Social Monks

About Social Monks

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:58:00 +0000

So I will be updating on twitter for the next few months:
Twitter.com/socialmonks
I'm currently working in Hawaii for the next few months and will be wondering around all the islands here. Tim has made Dubai his home for the next 6 months.

I will be making a short film of our monk trip across the US and will post it online for all to see. Basically we dressed up as monks and hitch hiked 5000 miles around the USA. Here is a video that will give you an overview of what we did:

Also a while back I road my bike around the perimeter USA. For a total of 10,000 miles. I raised awareness and funds for kids with learning disabilities. Here is a quick video of that ride:

I hope you all are doing well and if you need to get a hold of me or Tim just email us at soloride@gmail.com

Hope all is well,

Paul

Working on getting footage out

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 05:22:00 +0000

Hey guys I'm working on getting the short film out about our journey accross the states as monks. I will post it to youtube when I'm done. Also will be posting some funny 2 min clips of the trip. Below is some of the footage that you may have already seen but just in case you are new here check it out:

Tim carried my past 40 different places around the US on our 5000 + mile trip:

I'm editing the carry video together too.

Hope all is well :)

Paul

What ever became of Minimonk?

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:37:00 +0000

Day 37 & on.

We all woke from behind The Lyon's House Hostel

& as we were walking out, Steve & Patrick called out to us from their balcony, asking whether we were coming or going.
When we told them going & went on to explain our situation, they would have none of us leaving, inviting us in, giving us breakfast & cheerful conversation & condolences.

They told me I was welcome to stay as long as it took me to get my feet on the ground & told Paul & Nate they were welcome to stay on too if the need arose. But there was no need, so
Paul & Nate were forced to continue the journey without me & left with tearful goodbyes, by foot.

I was all alone in Canada with no foreseeable way to get out.

I wandered about for a few moments, like a lost boy at a shopping mall, before returning to the hostel. It was time to get to work.

I spent two days on the internet, courtesy of Lyons House Hostel, (http://www.allcanbb.com/) which provides its patrons...and one particular hangers oner… free internet.

(God I love this photo. Computer time without exercise or much sleep does my eyes wonders. I don't know why I don't do it more often. Probably because I'd have to beat women off with a stick due to my attractive puffy eyedness & that's most unbecoming for a monk.)

Patrick, a giant of a man with a heart to match, has seen the world & understands well the concept of a man needing his pride. He also understands New Zealand culture, having lived & managed timber yards there. Being a man of honour, Patrick casually mentioned that he was looking at renovating & allowed me grab the opportunity to take up some of the work, helping out both as means of thanking him for being so hospitable & as a way of paying my way, thus avoiding the stigma of freeloading, & retaining some semblance of pride.

So for those of you wondering what Minimonk has been doing while Paul was forced to leave me behind & continue on to New York, here is your answer.

I was pulling up carpet,

Scraping floors,

Patching floors,

Painting,

Laying tiles,

Inventing & creating brackets,

Hanging mirrors,

and meeting other back packers.

Richard, from England, a particularly onto it guest at The Lyons House Hostel, worked some magic – I’m still undecided as to whether it was voodoo, or he was an angel, but either way, he found me a flight out of Canada into London for $49 plus tax. Un-heard of. Bloody legend Richard! Thanks once again.

We went to the pub to celebrate, met other Kiwis, ...and Richard wouldn’t let me touch the tab.

Good people are not only in the USA it seems.

My lovely vice, with best friend Rachel in tow, came all the way to Niagara when she head of the dramas, to deliver her condolences personally.

I put on an all new robe & we went exploring.Patrick not only housed us, entertained us with Backpacker TV (Words won't do it justice. You'll have to go to Lyons House Hostel to experience it for yourself) but also generously provided dinner & a trip on the Maid of the Mist, to get a real close up feel of the 600,000 bathtubs per second falling from the cliffs above. As I said, America doesn't have dibs on all the good people.

Niagara Falls are incredible, but the city offers so much more than just the cascading water.

We put on newer still robes & played in jet boats in Northern America’s largest whirlpool,

We ate out

Visited one of Canada’s quaintest towns, Lewiston – though were just a little too late to enjoy the free wine tasting, including Ice Wine, along the way

And just hung out & had a laugh in this zoo, carnival land of Niagara Falls.

(I'm standing in a hole.)

It was tough watching the girls leave

But again, Patrick from the Lyon’s House Hostel took care of me, providing dinner & beer & a queen sized room to sprawl out in, despite pressing demands by paying clients.

Being stuck in Canada was tough, as you can see. Darn you Boarder Control!!

But all too soon it was time to leave & once again Patrick hooked me up, suggesting to Jessica & Virilina from Germany that they take a monk with them to Toronto. They readily agreed & we made the trip in no time, the girls dropping me directly at the airport- cheers girls! I sat & waited on my flight for the following 12 hours,

And now I’m in London with my sister Sarah.Hampton Court Pallace.

(No, that's not her. No photo of her I'm afraid. She's a little camera shy. You'll just have to believe me. As for the look on my face... take a closer look.)

Looking forward to the next adventure, whatever than may be!

Thanks for following us & taking the time to read the madness. We really appreciate all the support, be that financial, emotional, spiritual or physical.
The world is full of good people. :)

Until next time!

Tim & Paul.

Finished!

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 17:38:00 +0000

Even know Tim did not make it to the finish line he was there in spirt. I went to NYC for a few hours and then took a bus to Boston. We were going to finish in NYC but we got a really cheap bus ticket to NYC and since we only had $60 left to our name we decided to buy the ticket to NYC (an angel at the buffalo greyhound gave us a cheap ticket).

I will be filming a little bit of footage in Boston, but I'm going to take a few days off too. On the 17th I will be heading to NYC to film some more footage for the videos Tim and I have been working on. We will be putting some really fun videos up soon and then we will realese the documentary of the trip. This trip has changed the way I look at America and I can't wait to share it with you all. I'm so glad that I will be able to give the whole film away for free too!

Tim is doing well and we are planning on doing a world trip together. So the monks will be back together soon. Thanks for all your support and for taking the time to check out our blog. By the end of the week we will start posting again. Lots of videos coming :)

Love you guys,

Paul

Also I wanted to say a BIG THANK YOU to MIXX.com they sponsored us and gave us much needed funding! Make sure to visit Mixx.com to get breaking news and other awesome stories.

Day 36. Niagara

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:05:00 +0000

Day 36. 10^th.

We arrived in Niagara Falls New York in a pretty worse for wear state. Not much, if any sleep on the greyhound.

