Picked Up Another Toy

We all have our toys and for me the toys are machines.I love all kinds of old machines , especially ones I can use like old motorcycles , cars , and generators. I really like old generators.Working on them and getting them back in service just makes me feel good.There is something about them , not quite sure what but it's probably about how they help me be self sufficient . I use my little generators up at my camp. They run my water pump so I can shower and do dishes,charge the 12volt car battery that I use to have a stereo system ,  my drill and other power tools , and even get use in my kitchen running this 60 year old mixer I have.  This one here is my main generator and it has been in my service for 35 years.

It never failed me until this past summer.It only had a broken wire to the slip rings the brushes ride on  but I had it apart so I gave it new brushes ,a new bridge rectifier ,and rebuilt the carb. That was in August , I used her in September and October again and she works like a new unit . That breakdown made me realize I need a back up . I did have one but I haven't been able to get it running right yet.I brought it with me and did use it but it fouled the spark plug after a half hour so it still needs work. It's a pretty cool little generator though.early 60's vintage with a 3 hp Briggs & Stratton motor .

This past August when I was chasing after the parts to fix the Craftsman 2100 watt one I went to this place that fixes and sells power tools .While there I spotted a generator just like the little green one sitting under a table outdoors.I asked about it and the guy told me I could have it for free .He just wanted it gone to make space.I scored . The generator part of the unit doesn't work but the motor is NEW ! It was never used  so now I have a new motor to put on the green generator.I'm not too interested in the generator part because it only puts out 750 watts and that won't run my water pump so I'll just set it aside for now .The green one puts out 1200 watts and can run the pump and the battery charger plus some at the same time so it gets that nice new motor. 

I used the yellow (new) gas tank on the green generator this summer because the green one needs to be cleaned out  so they are switched here in the photos As you can see ,the yellow motor still has the tag on it ! The guy at the power tool shop ran it to check the output of the generator and that is all the use it ever had.He ran it long enough to burn the paint off the muffler . So, this is one of my projects for winter. Just when I think that is the only non motorcycle project I have in the shop I see on  Craigslist a little generator made in 1950 listed for sale for 40 dollars. I emailed the guy and bought it this past Saturday .The build date stamped on it is 5 / 50 .It is a 1000 watt generator and he claimed it worked 2 years ago. Ain't she cool

Then there is this gem I have been sitting on up at my camp for the past 15 years. This is a vintage Onan  1200 watt generator from the 1940's that I was told was used on a WWII naval vessel . This is a long term project that I want to do really nice.It does work.I had it running when I first got it and it lit a light bulb so it does make electricity  .

So,today I'm going online and getting all the information I can on my newest old generator so I can begin to bring her back to life. It's fun being retired

Winter

Yes it's winter here in New York now. Thanksgiving was last week.I got out riding on Thanksgiving day so I was happy . Had to do work on my wife's car over the weekend.It needed an oil change and a transmission fluid change plus a brake job so Saturday I dove in. It wasn't too bad but it took until Sunday to finish it up and I was racing against the snow that was expected by mid morning. It sucks working outside on the ground.I did have my kerosene heater blowing nice hot air on me though so I was ok .Got it all finished and road tested before the crap started to fly. I HATE WINTER ! It is such a waste of time and at 70 years old I don't want to waste any time . Things are slow for me now.Not much in the way of work and the cold makes working out in the garage expensive to do. It costs to run that kerosene heater but if I don't then I don't have any forward motion. I think later this week I'm going to go over to my storage garage and take some photos of project bikes I want to sell .

It's time to start selling some of this stuff off and putting that money away for a house out west.My wife has three more years before she can collect her pension so it's time to really start focusing on getting out of this fucking place . There is two inches of snow on the ground now , it's cold and wet ,  and here I am stuck here in the house not working . With any luck things will change and this will be the last I HATE WINTER post I write this year !

Another Restored Lost Post

This post is from my 2010 trip out west on my Moto Guzzi 850-T

Back in the tent again! Sure feels good too.I'm in a campsite in Crater Lake hanging out and riding some.Went out before and upon my return I noticed one of the headlight ears ,you know,the things that the headlight is attached to the front forks with,was broken.Well,I did a fix on them in NY before I left and it lasted 7000 miles so I can't bitch too much. Anyway,I dug thru my bag of goodies and found a thin horn mounting strap and some JB Weld.I took a file and bored a hole for a screw at the back end and opened up the front hole to accept the front signal witch also holds on the headlight and manufactured a bracket to fix the damn thing using a screw and nut from the used ignition points I had in the bag and the JB epoxy.It feels solid so I'm giving it an hour to set up and heading out for a ride around the lake.

My time in Bend ,Oregon was really good.I spent some quality time with Robin and her family.Robin is my late friend Barbara's middle daughter .If you read the stuff I was writing last year about my early travels and such you'd know that Barbara and I were very close and her daughters are sort of like sisters to me so it's been good spending time with one in the flesh rather than on the internet.
We went river rafting,hiking,horseback riding,out to dinner a few times and had a great visit.I bonded really well with her husband Scott too and we are already planning to spend more time together soon if possible.I might stop in again before I head east on this trip for one or two days after doing California but I'm not sure yet so we left it up to how things work out for me in my travels.

Crater Lake is really nice.The roads are nice and there is nowhere near the amount of traffic like in Glacier Park.Well,I'm gonna get bold now and try out my bike to see if the headlight bucket stays on and maybe go for a swim in Crater Lake!
Ended up going down this trail instead of swimming and found all these rock formations.It was called Pinnacles Trail.What a great place.Met this young married couple who loved my bike.The husband had a couple bikes including an old Honda so we exchanged emails.He needs some help with it getting it going and doesn't know where to begin so I told him I'd hook him up with some people I know who do Hondas. my headlight fix seems to have worked and all is well with the bike again.

