[Seahawk]

Since I always had a car, I only had to hitchhike once. This is in 1976.

The summer after HS I met a a young lady. We hit it off and had a great summer.

She went to Williams College in Massachusetts that fall. We decided that I would fly up to see her before Christmas so I could ski.

I found a cheap flight out of Charleston, SC and flew into Albany, NY. So far so good.

A few days into the trip it was apparent that things weren't going well...so I decided to take an earlier flight home. The closest I could get to Charleston (where my car was parked) was Charlotte, NC. I tried in vain to rent a car but no dice. No flights either.

I walked to the main road and put my thumb out. It was getting dark. In no more than three minutes I was picked up by two Marines driving back to Parris Island.

They were really good guys, we smoked a lot dope and they dropped me off at I-95 four hours later, about an hour north of Charleston. "Tell your buddies Marines are cool!" was the last thing I heard as the door closed.

I double-timed it to the road to Charleston. It was dark and cold, as least for SC. I stood under a light and the thumb came out. In no more than a minute, a semi flatbed truck stopped. I trotted up.

"You need to keep me awake...can you keep me awake?"

"Uhh..."

"Just talk to me while I drive, or listen to me talk."

The hour drive to the Charleston Airport went slowly, but uneventfully. He pulled over on the interstate next to the airport and I hoofed it to my car. It was 11pm.

I honestly don't think I could have driven the route faster.