We got a few pictures

& a bit of video footage, then Paul, who only had his drivers licence so didn’t think he’d get into

Canada

, offered to stay with the bags while Nate & I headed across for more photos & views from the Canadian side. (A far better view of the falls.)

We told him we’d have breakfast when we got back.

Little did we know.

We admired the scenery, got a few snaps,

then headed back to pinch our bags, then wake Paul & document his reacting, feed, water & sleep. However, at US customs we heard the dreaded words. ‘Take a seat’.

We sat for about an hour, maybe more, before Nate, a

citizen, had had enough & told customs he was going through to let Paul know what was going on. We expected I’d follow just minutes later.

About half an hour later I was ushered through to the lower levels of interrogation.

To be completely honest, the woman interrogating me was pretty nice. Unlike her male counterparts, she didn’t make me feel like I’d just raped her daughter.

She also gave me a cup of water & when I told her I was a bit vague in the head due to no sleep or food since yesterday, she got me a magic meal. (It was pasta & chicken in a packet, you added liquid to another packet, dropped the first packet inside the now wet packet & then put those packets into another cardboard packet & let the chemical reaction do the cooking. She assured me it wouldn’t give me cancer.)

(Paul, please insert fantastic customs photo here)

However, I was handed a notice stating that that although I’d been allowed into the States in 2001, just weeks after 9/11, when my visa was expired (unbeknownst to me) & despite the fact that I flew out just 3 days later, I was deemed as an over-stayer & couldn’t be allowed re-entry now.

All I had with me was my laptop & camera. All my other belongings were in my pack with Paul. None the less, I was to be exported & Canada would take care of me.

So, with no money, no flight out, no way of making money, eating or legally getting lodging, I was marched out of customs like the menace I was.

Good bye

USA

Canada

wasn’t super stoked to receive me & it turned out they weren’t at all able to get me food, lodging or assistance to fly out. The American Authorities had deceived me?! They were, however, able to take all my details, finger prints & photos.
They gave me a bond allowing me two weeks to get myself sorted & out of the country. I’m still trying to fathom why they were able to do that when I had no money or means of leaving, but the US wasn’t, despite being able to track me on line & my having a guaranteed flight out of New York.

My conclusion is to wear GAP clothing when next going through a boarder to the

. It was my own silly fault.

Finally the boys managed to catch up with me & it turns out, they had been attempting to bring me food, my pack & phone numbers all afternoon, but the

hadn’t passed any of it on, despite their claims to do so. The

authorities deceived them too?!

With my bags & a discretion-capable immigration officer allowing Paul into

Canada

, we de-robed & went exploring my new home.

A natural wonder like Niagara falls gives the impression of being in a natural wonderland. The actuality could not be more far from the truth.

Niagara Falls on the Canadian side is nothing short of a carnival. It has rides, horror houses, wax museums & over priced ice cream stalls. Bright lights flash & music & advertisements boom out into the well lit streets.

We wandered about looking for wireless, eventually winding up at the casino.

Once done there, the boys figured that the staff at the

boarder would have changed &, being the good loyal buggers they are, watching my back, they went to find an officer who would perhaps be a little more discerning & gracious, despite the obvious odds they were facing.
The quote they received pretty well says it all.

“He’s from

New Zealand

. We don’t care about him.”

Discouraged, but always coming up with new ideas to make the trip, with just 3 days left, work, we went in search of a squat.

Perhaps I could swim the river? Maybe I could get in on Nate’s passport? Could I climb the bridge arch? Could I win millions & bribe the guards? Could we slingshot me over with a giant rubber band?

We found a closed hostel, sat on its steps & ate a bite,

then set up tent & crashed out in its parking lot, all of us exhausted from too many hours awake & too much stimulation.

Day 35. Leaving Elkhart

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:47:00 +0000

Day 35. 9^th

We began the day with our chores,

then for the most part, today was spent sitting in the same hitch spot, talking garbage & laughing at the expressions of the faces that passed us by.

At one point, we tried jumping into a pair of pants, just for the entertainment of it.

Three cars pulled over, but all were going west, instead of east.

At around 3pm we decided to be proactive in getting ourselves out of Elkhart & went to the travel information centre.
Here we were given the greyhound information & also some church contact details to try for assistance.

The first number we called was Church Community Services, an organisation that ‘makes God’s love visible & relevant for all people.’ They are ‘God’s hands in the community.’ They help the locals with food, mentors, finances & volunteer services. Quite the organisation! They listened to what we were doing & agreed, although our situation was outside their usual jurisdiction being that we were no part of their community, to give us a Greyhound ticket to Niagara.

We had almost enough cash for one ticket & had just been given another. We were just short one ticket for escape.

We walked to Greyhound to see what we could discover. We discovered they were closing shortly, but that a driver would take cash & ID & then allow us to purchase a ticket in the next big town.

Dean from CCS came down & not only bought us a ticket, but also gave us a bag of food & cash from Ted, the ‘rent-a-priest' who worked with him & then more cash again from himself. Ted had left the priesthood for love, going on to marry his love & now did God’s work outside the church at CCS & performed marriages when people rented him.

It was at the greyhound that we understood the hold up.

We met a bunch of people here who had all kinds of interesting things to say,

including Bryant, a legend of a man, who come documentary time, is one you’ll want to look out for.

He had all kinds of profound wisdom on division used through the media inspired by fear & how it’s keeping us all from our powerful, united potential.

We talked for hours about people, God, religion, spirituality & life, as we waited on the bus & while Paul worked his magic to get another bus ticket.

He ended up calling his professor in San Fran, Erik Kieser (http://www.erikcomm.com/)

who willingly paid the extra bus fare to get us to Niagara if Paul got a tatoo.
Done. With true monkly valour.

He figured it was only fair to honour our amazing PA, Pam.

And that was how we came to be spending the night on board another Greyhound Bus, whisked far far away from South Bend and Elkhorn & their toll road entrances & polite, zealous police officers & friendly Christian organisations & interesting local bus catchers.

I wonder if we’ll be missed?

Day 34. Escaping South Bend

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:34:00 +0000

Day 34. 8th July

We woke this morning to pouring rain. It always sounds more impressive when beating down on thin stretched nylon just inches from your face, but to be fair, I think even on a tiled roof, this rain would have created a little disturbance.

We waited for it to ease, then got up, packed like the Gestapo were on our trail & made our way straight to Dennies, to seek shelter & sustenance, just as the puckering of the clouds was beginning to quiver.

Thanks to Randy’s generosity, we were able to begin today with eggy nourishment & meet a few of the local heros.

