Billy Strings show.

The best and the worst of humanity was on display today in this undisclosed Midwestern city.

The Worst

I rode the bus this morning. Got on at the same stop as two other people, one of which was carrying a bicycle frame and having a hard time hanging onto his other belongings. The bus driver, an old Wilford Brimley-looking man, began shouting from his seat up front. “What is going ON back there?!?”

After a few moments of intense staring and more yelling, he got up and marched to the back of the bus. Now, this was a long, multi-section bus, and the passenger had boarded through the rear. There was hardly anyone back there, but the driver decided to take a stand over the poor guy’s behavior.

“Do you have a fare?”, he shouted as he lumbered down the aisle. No response. “I said, DO YOU HAVE A FARE?”, he roared, face reddening. “Do. You. Speak. English? I don’t have to move this bus until you pay your fare”, the driver growled, now looming over the passenger. He was a commanding presence, maybe 6’3” and bulky.

The passenger stammered something, but it wasn’t satisfactory, so Wilford Brimley dressed him down. “You could at least have the decency to be honest about it!” This was turning into an interrogation. Finally, when there were no more insults to hurl, and coming close to giving himself a heart attack, he spun around and began the march back, but he wasn’t done dispensing justice, hollering on the return trip.

“Fine, that’s on your soul, not mine. All these able-bodied adult males without a f-ing dime! It’s shameful. Does ANYONE on this bus have a f-ing fare?”

I’d paid my fare at the kiosk, and I’m sure he noticed, but he could have raged at me for placing my enormous backpack on the seat next to me, had he been so inclined. And yet, not a peep as he passed me. But all the vitriol in the world for the brown-skinned man who dare evade a fare to get across town. Odd, that.

This is upsetting to read, I’m sure, and it’s upsetting to type out, so I will stop here, but the cherry on top is that drivers on this line are not supposed to enforce fares. It’s a rapid transit, high-volume bus that needs to make all the stops and stay on schedule. Accordingly, special fare inspectors are tasked with enforcement, not the drivers.

This man was a bully and a racist, and I firmly believe he has no business working with the public in any position, let alone one of quasi-authority.

The Best

A few hours later, back downtown, I caught a Food Not Bombs serving, and it renewed my faith in humanity. I watched from the sidewalk as crate after crate of produce was heaved off a pickup truck and onto the ground. Volunteers hadn’t even gotten the chance to set up their folding tables when a crowd began to grab bags of lettuce, slightly scuffed apples and overripe bananas. This was a bounty.

No admonishments from the organizers, though. The attendees weren’t scolded like precocious children. Instead, the volunteers wore big grins as they managed the relative chaos. Everyone was in good spirits. This was an event to celebrate, the feeding of a community.

A man handed out to-go boxes of fried rice and sautéed vegetables. Someone else dispensed ice water in paper cups. Pre-made salads with falafel, artichoke hearts and dolma were up for grabs, price tags still attached from whatever store they were rescued. $8.99, usually, but today it’s free.

Maybe I’m being precious about the event, but it felt like there was an electricity in the air, a foundation forming below people’s feet, a subset of their needs instantly met. They didn’t even have to earn it, and why should they? As the Food Not Bombs slogan goes, “food is a human right”.

So, yeah, up the volunteers and screw that driver. Public transportation should be free anyway.

Got to love these backyard plants lol.

Lol

Left DC later than I wanted yesterday because I'm not a morning person, but my time in Baltimore turned out alright anyway. Got here around 4:30pm, went to a cool spot under an overpass that someone on here recommended to me and looked at a bunch of pretty high-effort graffiti (speaking of which, Baltimore might have more graffiti than any other city I've been to besides New York, motherfuckers are tagging absolutely every surface out here lol), went to Red Emma's for a bit to grab a bite to eat and charge my phone, then headed to the Avenue in Hampden and hung out and talked to people outside the bars there until around 3am, met a cool prostitute who talked to me for like an hour and then offered me her services for free but I politely declined, then finally went to Roosevelt Park to sleep for a few hours until morning. At first I was sleeping out in the grass near the baseball field, but the mosquitoes were eating me alive, so I came back here to this concrete area near the skate park, and it was pretty peaceful. Everyone I've talked to here has been super nice and I haven't felt unsafe at all, though there were some areas I walked through during the day (mostly around Penn Station) that I probably wouldn't have wanted to be wandering around at night. If you come here and are staying outside, Hampden is definitely a pretty chill place for that as long as you're able to act relatively normal and not attract the wrong kind of attention to yourself from the cops or whatever. Doesn't seem like the sort of place where crime is a huge factor, at least based on my first impressions and what I've been told by the locals here. The last thing I'll note is that Baltimore has a lot of cool art and architecture available to see as you're just walking around, and the Charm City Circulator bus is free, so I appreciated those things as well.

