hitching a ride

[JackDidley]

In the early 70s at the age of 18 , my dad would drive me to work. Getting home was up to me. Thumb out, I got rides from all sorts of people. Later when I got a car I was the guy that gave rides to the less fortunate. Met some interesting folks and never had a bad experience. At the time it all seemed right. Today, no way. I am too old to deal with unknown possibilities. Society has changed big time.
Tell me some hitching tales if you have them.

[Evans, Marv]

No tales to tell relating to problems hitching, but in the late '60's & mid '70s I hitch hiked as a primary way of getting around. I hitched to school most days and the same people would give me rides most of the time. I still have a friend from hitching to school. I was once hitching to work at my summer job in the mountains. I shipped all of my equipment ahead but had a cube shaped carton of twelve dozen eggs I didn't trust to be shipped, so I started hitch hiking holding on to it. The last ride I got was with a girl in a Mustang headed to SF. She invited me to come along with her, but I had to pass on it since I had to report for work. I had some interesting experiences hitch hiking in southern Mexico, but nothing dangerous at the time.

[Bill Douglas]

I used to be a hitch hiker. As a teen I hitched from San Diego to NYC, then later years from Cape Town, South Africa to Harare in Zimbabwe.

[Oracle]

I didn't mind driving people hitching when I was like 18 but one time (and last time) the two guys in the car started talking in a secretive way like telling each other to get me..(or something). I just had the worst feeling.. Naturally started to think that I'd be found in a ditch somewhere..

I drove way-way faster and confronted them thinking they wouldn't pull a stupid move while moving that fast and they both acted like no way man, we're cool so I took the next exit and dropped them off..

I was shaking.. I thought that was the end of the road for me.. Never again I have helped.

I tell my kids and everyone else to not do it, its too risky.. not worth it.

[Steve Carlton]

I was probably about 14 years old, heading home from school with a friend on foot. We'd hitchhike up a hill from town to our houses. We were having some minor argument and I was irritated with Miles and then his mom came down the hill in her powder blue Ford Country Squire wagon, no wood trim. As Miles was walking towards the car, his mom called out "we're going to Safeway for a minute and can give you a ride home if you want."

I said "No thanks, here's my ride" as a Lamborghini Espada was heading towards me. I stuck out my thumb and the car stopped. I grinned at Miles as I climbed in. His jaw was all the way down. I knew who the owner was, a fairly famous local resident, Ed Daly, owner of World Airways. Never met him before, but he lived just a couple of blocks away in a brick mansion. Never saw him again, either.

[Steve Carlton]

Another one. I was 15 and hitchhiking to high school to take my driver training class. Got picked up by a couple of girls taking the same class. 15 years old and driving without a license to driver training class. A bit ironic! I knew these girls were above my pay grade, the kind that were taking drugs and having sex (I think).

[billybek]

Dear Penthouse,
I can't believe that it happened to me.....

Ya, no. Nothing like that ever happened but I hitched rides when I was 16 or 17 through the Okanagan in BC. Never had a problem but was a little freaked out with one dude that had been smoking a ton of weed.

[flatbutt]

After undergrad school I took off with my backpack to roam a bit before really growing up. I hitched up the east coast then west through New York state and up to a small town in Canada (Smith Falls IIRC). No troubles at all. Then I head South with the intent of hanging out at the jersey shore where a sweet hunny I knew had a house. I scored some great rides with truckers and had no issues at all, except for one dude who asked if I was either gay or bisexual. Other than that no problems at all.

[GH85Carrera]

About 5 years ago a guy walking with great difficulty and using a cane asked me for a ride as I was getting into my car. He just wanted to go a mile to a church where they were have some event to help disabled people. I just could not tell the guy no so I took him the mile or so in the general direction I was going. Sure enough at the church was the beginning of some big event. He was very appreciative.

The only other time I picked up a hitcher was back in the mid 1970s. I saw a car broken down on the side of the road This was the days before cell phone were even dreamed of. The man (the dad I presume) was looking at the engine. I stopped to see if I could help and the fan belt was shredded. He was stuck. It was two miles to the next exit. I was driving my 914 so it was just one passenger going with me. I took him to the closest gas station and helped him find a tow truck. I am sure his wife and kids were terrified but the tow truck headed out quickly.

I never hitched a ride from strangers. My dad made me buy my own car if I wanted to drive and I had made the down payment on it by the time I was 16.

[oldE]

Trying to get home in my university days,one of my first rides was with a guy who didn't seem to be paying attention to his driving on the highway. When he said he was taking a cross country road, I had a moment or two of concern, as he couldn't seem to keep within his lane on the main road. Turns out he was just bored with the main highway. When he got on the secondary route, his driving was precise and noteworthy in its smoothness.

