Heading to Wine Country: Meet Chad, Tim, Ben, and Josh.
Heading to meet a new friend in Temecula, CA.
“There is the risk you cannot afford to take and there is the risk you cannot afford not to take.” – Peter Drucker
Heading to Wine Country.
Not Napa Valley, but Temecula, of course. I met Nicole through Couchsurfing and she will be housesitting a huge house that she thinks would be perfect for me to rest my bones. Temecula is about 56 miles away. Matt helps me get a sign going and drops me off at the nearby Route 15 north.
Chad with his newly washed truck.
Meet Chad.
After 45 minutes or so, a large shiny truck pulls up. Chad steers this chariot. Chad has thick black sunglasses and spiderweb tattoos on his muscled arms. He is heading a little north of San Diego.
Chad is Marine whom is stationed at Camp Pendleton nearby. Today is his day off, but as we ride his sergeant calls and tells Chad to report to base. He is going to have to put up huge tents. “They take a few days to put up with 50 or 60 Marines.”
Chad wants to leave me at a good hitching exit which isn’t where he is going. He had planned to get his truck washed, so he does and we wait together. The sun is shining as usual here. Chad takes me up to the next exit, which has an exit with a wide shoulder.
Meet Tim.
After another 45 minutes of cars zipping past, Tim picks me up. Tim is quiet and thoughtful. Tim’s hair is salt and pepper gray with curls. He takes an interest in me and my trip. Tim isn’t going more than 20 miles either.
Meet Ben.
“Great name, dude!” Ben likes my name. I like his too. Ben is a surfer with thick black sunglasses on and bleached blond hair. Ben cleans pools for a living and is about to start his route. He is trying to finish quickly so he can take his girlfriend to the San Diego Chargers store downtown before they close. They have a playoff game soon.
Ben drives me to Fallbrook, which is as far as he can go and stay on his route. Fallbrook is the Avocado Capitol of the World. Ben tells me about the different types of avocados. ”Avocados are one of the only foods that you can live on by itself.” If you ever are on a desert island and have an avocado tree, you are set. Avocados have good fat.
Ben gives me 3 avocados that he just picked from a tree this morning. He gives me two oranges that he picked as well. And his organic hummus, seeweed, lettuce, and cheese sandwich. “What goes around comes around.”
Ben drops me off about 10 miles south of Temecula. I am making good time today. We say goodbye and I wolf the sandwich. It is good. The seeweed is very chewy.
Meet Josh.
Josh drives a huge black pick up truck. A diesel. Josh is wearing a black cowboy hat and talking on his cellphone. He just nods when I say, “Temecula!” I have to jump to hop in.
Josh is a Marine too. He is headed to the mall in Temecula to get a summer cowboy hat. His black hat is a winter hat. ”Summer hats are made out of straw…”
Josh is from Arkansas and is stationed at Camp Pendleton. He tells me that the base is one of the largest in the USA. Josh also tells me about Temecula. That is has really blown up since a casino came to town.
Josh drops me off at Carl’s Jr. a local fast food restaurant to wait for Nicole to come pick me up. I am surrounded by mountains and can see vineyards in the distance.
Create Our World.
Ben
“Don’t be afraid your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin.” – Grace Hansen
Tags: adventure travel blog, Benjamin Jenks, create our world, hitchhiking, roadtrip around the USA
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Hitchin Stories.