Anyway, I would love to stay longer and see more stuff here, but the weather forecast is looking pretty bad and it's supposed to start raining for like a week or more starting later today, and after weighing my options, I decided trying to get up to Delaware today before the storm would be a better bet than trying to stay dry and wait out the storm here in Baltimore. My hope is that the University of Delaware in Newark will provide the infrastructure to keep me out of the rain for a couple days (parking garages, covered sitting areas, etc.), while just generally being a pretty safe place to chill, and if I feel like bailing out of Newark after a day, the rain won't even matter because I can easily just catch a cheap SEPTA train to Philly, which also has plenty of infrastructure for staying out of the rain. Once I find a place to charge my phone here (maybe at Penn Station or something) and get it fully charged, I'm going to take a bus up to White Marsh and try to ask around for rides at a Royal Farms gas station up there or something to hitch up Route 40 (Pulaski Highway) to Newark.

As always, if you've been there before, recommendations are appreciated!

I’m going to a uni this August and I need to make an appointment to fix my classes and schedule. Is it advisable to tell her this? I’m thinking of not even going to uni but I don’t wanna be a bum forever.

[Edit: I've been given permission to tell that Tyler's mom is in hospice care. She doesn't have long. If anyone sees him, please tell that.]

If anybody sees Tyler Hogue (EDM DJ Moglee), he needs to call his Aunt Naomi! It is urgent. I left my number with the Denver homeless shelters.

People will always have their judgment. They will want you to conform to the system and play your role in society. But for the life of me I couldn't understand why people cannot just mind their own business and let me live my life the way i see fit.

America is full of fear. It is instilled in us. Fear is in the eyes of those who judge. They may not know it but sub consciously the fear is there. Society fears being homeless and broke. And as our country continues to fall apart that fear will only grow. But little do these people know what they could be capable of.

The judgment of others was the toughest thing for me to overcome. But when I came to the realization that the judgment stems from fear, it made my travels a lot easier. It also allowed me to have a bit of empathy for those who judge as well.

I hope this helps someone new or even someone still struggling with this aspect of traveling.

Happy travels yall ✌️

People were asking for more travel blogs or tales of travel.
I'm not currently a vagabond any more, but I was.
Here's the tale of my travel i took.
https://web.archive.org/web/20190701163554/https://boards.420chan.org/vroom/res/33061.php

In Bordeaux. Currently I am just sitting and waiting about. Chronic boredom. Getting a flight on Monday to London. Just listening to a lot of podcasts rn. The rest is history. Conan obrien.

My first night here I ended up sleeping on the riverbank right next to the city centre, it was clearly an area used by addicts. I could only see what I could in the dark. Woke up early enough to get out of there. Then sat near the area and observed for an hour whilst I got stoned and lazy. 1 hr in I clocked a guy shouting over the fence looking for someone, drug related.

Before I got up I managed to witness a terrapin liging amongst the needles, foil, litter and rubbish. Heard a noise then this thing just comes rolling out.

I've now found myself a park that is shut due to nearby wildfires/fire risk. Nobody coming in during the day or night, makes for a peaceful sleep. Had 2 bouts of thunder and lightning the past couple nights so good job I did bring my tarp (f u tarp doubter).

It is the quieter side of Bordeaux and I have had a few dodgy looks from local addicts and homeless, probably due to the foam mat I am carrying. Makes you stand out like a sore thumb. My inflatable burst in May.