Our waiter Jodie, quite the local hero, cautioned us about hitch hiking, telling us of his own desires to travel Europe. However before he got a chance to go, saw the movie ‘Hitch hiker’ & has since changed his plans. Horror movies. God bless them. What are they good for, other than maintaining a complacent society, ever wishing for more, but too scared to step out & attain it.

I have a small ritual of collecting post cards from the towns we visit. The gas station didn’t sell them, but suggested Notre Dame book store would.

We set up at the roadside, and then I set off running, my robe flowing behind me.

Just meters down the humid road, a car pulled up & a priest asked me what I was running from. I told him the police & he told me to climb in & he’d take me where I was headed. Along the way, as I stunk out his car, I told this charitable man of the cloth what we were about. He doesn’t get on the net, but sent me & Jesus on our way with his blessing.

Again I was stunned by the campus of Notre Dame. (I wish I'd taken my camera on the run.) Struggling to find my way back meant that I got to see a lot of it. Forests, lakes, fields, golf courses & a myriad of new buildings, built like they’ve been around forever.

Finally, after getting caught up helping a truck driver who'd lost his load reload, I found the highway again, my compulsory morning run totalling a good few miles. The boys told me they’d had to forfeit a ride waiting for me, but I think that’s bollix.

We stood in the same spot for hours more & no one else pulled over.
I shouldn’t say no one. The local police came by.

Not too much later, Paul & I headed out to get a bite from the gas station. Paul stepped in to Perkins & told Ashley there what we were doing & she gave us free cake to go with our loaf of bread.

I know I’m no oil painting, but the fact that when we got back, Nate had had two rides pull over made me question the dissuasion of my presence.
It wasn’t until Paul went to put trash in the can & the next ride pulled up that my fears were allayed.

Tony, an older gentleman, loved history. As far as I could hear, his great great grandfather was born in Indiana & he knew all there was to know about it. It was a shame we had used up any exploring time being stuck.

Once again we were standing at a toll booth.

And once again the Police stopped in to check on our progress.

Twice.

Nate & Paul wondered if perhaps the Mayor was preparing a cab to take us to the next town, stating we could do what ever we were doing elsewhere, but we’d over stayed our welcome in their town. But the police in Indiana, while extremely thorough, were kind enough & were just giving us warning, that should we move past the toll booth, they would be forced to take us into custody.

We were grateful the first officer of South Bend wasn’t so easily forced.

After another few hours of smiles, waves, avoided looks & scowls, we decided to pack it in for the night & try again early in the morning.

Steve at Steak & Shake gave us a free meal when he heard what we were doing

& the Knights Inn motel next door looked inviting too.

Priti bargained with us on price, while the beautiful & tender hearted Melinda, after trying to get us a room free, convinced her to give us a discount room, on the proviso we clean it.

The shower, shave & wine that followed were shear bliss. J

(When Anna saw me, she referred to me as her little Holocausts survivor. I didn't realise just how thin I'd got until I saw this picture. Anyone need a diet? This is a fun & scenic way to do it.)

Day 33. South Bend

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:34:00 +0000

Day 33. 7^{th July}

We headed out of the bus station, laughing as Nate told us of the horrors of a night of repeated waking, with each waking presenting a different posterior just inches from his face.

We walked a few miles to find the freeway. We tried one place,

then another in our sleep deprived state, hoping for the best traffic flow & prospects. Just as we were changing on ramps, City Council pulled up, lights flashing, to see if we were lost or delusional. We told them what we were about & they gave us a couple of pens & their packed lunch. (I’m not sure I’ve ever taken someone’s packed lunch off them before, but I have to say, it’s a hobbie I’m considering taking up. Chris, his mum or his mrs packs a mighty fine lunch. And I’m sure they’re not alone.)

They pointed us in the right direction & off we headed once again, in search of the ultimate on-ramp.

Walking on the freeway isn’t recommended, but apparently in Illinois it’s ok, so long as you don’t ‘dilly dally’.

We found a toll booth. Perfect. Vehicles are forced to stop & are far more likely to be inclined to share their moving space with itinerant unordained monks… But we found that not the be the case.

The police however, did stop by. They were nice & told us what we were doing was illegal, however, if we moved to the other side of the toll booth, it would be legal. We thanked them for the tip & moved as directed. Into the rain.

We took time out of our busy schedule to hide from the rain & have lunch. With us hiding, the rain got bored & moved on.

Scraping up the dregs of our tenacity, we tried some more. But not even the CB radio could raise a response, let along a ride.

Sensing our loneliness, the friendly local law enforcement stopped by again.

Paul, the eternal schemer & method searcher convinced the officer to take us to the gas station down the road.

The idea was good…

I had visions of the years to come, confined to an old folks home, watching the days go by with nothing to do, & vowed to be kind to my children & to set up a retirement fund.

Finally I reached breaking point, sent Nate to get some cardboard, wrote up a sign offering a free toll for a ride – figuring every American wants something for free & proactive incentive goes a long way – walked the mile or so back to toll booth & set up with fresh smiles & enthusiasm.

After another hour it faded.

A few hours later, Paul, again plotting best methods, decided people were too focussed on the toll & not on us, so rather than dance or get naked, he moved a few meters down & prayed hard.

Within minutes, we were picked up by Will. He’d gone to work, discovered he was 4 hours early & was heading home again. He took us back to his moms to freak her out. It worked, but moments later she & her husband Randy were giving us excellent homemade taco pizza & iced tea. We used their shower, hopped through their back tree to see Michigan,

(County law is no fences around the yards) then got a grand tour of Notre Dame. (Our all inclusive tour also covered the investigation of a local monastery, but it was abandoned.)

With the fire flies glowing around Notre Dame’s grounds it was almost a mystical experience.

I tried to catch some to show Paul how they make your hand glow up, but for some reason the ones at Notre Dame wouldn’t glow when caught.
Randy told me that they glow to attract a mate & obviously these bugs, once in my hand, were completely satisfied.
He had strong beliefs in God, but was another on our journey who didn’t identify with traditional denominations. He & his family went to a non-denominational church.

At our request, he dropped us at an inviting looking forest to camp, then proceeded to gift us with water bottles, poptarts & $40.

Thank you so much! Your family surely saved us from certifiable levels of insanity & stench. We truly appreciate your kindness, acts of service & demonstration of your beliefs.

Bloody legends.

We set up in the forest & dove into the tent as quickly as possible to escape the mosquitos. It was about 150 degrees, with 800 percent humidity inside.

Sleep wasn’t imminent.

Day 32. Leaving Chicago

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:33:00 +0000

Day 32 6^th.

The boys sleep late today, but we did make it away before night fall. Just.

