Greeneyes returned to San Francisco from his trek to the Lower Farm and returned to working again, at the Embarcadero, unloading cargo ships with the longshoremen. Through the act of local union politics Greeneyes finds himself getting pink-slipped and without a means of income. Searching the want ads in the Chronicle, Greeneyes finds an interesting ad for employment many miles north of the city in Mendocino County. Greeneyes makes the call and has an over-the-phone-interview with project manager, Jack Fender, who hires Greeneyes on the spot. Jack asks Greeneyes if he can start as soon as Monday and Greeneyes agrees. He gets directions, says good bye to some close friends and prepares to leave the city early Sunday morning. The August days in San Francisco are cold and damp. As Greeneyes stands on the entrance of the Golden Gate Bridge hitchhiking north on Route 101 a slow walking figure approaches Greeneyes through the mist and fog. The bushy-haired figure with black-rimmed eye glasses and a guitar case held in his left hand introduces himself as "Buckwheat Hopkins." Greeneyes finds Buckwheat to be a very mysterious and fidgety character who appears to be compelled to leave the city. Greeneyes and Buckwheat learn that they're both going to the same place, The Upper Lake, at Lake Pillsbury Ranch, to work for Jack Fender. Buckwheat admits to Greeneyes that he has never hitchhiked before and that he really didn't know where he was going, so the two hook up and travel together. Greeneyes has no problem sharing his journey with Buckwheat. Greeneyes observes that Buckwheat is under-nourished, pale and a bit introverted, but Greeneyes does not push the issue and he waits until Buckwheat wants to talk. However, the one area where Buckwheat is open and intriguing is with his masterful way of playing the guitar and singing the blues. Buckwheat's ability to play any request on demand is a extraordinary phenomenon. Greeneyes and Buckwheat finally make it to the Upper Lake and start their employment in the most spectacular setting in the middle of the Mendocino National Forest. The ranch is laden with misfits and nomads each with their own respective stories. Some were caught up believing that drug induced states of mind were sure to lead them to the freedom they were desperately searching for. Greeneyes and Buckwheat become close friends and Buckwheat finally confides in his friend about the baggage he's carrying and why he needed to leave the city in such a hurry. The time Greeneyes and Buckwheat spend together in the serene and peaceful mountains creates a bond and ties a knot of friendship that leads them to their individual freedom.