[Sangetsu]

I hiked across America with about $25 in my pocket. I'm not much of a street performer, so I did odd jobs (moving furniture, helping paint houses, misc, construction work) to earn meals and expense money with.

It's not something I recommend people try, I met a few crazies along the way who offered money for certain kinds of "jobs". But I was not a person to be messed with, a few years in the Army had made me strong, and I kept a gun in my bag where I could get to it quickly if I needed it.

The police stopped me occasionally (hitch hiking is not legal in some places), but they never bothered me. I kept myself clean and shaved, and it was obvious enough to them that I was not a hobo or fugitive. A couple ended up giving me rides, and another paid me $100 to put a clutch in his old Datsun car.

I hiked from Atlanta Georgia to Jacksonville, Florida, and then from Jacksonville to El Paso, Texas. From there I hiked to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and then westward to Los Angeles.

I've always wanted to ride a bicycle across America, but America is a big country, and such a ride takes a month or more. I may ride across France next year, but I haven't gone over the details yet.