Last night at the campsite there were these young guys who were playing guitars and singing . They were pretty good and played into the night.I enjoyed it tremendously and this morning I went over and thanked them.Later they came by as I was packing up to leave and were in awe of what I was doing.The one guy had a bike and told me I was doing exactly what he wants to do so I told him about Ernie.
Ernie was this old biker I met in 1972 while hich hiking to Nova Scotia somewhere up in Quebec .He was about my age now,60's,and just wandering all over the place camping.I was totally blown away by this guy.We talked for hours about bikes and traveling.I told him of my travels up to Alaska and my bike trip across the country and he told me all about his adventures riding his BMW across Canada.I always thought about Ernie over the years and this morning I became Ernie to someone else! Funny how life works like that sometimes.
Left Crater Lake about 11AM and now I'm in Crescent City California in the redwoods camping.Oregon is behind me now after a two week stay and many great times.I think I'll go back before heading east towards home.I like Oregon.
Well,it's late in the afternoon about 5PM and I 'm getting hungry so I think I'll cook up something to eat and maybe take a swim in the Smith River which is just steps from the door of my tent.Another great place on another day! I love the road!!!
The fog rolled in and that was it for my swim.Oh well,it's cold now and there's no way I'm going in the river .Tomorrow I'm going to try to get a campsite in Jedediah Smith State Park.I wanted to stay there but they were all filled up so I'll go first thing when people depart and grab a site tomorrow I hope .This place is OK but there are no showers,and I need one bad,and it's not as secure as a state park so I'm not good with leaving my belongings while I go off and explore.
Tomorrow I'm going to call this motel I know in Ft Bragg.They have weekly rates and are cheap with the added benefit of a car port with every room!The plan is to use Ft Bragg as a home base and wander a couple hundred miles in all directions on an unloaded bike for a week.I'll be able to cook 'cause the rooms have a full kitchen and eat way better than I have been.Besides,I like Ft Bragg and want to look into moving there a little closer .I'm also exploring the possibility of going north to Canada and becoming a Canadian citizen.I'm kinda sick of the politics here and don't see it changing in my lifetime so maybe I should leave.America is a wonderful country,the people are great and the country is beautiful but politically it's retarded to put it mildly.I'm tired of being a serf serving the rich and that's the reality of life here.Robin can get Canadian citizenship real easy 'cause her mother,Barbara .was a Canadian.Her husband wants to move up there too and he's an ex Marine! We were talking about buying a bunch of land in the BC area and living communally .It might be time for me to seriously consider this.Well,who knows what lies ahead, the here and now is all I really have so I'm just gonna live it to the max.
All day long I have been wanting to paint!I think the road has unlocked my mind in that respect.The ideas are flowing out of my mind and I can almost see them on canvas,It's been a good thing for me to travel like this,I'm happy!
Saturday after checking in at the state park I went into Crescent City to get food and run errands when I spotted a car show going on.Ended up spending the whole afternoon at this show talking to guys about cars and bikes,good places to ride and that sort of thing.It was a nice break from the usual camping and hiking in the woods I've been doing.Felt good to spend time just socializing with people and looking at some cool west coast rides.

Spent Sunday in Jedediah Smith Park hiking in the Stout Grove .What a place! It's an experience that transcends all the normal things we do.These trees are old growth redwoods that are maybe 3000 years old and 325 ft tall!.The energy they give off is unbelievable , there is definitely something there that goes way beyond anything we can comprehend.I love the redwoods!

Had to move on Monday morning.The original plan about Ft Bragg and the motel didn't work out the way I planned so I was thinking of riding inland to Mt Lassen.Can't get into the motel until Sunday of next week so I'm rearranging my ride some.As I rode out of Crescent City it hit me,I have a weather forecast of sunny and high 70's to low 80's on the coast of California in August! I'd be a fool to head inland and miss this rare occurrence so my plans changed again and I headed down the coast to the wilderness area out on the Lost Coast by Petrolia.
I was planning to ride here on an unloaded bike.The road is treacherous in places and on a fully loaded bike is damn near impossible but ,what the fuck I thought and went ahead and turned off at Fernbridge heading out into no mans land.In places the road was like a ski slope with these huge depressions about a foot deep that would just appear out of nowhere and then no pavement on curves that are on the side of a 700 foot cliff with nothing but three strands of fucking barbed wire as a guard rail! I did fine! Knowing this ahead of time really helped me.We came out this way two years ago exploring for a short two hour side trip so I knew what to expect and went slow.

Now in Petrolia and it's late afternoon about 4PM.I'm figuring I'll go the distance and head back to the high way thru the Avenue Of The Giants when I see this small road called Lighthouse Road.I love lighthouses so I had to check it out .The road is paved so what the fuck and off I go.About a mile in it gets rough.Lots of pot holes and broken pavement then turns into a dirt road too narrow to turn around in so I push onward.About another mile and I get to a beach that is called Matolle Beach and on BLM land.I see a sign saying camping with an arrow and I knew I scored!
The beach here is deserted and the campsite has 15 spots with 4 of them occupied .I scoped it out and found the perfect spot with an area for my tent tucked away in this cave made out of bushes out of the wind.Set up and walked over to the self service registration thing where I discovered it cost a whopping 8 dollars a night! I'm staying here for a few days I thought as I payed for the first night.That was 3 days ago!
Just returned from a walk down the beach.It was wonderful walking along this deserted beach nude in the sunshine.Went for a swim in the fresh water that collects at the end of the river.This time of year the river doesn't flow enough to empty out into the ocean and forms sort of a lake.The water is crystal clear and about 75 degrees as opposed to the ocean at 55 degrees .I swam and soaked getting all clean for the second day in a row now.There are no showers here at this wonderful campground but we do have clean out houses and running water in the campsites that is really good to drink so swimming in the river to get clean is no problem at all as far as I'm concerned.
Met this guy this morning as I was cooking my pancakes.He was admiring my Moto Guzzi and telling me how he just sold his 02 Lemans(Moto Guzzi)to buy a sail boat.He's living aboard in Sausalito and sailing the bay but he misses his bike.Well,I can see the boat thing but I'd have to have at least one bike too!
The fog rolled in ending my nudist activities at the beach but as soon as I returned to my tent it popped back out.Today will be my last day here.The weather is changing now.The fog rolled back in again and it's cooling down some.Tomorrow I'll ride!
Well,morning came and I had me a good breakfast.As I sat there eating and drinking my coffee I was reflecting on my time in this wonderful place.What happened is that I met some really good people.It started with this biker that was just passing thru the first morning I was there.He and I were talking bikes and the road for a while and when the time came for him to leave he hands me a bud and says enjoy it and ride safe! He was gone before I could say a word.The rest of the day was nice as I took walks and a swim in the fresh water lagoon and in late afternoon I met Lucy.

