Scotty Doesn’t Know
Scotty was a dreamer, a raconteur of tales at sea, a bullshitter. He stood about the same height as myself, maybe slightly taller, with a stubbly, red beard, a face tattoo of...
Riding Freight through the Clouds
I spent the hours before dusk curled up in the dirt beneath a bush, with empty bottles and cans of beer scattered around me, left by past train hoppers. Plastic bags of...
Teardrop and the Empty Gas Jug
Over the next few days, I rubber tramped from Baldwin to Mobile with an old friend, Teardrop, but I really didn't enjoy the stretch, sticking to the monotonous I-10. As usual, he was flat...
All Across America 40,000 Mile Tour
I left my wet footprints behind as sawdust caked to the bottom of my feet, catching a viking ship on the Q160 out of Chicago. An emulsion of grays furrowed the sky....
White Night along Champlain
I worked for free that day as a cemetery groundskeeper, sitting beneath a large oak tree, gazing out at the latent train tracks waiting for them to come alive. Thick air struck...