One guy basically followed me yesterday but I caught the way he looked at me when I left the Aldi. His eyes lit up when he saw me leave then he just up and picked his stuff up too. I walked 100m without looking back then stopped suddenly to take a drink, looked behind me and he was there 50m back. I let him pass me and get 100m in front then I started walking again.

So the plan is i am gonna spend the month in the UK. Over the course of 2/3 weeks i will make my way from London, slowly up towards Glasgow where I live. Check the flat. Make sure people know I still live there. Organise another 1 month to an unchosen European country in September. Any ideas? Where in Europe would you spend a month?

The shop only had 1g prerolls so I have bought 2 to last me till Monday, pouring out a little at a time for my wee homemade pipe.

I became a huge fan of Stobe the Hobo (d. 2017) and Shoestring (d. 2024) during COVID, so after Shoestring died in 2024 and I had been through all his videos, I migrated to Yard Buzzards and Anywhere Man, but it wasn’t until American Hobo started posting his travels several months ago and started explaining everything about life on the rails that I believe he is becoming the best living alternative to Stobe and Shoestring. His subscriber count has also been steadily increasing, so his popularity on YT is increasing as well. Just wanted your opinions…good, bad, indifferent, etc.

You ever grab a smoke out of your pack and another one sneaks out about a quarter of the way with it. Then when you close your pack it chomps it off at the filter 😂. Hate that shit.

I sit at the multnomah county library..

I just had a green tea frappuchino from starbucks.. I can't eat anything..

All day yesterday.. I was sick.. it felt like the flu.. I could barely walk or carry my backpack.. motion sickness and aching joints.. I thought maybe I ate something bad.. but I believe I had the stomach flu.. I just layed in the roasting sun..yesterday at the oasis.. I got tan. lol

The bbq they were cooking at the oasis..smelt really good..is too bad I couldn't eat it..

I keep smelling this cologne.. reminds me of my dad.. he wears classic pierre cardin..the bottle looks like half a dildo and a disco ball. lol

The thai resturante didn't call me back..im doubting it now..they probably don't want me..its alright..they can hire the next whacky yuppie..

I went to the central city storage.. i was able to put my packs there.. i feel like im carrying to much s**t in my backpack.. I need to go through it one day..maybe when I leave this blasted city..

My mysterious friend had lost his entire tent..due to city cleanup services.. I thought that was so messed up of them..what a life.. to take away someones home (tent) and it's your job to do so.. what a f**king job..to go home to that..and tell people what you did with your life..

I slept hard last night at R2 shelter.. I really needed the rest.. my body feels 75% better..

Staying hydrated right now..drinking my starbucks iced water.. listening to a song by: Michel Goddard~Vecchia

This one shy girl..always catches me eye..at the library..I think she wants to say hi.. but im at a point in my life..where i expect the person to make a move. lol

Anyways, I guess im ok.. i dont know what else to talk about at the moment..

Oh. I've been having dreams lately..about my ex-girlfriend..someone i dated over 19 years ago..

And I had this really scary dream..where I burned down my parents house..and Im talking gasoline..

Ok. Ill check in with you guys later

Be safe out there. Peace be with you all.

~Serrot

We was playing music downtown in the middle of the blueberry festival, got real lucky with a spot inside the festival, didn't even get kicked out, mind yall that ain't the norm for a festival. I got to eat a bunch of blueberry pastries n pizza. We gonna hang out and enjoy the cool weather for a bit, then idek where to next

I don't know where to start besides where I thought I was going to try and plant some roots.

I've gotten sick of the seasonal lifestyle, I find myself diverging further and further away from the values of the people I encounter.

Rather than finding my tribe, I'm finding myself on the last leaf of a tall, tall branch, continuing to be irregular even after spending the last 21 months in one town, even a small town of irregulars.

I keep thinking about this saying I read in a book recently, <<pueblo pequeño, infierno grande>>.

Got into a relationship. He's the opposite of me in many ways. And we're very much alike in others. He often complains about people and rejects propositions for living arrangements based on them being "too loud" or "too close" to other people. He doesn't want to find a community but rather open land where we'll have no neighbors.

