nuttynutskin
Bluelighter
- Joined
- May 15, 2011
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Anyone here ever done any of this? I'm curious especially about train hopping. I always wondered how the hell people know where the train is heading. lol Looks like it could be exciting although I'll likely never do it.
Train-hopping musicians perform in Elko
August 01, 2012 6:00 am • By JOHN RASCHE — [email protected]
(2) Comments
ELKO — They knew better than to sneak into the railroad yard during the day. By the light of the moon, the two hobos cautiously walked alongside the train tracks of Ogden, Utah, and began their search for an unlocked freight car. They found one and hopped aboard. Speaking in hushed voices, the men exchanged ideas for songs and philosophies for life until they felt the wheels of the car move slowly down the tracks. The train was headed toward Elko, but the destination was unimportant. It was the journey they really cared about.
Davin Sneeblii and Derek Dunn, both 21, arrived in Elko Friday afternoon with a banjo, a washboard and a dog. They ate lunch at the Burger King and received strange looks from residents. Sneeblii, originally from Gallatin, Tenn., wears his brown hair in dreads. Dunn, from Petaluma, Calif., has a mohawk and his nose is pierced with a large ring, similar to that of a bull’s. They are dirty, tattooed and homeless — but by choice. Receiving negative attention for their grungy appearance is nothing new to them.
“Just because of the way we look and the way we live, people think we’re lower than them,” Dunn said. “Just because we don’t work a 9-to-5 job, they think we aren’t people. We aren’t what they think is normal.”
Not everyone is disturbed by the two men’s lifestyle, however. Sneeblii and Dunn often receive money, food and sometimes shelter, from strangers who are unafraid of the anti-convention, anti-consumer punk ideology the two said they represent.
A local employee of the Duncan Little Creek Gallery noticed them at the restaurant with their musical instruments and offered to let them play in the bar’s courtyard for the night.
They quickly accepted the offer.
The Restless Life
Sneeblii and Dunn survive off invitations like these. Playing a small venue means an audience, a few bucks, and maybe a few free beers.
Most importantly, however, it gives them a chance to play their music and meet new people.
“We just love to hear that what we’re doing is making people happy,” Dunn said. “There’s so much misery, depression and other horrible stuff in this world, and you just see people smiling and laughing and having a great time. To see that is worth more than a hundred dollars to me.”
Their group, Union Made, plays music that ranges from folk to punk to bluegrass. Sneeblii sings, and also plays the banjo and harmonica at the same time. Dunn adds a unique sound to the mix by drumming a washboard with thimbles on his fingers.
Sneeblii’s girlfriend sometimes plays the guitar, but she was busy tending to family matters in California.
Most of Union Made’s songs are original and were written in a moment of inspiration while riding the rails in a freight car, Sneeblii said. He sings about love, hate and everything in between.
The Consequences of Illegal Adventures
The dangers of train-hopping do not concern the two men, but getting spotted by police does.
“You don’t worry about dying,” Sneeblii said. “You worry about having enough food and water and not getting caught.”
Although the laws vary from state to state, individuals who illegally sneak onto a train with the intent to steal a ride can be charged with trespassing, theft and many other offenses resulting in expensive fines or time behind bars.
Sneeblii and Dunn learned this lesson three weeks ago when a man caught them exiting a train car in Pocatello, Idaho, and placed them under citizen’s arrest, according to Sneeblii. The two were then sent to a maximum-security prison in Utah for seven days and assigned to separate holding cells.
For Sneeblii, the worst part about being in prison was wondering what would happen to his dog, arbitrarily named MoneyDog.
“The cop (at the police station) told me that the pound was going to kill my dog,” Sneeblii said. “He told me that I was irresponsible and shouldn’t have a dog to begin with. But look at (MoneyDog)! He’s happy, healthy and loved. I’m with him 24 hours a day and I treat him better than a lot of other dog owners.”
Sneeblii has cared for MoneyDog ever since he was a puppy, about a year and a half ago. Another homeless man surrendered the young pup to him after beating it within an inch of its life.
“He said, ‘let him die in your hands, not mine.’ I didn’t know if I even wanted a dog, but I knew that I had to make sure he got better,” Sneeblii said. “It was awful seeing that puppy all bruised and bleeding. After taking care of him for so long, I got really attached.”
From that moment forward, a portion of the money Sneeblii earns has gone to paying for MoneyDog’s food and veterinary shots.
After he was released, Sneeblii said he was relieved to discover that MoneyDog was not euthanized at the pound, but was cared for by the area animal shelter. He and Dunn paid the bill, reclaimed the dog, and hopped a train out of town a few nights later.