A year or two later, I was about half way home on the same 220 mile trip and got picked up by a couple of guys in an old AMC Ambassador. As we got rolling on the highway, the first thing I noticed was the 1/3 empty 24 of beer on the back seat beside me. The second thing was the pavement visible through the holes in the floor at my feet.
I had them let me off at the next exit, where I got a ride almost all the way home with neighbors who just happened by.

Along that same stretch of road some years later, I picked up a guy with a huge backpack. Turned out he had his little dog in the pack and was hiking out west. Cool dude.
Again, some years after that one day I picked up a guy hiking out of the next town from home and this LLPOS starts telling me how he's on his way to pick up weed to sell to the school kids in town. The local RCMP detachment got a report of our conversation and his description. No surprise, he "was known to them".

Then there was the guy who tried to sell me tapes. He had a half dozen copies of the same Elvis tape, still in their shrink wrap. Obviously a very low overhead operation.
I just don't pick up hikers any more.

Best
Les

[stomachmonkey]

Left a HS party with my friend.

No license, no insurance, no registration, switched plates.

Sitting at a light in front of the 2nd precinct and officer pulls up next to us.

My friend is nervous, I tell him to relax, officer is making a left.

Friend proceeds to drive over the curb.

Ended up hand cuffed to a wall next to a black guy in a yellow suit. Was a bit surreal.

They impound buddies car and cut us loose.

Walking home it's hella cold out so we decide to hitch.

Guess who was the first car to pull over.

Same cop.

[nvr2mny]

My old man used to tell us kids how he was "rolled" hitching from Calif. to Illinois to visit my mom, back in the '40's Said he "came to" in a corn field, broke, err. robbed. Fast forward 30 years and growing up in Santa Barbara, my friends and I would hitchhike just about everywhere, especially in the hills of Montecito while skateboarding. Seemed pretty safe back then, especially there. We got rides in Benz's and once in a Rolls. I'd also hitchhike up and down the coast, never any problems. Today it's different. We regularly warned our kids (2 girls and a boy) as they were growing up NOT to hitchhike anywhere. Not so safe anymore.

[JackDidley]

Some great stories here. When I was 21 I had a 41 GMC pick up with a hot rod small block Chevy motor. My cousin was driving with me and another guy riding so the cab was full. Winter night and about 10* F outside. We see a couple teens that had their thumb out and said they could ride in the back. My cousin thought it would be fun to go 90 on this dark 2 lane back road. The kids in the back had to be freezing on top of being scared . They started yelling and beating on the back window. He finally stopped after about 2 miles.....

[red-beard]

I was hitching with one of my friends and we got picked up by some decent guy. I whispered to my friend about if we should give the driver some sort of help, gas money, etc. The driver started speeding up and looking really wild. Started talking to us like we were about to jump him.

He dumped us off at the next exit and we were really happy about that...

[red-beard]

My dad said he used to travel by air.

"Ere ya going my way?"

I really never hitched. In town I had a 10-speed and never traveled without family outside town. I remember picking up a woman when I was driving home (Upstate NY) from College (Texas). Broken down car. No penthouse fantasies fulfilled...

[KFC911]

Back around '82....needed to get back to college from a friend's house in Raleigh....made a sign with my college initials on it and a cute thing picked me up in short order....we stopped for a six pack and she took me right to my apt. (well out of her way...heading to the beach)....good times .

Hiched in college a bit....different place and time however....

[motion]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

I used to be a hitch hiker. As a teen I hitched from San Diego to NYC, then later years from Cape Town, South Africa to Harare in Zimbabwe.

EPIC!!!!!

Wish I had stories that good. I don't believe I have ever hitchhiked nor have I ever picked up a hitchhiker. I've been tempted while driving around Africa, as everyone hitchhikes there, but have just never done it.

[shadowjack1]

I used to hitch home every day from school every day. What fun. I lived about 7 miles from the school and the bus would take an hour and a half to get me home.

[pwd72s]

My last hitchhike was in the 70's. Had the 911S being worked on at Motorsports in Portland. It was ready to be picked up, but everybody I could think of was busy that day, so I stuck out my thumb. Three rides for the 95 miles. 1st was short, the 15 miles to Albany from home. Then onto I-5 north to Salem, and a memorable 3rd ride with a salesman. Picking me up in Salem, I don't think he believed that I was hitching to go pick up a Porsche, so he kindly drive me right to Motorsports...

One of those fun Porsche memories from the good old days.

[GH85Carrera]

Way back in the late 1960s my cousin took an epic world journey. He is one of the people that never met a stranger and can chat about anything. He started in Pauls Valley, OK and hitched down to Key West, up the coast to NYC. He stayed in youth hostels and camped out a lot. He worked odd jobs and earned enough to get to Europe. He hitched across most of Europe, and then to Egypt. He spent 6 month in Iran and out to Russia. On to India and he stayed in India for many months. He finally hopped a freighter and worked his way back to California. He hitched his way home and had more money than when he left.

Not a trip a hippy American can make now days.