LIVING & TRAVEL
"TALES FROM THE ROAD"
by tripod member jim hendrickson
My top-five worst places to get a ride:
My two favorites were I-29 between Silver Spring and Burtonsville, Maryland, and the Golden to Boulder, Colorado road (can't remember the number, but I once made this 20 mile run in 14 minutes -- the guy who picked me up was really screaming.)
Try to be sober when you start. One spring break, a friend of mine
and I got drunk in a bar in Golden, and at 1:30 a.m. decided that hitchhiking to California was a pretty sound idea. When we sobered up the next morning, we were halfway across Utah and discovered we only had $1.37 between us.
How far's Goshen?
Having spent a lot of time on the road, some pointers for hitch-novices:
1. Don't appear threatening or intimidating. Scared people don't pick up anyone.
2. Hitching with a female friend is always less intimidating, and rides come a lot faster.
3. If you get stuck, try begging for a ride at a gas station.
4. For long trips, carry a blanket or sleeping bag. A space blanket or a waterproof tarp may be useful.
5. After midnight, you may as well pack it in til the morning.
6. Thank the driver -- courtesy is always a good idea.
1. Barstow, California -- I bet some of those people are still there. No telling what the UV did to them.
2. Cove Fort, Utah (A personal bias -- I was dropped off there by a weirdo shooting a 357 magnum -- I think it was Hunter Thompson, but I'm not sure. Almost froze to death that March night.)
3. Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania -- Coal mine land; need I say more?
4. Rosemond, California -- Spent 12 hours trying to get a ride; hot, dusty, miserable.
5. Walsenburg, Colorado -- Actually not that bad. Hard to get a ride, but at least the scenery is nice. But the fields have a lot of cow patties.
Fortunately, our last nickel hit in a slot outside Las Vegas.
Which leads to the last point:
When you are sitting there in silence in the middle of nowhere (actually located between Prescott and the Hassyampa River in Arizona), have faith that the anthropomorphic God or the
cosmic muffin-consciousness is watching you.
Just remember the answer to the Firesign Theaters' question:
About 2 hours!
Good Luck.
