Hitch hiking

[BeyGon]

hitchhiking, did anyone but me ever do it. I was driving around today and thought about it. I used to hitch hike around. Not like Kerouac, all across the US but smaller trips, Yorba Linda to SanFran and Yorba Linda to Denver were my longest. Early 70s. Back from Vietnam, had a car but sometimes just wanted to go someplace on my own. There were lots of people doing it, every corner in Haight had people looking for a ride. I sure met some interesting people. and some scary ones. I read a couple of Kerouac's books and really enjoyed them, Dharma bums and On the Road. Trying to get through On the Road again. Since I would hitch hike I would also give people rides, not the freaky looking ones, but who knows. I think the powers of California made it illegal to hitch hike in the 80s but I had given it up a long time before that. Yep, sure were some interesting people out there.

[stevej37]

Sure did..very often in the early 70's.
Sometimes with 2 or 3 others at the same time. I still laugh when I think of a car pulling over to pick-up 4 guys with long hair.
Good luck with trying that today!

[BeyGon]

yeah, I had long hair, beard and mustache but was always alone, except, once leaving SanFran met a chick that wanted to hitch back to LA with me.

[motion]

Ass, gas or grass. Nobody rides for free.

[Joe Bob]

I used to hitch hike up the Angles Crest Highway (2) to the local ski areas. Boots, poles and skis over my shoulder with a knapsack. Hair down to my shoulders...

[BeyGon]

Originally Posted by motion

Ass, gas or grass. Nobody rides for free.

I was at the South end of the GG going to Santa Rosa one night and a NEW Mercedes swerved over to pick me up. We got a block or so, the guy said Hey, I'm really drunk, can you drive, I said sure, we stopped changed seats and took off. He had been in the city all day with his car in the shop so he was drinking. He said hey, you got anything to smoke, I pulled out a 35mm film container and some papers and he was really happy. We got across the bridge and he said, man I could use a beer, so we stopped, probably in Tiburon and he went into a 7/11 and bought some beer. I drove to the place I was going to stay in Santa Rosa and then he took off. I was happy, driving a new Mercedes. Having a beer and a toke.

[Rodsrsr]

Originally Posted by BeyGon

I was at the South end of the GG going to Santa Rosa one night and a NEW Mercedes swerved over to pick me up. We got a block or so, the guy said Hey, I'm really drunk, can you drive, I said sure, we stopped changed seats and took off. He had been in the city all day with his car in the shop so he was drinking. He said hey, you got anything to smoke, I pulled out a 35mm film container and some papers and he was really happy. We got across the bridge and he said, man I could use a beer, so we stopped, probably in Tiburon and he went into a 7/11 and bought some beer. I drove to the place I was going to stay in Santa Rosa and then he took off. I was happy, driving a new Mercedes. Having a beer and a toke.

For some reason I thought this was going to end badly lol.

[motion]

Originally Posted by Rodsrsr

For some reason I thought this was going to end badly lol.

Me too... I kept waiting for it, LOL. Nice story, Deano.

[id10t]

Only once and it didn't even work with a $10 bill held out next to my thumb. Not even when a sherrifs deputy drove past...

Had been out on the Santa Fe and Suwanee rivers kayaking, on way home got 2 flats. Pre-cell phone days, terribly sun burnt from my day on the water and 5 miles to the nearest pay phone.

[stevej37]

In college, three of us decided to thumb to a Focus concert, which was about 110 miles away in Detroit. We got a ride right away all together and made the concert. Afterwards was a diff story.
Had to split up to get rides..it was almost daybreak before getting back. Crazy times!

[nota]

when we first got the sail boat in 75 and still had a corvair
so we would sail up the coast and hitch hike back for the car
when from miami to Va and back

the last time I tryed to hitch in about 06 allso moving a boat
I stood out about 2 hours with no rides
wound up taking a train times have changed

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Joe Bob

I used to hitch hike up the Angles Crest Highway (2) to the local ski areas. Boots, poles and skis over my shoulder with a knapsack. Hair down to my shoulders...

The skis helped. You were on a mission.

Read about a guy that would carry a small tool box and an airplane propeller as a prop.

[Tervuren]

I haven't hitch hiked, but I have picked up every single person I've had brain recognition that they had put their thumb out.

It has been since summer '16 since the last time I saw a hitchhiker.

No crazy stories.

[RSBob]

Used to hitchhike when I missed the last night train from Milbrae to Menlo Park back in high school days. Worked at the Round Table in Milbrae during summers. Met so many freaks, druggies and decent hippie types I could write a book. Almost every ride included weed or better. it was always a real trip, man.

[RKDinOKC]

Hitch hiked a cross town, ie approx 20 miles 3 diffeent times when in 20's and had car trouble.
Did not have my thumb out though. Was just walking to a filling station/someplace with a phone and got a lift. All three times it was a person with religious stuff on the radio that had to tell me all about their personal savior. Did take me where I needed to go instead of just to a phone.

Have paid back Karma on several occasions by picking someone up that needed a lift and taking them to their destination across town. But didn't play religious station or talk about my personal savior. They weren't on the side of the road though, they were asking people for help at a gas station or convenience store I had made a pit stop at.

[BeyGon]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

The skis helped. You were on a mission.

Read about a guy that would carry a small tool box and an airplane propeller as a prop.

I used to stand at the mouth of the canyon going up to Snowbird and Alta and get a ride but didn't really think of it as hitch hiking. it was too easy

[aigel]

In 1990 I hitch hiked the North Coast of CA and to Lassen Volcanic from SF. It was awesome. Met some really nice people. I was obviously a young guy on a backpacking vacation, so that helped. And of course, Mendocino and Humboldt COs are still places where people hitch hike today. I spent time camping with people who picked me up, drank their beer etc.

In Europe I hitch hiked a lot too, in the 80s. It was pretty easy in the countryside. And even long distance. I went all over Germany, England, Scotland. Always had interesting encounters. Never an issue.

Sometimes I go on long drives on hunts, hiking or biking vacations and when without the family leave open the passenger's seat. I never get any customers - that don't look like meth bums. It is a shame, but hitch hiking looks to have died out except on the North Coast.

G

[JackDidley]

When I was a teen I had a job but no car. I thumbed across town to get home for work. Later on I made it a point to pick up hitchers to sort of pay back. No way I'd do that now.

[mreid]

The last time I hitched a ride was the summer of 1973. I took two days off and hitched from My resort job in East Durham, NY to Watkins Glen for the concert. I don’t remember anything after that including how I got home.

[KFC911]

So just what are the "pros and cons of hitchhiking"?

Me....not since college.