himself as Mr Robinson. Right away I asked if he was hungry. He said yes. I went back to the 3 girls and they made him a big plate of food and delivered it to him. We then started talking. Mr. Robinson smelled like a sailor who got into a barrel of some moonshine. I asked what he was up to. He said he was reviewing his papers from the emergency room a couple nights ago. Apparently Mr. Robinson had a bit too much to drink and got into a fight downtown. He said he was basically blacked out but did remember getting choke slammed by "some dude". He didn't remember anything else from the night but only waking up in the morning in ER. He was such a funny guy. The way he told the story was classic. His smile was awesome even with the missing few teeth he had. He lived in a friends back yard. Me and him laughed quite a bit together and he told me he had a good buzz and was ready for a Siesta in little bit.
   As me and Mr. R talked a girl came walking up from a distance yelling something I didn't quite hear. She got closer and was looking right at me. Becca was a cute dirty blonde girl and around my age. She was obviously hammered and possibly on drugs. She said she wanted to sit next to me in a flirtatious way. I told her she could have my spot and I will stand up. She said no, she wanted to sit next to me because she felt me from far away and said I was "good". She talked in a bit of a country accent. So I laughed and said ok. I moved my things and Mr. R had the end of a piece of watermelon still sitting there. She told him to throw that behind him. He grabbed it and went to set it on the ground next to him. She got upset and said in a very demanding way, "no no no, toss it over your shoulder behind you!". He looked at her and kinda grabbed it and fumbled it. He was so laid back and moved slow so it was like her demands were to fast paced for him. After he fumbled it and dropped it on his lap she said "now pick it up and throw it over your shoulder like this" (showing the motion). So he tossed it behind his shoulder and starred at her with a look like he was pissed off. She said "goood joobbb". And then she sat down. She looked at me and asked who I was and that She never seen me before. I told her I'm just traveling through and going north. As she began asking me questions Mr. Robinson looked at me like "I'm getting the he'll out of here" and he took off tippy towing away. It was really funny and she didn't notice. I couldn't really say by to him because becca was in my face. 
   She said there was something about me and to follow her down by the creek because she was hot in the son there. So I figured I would see what her deal was and wanted to know a little about her. We went down by the creek in some shade to a bench down there. She started to tell me she's gonna tell me things because she sensed she could trust me and also she saw a calmness in my eyes. She told me she has been up for 3 days and shooting up, smoking crank, weed, and also drank an entire bottle of tequila that day. She wanted to move again to the creek and put her feet in the water. She was going a thousand miles an hour. She soaked her feet ( the water was gross looking so I did not ). She said she has been through so much and her soul is badly damaged. Her family had major drug drama and her dad was busted big time and was now on the run. She has a 6 year old son who she doesn't see. She cried when she said that and was obviously hurting. This whole time I was really just listening and when she asked me something I would answer with a few words. She said there was too many bugs and she wanted to move. We went up a hill and under a bridge and sat on some rocks. It was weird because we were literally moving to a new spot every 5 minutes or less. She said the crank made her restless and just kept wanting to find a more comfortable place. I liked that she was honest and knew where she was wrong in life. I respected that. We sat on the rocks and she pulled out a bag of weed about the size of a tennis ball. With her stories of her families drug involvement it didn't surprise me. She said she saw me on a deep level and sees something big. She looked at her bag of weed and said she had all that weed but no way to smoke it. She said she should just eat it. She then stuck the entire bag into her mouth and deep down her throat. I was thrown off big time. She moved her eyes towards me and began to start sucking on it. She did that for about 10 seconds before she pulled it out and asked if I liked that. I told her not to do that and that I'm not gonna join her in anything like that ( I told you it was a little dirty and I reacted like many of you. Shocked. But again it's just what happened and It wasn't my action. This journal is all real life truth. My moms gonna kill me for this) We moved again as I kept picking my things up to follow her. She lead me down a dirt trail where there was a tree with a tarp over some branches and a pallet underneath it. She sat on the pallet and I sat on my sleeping bag. She talked a little more about how she was so high. She said she was so high that she couldn't even get higher in the last day and that she was having to deal with emotions and didn't like that. She asked why i sat so far away and I just said because I just sat there. She got onto her knees and crawled over to me putting her hands on my legs rubbing my inner thighs. She said she can get closer if I want her to ( god I hope my grandma doesn't read this! ). I told her to stop and that I'm not here for that. 5 years ago i would have turned that hill into a mudslide but that's really not me anymore or what I'm looking for. If you know me that's the truth. She actually smiled and said that I'm so sweet and she couldn't believe I wouldn't do that. After that she said to follow her again. We went up to the playground in the park and she kept asking me where I came from. It was about time I should start heading to find a place to crash so I told her I was gonna take off. Before I left she told me that she thought god made us meet today. She said she needed what I gave her so bad and that I was a guardian angel sent here for her. She said she wants to get clean and I really make her see that. Again she started to cry. I told her I didn't know what to say to that but thanks, I guess? She hugged me and said good luck and be careful. I left as she took of the opposite way. ( I didn't know how else to describe that in a less dirty way so I just wrote down what happened).
    I decided to head towards the next Starbucks but it was a ways off. I walked for a while and my feet were hurting and my knees also. I saw a bar on the way that had a sign saying free wifi. I stopped in there and got a water. The waitress asked where I was headed? I told her the plan and the purpose and she was so thankful. She brought the owner out and another lady employee and they all shook my hand. All these people thanking me is really surreal. It's amazing how I have been appreciated. One of the girls offered me to stay at her house that night on the couch but I said I was ok and thank you. I am soon gonna start to take those offers though to get good rest and clean up. I got a picture with the owner and bartender, finished my water then took off. 
    As I approached Starbucks there were some bushes out front where I heard some bums in there talking. I heard one say "he's about 5'8 or 5'9" that's all I heard clearly and had no clue what they were talking about. I headed behind the Starbucks to scope it out. It was 1:00am when I finally got there. I ended up laying down by the back doors of the Starbucks and a sprint store next to it. The picture of the two doors is where I slept (kinda). I decided to take a picture at night since it was light enough. I sat down and leaned against my sleeping bag. I checked my emails as the wifi still worked outside. About 5 minutes after I got there a little cat came around the corner and circled in front if me meowing then taking off. After that I heard someone walking by and I was pretty sure they saw me. It was uncomfortable and I didn't like that other homeless were around there. I laid there with a hand in my pocket on my knife. I also heard in the sprint door crack someone yell "I can't even see my kids!" and then music turned on. My head was right next to the back door. I was confused why someone was in there so late. I was so tired  that I eventually fell asleep about 1:30 or so. 

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