Dangerous Rides
There are other dangers that Sneeblii and Dunn have faced aside from being caught by the police, such as mentally unstable riding companions. Before the two men met about a month ago, they were riding separately with a series of troubled individuals: violent drunks, drug addicts and drifter thieves.
At one point, Devin Sneeblii found himself wrapped up in a role-reversed father-son relationship with a middle-aged man he barely knew.
“I had to take care of him,” Sneeblii said. “I fed him, listened to him, gave him a place to sleep. He followed me around like a child. One day, I just had to say, ‘enough’ and cut him loose. It reminded me of that book ‘Of Mice and Men,’ where I was George and he was Lennie. I didn’t shoot him in the head though,” he laughed, “I just told him to leave me alone.”
Both Sneeblii and Dunn have faced very few medical problems. They carry enough water and canned food to last them a few days on a train in case trips last longer than expected. They recall only one time when they were stuck in a freight car for a 24-hour period without food.
From the money they receive at performances and the food stamps that Sneeblii collects, they manage to survive reasonably well.
The two travelers always bring a medical kit and a single, decade-old cellphone in case of emergencies. Sneeblii always carries with him a collection of his songs, which are archived in a worn-out notebook. They also bring bacon strip dog treats as morale-boosters for MoneyDog.
In spite of the risks, Sneeblii and Dunn will continue to hop trains.
The men do it because the adventure makes them feel free, they said.
“Some of the country is beautiful and some of it is disgusting,” Sneeblii said. “More of the country is beautiful if you don’t stay in one place. The tracks take you to places where you wouldn’t be able to reach driving in a car.”
Sneeblii paused for a moment before describing the thrill of his first train-hopping experience.
“I could feel my past going away, blowing in the wind as I went in the opposite direction. I could feel it behind me as the freight cars went around the bend,” he said, grinning.
The morning after their performance at the Duncan Little Creek Gallery, the two men already had plans to hitch a train ride to Sacramento. Sneeblii wants to visit his girlfriend and needs to fill out his quarterly report to collect more food stamps. Aside from those responsibilities, Union Made’s agenda is open to anything so long as it involves playing music and riding the rails.
“We live day-by-day,” Derek said. “We just enjoy the ride.”
http://elkodaily.com/news/local/tra...cle_0c82c42a-db91-11e1-b748-001a4bcf887a.html
Nothing? No one's even hitchhiked? Find that hard to believe... lol
Train-hopping musicians perform in Elko
August 01, 2012 6:00 am • By JOHN RASCHE — [email protected]
(2) Comments
ELKO — They knew better than to sneak into the railroad yard during the day. By the light of the moon, the two hobos cautiously walked alongside the train tracks of Ogden, Utah, and began their search for an unlocked freight car. They found one and hopped aboard. Speaking in hushed voices, the men exchanged ideas for songs and philosophies for life until they felt the wheels of the car move slowly down the tracks. The train was headed toward Elko, but the destination was unimportant. It was the journey they really cared about.
Davin Sneeblii and Derek Dunn, both 21, arrived in Elko Friday afternoon with a banjo, a washboard and a dog. They ate lunch at the Burger King and received strange looks from residents. Sneeblii, originally from Gallatin, Tenn., wears his brown hair in dreads. Dunn, from Petaluma, Calif., has a mohawk and his nose is pierced with a large ring, similar to that of a bull’s. They are dirty, tattooed and homeless — but by choice. Receiving negative attention for their grungy appearance is nothing new to them.
“Just because of the way we look and the way we live, people think we’re lower than them,” Dunn said. “Just because we don’t work a 9-to-5 job, they think we aren’t people. We aren’t what they think is normal.”
Not everyone is disturbed by the two men’s lifestyle, however. Sneeblii and Dunn often receive money, food and sometimes shelter, from strangers who are unafraid of the anti-convention, anti-consumer punk ideology the two said they represent.
A local employee of the Duncan Little Creek Gallery noticed them at the restaurant with their musical instruments and offered to let them play in the bar’s courtyard for the night.
They quickly accepted the offer.
The Restless Life
Sneeblii and Dunn survive off invitations like these. Playing a small venue means an audience, a few bucks, and maybe a few free beers.
Most importantly, however, it gives them a chance to play their music and meet new people.
“We just love to hear that what we’re doing is making people happy,” Dunn said. “There’s so much misery, depression and other horrible stuff in this world, and you just see people smiling and laughing and having a great time. To see that is worth more than a hundred dollars to me.”
