I remember it like it was yesterday... dropping Isaac off at a truck
stop south of Chicago, so he could hitchhike to Austin Texas. I was a
little worried when I drove away and saw this wee guy in my rear-view
mirror with a crazy color schemed bike and all his belongings with
him in his backpack- facing the unknown of his first hitchhiking
experience. Much to my avail though, Isaac ended up calling me later
that night from some truckers cell phone and said he was about
halfway there and everything was going great. Since then Isaac has
been on a few hitchhiking exploits around America and has recently
landed a job driving a dump truck in Chicago. I caught up with him a
few weekends ago to see what he's been up too.
- David Leep

words and photos by david leep. layout by dominik wrobel.


How did your bike get stolen?

I was waiting for the coffee shop to open up in the morning and I
curled up inside this tunnel at a park and put my bike next to me. I
didn't mean to, but I fell asleep for like twenty minutes and woke up
and it was gone.


What's with riding the road bike in the skate park?

BMX bike or not, you still have to rip. I'm comfortable with that
thing though, you know? I ride that thing all over the city all
day... skitching on cars... I'm just comfortable on that thing. I'm
not really scared of tranny on that thing. The wheels are kind of
sketchy sometimes and the tires wash out to the rim though.

So is that story of you doing a manual on a ledge with you road bike
true?

That's false, man! I did do a nose wheelie one time. I do some
wheelies, but you can't do manuals, it's impossible. One time a
couple of ghetto kids were hanging out on the side of the street and
they were like, "Pop a wheelie, pop a wheelie!!!" They were just
joking around. They didn't think I was really going to do it. I mean
I'm on a road bike, not a BMX bike. I know they didn't expect it so,
I was like, I'm going to give these kids something. So, I popped a
wheelie and I was cranking for a while. These kids were dying
laughing. They were like, "Ohhhh snap!!!" That made me stoked. It was
raining too and I was kind of pissed off... I hate the rain and I got
caught in it, but that made my day... that made it worth it.


What sparked your interest in trucking?

Traveling. I just like driving and traveling. Something about
trucking... it's just a lifestyle I've always been interested in,
it's rad.

Did your hitchhiking experiences have anything to do with your
interest in trucking?

No, I was interested in trucking before I started hitchhiking, but it
might have had something to do with it... I'm not going to say it had
nothing to do with it.


Where have you hitchhiked to?

I've hitchhiked from Chicago to Philadelphia and back, from Chicago
to Austin a few times, from Austin to Chicago once... from Austin to
Phoenix... I think that's enough.

Do you have any odd stories from hitchhiking?

I was stranded in Pittsburgh for a day ducking cops in the woods.
They were busting me down for doing that. This one cop caught me...
he kind of just wanted to see what I was all about and he figured I
was a decent person, so he was like, "All right, you're cool, I don't
mind it." He went away and came back and brought me dinner... I was
still stranded there, dinner or not. I didn't eat it, it was like
meat and stuff... it was rad, but I gave it to some other person. I
was just about to call it a night and go to sleep and try again the
next day, but some guy picked me up and we ended up smoking out real
hard... I fell asleep and woke up in Philadelphia.


Would you ever leave the front cab of your truck and run into the
back sleeper compartment to grab something, like a snack?

All the time, man! I'd forget my shades in the back, or something...
I'd put it on cruise control, hold onto the wheel with one hand, look
at the road and make sure no one was around - I wouldn't do it when I
was surrounded by cars. I'd let go of the wheel, run to the back
there and grab something, or do something for a second and run back,
grab the wheel and straighten her out. 53 foot trailer... I'm in that
thing all day, I was comfortable. I can drive a rig, no problem.



What happened at your last trucking job? Didn't you flip your rig?

I put that into a ditch at 62 miles per hour, that's what they max
out at. I maxed it out and put it on cruise. It was a narrow road, my
trailer wheels drifted and caught the grass and the trailer pulled my
truck into the ditch. Everything in the back was just whizzing past
my head- cans, canned goods, tools... things that I didn't even know
I had were flying past my head. It was just a whirlwind of
destruction... I just stopped, looked at myself... couldn't believe I
wasn't even scratched, I was just speechless... not even a scratch.
The truck was twisted though... it felt great. Yeah it was spooky,
but it felt great. I should have probably died... I had no seat belt
on going 62 miles per hour into a ditch in Montana. Then I had to
take a bus that took a day and a half to get back to Austin


What's your current job?

I drive a dump truck for Gibbons in Chicago. I haul, dirt, sand,
gravel... earth material. No garbage... well, there might be a few
Gatorade bottles in there.


What's up with your music selection lately? I remember when you used
to listen to At The Drive-In and Refused when you worked at the bike
shop.

All Dylan, all day... and some Stones. Woody Guthrie, but mostly
Dylan and the Stones.



Do you plan on staying in Chicago for a while?

I'm going to be here for a while. I'm going to travel, but I'll
always come back here.


You've always seemed kind of strict, but it seems like you have
loosened up lately?

I was always loose, but in a different way... I smoked weed and I was
a hippie, you know? My poisons just kind of changed up. Smoke some
weed and I'm in hippie mode, you know? I drink and smoke
cigarettes... I don't know what mode that is really.


What was up with you riding in sandals a while back?

Riding in sandals? Ah, it's no big deal, really. When I first came
out of knee surgery, I had some sandals on and I was at the trails at
Mike's spot and I was like, I'm just going to chill... the sandals
kind of kept me grounded. Then I got there and I was like, I don't
really care... what do I care... I started jumping stuff and it felt
good... didn't really feel any different. So, I always rode in
sandals for a couple of months. Now I never even take my shoes off.


Didn't you skin your toes up pretty good when you were riding in
sandals?

Yeah, in Vancouver I shredded all my toes up real bad and at the
Chicago park too.