Lucy is a 24 year old Chinese girl born in China, raised in Mass. and wandering the country basically doing what I'm doing only in a car. She's looking for her new path in life.We spent two full days and nights together just talking and exploring all the possibilities each of us had .It was an amazing time.She had some pot and got me to smoke some with her.This is the first time in 25 years I smoked pot mind you.It was pretty good and we sat around the fire talking until late into the night under a full moon.The relationship we developed was strictly platonic but very intense.On the second day we hiked into the wilderness area quite a ways just taking in all this incredible scenery and collecting driftwood for our campfire on our return.I cooked dinner that night and we ate as the sun set into the Pacific .It was a very enlightening experience getting to know this young woman.
This morning Lucy and I said good bye and went on our separate journeys in search of our own new paths in life. Three hours later I'm pulling out of this gas station in Garberville when I hear my name being called and it's Lucy! We said a second farewell and I blew out of town looking for a campsite and some lunch.
Now I'm in this state park.Not the best place but there is a shower and I can go into Garberville from here in 10 minutes
Garberville is a very cool place with all these new generation hippies all over the place and all these old hippies wandering about as well.They have a marijuana festival here every year where all the local growers show off their wares! I got to sample some of that the second night with Lucy when we smoked some of that bud the biker laid on me Tuesday morning.Three hits and you're gone ! Pretty potent stuff.Well,I'll probably never do it again so what the fuck,I might as well enjoy it while I'm here and it's free.
While at that BLM campsite I also met this other biker.Yesterday(Thursday) he rolled in just checking it out when he spied my bike lurking in the bushes.He hung around long enough to meet me and then was gone.It turned out he was Dutch and flew over here.Went to Texas,bought a new BMW and rode it to Key West ,Fla then up the east coast into Canada,out west,up to Prudhoe Bay Alaska!,down thru BC and the west coast .He's going to ride all the way south to Bolivia! Man,I'm meeting the strangest people on the planet! It's fucking GREAT!!!
Been in Garberville for 2 days now.I'm liking it more and more.went into the town before and just walked around.Took in two art galleries to see what's up with that business and the deeper I look the more I realize that this is something I can do for sure.Bought Celia a hot plate with a beautiful turtle on it in the one place then went to this taco stand where I was talking with this young woman behind the counter about New York City.It seems she wants to go to NYU and really loves the city so I was giving her some ideas on places that are good to live like Brooklyn.She got real excited when I brought up Brooklyn 'cause she's been hearing just what I told her.Looks like there are artists all over this place. She's an aspiring writer.Lucy was into designing jewelry and clothing as well as painting.Something is drawing me here and there's no denying it.It's the artists.Yeah,there are lots of us on the east coast but the freedom out here is way more profound than in New York.People are different out here and I feel more comfortable here than in that wasteland of Long Island that I live in.
Think I'll go walk this trail I heard about from my neighbor here in the campsite.Speaking of neighbors,he grew up 5 miles from me! We were talking about it earlier and both came to the same conclusion that this place has way more to offer than the east does.So,I'm off on another walk thru the woods to see what I can find.
The woods were great! I walked down this trail for about an hour and a half thru new growth redwoods and had the place all to myself which gave me time to think about what I am planning to do next in this life.I've pretty much decided to open up an art gallery in Ft Bragg preferably but am open to other locations as well.I've been thinking of taking on a partner or two in this venture.Over the past couple years I've become involved with some artists thru my motorcycling and we are all into the vintage bikes so I think I'll start my search for a partner there.Who knows where this will lead if anywhere but I have to explore it in depth.It's as if I'm driven just like I was to go on this trip.I think the two events are related and the trip was the beginning of the whole thing.The ideas are coming freely now.It's as if I'm being led down the path by the hand.Can't wait to get to Ft Bragg tomorrow and set up house in the motel with the kitchenette .It will be sort of like home in a new place as I look around at stores for rent and explore the possibilities .You see,I couldn't do this on vacation but now that I'm alone here my time is my own and I'm not inhibited by someone else wanting to do other things.I have a feeling this is all going to come together.My time frame is about four years.I need to build some bikes to sell,then sell my property up in the Adirondacks,then my 66 Valiant convertible and I should have about 50 grand or so to start with.If I can get one or two other people interested who have that kind of capitol then it will fly.A gallery featuring our work as artists and our work as motorcycle restorers as well as local artists work on consignment with some jewelry and clothing thrown in later on if it starts to happen.I see these places here and there but none have vintage motorcycles and that can be a real draw.There are bikers all over the fucking place and we have money,we like nice things,and we spend it as we ride!
Took another walk on the river this time.Picked up a few pieces of driftwood to burn tonight in the fire pit.A branch fell from a tree in my campsite so I took it as a sign I need fire tonight and went off to get wood.I like fire when I'm camping.It sort of mellows me out and what the hell,I still have half that bud left so I may as well get stoned while I sit by the fire alone.
Tomorrow I ride.Down the coast I go and get indoors for five days as I think and plan out my future.I miss the camp at the beach.There was a steady flow of very interesting people in that place.My time there was short but I think it's where I finally found what I've been looking for,not the actual plan but more like the freedom that it takes to come up with it.There were some very free people at that place from the bikers I met to Lucy and the musician with the dogs.He was another character looking for his future.We all seemed to come together there at the same moment in time almost as if to help each other find the way and then just disbanded and all went in different directions on our own journeys .

The weather here is cool , mid 60's and windy with abundant sunshine.Great camping weather and I'm sure it will be a good night for a fire.Tomorrow should be a repeat of today from what the little weather radio I have tells me so my ride down the coast should be a pleasant one.This tent time has been good for me too.After all that walking and talking out on the ocean it's good to collect my thoughts and write again.Guess I'll be posting this tomorrow night from the coffee shop in Ft Bragg. Too bad I don't really have any friends in San Francisco but , maybe that's for the best. Money is tight and getting tighter by the day and that place is a real sponge for money so when my time in Ft Bragg ends I'll head north and then east to Mt Lassen to check out the Volcanic National Park there then up to Oregon and north east into Idaho and on to Missoula and Cosmic Bob's again.I know,I said I wasn't going to go back and see him but I changed my mind and am going too. I know he's crazy and armed to the teeth but he's still my friend and hopefully there is still some hope for the crazy bastard ! This story needs more time to play out and besides,I need to observe him more to create Cosmic Billy.

So, there you have it . My hopes and dreams from this trip have yet to be realized but are still alive .Yes they are somewhat changed . The location is now Arizona , no art gallery is going to happen , but at some point in the near future say 2 years from now we will be heading west for good to Arizona .We can't afford California and there is just too much bullshit to deal with in that state . So, we'll visit and enjoy it while we live next door in Arizona and enjoy all the benefits of a less intrusive and parasitic government . As I head into this winter of 2019 - 2020 I'm getting my Moto Guzzi all ready for another of these trips out west.Won't be going up here to Crater Lake  but may hit Northern California .I'll be heading south to Southern California ,Arizona , and perhaps a trip across the southern US towards home.The fun is just beginning as I start to make plans and work on the bike. Next project on the bike is all new gaskets and oil seals in the motor . Gonna start buying them next week. Today I'm going to paint ! Started two paintings. One has been languishing for two years unfinished and the other I started last month up at my camp. Time to clear the deck and move forward again.