Their group, Union Made, plays music that ranges from folk to punk to bluegrass. Sneeblii sings, and also plays the banjo and harmonica at the same time. Dunn adds a unique sound to the mix by drumming a washboard with thimbles on his fingers.
Sneeblii’s girlfriend sometimes plays the guitar, but she was busy tending to family matters in California.
Most of Union Made’s songs are original and were written in a moment of inspiration while riding the rails in a freight car, Sneeblii said. He sings about love, hate and everything in between.
The Consequences of Illegal Adventures
The dangers of train-hopping do not concern the two men, but getting spotted by police does.
“You don’t worry about dying,” Sneeblii said. “You worry about having enough food and water and not getting caught.”
Although the laws vary from state to state, individuals who illegally sneak onto a train with the intent to steal a ride can be charged with trespassing, theft and many other offenses resulting in expensive fines or time behind bars.
Sneeblii and Dunn learned this lesson three weeks ago when a man caught them exiting a train car in Pocatello, Idaho, and placed them under citizen’s arrest, according to Sneeblii. The two were then sent to a maximum-security prison in Utah for seven days and assigned to separate holding cells.
For Sneeblii, the worst part about being in prison was wondering what would happen to his dog, arbitrarily named MoneyDog.
“The cop (at the police station) told me that the pound was going to kill my dog,” Sneeblii said. “He told me that I was irresponsible and shouldn’t have a dog to begin with. But look at (MoneyDog)! He’s happy, healthy and loved. I’m with him 24 hours a day and I treat him better than a lot of other dog owners.”
Sneeblii has cared for MoneyDog ever since he was a puppy, about a year and a half ago. Another homeless man surrendered the young pup to him after beating it within an inch of its life.
“He said, ‘let him die in your hands, not mine.’ I didn’t know if I even wanted a dog, but I knew that I had to make sure he got better,” Sneeblii said. “It was awful seeing that puppy all bruised and bleeding. After taking care of him for so long, I got really attached.”
From that moment forward, a portion of the money Sneeblii earns has gone to paying for MoneyDog’s food and veterinary shots.
After he was released, Sneeblii said he was relieved to discover that MoneyDog was not euthanized at the pound, but was cared for by the area animal shelter. He and Dunn paid the bill, reclaimed the dog, and hopped a train out of town a few nights later.
Dangerous Rides
There are other dangers that Sneeblii and Dunn have faced aside from being caught by the police, such as mentally unstable riding companions. Before the two men met about a month ago, they were riding separately with a series of troubled individuals: violent drunks, drug addicts and drifter thieves.
At one point, Devin Sneeblii found himself wrapped up in a role-reversed father-son relationship with a middle-aged man he barely knew.
“I had to take care of him,” Sneeblii said. “I fed him, listened to him, gave him a place to sleep. He followed me around like a child. One day, I just had to say, ‘enough’ and cut him loose. It reminded me of that book ‘Of Mice and Men,’ where I was George and he was Lennie. I didn’t shoot him in the head though,” he laughed, “I just told him to leave me alone.”
Both Sneeblii and Dunn have faced very few medical problems. They carry enough water and canned food to last them a few days on a train in case trips last longer than expected. They recall only one time when they were stuck in a freight car for a 24-hour period without food.
From the money they receive at performances and the food stamps that Sneeblii collects, they manage to survive reasonably well.
The two travelers always bring a medical kit and a single, decade-old cellphone in case of emergencies. Sneeblii always carries with him a collection of his songs, which are archived in a worn-out notebook. They also bring bacon strip dog treats as morale-boosters for MoneyDog.
In spite of the risks, Sneeblii and Dunn will continue to hop trains.
The men do it because the adventure makes them feel free, they said.
“Some of the country is beautiful and some of it is disgusting,” Sneeblii said. “More of the country is beautiful if you don’t stay in one place. The tracks take you to places where you wouldn’t be able to reach driving in a car.”
Sneeblii paused for a moment before describing the thrill of his first train-hopping experience.
“I could feel my past going away, blowing in the wind as I went in the opposite direction. I could feel it behind me as the freight cars went around the bend,” he said, grinning.
The morning after their performance at the Duncan Little Creek Gallery, the two men already had plans to hitch a train ride to Sacramento. Sneeblii wants to visit his girlfriend and needs to fill out his quarterly report to collect more food stamps. Aside from those responsibilities, Union Made’s agenda is open to anything so long as it involves playing music and riding the rails.
“We live day-by-day,” Derek said. “We just enjoy the ride.”
http://elkodaily.com/news/local/tra...cle_0c82c42a-db91-11e1-b748-001a4bcf887a.html
Nothing? No one's even hitchhiked? Find that hard to believe... lol
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