We stopped in at Chicago's The Bean,

And the Faces,

then walked the streets of Chicago to see a bit more of the non-touristy areas & see what interesting people were tucked away out there.

Ever met a homeless person who looks you in the face with an open smile & doesn't need anything?

As it happened, we stumbled apon Oprah’s studio,

but sadly, no filming in the month of July,

but people were still around to talk to & help out in their worship.

After much lugging our small heifers about, I got near suicidal. Fortunately, Paul stepped in & prevented any mishaps.

After a bite to eat in Union Station, we found a train to take us out of Chicago, put our thumbs out & caught it 100 miles out of town.

By the time we hit the end of the line it was midnight & we had no energy left, so decided to sleep right there. Only we weren’t allowed to. So we slept next door, at the bus station.

It wasn’t so bad.

Day 31. Chicago

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:32:00 +0000

Day 31. 5^th. Chicago

Off duty monks.

I headed out to swim in lake Michigan for breakfast with my vice.

Paul cleaned house.

(Another lost photo)

I went to a park, was made a feed & serenaded.

Paul worked hard.

Sadly, I had to say goodbye to Anna... it was a trying time. A test to be sure, but Mu met me with comforting words, walked me up to his apartment & let me use his internet to distract myself while he worked.

Paul got back & we had an interview with thedrilldown.com with Reg, Andy & Mu

before the boys played guitar hero & had social time. (How can these boys not be sponsored?!)

Day 30. Chicago 4th of July

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 02:20:00 +0000

Day 30 4^th July

We had a late waking, but managed to make it down to Millennium Park around noon. Here we met with another top blogger, Liz.
http://www.successful-blog.com/
We saw The Bean, a famous Chicago icon, before sitting back for a lunch beer & people watch.

Liz took us for a walk around the beautiful down town of Chicago.

I think it was tough for Paul, watching his disciple fraternise with a vice deemed so dangerous by much of the church.

He stayed stoic however & we ended up at Cheezborgers.

Here, whilst eating quite possibly one of the tastiest burgers I’ve had yet – and I don’t think it’s just because I was so hungry – I read about a man who truly went the extra mile. There were stories & news paper articles all over the walls of the founder of Cheezborgers, Joey Ramone & his feeding hungry people, whilst still allowing them to maintain their pride, helping businesses & taking his goat to the ball park. A man who lived a simple life, but made it count with the people he met. Quite the inspiration.

From here, with full bellies, we went back above ground to meet up with Paul & Nate’s buddy Daisy. Daisy was almost on Oprah’s The Big Give with Paul. She organised & executed giving people ‘hugs’ when Hurricane Katrina hit.

http://send-a-hug.net

She is an incredible woman & I’m not sure words can do her justice. Perhaps a look at one of her videos will help paint a better picture.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3cbv72L0WMM

Daisy gave Anna & I instructions on sights to see, then set us loose in Chicago, taking her boys out on their own.

The rest of today need not be documented perhaps, as we were monks off duty, other than to say Italian dinner was great, the fireworks were spectacular & the atmosphere great.

Chicago certainly is all it’s made out to be & more. My favourite city so far on the trip.

We got to a camp ground & were greeted with a huge sign stating, “welcome Holy Spirit.” I was flattered, but thought it a little over the top.

We camped for free.

Day 29. St Luis to Chicago

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 02:19:00 +0000

Day 29 3^{rd July}

Oh the joys of travel. I will take a moment here to apologise for the lack of consistency in updates. Currently I’m sitting in a hotel room, it’s 6am & the boys are sleeping off last night’s wine. I’m up & writing, because I’m trying to utilise the availability of electricity. It would be perfect if I could do this while on the side of the road, waiting for a kind, sympathetic or lunatic soul to take us with them in their car, but sadly, my laptop battery lasts about 20 minutes before shutting down on me. So, when we get off the road & to internet access, I not only have to plug in, sort & download pictures, but & write as well.
So please forgive the tardiness of the posts. I’m doing my best. And now you’ll get to look out & see if you can find which day it was I was writing this…to reveal just how far behind I really am.

We woke at a reasonable hour, despite planning to be gone before sparrows were grinning at their toots, and were given royal treatment in Topeka.
Peggy cooked us a meal to start the day that one on death row would have been satisfied to eat on their last day.

We prayed with Peggy, thanked her for her incredible hospitality & headed off to St Luis.

Anna drove us like a woman on the run & we made good time. Paul in the meantime organised to meet up with one of his internet friends, Reem & her fiancé Howie when we got to St Luis. Reem is a top internet blogger, (http://www.reemabeidoh.com/) but was super gracious with us in our amateur state & went so far as to greet us with the news that she had landed us an interview with St Luis Times. http://www.stltoday.com

Though she’d never met any of us before, she bought all four of us lunch & showed us about St Luis, taking us to it's famous arch.

Howie talked about the declining state of St Luis, with half of the population having left in the past 40 years.

Paul was sure to acquaint himself with the population that remained.

We were on a strict time limit, so unfortunately were unable to spend longer with Reem & Howie, but they assured us, should we decide we couldn’t make it to Chicago in time, we were more than welcome to return & stay with them.

The decision to stay or go was tough, we're not going to lie.

We decided to take the bottles of water she gave us & go, passing through a cloud burst on the way to Chicago, but thanks to Anna’s guardian angel, we made it in one piece. She bought us dinner to go with the miracle. It's not every day you get a miracle & dinner thrown in with a hitch. We were pretty pleased.

And it was here that we met with the quietly famous Mu.
http://muhammadsaleem.com/
Muhammad, or Mu as he’s commonly known, is also a top internet personality, though interestingly, be it through humility or a desire to keep work & play separate, his close friends know nothing of what he does on line.

Mu met us at our car & walked us to the bar where he & his friends were spending their 3^rd of July. We joined them & so it was that the monks had their first hookah experience.

We were all pretty tired after such a long drive & had missed the 9pm Chicago fireworks, so agreed to head to Mu’s & hit the hay.

We were welcomed into his home like old friends, where we set up beds, did a little internet time & most of us slept. Paul, too excited to sleep in the presence of a guru, made the most of the opportunity & stayed up, gleaning all he could.

Day 28. Limon to Salina

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 02:03:00 +0000

Day 28 2^nd

No flash floods washed us away so we were able to get up, as we were still alive.

Paul made us oatmeal on the deck of an abandoned car & we walked out to an all new road for all new people to drive by, smiling, ignoring, waving, scowling or looking shocked.

We tried hitching all day.