Today I Ride

It's Saturday morning and cold but clear out here in New York.It is supposed to be in the mid 40's F today so I ride. Did my work yesterday getting my old 1971 Chevy C20 up and running.Didn't take much , just had to hook up the battery after I had charged it , put air in the tires and put the current registration sticker on the windshield. Raked a bunch of leaves in the work area after pulling her out into the front of the house before the rain started . The test ride went well, no surprises , she's back in service. So I'm sitting around when the phone rings and my friend Pete calls. Haven't spoken with him in over a year. He asks if I'm interested in using my truck in a photo shoot he's doing for this ad  his customer wants  . It seems they are looking for a funky old truck to use as a back drop for this sound equipment they are selling. So, with any luck he will be here early , take a picture to show the client and I can get out on my bike and ride. I love it when free money comes my way ! All I need to do is drive my truck to some location and hang out while Pete takes pictures. Today I think  I'll be riding the Moto Guzzi .Had the BMW out the other day for a good 50 or 60 mile ride  so now it's the Moto Guzzis turn. It's looking good weather wise for the early part of next week too so I'll get to ride my two strokes some with any luck.Gotta use them all as much as I can this time of the year.Once that fucking snow starts flying they are down until the roads get washed  of salt by a good heavy rain . Sometimes this happens quickly after a snowfall sometimes not . Thanksgiving is next Thursday and I'm hoping that it's a nice day so I can ride some while the turkey cooks . Some years I get to ride right up to New Years and even past it some.Hope this year is one of those. So now I hang around and wait for it to warm up some. I'll give Pete until 11 AM before I head out to ride.One thing I never do is wait around for people . Life is just too short for that crap. Looking thru some old photo folders and found this real nice photo of the Moto Guzzi from back when I first got her in 2007

Well, I put 100,000 + miles on her since that day in January 2007 when I brought her home and she still looks good considering what I put her thru.

So now as I look towards the next riding season and the planned trip out west I'm pretty sure I'll be riding my old friend the " T"  Pete just called and will be here soon so looks like I'll be out riding sooner than I thought .
Later On
Got out on the bike for a couple hours.It was somewhat cold but I was good with it.The bike is running really good now and the more I ride it the more convinced I become that this is the bike I should go out west on  next summer.I already started to accumulate parts to get her ready.I bought a top end gasket set to take care of the oil leaks.Next I'll get new steel braided oil feed lines to the cylinder heads,breather hoses,new rear main oil seal, a new set of Dyna Coils,and other assorted things  as I can afford them.I'd like all the parts here before I start the work so I have until early April th get everything..It was a good day out there today and I really enjoyed my Moto Guzzi.

When I Was Young

This was me 51 years ago !  I was 19 years old . Crazy shit from where I'm standing now but these were the times I grew up in and this is what we did.Actually I think this is where the inner strength that it took to change my life in the mid and late 70's came from although at the time I had no idea that I was even changing . But I was , quit LSD in 1972 ,alcohol in 1975 and pot by the early 80's was wearing thin and out of my life by 1985. The only constant in my life has been motorcycling . It saved my ass more times than I can count. Everything changes when I throw a leg over that seat and fire up that motor. Problems melt away I focus and there is nothing else. It saved me from all this crap and kept me free and happy my entire adult life. Motorcycles have been my salvation  along with art !
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                                              Canton Agricultural and Technical College

My arrival in Canton ,New York in September of 1968 was an eye opener. This school was all farm kids and it was like going thru a time warp back into the early 1950's! It was like they didn't know the 60's were happening . When I put on a Janis Joplin record in the student union they all wanted it turned off.Go figure!Well I did manage to find the few kids that did know what was going on and smoked grass.This one kid from Syracuse was an acid head too!
One weekend in mid October I bought this acid from this kid from Syracuse and was going to drop that night.He told me it was this stuff called STP . I had heard something about this stuff but not much so it was an unknown. He told me to just take half 'cause it's real strong shit.
Went out drinking that night and dropped the acid about 10 pm. waited 2 hours and nothing so I took the other half waited another couple hours and still nothing so I figured I got burned. Went home to my rented room and went to bed.
I have no idea when I actually got off 'cause I was sleeping when it came on and deep in my subconscious . What I can say about the first hours is that it was really strange. I didn't exist I wasn't experiencing it but there was a brightness brighter than the sun and that's all there was . I was it , it was me and everything else all at the same time. 

My first thoughts of anything happened in the morning and that was complete terror. At first I thought I had died or was completely insane. There were fish swimming around the room and the wallpaper was glowing and undulating as the windows and door moved from place to place. This went on for what seemed like hours as I lay there immobilized . Then all the faces of everyone in my life came before me and the important ones talked to me as if they were there and knew exactly what was happening. I looked over across the room at the mirror on the dresser and I saw myself all covered in thick black hair.Figured this is how I am now and reached for a comb and started combing the hair.As I combed it disappeared so I combed it away just leaving it where I thought it should be.. Finally got out of bed.Saw the door open and could see into the next room so I started to walk to the next room only to walk into the wall.There was no door to the other room !
Back in bed watching the dots of color blink on the wallpaper I started to accept the fact that I bought the farm on this trip. I had tripped lots in the year leading up to this trip and never had one like this so I must be crazy. As I lay there I sort of calmed down and

started to get into this new space my mind was in. 

An hour or so later I got up and walked around the room and wasn't as shaky and felt hungry so I decided to walk down the street to the small diner on the corner. To do this I had to walk past the county court house. Major paranoia set in as I thought everyone was looking at me and knew I was full blown bonkers.
Made it to the diner and ordered a hamburger and coke.That was the only thing I could think of . It took everything I had to do this. The waitress was a girl from school that I had seen around and kinda knew something was off with me but was cool. She brought me my food and as I bit into the burger I was hallucinating blood gushing out of it all over the place! It was very disturbing but it tasted good so I kept eating. Just then a state trooper walks in and sits down at the counter next to me. I freaked! I looked at him and he said hello then asked why I wasn't at the big keg party going on down by the river on campus. I told him I had been there but got a little drunk and needed to sober up . As I was saying this to him his sun glasses were blinking red and green like traffic signals. It was all I could do not to just start laughing but having dealt with the police so many times in the past I instinctively knew what to do and kept my mouth shut. His order came and he said good buy and don't drive.
Now finished I had to pay but I didn't know what to do with money. I saw other people going up to the register and giving this paper to the girl so I figured I'd do the same. I gave her a whole wad of money ,maybe 30 dollars for a 3 dollar bill. Lucky for me she was honest and took what the bill was and gave the rest back .As I was leaving she told