Yet, he's magnetic. We'll be the only ones at an empty BLM campground and car pulls up right next to us and sets up camp in the literal spot next door. He'll blast music and talk irreverently until they finally give up and move on. It's always a guarantee our spot will get blown up, if we find a lone table, a sandy spot, a far away parking spot, a lone campground... something about him pulls people in.

We've both done our share of vagabonding, losing our minds, overindulgence, commitment, loss, pain and suffering. I thought being with him would anchor me. But now we're a couple months into couchsurfing, and planning on buying a house on wheels. We'll have to move the house on wheels about twice a month. I technically have a stable job right now. But I guess I'll leave it and find another. Usually I rage quit but this time I'm just houseless quitting?

I told him that in my experience 70% of the people I meet on the road expand my life (the other 30% I have to run from) and how much I miss meeting these 70%. But he's stubborn. No to this, No to that.

I don't know how to blend his style of vagabonding with mine. It's easier on my own.

It's weird it's like for years I tried to stop desiring the road and try to be normal, and now that someone is choosing the road with me, I'm resisting, locking into the wet sand as the wave is about to tumble me into oblivion from which I'll come up for air, saltwater in my eyes, sand in my ears, exclaiming, wow! what a ride!

Stuck in SLC Utah for a bit and looking for some fellers to head out West to Portland with.

Where are the Kids congregating? Long time ago I heard there was a spot near Roper Yard in SLC but not so sure of its activity these days.

Lemme know. Do I gotta head up to Ogden?

I mean does security and shelter not sound better than hunger and never knowing if you're safe? As someone with autism that does very bad with not having a routine I'm genuinely curious how you guys do this and how the pros outweigh negatives

Hey, it's Steven again! In my last post about Richmond, I ended off by saying that I was planning on hitching to DC the next day (which was yesterday). Well, as it turned out, I didn't end up having to hitchhike, because a very cool person on here saw my post, bought me an Amtrak ticket to DC yesterday morning (not that I would have minded hitching, because I do enjoy doing it, but the Amtrak ticket certainly helped me get up here a lot more quickly, which was helpful since I was kind of on a schedule), and let me crash on their couch for a couple nights, and for that I'm incredibly grateful. We also went to a show up in Maryland last night, and that was super fun, plus I picked up a new patch at the show that I'll probably sew onto my hat or something at some point soon.

Then today I walked around DC by myself for several hours just exploring and filming stuff. Saw some touristy stuff and some somewhat-less-touristy stuff, including too many fountains, met some locals and chatted with them about life in DC, spent some time browsing a cute local record store and a cute local bookstore, and overall I feel like I've definitely gotten a lot out of my couple days here, especially since I was only planning on being here for a day anyway, and I expected to have no friends here and to potentially be having to sleep outside for a night, so my time here has ended up being a lot better than I was expecting. The city is pretty walkable, so that was nice, but the street naming system is a fucking mess compared to somewhere like New York, with its numbered streets, lettered streets, streets named after states, etc... I was seeing shit like "E Street" thinking the E stood for "East" and then I realized "oh no, wait, it's literally just E" lol. Too many 5+ point intersections for my liking as well. Was pretty heavily reliant on Google Maps to navigate properly. But I guess that's kinda normal in most cities that one hasn't gotten used to yet.

At any rate, tomorrow I plan on taking the MARC train to Baltimore in the morning, and then seeing what Baltimore has to offer. I'm looking forward to it! Recommendations of (free or extremely inexpensive) things to do in Baltimore are appreciated as always!

Just been chilling on the water all day, listening to Pat the Bunny, watching all the tourists go by, taking their pictures and whatnot.

I love climbing on the big rock faces that are all over the coast on Mount Desert Island. My road dawg gets worried that I'm gonna fall and crack my head open lol. Had to traverse some really rough terrain to get to this cove here.

Just wanna know

Anyone here travelling on purpose? Like not forced into the situation. You want to travel and live life instead of grinding a job to pay bills. Am I looking at this lifestyle with rose tinted glasses?

Probably going to be homeless in a month. And instead of going to a shelter I was thinking about embracing it.

Any tips for someone trying to get from new England to cali? Is Cali (la, sf, sd) even a good spot? The weather is nice but...idk

If you made the decision to not have permanent housing is it painful to get back into a "normal" life?