Nothing. Well, that’s not fair. We had some pretty good entertainment on the CB. Truck drivers swearing at the sight of us & asking one another what the h*#l was standing on the on ramp. Because we had a CB, we could answer any way we wanted, as either monks, or ‘other baffled truckies.’ We had fun. We’ll throw up a quick clip we took of that up on the site for you to check out.

It was hot.

We were bored.

We put Nate in the stocks to appeal to the truck drivers more gentle side. Still nothing but entertainment & truck drivers shock at something a little different.

No love. I even resorted to roadside prayer.

Finally, just when we were knocking the mid-west & being frustrated with their conservative ways, two pick ups pulled up, one right behind the other & the question that came sailing through the window, propelled by that sing song accent was,

“Tell me, where is Jesus. Is he here now, still coming, or has he already come? If you’re not false prophets, because the bible says that many will be deceived by those who come in my name, you’ll be able to tell me. It’s in John.”

Fortunately, something of what we all knew together was able to convince them we were on the level & in the twinkling of an eye, we were whisked away from the vortex that had threatened to hold us terminably.

This was our longest ride yet. 350 miles, all the way to Salina.

Along the way, in my truck at any rate, we discussed religion, spirituality & what it seems is happening in the church today. Our driver, Doc believed that the bible was the truth & that’s where a man’s anchor is. When there are so many voices in the world, that the bible is the proven, secure thing where truth can be found. That the church as an organisation, is being stripped back. He disagreed with the monetary focus & politics & was of strong conviction that the church was coming into a time of being a church with no walls. Where people who believe will meet in smaller groups, without the restrictions of politics & committees. Where they’ll be able to listen & move with what God’s doing, as opposed to going with pre-set agendas.

Terry talked with Paul & Nate about alternative fuels, despite being employed by an oil company & believed strongly that morality can’t be legislated, but that it needs to be an individual’s decision. It stems from a person’s heart.

He also spoke of how they used to think that it was just the thing to do, to drink 30 beers in a night. They knew no different. But then they met Jesus & ‘got cleaned up’.

They dropped us in Selina, prayed a blessing over us & not long later, we were met by a tall, pretty blond who threatened the monkish integrity of at least one monk on the team. The infamous Anna Lutke.

She was headed to Topeka, Kansas’s capital city, & was prepared to take us with her.

We arrived at her friend Peggy’s palace, where we sat outside & watched fire flies like kids at a theme park, before falling into soft, luxurious beds & sleeping like kings.

Day 27. Escaping Denver

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:47:00 +0000

Day 27. 1st.
I woke at about 4am & walked about to find out which flights went to Kansas City. With the new information on hand, I went & woke the boys to see Paul work his monkish magic.
We tried Great Lakes for sponsorship.
They diplomatically laughed at us. God bless hope building urbane legends. But, undeterred, we got our PA person Pam on the job. She hit up United while we tried to catch a little more sleep. (Though I don’t think we told our hard working PA Pam that’s what we were up to.)

Nate got up & invested the last of our material clout on moral boosting Borritos. It worked.
We got up & went face first into the ridicule again. Actually, to be honest, Great Lakes staff were really nice. Even in a massively sleep deprived state I could appreciate that.
Teniva told us that they get Buddy Flights & if we could wangle it with head office, we could get a flight to Kansas City for $18.95. She then went about asking staff if any of them had spare buddy flights they were prepared to give us. ?! Staff only get 6 a year for friends & family. It was a big ask, but she went the extra mile, regardless of the seeming absurdity. She then went on to tell us that if we could convince Monica in promotions to give us a buddy rate for the flight about to leave, she’d happily put us on it. Unfortunately, while giving us her time, Monica had protocol to follow & was unable to oblige. Pam met with similar speed bumps with United. All went well until progress was squashed from above. And so, our attempt to hitch a plane ride came to an end.
Now we were stuck with the quandary of getting out of the airport & then out of Denver. Thinking caps when you’re sleep deprived seem harder to come by.

So far, when we’ve been stuck, it’s been for good reason. Then we meet someone, they teach us something, we are able to hand on something we have to them & then the glue releases & we continue on our journey.
This case was no exception.
We sat outside, watching for a vehicle. I was given a map of the state by one sympathetic driver, going the opposite direction & then we met a couple of interesting, fun moral boosting glue releasers.
They spoke to us through their window for a start, asking about the robes & then going on to come out on the sidewalk to talk about life, school, wishing they could travel & letting us take photos & bless them with holy water.
Before long, Nate was giving advise that a Birth Right Israel to Israel trip would be well beneficial, which in turn lead to them asking for some monkly advise on more personal issues. We warned them we weren’t ordained monks in the regular sense, but as has been the trend, it didn’t seem to bother them.
So we listened, talked a little, they thanked us & we were all on our way.
No more than 30 minutes later, I was typing away when another burrito landed in my lap. I will admit freely, was pretty pleased. So was Paul.

Jim the bloody legend & his buddy James had heard we were still in Denver & stranded at the airport & decided to play angels for the day.
They loaded us into James's tasty new Toyota & drove us far far away from that hitch compatible forsaken town.
On arrival at Limon we were offered a motel room, which we politely declined, given a CB radio to use to contact truck drivers, fresh batteries & a drink.
God bless you boys. I feel like one off Schindlers list.
We found a nearby river bed, set up tent & prayed for no flash floods.

Day 26. S tuck in Denver

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:47:00 +0000

Day 26 30th
We rose at 5am, cooked breakfast on the side of the road under a watchful eye & attempted to catch a ride out of Denver with the morning commuters. Destined for failure, fail we did.
So we went back to ‘bed’ for a while, behind a fence in the shade of some trees. There was a bit of a funk, but we could find no other squatters in this spot. So I went in search of the source & discovered a dead fox. Smell accounted for, we slept like babies for another hour & a half.
When we woke, Nate had found a dead squirrel whilst on a bathroom break. I only tell you this because in the event of our sudden, inexplicable demise, a search in the Aurora off ramps grass areas may turn up the cause & this information could help keep other vagrants befalling a similar fate.
We tried hitching in the same breakfast spot, then disheartened moved ourselves over the off ramp to another spot for better prospects. And the gamble paid off. While it may not have been a regular ‘pull over, hop in, where you going’ hitch, it was a hitch of sorts. There was already a car pulled over on the side of the freeway, not too far from us. So we walked up to see what we could do.
Wendy had blown her tire out. Most blown out tire I’ve ever seen in fact. Just tread & a bit of a side wall. So rather than have her wait on a tow truck we utilized our minimonk & changed it for her. In return, she took us a bunch more exits in the direction we were trying to head.