me to go home before I got hurt.
Walking down the street I saw what appeared to be midget hippies in fringed suede
jackets! They didn't exist and I ran down the street and back home. It was late Saturday afternoon now and I was a full day into this trip with no end in sight. Sunday morning I ventured out again. I was still blasted out of my mind but more comfortable with it and somewhat more able. I got something to eat and had a basic understanding of what to do with money . Walked around town some and went down by the river and sat on this bench just watching the world go by. It was kinda cool now and I was enjoying being crazy .
Hours were going by like a flash and minutes like hours . I felt like I was coming down somewhat and realized I was tripping for two days now. I also realized that if I got drunk I would be able to come down so that's what I did.
I drank a pitcher of beer at the bar I hung out at and felt better .Then the guy I bought this stuff from came in.He took one look at me and started laughing ." I told you not to do the whole thing" he said and we got drunk together in Billy's Bar in Canton , NY .
During this trip is when I first started to write. I wrote all about what was going on during that trip.It was the strangest thing,I forgot how to write and it slowly came back.I got as far as printing and that was it.To this day I still don't write in script and this was over 50 years ago ! That first journal was taken by the school after they searched my room.I had written my friend Melinda a letter about this wild trip and she wrote back about some of the acid they were taking out in the mid west where she was in school but the letter must have fallen out of my books and got dropped on the street where a nun picked it up and had the nerve to open and read it. She sent me this letter telling me I was in the clutches of the devil .I think she also informed the school. I left town the day I got her letter. Just stuck out my thumb on a cold snowy afternoon in November 1968 and headed to New York City where I caught a train to Long Island never to return to Canton Agricultural and Technical College. Nine months later I was heading west to Los Angles on my motorcycle .The journey had begun  and still continues to this day ! 

The Summer Of 1970

Looking thru some old files I found this text file I wrote years ago about my life back in 1970 .It was a crazy life but then again most of us had crazy lives back in those days.

