A Hitchhiking Poll

[mark414]

I just returned from a 2 week trip to California where I hitchhiked all over the San Francisco Bay Area with a friend of mine who lives near San Jose...first time I'd ever done it (I'm real young), but my friend went all over the country for 2 months this summer, and I have a lot of other friends who have done the same thing...

I've also picked up a couple hitchhikers before...

I think it's one of the most exhilirating things I've ever done...

What's your experience with hitchhiking?

Anyone with any great hitchhiking stories?

[flamingyouth]

1. I've picked up hitchhikers on Molokai

But I've never done it on the mainland, nor have I hitchhiked myself.

[LDS Jock]

2. I haven't for a long time

I haven't picked up anyone since leaving Arkansas several years ago. It seemed safe up there in the Ozarks, but I know in reality thats not true. Nuts can be anywhere. I don't pursue rides, but I've been offered them. Depending on the person I might accept them. The last time I did it the lady didn't want to let me out though. She wanted to head to a hotel. :(

[tjwmason]

13. Lucky you

I'm sure it took loads of self-control to turn down that offer.

[Ron Green]

3. I hitched thousands of miles, and carried many hitchers, but that was in

the 60's and 70's. I think it's a different story now.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

8. Only if you let it be... Don't be scared by the media

On the rare occasion I see hitchers, I pick them up.

I did it for a whole summer... most fun I ever had.

[mark414]

9. yeah man

like i said my buddy did it for 2 months this past summer and only got sketched out once

violent crime is lower today than it was in the 70's yet people are more scared than ever...wtf

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

11. It is a control thing. People started to realize that things were

not as bad as their "role models" said they were, so we had to reign things in... the media became the message, said someone (!)

Now most of those my age and a little older who first discovered that things were "not quite right" have forgotten the lesson, and amplify the BS constantly.

The whole scene sickens me sometimes.

[Book Lover]

4. Call me a native new yorker, but I would NEVER

pick anyone up, nor would I ever take the risk of hitching a ride myself. Not even if I were armed.

[babylonsister]

5. I'm other.

I was with a guy and hitch hiked from Colorado to Florida, up and down both coasts there, spent time in LouisianA, etc. I did this a long time ago, it took several weeks, 75 rides, and all is documented. I will never do it again, but am glad I did it. Even then I didn't trust anyone (and had many reasons), so take care if you hitch.

[mike_c]

6. I hitch-hiked from Northern Virgina to Florida, then back up...

...through GA, AL, MS, and TN when I was 15. That was a long time ago-- summer of 1970. Had some very strange times. Met some VERY strange people.

[On the Road]

7. I Hitchhiked in College

including a trip from Camp Lejeune NC to New Haven CT and back one weekend. And shorter trips, for example from Arlington VA to NC one night carrying a two-drawer filing cabinet.

It could be absolutely exhilarating and give an amazing sense of freedom. There were two times in which I hitchhiked faster than I would have driven. Of course, there were other times that I was stranded all night in some godforsaken place and couldn't get a ride for anything.

Met some interesting people, too. Five brothers in an old Chevy Impala, who were going to beat some some guy who had wronged their sister, insisted on showing me their car could do 100MPH (ok). Many others.

The few times I see a hitchhiker these days, I often pass them by. Sometimes I pick someone up, especially locally.

[Redneck Socialist]

10. Beware of fundies disguised as hippies.

Saw a couple of hippie looking back packer type dudes a while back and being a former hippie looking back packer type dude myself I pulled over to give 'em a lift. Weeellll it wasn't long before they were telling me about the wonders of jeebus. I dropped 'em off right quick after that.

<shakes head sadly> What's with kids these days anyway...

[Kire]

12. my mom hitchhiked from New Jersey to California

it took her two weeks (maybe more)


I, on the other hand, have only hitchiked as far as the next town.

[ze_dscherman]

14. The Hitchhiker Years

In my younger years, I was a frequent hitchhiker, both locally and abroad. When I was 17, I hitchhiked from Germany through Austria, former Yugoslavia, to Greece, and back through Italy to Germany. Great trip, lots of fun. Later I hitchhiked through Switzerland, France and Italy, and frequently to Sicily. That was late 70's, early 80's. My record was 3000 km in just 48 hours, going from Germany to Sicily and switching truck drivers when they became too tired.

I did have some annoying experiences - two or three times being harassed by gays, once a proposal from a truckdriver to "lend" him my girlfriend, some reckless drivers and overly tired truckers. But nothing I could not handle, and never the feeling of any real danger.

Funniest thing that happened to me was in Greece. I was very young still, had long, blond hair, and my driver was old and half blind. His car was full of knifes, he had a stall at some market. He kept calling me "Fraulein" all the time, and as far as I could understand wanted to invite me that night for dinner in some restaurant. He just didn't get it I was male, and grabbed for my knee. I was about to smack him, but he was an old man, so I just pushed his hand away, and finally he got the message I was neither a girl nor interested in his proposals. What an ass! Well, after that I could very well understand female travellers complaining about Greek men.

Of course, I picked up hitchhikers later, when I had a car. Now, my bike just doesn't have two seats ...

[B Calm]

15. Spring 1971 I was in the Navy hitchiking from Jacksonville to Miami

to see my mother. A car load of college girls picked me up in route for Spring Break. I never made it to Miami, but I had the best time of my life with those girls from Ohio...

[SweetLeftFoot]

16. Canada

Hitched from Vancouver to Montreal back in 2001 - beaned on go pills most of the way too ...

[catmandu57]

17. I've probablly logged over 25,000 miles

Hitching. My idol is Sissy Hankshawe Gitche. I started when I was a kid in the seventies, just small local jumps, then later longer and longer trips.
I used to carry my house with me, backpack full of whatever, food, clothing, sleeping bag, hell I had a great time, saw a lot of country was exposed to many different cultures.
It's not for everybody and if you don't want to hitch then don't, it's as simple as turning the tube off. Quit bitching about what other people do, if you don't want then don't.
When I was 15, me and a friend was in Cripple Creek Co panning for gold, we were going to strike it rich, we didn't but that's another story.
Anyway, we were walking into town when I heard a car, so I turned and stuck out my thumb. The car was a vw bug with a luggage rack on top, they did'nt have room inside, so we stood on the back bumber held onto the rack and road the miles into town, where we got rip roaring drunk on 3.2 pisswater.
If it's done right it's a great time, and there are'nt any more sickos out prowling the hyways than there used to be, use your noodle if something does'nt feel right you don't have to get in.