We tried hitching from here for hours. No love. We changed our spot again. No love. So we played in the sprinkers. (We have the best pic of this, but sadly I've misplaced it. Perhaps it's incriminating & it's fortunate I have.)
When they got turned off we were really feeling the lack of love for monks in Aurora.
So we decided to fuel up before attempting again. But the restaurant was too expensive. I went for water & when I asked permission, the gas station attendant asked me, ‘Because it’s free right.’ I was feeling so loved I could almost cry.
But just on sobbing point, we found an oasis. The Waffle House, with free internet. The waitresses were lovely, the food edible & the staff entertaining. I could’ve been on the set of a sitcom. Each nearby ethnic group was accounted for, with each strong personality type to match it. I watch & smiled to myself for ages & all the cares of getting out of Denver seemed to melt away.
We went back out after an hours reprieve from hitching in 94 degree heat & this time I went to sleep while Paul did the work for the team.

Thank God, because for some reason the love was still not forthcoming.
When I woke, we made the choice to get out of this ride bludger resenting town & got a couple of busses…to the airport. Maybe we’ve been good enough boys to hitch a plane?
The busses took us close, then a hotel shuttle took us the last 10 miles for free.
Food & free internet! You beauty! We're just the quality candidates for such things.

Taco bell ripped us off & blamed the guy who puts up the sign. Mmm mmmm. We’re feeling good about today.
So, close to midnight, we slept for a few hours, waiting for red eye crew to come on, because apparently they don’t care & will let us on a flight without drama.
Only time will tell.

Bad News which will turn out to be good news.

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:50:00 +0000

Tim can not get back in to the States from Canada. More details to come. I will be updating from my twitter:
twitter.com/socialmonks

I'm on my way to NYC to see if I can make it in the 40 days time limit. It does not look like we will be able to get Tim back in the States, but miracles do happen. Tim did not do anything bad it just comes down to him over staying his stay for a few days. Back in 2001 he overstayed his stay for 3 days. It was right after 9/11 and there was a lot of confusion with the flights. Tim will be posting and explaining the whole situation. We still have some great footage and a few surprises so please stay tuned ib :)

Love,

Paul

Elkhorn, Indiana, Steak 'n Shake

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 04:52:00 +0000

Hello from Elkhorn Indiana's famous Steak 'n Shake. We were blessed with free steaks, and shakes. Thanks Steve!

South Bend, Indiana

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:33:00 +0000

leaving Chicago, headed to Cleveland..

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 22:41:00 +0000

city to city is always hard...many people are in their routine and it's difficult for them to break away. here we go, headed from Chicago to Cleveland today and still on track to reach NY within our 40 day goal.

Day 25. Denver

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:04:00 +0000

Day 25 29^th

Today was a quite day.

We said our farewells to Robin & his room mates

& they dropped us at Fluid Coffee Bar, where we wrote, did internet uploading & worked on footage from 11 until closing time at 10pm. Not once did the staff there hassle us for taking up their tables with the purchase of only one coffee. We thank you so much Fluid Coffee Bar staff.

At times the computer work got disheartening. Uploading photos & having the computer repeatedly crash wears unnourished nerves a little.

However, the day was fruitful & Nate the legend managed to fly out a great video, utilising the space he could that you can view at the top left of the screen there.

I found Downtown Denver is pretty quiet on a Sunday.

Paul talked with people while his computer was commandeered & met Shortie, a homeless window washer who was working the cafe windows. As it would happen, Pam had sent us a box of goodies to go through & find homes for. Shortie was the first to receive of her generosity. A super nice top & a couple of pairs of socks. Perfect, as he had boots with no socks to pad them out with.
Shortie & I had a big chat in the garden outside & he told me about his worries about sin. How he would do things just coz they made him feel good at the time & then he’d feel really bad afterwards & worry about hell.

I don’t know much, but I do know I hate fear, so I told shorty my belief about 'sin & condemnation' using my favourite verse – “All things are permissible; they’re just not all beneficial. * Shortie seemed to get a kick out of it being put that way.

A decision of integrity needed to be made today. How to leave Denver.

Denver was about the last place we could hop a freight train & be pretty sure we knew where we were going, before the lines become a spaghetti junction. The question is, is train jumping something that lies with the ethics of what we’re doing?

Myself, I tend to live with the idea that, if you’re not breaking the reason for the rule, you’re not breaking the rule. Paul takes a little more of a hard line, which is why he’s head monk. Responsibility. Not my forte.
Anyway, after a bit of discussion & advice from outside, the conclusion was made that stealing free passage from the railways is not conducive with our message, so therefore we should find other means of getting out of Denver.

At about 11.30pm, Paul wasn’t done & we utilised the same free wireless server from in the street.

With Nate sleeping on a bench & Paul working on the net, I decided to go for a walk. A day’s writing & uploading repeatedly, tends to make a mind cloud up a little.
As I passed a small, outside pub, a young lady jumped up & came running out, telling me I had things to tell her.

It turned out she had biked past me earlier in the day when I was taking the lonely photo above.

Her name eludes me, but her middle name was Elisabeth, with an s. I’m hoping she’s going to read this & be upset enough to write in to remind me of her first name. (So sorry)

She talked with me about people wanting to do good for other people, but the curse of our generation being busyness. We discussed the best way to help people do good is to help them see the good in themselves. We also talked on the differences or similarities between good being love or God being love.

I was glad I went walk about.

We finally left the café at about 1.30, having decided against the easily accessible rooftop nearby, or the dumpsters, or the dirt piles, for sleep. We met Mark on the way to the bus station who was doing pretty well considering the hallucinogenic realm he was in. He told us of his religious up bringing & how he knew love & wished his parents could accept that. That while he may not fit the mould they would like, he’s still a good person regardless.

Paul managed to wangle a free bus to the depths of the night & then another free coach to get us out of Denver to a place where a hitch was more likely.

We got out on the off ramp to the highway, found a ‘monk hotel’, but the hotel was full. So instead of sleeping under some bushes, we eventually settled on a grassy highway side area. The goat bones we found were a little disconcerting, but it was 3.30am. It was getting too late to be picky. Most things were looking good.

* (1 Cor 10.23)

Day 24. Colorado

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 06:49:00 +0000

Day 24 28^th

We woke early & Paul, oblivious to the council's awareness of our bean diet, enthused us to go begin the day at the worlds largest hot spring, Glenwood Springs.

Unsure what time the pool opened, we packed up & were heading to the bus at 7am. We invited Vince to join us.

My lack of faith at the opening hours of tourist resorts, I took a swim in the Colorado river which, with all the snow melt was a little brisker than the San Jaun,.