The Summer Of 1970

  School was almost out now and Richard and I were planning a cross country trip
together with two of our friends from down the street Pat and her sister Cathy . The
girls from Ohio. Sean was also going to ride with us for part of the way on his 650
Triumph with his girlfriend. Richard had this little sports car,a Fiat and the girls were
going to take turns on the back of the bike, my little 1965 Yamaha YDS3, and the
car . George decided to fly home and we shipped our stuff along with most of our
grass in advance. Our time in LA was coming to an end and another cross country
motorcycle trip was about to begin. It was early June and we would be heading out
mid June the day after classes finished.
   As we were getting close to our departure date Richard and I built a couple secret
compartments in the frame of his Fiat to hide our dope in. Couldn't cross the country
without something to smoke we thought and what if we got hassled by the cops.
So, we made these two compartments out of metal electrical junction boxes and
sprayed some undercoat on them and threw dirt all over them before the stuff dried
and you couldn't tell they were there. We had enough room for about 4 oz of pot
which was way more than we needed.Got the bike running well, Tuned it all up and
fixed all the small problems that were left over from it being run over and now we
were ready.
   Sean couldn't leave when we were so we made plans to meet him in Colorado
back at Peacefull Valley. The time had finally come and we were off. We headed up
the coast to Monterey as our first stop. After spending the night there we headed
inland  towards Yosemite where we wanted to spend a couple days having some
fun.
   Camped outside Yosemite on the Merced River. It was a nice quiet place and we
could just go into the National Park for day trips and do what we wanted.We went
rock climbing actually more like scrambling up these rock slides where the flood
waters had washed away the hills. It was good,We got back into the woods away
from all the tourists and just enjoyed ourselves each day.
  The third day we were there we decided it was time to head out and hit the road early afternoon heading east over the mountains into Nevada and getting on US rt
6 . We wanted to back road it to Colorado and really see the west so that's what we
did. Rode all afternoon and into the night way out into nowhere when I hit reserve
on my gas. My bike will go about 20 miles on reserve so we started looking for gas.
   Driving and driving into the night starting to think I'm fucked when we see a light
ahead. I'm running on fumes now as we pull into this closed gas station with a
house attached in the middle of nowhere. We get out and start walking towards the
house when all of a sudden these two cowboys with shot guns pointed at us say
hold it right there! We explain our situation to them at gun point and they reluctantly
give us gas for the bike and car.I think we bought 10 dollars worth but I threw them
a 20 and we got the hell out of there. Rode down the road about another 30 miles
and found an unattended National Forest campsite and made camp for the night
under the stars.It was an incredible night,no moon and so many stars that it was
light enough to cast a shadow. I had never seen a sky like that before and I just lay
there looking at it as I fell asleep.
   Next morning we hit the road and are really cruising. I'm going about 80 mph
when this cop passes us going in the other direction. He waves to us and keeps on
going! I didn't realize it then but there was no speed limit on that road back then.
About 10 miles past there I saw a sign after we rode thru a town that read resume
reasonable speed. The country side was really beautiful and we just rode and
checked things out all day long. I'd get way ahead of Richard and then we'd pull
over and let then catch up.We did this about once every hour. This worked for us
'cause Richard was always stopping to take pictures and me being on a 2 stroke
motorcycle needed to really rip to keep the motor from getting fouled plugs.We
found a place in eastern Nevada to camp and relaxed as the day ended.
   We woke up to a warm sunny morning and headed out early. Today we wanted to
get over to eastern Utah or western Colorado. It was really warm and nice riding as
we wandered eastward and the country was beautiful. We stayed on US 6 as we
headed east stopping for lunch somewhere near the middle of Utah and then the
road headed south east. It was real nice country and as usual I was way out in front
of Richard blasting down the road.
     It was mid afternoon when we pulled over to let Richard and Cathy catch up to
us.We were waiting and waiting. Waited about 45 minutes and decided we'd
backtrack and check to see that they were alright . We rode for about 15 minutes
when we saw them on the side of the road with this black mid 50's Buick stopped
with them. We pull in and get off the bike to be welcomed buy this drunk cowboy
and our companions broke down with a blown motor.
   We start talking about what we're going to do when this guy starts getting abusive
and calling us "hop heads" and  pulls out a 357 magnum. He's slugging down
gulps of Segrams and we're looking at each other wandering how we are going to
get away from this guy. Here we are on this deserted stretch of road out in butt fuck
nowhere Utah with this drunk cowboy holding us at gun point but he hasn't really
pointed it at us yet he's just abusive verbally at this point.
   This scene was playing out very slowly and about 10 minutes into it he reaches
into the car and pulls out a shot gun. He hands me the 357 and points the rifle at
me and says can you shoot boy? So I look at him and say sure I know how to shoot and he tells me to "shoot that log boy" so I do and hit it. He takes back the weapon
and puts the shot gun back in the front seat of the car. Next thing I see is this gun
about 6 inches away from my face. At this point I'm thinking I'm a dead man and a
very strange calm came over me as I'm  telling him " you don't want to do that" He points the gun at my 3 friends and
says "you , you, and you in the car" and with that he jumps in the drivers seat and
takes off with Richard and the two sisters.
  I'm freaking out now! I hop on my bike and tear after them but he's gaining on me
and I can't keep up.I loose sight of them . From what I learned afterwards they were
all screaming as he was going about 100 mph down the road. He clipped a guard
rail ,then sideswiped a tractor trailer before turning off on to a dirt road. I saw the
truck on the side of the road as the driver was getting out ,didn't stop. Then I see this dust cloud up this dirt road and I just knew that's them. I start racing up this road
and now I have the advantage. He's going slow now and I'm catching them.  He
gets to this open spot and stops as I arrive right behind him and they all get out.
   Richard gives me this look like he's thinking we're goners and I start talking
saying that we're going to go get a mechanic to help us with the car and grab Pat
and get her on the bike with me. We are now sitting on the running bike and this
drunken fool is ranting about how we're hop heads and I'm going on about how
we'll be right back as soon as we get someone to help with the car like there is
nothing going on out of the ordinary here.Even Richard didn't know I was
bullshitting at this point I really sounded sincere and we took off with him shooting
into the air yelling.
   We flew down the dirt road and I remembered seeing a truck weigh station about
5 miles back when we first turned around looking for them so we headed for
that.Pull in and Pat is totally hysterical at this point crying and screaming "he's
going to kill my sister" over and over while I'm telling this cop there this story about
how this guy has my friends.
   At first the cop doesn't believe me and is kind of skeptical but then the trucker that
this drunk fool hit  pulls in and tells the cop his tale of getting sideswiped  by this
black Buick and the cop changes his tune. He picks up the phone and calls for help
and about 10 minutes later there are about 10 or so cowboys with rifles  They know the guy as it turns out and they call up to get some horses 'cause they also know his daddy owns half the county and by now he's way off in the hills. They were right. When we got back to the spot where we last saw Richard and Cathy they were gone! The cops all get on horses and ride off leaving Pat and I sitting there alone with the first cop in his police car.
   Day turned into night as Pat and I sat in the back of this police car , her crying and
me and this cop trying to calm her. This went on for at least 4 or 5 hours when they
finaly came back with Cathy and Richard . The drunk was in handcuffs and they
separated the 4 of us and took our statements.
   Back at the police station in Price Utah we are taken aside by the original cop
who tells us the story about this guy. He's a local drunk and his father owns a huge
sheep ranch or something and the best thing for us to do is just move on and not
press charges 'cause he'll buy his son out of this. The guy was politically connected
and there was no way his son was going to go to jail over this so just leave in the morning .We'll hold him long enough for you to get your car towed and get out of
town. Then he tells us he'll help us and takes us out to the car and back to my bike
at the weigh station, follows us back into town and helps us get a motel room. He
turned out to be a really nice guy. Turns out his wife was pregnant and about to
give birth any time now and here he was helping us.
  Next morning early we hear a knock on the door and it's the cop. He's off duty now
and he came by to help us again.He took us out to Richards car so we could get
some belongings . Pat and I had decided to go ahead and wait for Richard and
Cathy in Colorado 'cause it was going to be a week before the car was fixed. We
made our plans as to where to meet, got our stuff and hit the road leaving Richard
and Cathy with the car and the cop.
   Later that day Richard went back out to the car with the cop and a tow truck to
have the car towed 75 miles to Salt Lake City where there was a Fiat dealer. When
they arrive at the car the windshield is smashed ,the wires are ripped out and all our stuff that was still in the car was gone. I would find this out a week later when I
received a Telegram like we had planed telling me when they would be arriving in
Nederlands  Colorado. The ordeal was over now. The car was all fixed and they
would be here in 2 days! We were happy !!!
   It was strange leaving Richard and Cathy behind but we were all good with it and
we really had no other choice. Money was an issue and I really couldn't do a motel
in Salt Lake City besides ,at that point I wanted out of Utah and never wanted to see the place again. We packed up the bike and said our good byes and hit the road late in the morning.
     Traveling east on US 6 still my bike wasn't running very well. The charging
system had started to fail and we were now running on the battery. We pulled into a
gas station and had the battery charged up and headed back out doing this two
times that day until finaly just west of Grand Junction Colorado the bike started to
run on one cylinder and I pulled over. We were out in the middle of nowhere stuck
on the side of the road when this guy in a pick up comes along.
   Here we are on the side of the road now fooling with my bike with this guy trying
to get it going.He tells us he lives up the road with his wife and if we can get the
bike to his place we can fix it. I give it one last kick and it starts so he and Pat get in
his truck and follow me up the road.He passes me and turns into this driveway still
way out in the middle of nowhere and I follow and we're there. He hits the horn and
his wife comes out.They are in their late 20's maybe 30 at the oldest and very
friendly .She says hello and he explains to her how we're going to fix my bike and
she insists we eat dinner with them first. Really nice people! We had this good meal
and then he and I went out into his shop and there is his bike ,it figures I think to
myself and we start to work. Didn't take long to find the problem and it was minor.
The generator brushes had worn out past their service limit and weren't making
contact with the armature in the generator.
   We took the brushes out and he told me there was no Yamaha shop anywhere in
the area so we'd have to make our own out of these Harley brushes he had. Now
the Harley brushes are way bigger in width but about the same length so basically
what we needed to do was file the graphite down until they would fit in the holder of
the generator where they sit. This whole job took less than an hour and I was fixed! The bike was charging and we were back in business. He suggested we give the
battery a charge and they invited us to spend the night while the battery was being
slow charged. After what we had just been thru it was so good to meet good people
again and we all smoked some grass and had a few beers . We told them our tale
of horror from the day before and they set us up with a bed and we slept like
babies. Funny how life can change from one extreme to the other just like that!
   Next morning after a really good breakfast we hit the road.I tried to pay him for his
help and the parts but he wouldn't hear it and smiling told us to get going . What
fine people these were I was thinking as I pulled out of the dirt driveway and back
onto Rt 6.
   Now we were in Colorado and heading into the rockies.We left US6 and took
some back roads and navigated over to Nederlands and back to Peaceful Valley
where I had been last summer and we would be meeting Richard and Cathy. We
got there in the late afternoon and weren't there 5 minutes when I hear this voice
calling my name! It's Sean!!! He had left LA earlier than he expected and was
actually in front of us the whole trip! We fooled around in California going up the
coast and staying in Yosemite while he just went straight for Colorado. It was good
to be with friends and we all got high as we cooked some dinner on the fire.

