Anicca: So if you care to find me, look to the Western sky!

Man have I missed just sitting around like a homeless bum in McDonalds! It's really the perfect place to hang out. Cheap food, outlets, and free wifi. What more could the homeless vagabond want?

When I last left you I had networked a ride to San Diego and we had just begun our trip. The day went by pretty much uneventfully and we ended in Wilcox (Arizona). To all of you who haven't been to Arizona, don't worry, it's exactly what you imagine it looks like. Megan and Caitlyn were nice enough to sneak me into their hotel room that night and we had a good fun night watching movies and going to bed early ('cause everything in that little town closed at 4). The next day we are on our way to San Diego, but there is a dilemma..... We weren't going to get there until like 5. That would really be too late for me to hitch out, and I didn't have a place to stay in San Diego. Megan was totally cool with me staying at hers, but I couldn't because her parents had no idea I had tagged along for this entire trip and apparently it was possible they wouldn't have approved. So props to Megan for smuggling me with her. And double props 'cause she doesn't hang me out to dry either. She calls up her friend Malcolm and, easy as that, I have a place to stay. But here comes the subterfuge, they drop me off with Malcolm's girlfriend Shay (I feel like I'm spelling that wrong) and then Megan and Caitlyn go to Megan's house. I then show up with Shay pretending to be her and Malcolm's friend. And wallah! I met Caitlyn again and somehow I knew Megan because we all went to the same high school (I kind of feel bad for making up a totally new identity for her parents!). Her dad made us fajitas and I stayed at Malcolm's place that night! It all worked out pretty great!

The next morning Megan, Caitlyn, and Shay all dropped me off on the highway outside of San Diego and I was on my way. Let me be honest here, hitching in South Cali has NOT been easy. So far I have made it to Riverside (outside of LA) and I am kind of stranded here. But anyways, they drop me off and I immediately start thumbin' it. They first person to give me a ride is Rob (who looked a lot like Brad Pitt) and he had hiked the PCT last year. He warned me the cops would give me trouble for hitching on the freeway and of course I ignored his warning. He dropped me off at a gas station and I walked back over to the interstate to start it up again. The next guy who picked me up was JR and he was super chill. Took me a ways and dropped me at another gas station where I walked back to the interstate to keep it up. At this point Rob's advice would've come in handy because a cop was the next person go pick me up. He gave me a slap on the wrist for standing on the interstate and dropped me off down the road at a gas station (pretty nice guy) after basically telling me I was gonna die. Next ride was from Dave and he only took me a little bit up the road, but it was still pretty good. And he dropped me off at a decent spot. Silly me though, I was hitching in the wrong spot for about half an hour before I realized it. As soon as I went to the right spot I got a ride from Lu who dropped me off at a mall where I got a ride from Brady! I was in an awkward spot and I kind of basically jumped in his car while he was driving. It all worked out, he confessed to me he had never picked up a hitchhiker before and we became good ol' friends. One thing I really love is taking peoples hitchhiking virginity. I feel like I am just introducing them to an entirely different world they never knew about before! He was super nice and dropped me off in Riverside. Riverside is part of the tumor I call LA. Seriously, look at the mass of roads and such that is LA and everything around. It is a massive tumor and a logistical nightmare for hitching! I got there mid afternoon and was hot and tired so I went to my favorite place as a homeless person. McD. It was there, just sitting that I met Claudia, a super nice woman who put $4 on my table for me when she left. I didn't have a choice in accepting it or I would have turned it down. I was the speculating taking the public bus out of the massive tumor with said $4 when Cheryl (not really her name, but it is closish) started talkin' to me! She was from Louisiana and decided to go out of her way to drive me a good 10 miles closer to getting out of the tumor!! This was exactly what I needed at this time as I was clueless on how to get out of Riverside. So thank you Cheryl!! Much appreciated! It also helped to confirm my theory that there is an invisible hitchhiking web between all McDs! I believe you can always get from a McD to another McD when hitching and that's exactly what she did. Awesomeness.

It's only 4:30 here and I don't know if I can get a ride from here or where I am going to sleep tonight, but I'm off to find out!!!

Be happy everyone,

Beacon.

P.S. I have been waiting to title a blog post this for so long! Good ol' Wicked