Paul explained to the early rising hot spring workers what we were doing & they let us all in for free.

I think this was perhaps the highlight for Vince of his time with the Monks.

Saying our farewells, we signed V Man’s truck & headed out with Lee, a friend of Pam’s, who was willing to take us through to Boulder with him.

The contrast between Vince’s truck at 35 miles an hour & Lee’s Subaru at 75mph was striking.

Lee took us out of his way to get pictures at The Great Continental Divide,

where we learned Crocks are not designed for snow wear.

We went on from there to Red Rock, a natural amphitheatre where many of the greats have played. There was a concert going on when we arrived, so we weren’t able to get in & test the acoustics with our monkish chants, but instead provided some visual stimulus for some of the Widespread Panic’s fans to spin on.

In Boulder we said our farewells to Lee & walking down the street, discovered they still play The Big Labowski at the cinemas there, with a free White Russian for all wearing a robe. We were tempted to stay a few days 'til the next screening, but duty called us on.

We caught a cheap bus to Denver, where we met Beth & Star. Beth, an amazing girl, not in the slightest convinced of our monkish authenticity, never the less discussed life, God & philosophy along the way while Star slept off the wedding from the night before.

We stumbled through Denver. I found a nice rest stop, but it wasn't to be. RJ's famous Vancouver line came out. "It's only 40 days." So on we went.

We finally found the pub where Paul’s social media friends would be meeting us.

One of the bar men was having a particularly slow night & it turned out, had done a bunch of cycle touring. So he & Nateon & Paul had a lot in common & shared road adventure stories while I talked with Steven from Phoenix on the phone.

It wasn’t too much later that Stephen from ‘The World by Road’ came to join us too.

Robin decided that we should stay at his place for the night, instead of in the park as we were planning & when his shift was done, he took us back to his sleep out with two rooms, a bathroom & kitchen. It was better than a hotel room! Perfect. Thanks so much Robin.

We slept.

Day 23. Mexican Hat to Colorado.

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 05:35:00 +0000

Day 23 27th
Paul woke us at 5.30am, to get an early ride out of Mexican Hat. (JB tells us it was named so because back then no one knew how to spell sombrero.)
I ran up to Beckies to grab batteries & Paul’s laptop which she’d been charging for us in her hotel room. I was wary of waking her at such an hour, but she was as sweet as she had been the night before & wished us well on her trip, despite the hour.
I ran back & took my turn for a swim/bath in the San Jaun river, which feeds into Lake Powell.

We walked our way through the spectacular landscape to the road to hitch our way out of town. At the gas station where I was getting water, were a couple of women with a pick up. I asked if they wanted a bunch of vagrants on their tray & they agreed they could do that. And that was how we saw the Mexican & his hat that Mexican Hat was named after,

followed by the Valley of the Gods.

The ladies were turning off to go to New Mexico & dropped us out at Bluff.
It was a pretty spot, but for some reason we struggled to get a ride for a while.

There was another hitch hiker here, who claimed to be a son of the Gods & didn’t believe in touch. He’d been waiting for a ride since yesterday & didn’t want us talking to him or cramping his hitch space. Considering our looks, an understandable position.
I climbed the rock for a broader view of things & to pray. (If you can spot me...well you get nothing, but you can feel pleased with yourself if you like.)

Bluff, while in the middle of no where, really was a worthwhile spot to be left, stranded on the side of the road.

Once we got rid of the chainsaw, (see photo) a ride finally did pull over. They went back & picked up the Son of the God’s also & we all got taken to Blanding, where our sign was asking to go.
The ‘no touch Son of the Gods’ didn’t speak a word to us once he got out of the cab, but continued down the road alone.
I’ve been told that a new baby, if left without any touch, before long dies.
I wondered what kind of an existence it must be, to live as The Son of the Gods had chosen to.

Blanding had an incredible visitor centre & we got dropped right outside. I went in to use the facilities & was given a goodie bag with all sorts of treats, including granola bars & Pepto-Bismol.
We met Vince outside, who was going where we were, but had run out of money. He was given $5 gas money from the same amazing visitor centre?! Nateon went in to see what we could do to get Vince’s tank filled & they referred him to workers assistance, to which we headed.
Here we met with Joanie Alvarez, who was running on very little sleep as the result of jet lag & was looking forward to the end of the day so as to enjoy her weekend.
However, despite her physical exhaustion, Joanie went the extra mile, plus a few more for us. She not only organised a full tank of gas for Vince to get to Glenwood for work, but also organised some food money to go with it & didn’t require us to work a minute to get it, but instead offered us her blessing.

Never before have I seen a government department be so cheerfully helpful, with such efficiency for someone in need. It’s little wonder Joanie had awards for employee of the year on her wall. She was living the standard & personifying the founding spirit of the organisation.
A wise man once told me that the level of a society's civilization can be gauged by the way they treat their underprivileged. I guess it's fair to say that at least from our perspective, Blanding is a high society.

Vince, with his government funded full tank of gas, took us to Wilson’s arch,

then on through the West Water Canyon, to Grand Junction in his 1980s pick up with box top camper. Paul valiantly offered to take the 'back seat' in the camper in the 90 + heat while Nate & I enjoyed the stunning scenery from the cab.
We stopped once or twice to check Paul was still alive along the way.

Vince, or V Man as his friends called him, an ex Marine, was a great traveller who has been to most of America’s great parks & enjoys taking life as it comes. He was heading to Grand Junction to get some part time work, before moving on to Glenwood to get work on the roads, as he did last summer.
After bouncing some ideas off us, he decided he’d crank down, go dry & get straight into the work the very next Monday. He took us all the way to Glenwood & we camped out at a rest area there.

Paul’s survival is testimony to the power of miracles. I spent 10 mins in the back of the truck on the last leg & even with my robe around my face, came out with head spins & aches from the fumes. How Paul made 7 hours in conditions people use to end their time on earth, is beyond reasonable explanation.
Perhaps he's not human.

Day 22. Leaving The Grand Canyon

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:13:00 +0000

Day 22 26th

We woke at a reasonable hour & headed to the canyon for a final farewell.

Again, the authorities took a disliking to those who don’t conform & growled at us for standing too near the edge.
We moved on & Oksana & Sock Slide Ben, with love in their hearts, decided to take us to the junction that best afforded us getting to Colorado. (About 100 miles out of their way.)