  Next afternoon I started making my daily trip into town to the Western Union office
to see if there was a telegram from Richard & Cathy. On the 3rd day it was there
and it explained how all our stuff was stolen and the car had been wrecked by this
asshole but all was fixed now and they would be in Colorado in 2 days. Things
were finaly working out and we'd soon be back together again.
Cathy and Richard arrived as planned and I met them in Nederlands.We drove out
to Peaceful Valley and set up camp.Sean was there and they were glad to see
some people they knew. The next day I could tell there was something wrong. We
were arguing and the two girls seemed pissed off at me more than Richard and
wanted to just go home.It sucked and the next day someone drove them to Denver
and they got on a plane to home. That was the last time we ever saw or heard from
them. I often wonder about them and look on line from time to time for them but
never seem to find them.
    Richard and I were enjoying hanging out in the woods with our friends and things
were ok.We decided to go to Boulder and look to see if we could find someone else
to come along to help him with the gas. We met this girl who needed a ride to New
York and all seemed to get along ok so the three of us decided to travel together and
we were back on the road after a week of rest and relaxation in the mountains.
Sean wanted to travel across Canada so he went north and we set out for
Nebraska.
  That first day back on the road would turn out to be one ,if not the, longest one day
ride I ever did in my entire 48 years of riding a motorcycle.We went from about 25
miles west of Boulder Colorado all the way to Lincoln Nebraska ! Damn my ears
were ringing and my eyes were burning red !  It was a long day but there isn't
anything there but cornfields anyway so we figured we'd just get thru it and then
kick back some for the rest of the ride.
  The ride thru Iowa was nice ,not nearly as boring as thru Nebraska and we took
some back roads . While driving down this one road we saw all this pot growing along the side of the road so we slammed on the brakes and just started filing this
canvas bag we had full with the stuff. We packed it in tight and had a few lbs . We
took off out of there before anyone came along and were back on our way down
the road. That evening we found this dirt road into some woods.We rode down it a
ways and saw it was deserted so we camped there and tried some of this side of
the road pot. What shit this stuff was! it took about 3 joints each to get a buzz but
hey, the price was right.
  The next couple days were kind of boring There wasn't much to see and we just
drove and slept our way thru Illinois and Indiana . We were getting to the east now
and our trip would be ending soon. It was kind of a down but we wanted to get to
New York and then decide what to do next.
   Driving thru Ohio it was cloudy and as we neared Cleveland it started to
rain.Actually it poured and I was soaked to the bone in less than two minutes so we
just kept on driving. It got worse and worse until I couldn't go on so we took a motel
room just east of Cleveland and called it a day. Dried out our stuff and went out for
some dinner and went to sleep.
   The morning came and as I opened up the shades I could see it was beautiful
outside . We got ready and hit the road mid morning. We were going to get into
New York State today and would only have one more day on the road after that.
   Rode thru about 50 miles of PA and then we hit NY. I don't think we were in New
York more than 15 minutes when the State Police pull us over.
     We were fooling around with the police for about 10 minutes when he starts to
nose around in the car.Richard and I look at each other and both start thinking we
are fucked if this guy finds that canvas bag full of pot in the trunk so Richard pulls
out a road map and spreads it out on the trunk of the car.We are looking at it and
ask the cop how to get to this small town that I knew was way the fuck out in the
middle of nowhere and probably not on this map.He's there looking at the map with
us and telling us where he thinks this place is when he gets a radio call and gives
us back our paperwork and leaves. Whew! that was close we both said and started
laughing as we started to leave . Rode about another 150 miles that day on back
roads thru upstate NY and camped.We were in striking distance of the city now and
almost home.
   Got a flat in my rear tire as we were getting gas. Lucky for me we were at a gas
station. I pulled the wheel off, dismounted the tire and the guy put a patch on the
tube.Put it all back together and 5 bucks later we were back on the road. By now it
was mid morning and we were heading down RT 17 getting close to the New York
State Thruway. Maybe 10 minutes later we're on the thruway and headed for the
Tappan Zee Bridge  .
   Made it all the way over the bridge and to the toll booths when this cop walks over
and tells us to pull over. Here we go again we are thinking and he starts in with the
usual crap. Paperwork check and like the day before he's nosing around the car. It
was just dumb luck but he opened up the trunk looked in but didn't open the canvas
bag closed the trunk and told us to drive carefully and left. We dodged another
bust! Continued on our way into the city where we dropped off the girl that we took
on in Boulder and headed to Long Island. The cross country trip was over.
  Now at my parents house they let us stay the night but told me that when Richard left I had to leave as well unless I shaved ,got a hair cut ,a job ,and totally gave up
my hippie lifestyle. Well there was no way I was doing that shit so after two days
when Richard left to go into the city and stay with his cousin I was homeless and
living in the woods down by the beach.
   I would only live in the woods for 2 nights as it turned out. Next day I was over at
George's house picking up my pot that we had shipped there when a mutual friend
neither of had seen in a year stopped by.We all got high and I was telling him how I
was living down in the woods by the beach . He told me he had these friends who
were looking for someone to crew on their boat and I should talk to them.He told
me he'd talk to them and get back. Next day he brings me down and we all smoke
some grass.They had fixed up this old wooden cabin cruiser built in 1929 and
needed help keeping it going .They wanted to finish getting it painted and head up
to Marthas Vinyard in a couple weeks . So, I started living aboard and painting and
partying .We stayed at the town dock at night and went out into the bay and
dropped anchor during the days while they went to work and I painted. Some days I
stayed ashore and rode my bike around life was good .
  Finally,the day had arrived to leave .We hoisted my bike on board and lashed it
down on the rear deck and off we went. Once outside the harbor we all dropped
mescaline and by the time we were out in Long Island Sound we were tripping
pretty good. It was really nice tripping on a boat and we just motored along slowly
heading east taking turns at the wheel.  It took all day to get out east and we were
pretty much down by the time we got into Mattituck harbor where we would spend
our first night.
   As we sailed into Mattituck there was this girl standing on the dock waving at us
so we pulled up and tied off the boat. She was from the city she explained and was
bored to death out here in the middle of nowhere and asked us if we wanted to get
high. She got onboard and we started smoking down in the aft cabin .This girl was
crazy. A real party animal . I wasn't really in the mood to party so I took off and went
walking into the town looking for something to eat. When I returned my friends were
laughing and kidding me for leaving.We cast off
from the dock went out into the harbor and dropped anchor for the night.
    Next day we headed across the Sound to Connecticut. We went to Mystic the first
ay then the next day headed up the Connecticut River to explore. That was fun but
when the tide went out we got stuck up river until the next high tide lifted us off the
bottom. Headed back towards open water and  as we were leaving the mouth of
the river Rick hit a rock or something and the propeller  shaft coupling sheared off
so we needed to fix it. Limped back into this boat yard and bought some bolts &
