The Beginning of the End of the Beginning

Hard to believe that it’s only been a day since I last posted. I’ve been driving a lot. Each stop feels like a separate day. Unfortunately Texas peaked my interest but left me empty handed as far as interviews. I did videotape a number of things however. I think I lost my stride a bit in TX and hit an introspective spot.

As I got close to Houston I wanted nothing more than to get past it quick. I ended up in Galveston. I should have been more aggressive last night, as I think I could have found an interesting subject, but alas I was stuck in thoughts provoked by this book on Post-Marxism I had picked up in Austin. I think that once mired in intellectual debates of society it’s hard to see people as people. I had an amazing sleep though. I parked right alongside the Gulf of Mexico and slept to waves crashing against the sea wall.

I was kind of surprised I got away with such a luxury. As a later experience with a cop illustrated, while I was pulled over on the highway taking a piss, there seems to be kind of a free reign in Texas: he didn’t care at all that I had climbed into some kind of park land, just wanted to make sure I hadn’t broke down or nothing. After that I pulled on to the beach and drove along until it seemed I couldn’t go any further. At this point I asked a man who was standing behind the door of his pickup if there was a exit to the road around there. He walked out wearing no pants, no pants at all, and told me there wasn’t. I thanked him quickly and turned around. The ride back along this rustic beach was marked by the occasional pickup truck with nude or mostly nude older man. I hadn’t seemed to notice this on the way out along the beach. It was weird. One was burning a whole bunch of wood. The last one was thankfully wearing a speedo and hauling in a huge fish – he had a wife, so it led me to believe that this strange phenomenon wasn’t a gay thing. It was some kind of man-freedom thing. I laughed the whole way back to the highway. Sometimes you just wander into a vortex – where things don’t make sense like you know them to.

Anyway, I headed east. I drove along the coast towards Louisiana and took several ferries. It was a beautiful drive. I saw a guy selling avocados, so I bought five (he only sold by the bucket). I saw a place selling onions so I bought one of those. I had a pepper so I made some guacamole for lunch. I’ve had the most god-awful breath the rest of the day. Quite a beautiful strip that Texas 87 into LA 82. It’s hurricane ruins all around at this point. But tide pools and expanses of marsh on one side and rustic beaches and the gulf on the other line the road.

So I’m wandering home now. I feel as I knew I would feel at this point. My thoughts are already floating towards the future. I feel good though, and I think I’ll get one more solid interview on the way back. I have to admit that the car provides a bit too much removal at many points. I think with more time I could use the bike more. I don’t know, there’s a lot to chew, on the schematics of a future voyage.

Fuck I forgot to post pictures. Don't worry, next time.