I didn't get what you would call sleep. I was to wary of surrounding noises and keeping a close eye on my stuff. But it was better than nothing. I got up at 4 am and decided to see what was going on over the pond, back home. Mum was around with Barbara and we had a Skype call. They were both great and were really quite insistent that I needed to carry on! It was just a question of how. Every idea that we came up with quickly had a massive hole poked in it and was shot down. After about an hour on Skype exhausting every possibility it seemed it was over. That was the vibe. It seemed horrible. More horrible than before. I had been thinking that I kind of have to call it a day but I was hoping that someone would pop up with some magical miracle plan and it would be ok. It didn't happen. I felt terrible. I had so many messages from you guys following the blog offering me money and telling me not to give up. I really didn't want to let people and myself down. I didn't want to take money from people as as nice a gesture as it is. It was too much pressure on me. I couldn't have people funding my trip because I would feel bad packing up and coming home even if I wanted to. But thank you so much to everyone that offered and very much to the few that didn't take no for an answer!
So it seemed now what I had to do was sell the van for scrap and use the cash to get me home in some way or another. Then as I was flicking through my Facebook I saw a friend of mine Charlie, from Snowskool had mentioned. (I know a lot of Charlies don't I) "100 for your van will buy you a tent and ship your stuff home." This was an eventuality I had not explored! A tent! A place to live. Its no van, sure but it will do. But then how do I earn money? I need to eat, where do I store my valuables. The plan wasn't water tight by any means but most importantly it had given me a new surge of hope! I was raring to go again. Fuck being stopped! I will stop when I want to. And not for any other reason! All the messages and encouragement people had sent was running through my head. I needed to give it a go. Daryl said last night "you have to try even if you only get one wave!" He was right. This had now become a quest! I came to surf and that's what I shall do! Even if its only for half an hour! So I decided that I would head back to the van and make a new sign! "please tow me! Any distance helps!" I have come across some amazing people this trip and I just need to come across a few more who happen to own tow trucks. Every one has a truck out here so I was happy about my odds. Plus if I made it to the sea with the van I could live in it and earn money the doodle way. That way I could save money for food, a tent, a surf board, a ticket home! I was happy with the plan and set off to walk to the van with my trolly of stuff.
It was a heavy trolly and I distinctly remember most of the drive being down quite a steep hill. This did not dampen my spirit what so ever. I was up to the task. I got to the end of the first road and took the correct turn. It was a bloodly long road! And that was just the first little bit. I was worried about the distance but its not like I had anything better to do that day. Plus the longer the van was left unattended the more likely it was going to be towed away. So I got a long the long straight flat road eventually. It was 7 miles so far! But although I don't want you to under estimate this walk I will be honest the first 7 was pretty easy. Anything is possible when you have the right tunes blaring out your headphones. I had a little sing a long and kept marching.
Then I was distracted by a loud noise and flashing lights. It was a police car. Pulling over a trolly? Yep! This was interesting. I didn't think I was doing anything wrong. "Excuse me sir. Are you aware this shopping cart has been reported stolen!" Sorry! You can report a trolly stolen here. Brilliant! "Do you mind telling me why you have it in your possession and where you are going with it?" Fucking spectacular. My first day as a homeless man and I get arrested for trolly theft. I was honest and told the cops the whole story, hoping for a bit of sympathy. Not what I received! "Well I'm afraid this trolly is worth 200 dollars sir and it is privately owned and you have technically stolen it. Please place your arms behind your back. Do you have any concealed weapons on your person?" "No" I moaned! "Do you have some form of identification?" "Yes left pocket, it's my drivers license." The other cop phoned it in while I was patted down very thoroughly against the car bonnet. This is such bullshit I have to be the only guy that has enough bad luck to get arrested for taking a shopping trolly! I was told to stand facing the car while they sorted stuff out. I asked casually what usually happens in these situations. The police officer replied very formally the level of theft it was and that if prosecuted usually results in up to a year in prison or if your lucky a couple thousand dollar fine! This was shaping up to be a great couple of days. I knew I should have stayed at castle rock getting free subways!