nuts. The guy said they were the right ones but they weren't. We didn't know this
until the next day out in the middle of Block Island Sound in heavy seas.
   Here we are out ,way out off shore in really heavy seas when the fucking bolts
shear off! The swells were maybe 15 to 20 ft and we had no control .Ted decides to
throw out a sea anchor off the bow to keep us pointed into the waves while I'm
down in the bilge puking as I'm trying to fix the fucking drive shaft and Rick is
steering.I'd get it tight enough for him to run for a couple minutes and it would fail
we did this for about an hour .We almost lost Ted overboard as he was fooling with the anchor .We thought we were done. No radio you know just 3 dumb hippies out
in a boat in a storm when all of a sudden this huge sailboat approaches us and
asks us if they should get the Coast Guard. We said yes and thanked them and
they hung around until the Coast Guard arrived to tow us in.
  They chewed us out real good but didn't make too big a deal out of it and left us at
this little shipyard in Stonington Connecticut where we would spend the next week
or so fixing the boat and working off the bill for it.
   No longer able to go to the Vinyard we  worked and met some locals  . We had
fun and met this girl named Kit. She and I hit it off well and spent some time
together. She took us up to this lake where we all went skinny dipping and had us
over for dinner. She was a real nice girl. Then our time had come to leave. We
needed gas so we took a 5 gallon can and got on my bike and siphoned gas from
cars at night making trip after trip back to the boat with this stolen gas. We did this
for 3 nights until we had a full tank  ,finished the side of the boat we were sanding
for the boatyard they could see from the office and beat it in the middle of the night
headed back to Long Island.
  We made it all the way to the mouth of Huntington Bay when the fog rolled in and
we lost our bearings. Thinking we were going into port we actually were not and
ended up back on the other side of the sound in Stamford Connecticut .  We were
lucky we didn't hit anything or anybody .Spent the night there and crossed back
over to Long Island the next morning bringing this adventure to an end.
  Back on land with my bike and stuff I went to see my friends and George and I got
a job with this other guy Bruce as plumbers helpers. I needed to be indoors and I
had a job so my parents let me stay in the basement in my old room again and I
spent the rest of the summer working with my friends as we made plans to go up to
Nova Scotia in late August before Bruce went back to school.
  Made some money working ,partied every night and the summer dragged on.Late in August we decided to head up to Nova Scotia in George's VW bus. We quit our jobs with the plumbers and packed up and headed up north one August afternoon with a gallon of wine and an ounce of grass. We decided we'd go to Cape Cod the first night and hit the beach.
 It was dark out ,maybe 10pm or so when we pulled over to pick up these two kids hichiking . As they were getting settled in the bus the cops pull up with the lights going and the kids threw some pot they had out the window.We 're busted !
 I stuffed our grass in my rolled up sleeping bag as they are ordering us out of the vehicle to search it. This cop just starts going thru the bus throwing stuff on top of my rolled up sleeping bag and buries it.He finds 3 seeds ,two twigs ,and a dirty pipe.We all get arrested and hauled off to the police station.
 Here we are in this dinky little town police station with these cops doing their thing  and George is getting into this philosophical discussion with the arresting  officer about how he's going to go home that night and break the law when he has oral sex with his wife  and what we did is really no worse than what you are about to go do.I'm doing all I can not to start laughing my ass off.This whole scene was right out of the Andy Grifith Show ! They never even made us empty our pockets ,just locked us up in this micky mouse jail they had .Put thee three of us together in one cell and the two kids in another. There were a couple drunks in the other cell ,it was a full house.
 Once in the cell we realized we had matches and either an ash can or a cherry bomb ! They never searched us ,these guys were really lax in their job or they were so excited that they actually had made an arrest in their one horse town that they just blew it .So ,all night long we had a debate. I wanted to light it and flush it down the toilet like we used to do in high school  blowing up the pipes, Bruce was on the fence or totally against it because he was facing charges in New Orleans for the same kind of trumped up charges, and George was back & forth about doing it.This made for an interesting night as we debated blowing up the toilet pipe in this police station. We never did decide and morning came.
 We were taken to court and formally charged ,Bruce's parents came up bringing my mother and George's mother with them. His father put his business up as collateral for our bail and got us released .A court date was set and we set out to find a lawyer.Once that was taken care of we decided to keep going but not to Nova Scotia.We went to Maine and went camping.
 Back on the road out of Dodge so to speak I reached into my sleeping bag and pulled out our ounce of grass and we got stoned.
 It was late September now and we had to go to court. We rode up in Bruce's 1960 Ford panel truck and met our parents there the morning of the trial. Bruce and George were thinking I might make some kind of scene in court and were asking me to be cool.I had no respect for this whole process or the people involved but I kept my mouth shut . They were pretty neatly dressed,I went in a dirty sweat shirt and jeans.Had to make some statement of protest to this crap . The lawyer pleaded our case and the judge gives us a break.He decides that he's going to give us a conditional discharge which meant that if we were good boys for 13 months the charges would be dismissed with no record.We got off.
 Heading towards home we decided to go visit the girl I had met in Stonington CT earlier that summer when I was on the boat. We spent the night at her place celebrating .That would be the last time I would ever see her.
 Back home the very day I went to court my father lost his job.It might have been related it might not have been related.This is something I will never know but it was the beginning of his demise.It was the fall of 1970 he was 52 and would never really work again. I found a job in this place in Huntington ,a welfare housing project ,as a janitors helper part time and started painting houses on my own in the afternoons.
  My new boss was this real nice black guy named Joe .He lived in the place and was the super there.We got along well ,we had lots in common and he was into fixing cars and selling them. He had this 1960 Ford panel truck we used to get supplies and stuff  in and one day I told him how much I liked it.I was telling him it was exactly the same as my friend Bruce's that he had turned into a camper.He told me he was going to sell it and if I wanted it I could have it for a hundred eighty five bucks.We worked out a deal and I gave him my pay check for a couple weeks and it was mine.My first 4 wheeled vehicle ! I was 21 years old and now I had a truck and a motorcycle.

 Got it on the road with my next paycheck then did a brush and roller paint job on it .The thing looked great ! That winter I slowly fixed it up and made it into a really nice camper with storage under the bed that could fold in half or cover the whole back when I had company.
 Later that winter I needed tires and asked Joe if he knew where I could get some good cheap rubber .A day later he tells me about a deal for these 4 brand new tires that this cop he knew lifted from the police dept. A hundred bucks so I went for them.
 Had my youngest sisters boyfriend who was working at a gas station at the time mount them backwards so the markings that said police dept. couldn't be seen . On they went. A month later they almost got me jammed up with the police but as luck would have it I managed to avoid this.It was now late Feb.1971 and this tire business would lead me into eight months on the road wandering in my truck and hich hiking to Alaska.