No sooner had they pulled up at the intersection & given us hugs, than a truck pulling out scooped us inside & drove us through the Arizona desert.
They talked about the stigma the Native American people have been given & without attempting to justify themselves, instead went on to talk about the beliefs of their people. They told us of spiritual significances of certain animals & actions, stopped off at dinosaur prints, gave us free beer & showed with pride the town they had been building.
They taught us Navajo for thank you & good bye, wished us well, turned around & went back into the town they’d taken us to the outskirts of for best hitch hiking prospects.
Not long later, a mother & her son drove by, turned around & came back for us.

Though their truck was full, as they were getting water, they told us we were welcome to climb in & fit ourselves around the water container. Perfect.

We fitted without issue.

They were crock wearers too! Monks in half disguise perhaps.

Once they dropped us off, Nate went & talked to a huge RV owner, who’s t-shirt stated, ‘Stay back 100 feet or I'll shoot.’ Nate, brave, or insolent, was lucky to get away with his life, but also discovered that no riders were welcome.

But we didn’t have to wait too much longer before another Navajo pulled up & squeezed us & our packs into his hatchback.

Albert Tenhorn spoke of the beliefs of the Navajo people also & about the language being illegal. He was committed to fighting to speak his own native tongue without the risk of being arrested.

He passed around some bootleg malt liquor, telling us the Navajo prophesies of 2012, similar to the Egyptian & Mayan ones, regarding the last days on earth. He went on to talk about a man's best friend needing to be himself & that the longest journey a man ever takes is from his head to his heart.

Albert eventually allowed Nate to drive, as he didn’t want to make us feel uncomfortable or unsafe.

We arrived at a section of road where he knew a man who bootlegged who he thought may welcome us in for a few quiet drinks & a laugh, but when we pulled in, that friend was repairing a friend’s car, so couldn’t play.

Farther down the road, he told us there was another friend who sold bootleg, but it was dangerous & he couldn’t go in, because he was with the law & they knew him.
He repeated again that it was dangerous, but asked that Nate go in for him, handing him the money & saying he'd have his back from the car, should anything go awry. Our brave camera man, always up for an adventure, took the money & headed to the house. Paul decided he should probably join him, just as a safety precaution.
People slowly emerged from the house & surrounded Nate & Paul, but it turned out that that bootlegger didn’t have any supplies either. They laughed about the bad scalping the last tribe had done to Paul's head & referred them down the road.
As they were telling Nate & Paul where they needed to go, another car pulled in, one of the men came out of the house with two flagons, handed them through the window & then they drove off again.

We decided that a party with Tenhorn was probably going to be long & messy, so thanked him, took our bags & headed for the freeway.

As we walked along, a fresh faced man about our own age called out to us from his truck, asking where we were headed. We told him & he offered us a ride to the outskirts of town.

I drove up front with Orlando & as we crossed the river, he explained to me the custom of offerings to cross waters. He took out a small pouch, said a quiet prayer & sprinkled corn pollen out the window.

Orlando was one of the most profoundly interesting people I’ve met so far on the trip. He has travelled a lot, both within the States & abroad & with deep conviction, told me of his people & of his desire to see them progressing with a sense of pride & self worth. He’s studying horticulture & has many ideas of how to implement his learning into his home environment.

He also talked about spiritual things, both personal & relating to the days we’re living in.

He took us well beyond the town limits, first to a roadside Indian stall, where beautiful necklaces of turquoise at bargain prices were being sold. Dean was working in the stall &, after hearing what we were doing, told me to take my pick of necklaces for free. I was at a loss for words.
Thank you so much Dean & Orlando.

Then Orlando took us out to Monument Valley, not only paying our $15 entrance fee, but also buying us water.

He told us about the valley & each monument's specific significance, before taking us back out to the highway, giving us dream beads for keeping nightmares at bay & wishing us all the best.

We waited on the side of the road & watched car loads of people going up the adjacent road, either to church, or to a dance that we were invited to.

A bike pulled over for a chat. He was a friendly guy with lots of interesting things to say. Unfortunately he was going the wrong way, but didn’t have room for two monks, a camera man & their bags anyway.

Beccy finally pulled over, just on sunset. Brave girl to pick up three stray men on dusk in the middle of no where. But she did it regardless, saying she'd driven by other hitchers, but discerned we were ok. I was impressed that she trusted her discernment over the fears portrayed by the media & pleased it was right. We chatted all the way to Mexican hat, where she got a hotel & took our batteries & laptop to her room to charge.

We waited to meet up with her in a classic old-school bar; animal sculls, confederate flag & John Wayne pics inclusive. We were a little concerned that the Mexican monk may loose some teeth. We were pleased that as we entered the music didn’t scratch to a stop, though the heads certainly did turn.

I wish I had more space to describe JB. He came & talked to us, beginning with the merits of bums & the protocol of hitchhiking, but moving on to expound all kinds of political profundities & on to oil alternatives & nuclear merits. He talked about uranium mining & conspiracy theories surrounding them, the merits of hard work, the joys of family & community & the importance of communication & listening to those from different cultural walks.

I think we all walked away shellshocked. One of the more colourful people we’ve met…and in the most unexpected place & frame.

A lesson in judging by externals I guess.
When the bar closed & a good half hour after all the lights had been extinguished, JB finished telling us 'If these three clowns are the best the country can come up with for president, we'd best run for the hills with a sack of taters.' He closed with his ideas about the probability of Hillary running as vice-president so when Abama gets assassinated by any one of three probables, she'll become president by default.
On that note, we made our way down to the river to camp out.

Chicago Fire Works and Daisy

soloride@gmail.com (Paul Sanchez) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:32:00 +0000

Fire Works in Chicago from mobile phone:

Daisy Mertzel is in the cell phone video above. Daisy and Paul have been friends for a few years and what is interesting they both made the top 30 for Oprah's Big Give.

Here is one of Daisy's projects:

I hope all you are doing well. We are on the home stretch and have 1000+ miles and have 10 days left of the adventure. Please leave a comment and tell us what you think of the adventure so far.

Social Monks

About Social Monks

Working on getting footage out

What ever became of Minimonk?

Finished!

Day 36. Niagara

Day 35. Leaving Elkhart

Day 34. Escaping South Bend

Day 33. South Bend

Day 32. Leaving Chicago

Day 31. Chicago

Day 30. Chicago 4th of July

Day 29. St Luis to Chicago

Day 28. Limon to Salina

Day 27. Escaping Denver

Day 26. S tuck in Denver

Bad News which will turn out to be good news.

Elkhorn, Indiana, Steak 'n Shake

South Bend, Indiana

leaving Chicago, headed to Cleveland..

Day 25. Denver

Day 24. Colorado

Day 23. Mexican Hat to Colorado.

Day 22. Leaving The Grand Canyon

More Social Monk videos

Chicago Fire Works and Daisy