Fortunately after a grueling 5 minutes on the phone and explaining my story to the shop owner he decided to drop the charges. Thank god! On the condition the trolly was returned. So Now I had to worry about that too. The police officer said in a few hours he will come find me at my van and if the trolly or I am not there he will put a warrant out for my arrest! What a nob. I don't see why he couldn't have given me a lift to my van and then the trolly would have been closer to the store. But no he probably had to go and arrest some one for eating a grape in the super market! Douche! So I carried on. Slightly deflated from my run in with the law but still set on getting back to the van. It was more than a van. It was home! It turned out to be 15 miles! Most of it uphill. It was terrible! it took for ever! There were times when the sun was beating down on my back the sweat was dripping off me. I had to take my shirt off as it was drenched in sweat, but then I just got irregular hoots from cars which became very annoying! Then it started to pour with rain so the already wet shirt went back on. It was a horrible mission but I couldn't tun back. It was grim. The last time I remember feeling that hopelessly exhausted was when I decided to cycle back from Southampton to Tunbridge Wells! 101 miles. Not a good plan. So anyway I kept walking, rounding each bend hoping to see the van but realizing it was yet further. Eventually I reached it. Drenched in sweat and rain water. soaked to the bone! I opened the van doors threw all my stuff in. Not with out hitting myself square in the eye with the heel of my snowboard boot! Not my day! Still that was the third bad thing. they usually come in 3's. I fell into the van peeled off my wet clothes are passed out on the mattress. Bliss! 2 minutes later the police knock on the van door and tell me that the shop keeper is coming by to pick up the trolly in a bit. One less thing to worry about! I tucked into a can of salmon. Nothing ever tasted so good! And then passed out I had a lot of sleep to catch up on! I would sort out the sign when I woke up.
Not long passed and I was woken up by state police. He was much nicer and didn't bother me too much. Just wanted to know what was going on and how I planned to move on etc. He was cool. I gave up on sleeping and made the new sign and then pretty much just sat there.
It was 1 pm when I started and it didn't take long for someone to stop. It was a sketchy looking character walking towards me with a sketchy walk. He turned out to be really cool. And while he couldn't offer me a tow he did have some good advice for me and a beer! He went on and not long after a guy stopped with a big truck. Brilliant. this was the one. Nope he didn't have a good enough tow rope. So I waited some more.
And then a very peculiar family stopped for me and said they would tow me straight away. It was all a bit confusing really. The wife was saying one thing the same time the guy was talking. It was awful trying to listen to both of them at the same time. Meanwhile the daughter is asking me questions. The guy wanted to call AAA and get them to tow it where ever I wanted as she had 4 free tows. But the woman wasn't up for that. In the end the offer got less and less. The guy was really set on helping me but the woman didn't share his enthusiasm. He was clearly very stoned and also offered me his wife's medical supplies. I took a bit. Why not? Then he offered me a few gallons of water, which I needed but the woman couldn't be bothered to get it out the boot so I got a can of coke instead. I had offered if their little girl would like to draw on the van, when I thought they were going to tow me, and then she took it upon herself to do it anyway. She got a bit carried away and I was a little annoyed. She started coloring in other peoples drawings but quite poorly bless her. They were a nice family over all and I think the dude really wanted to help me out. He gave me his card and even said that they had work for me in Portland. I wasn't too sure about them so I didn't jump at it like I would have. Anyway eventually they left, leaving me with 2 packs of crisps, a cola, some of her medical prescription! And a troll doll! Strange but by all accounts it was a good little stash of stuff.
So then I waited some more. I nice woman pulled up and had seen me there earlier in the day and thought she would come back. But she only offered me a lift and I didn't really want to risk sleeping rough again so I had to turn her down. It was getting late now. 5.45 probably about time to call it a day and get started again tomorrow. Then a car full of people pulled over and offered me a phone to use. Nice of them but quite useless really at this time of day. They then said they could contact a towing company for me but that was ridiculous. These things cost so much and even if I did have lots of money I wouldn't be using one of them. After they had left I decided to call it a day. I was still so tired from last night so hopefully I could do a bit of catching up on some sleep. I got into bed and noticed as I had before how much the van shook as every car went past. Apart from being quite annoying for trying to get to sleep it was also incredibly unnerving thinking all these cars were whizzing past me pretty fast. Not an incredibly safe place to be. But I didn't really have a choice. Fingers crossed what wakes me up is not a car going into the back of my van!
Kilometers Traveled Today: 24 (By foot, pushing a trolly full of 50kgs of stuff!)
Kilometers Traveled Total: 1650
Funds: £60 U.K From donators to the cause! Thank you so much!
Petrol: Probably about $5 Doesn't Matter!
I think it's time to sell your stuff! Its weighing you down when it could be lining your pockets!! :)
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