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Thumbs Up, and Out
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Thumbs Up, and Out pocogato12 suggested a tribute to the Symposium, to be posted on 11 September,to show how much we’ve appreciated them. She named travel as the topic. Hi. My name is Bill and I’m a hitchhiker. I would like to welcome you to the Sunday morning Hitcholgy Centre meeting. We would like to give a special welcome to new attendees and have you introduce yourselves. Let’s begin by making some promises to ourselves. 1. We are going to relinquish the freedom of the open road and try to find happiness anyway. 2. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it, and we will pay for all our own transportation even if it means getting …jobs. 3. We will comprehend the words gas money and we will stop pretending we’re broke. 4. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. I first became a hitchhiker in high school. I lived five miles from town and I didn’t always have a working car, or money for gas, even though gas was as cheap as thirty cents a gallon back then- sometimes cheaper. I can recall a gas war in Detroit in the torrid summer of 1970 when gas and cigarettes were selling for the same price- seventeen cents per gallon and seventeen cents a pack. Anyway, when I didn’t have wheels or cash I’d walk, and plenty of times I walked the whole five miles, but whenever a car came along I’d stick out my thumb and try to bum a ride. The reception was mixed. If it was dark I was probably have to walk the entire distance to town, unless someone recognized me- and didn’t try to run over me as soon as it dawned on them who I was. This could happen in daylight too, but at least I could see what was in the ditch I was diving into. Cars were inexpensive back then too- you could buy a new Volkswagen for under two grand, and fill the tank for two or three bucks, but there were other priorities at that tender age, women and dope being a couple of my top priorities. If I found myself with five bucks in my jeans and an offer of either a nickel bag or a tank of gas, I was faced with a serious internal debate. One option of course was to score the reefer and siphon the gas from a school bus, or my girlfriend’s father’s car. You didn’t want to go to the same well too often. People might start getting suspicious. Anyhow, my frugal ways often led to more hitchhiking, since the bag of pot was considered an essential purchase. In the summer of 1971 I determined to follow in the footsteps of Sal Paradise and hit the road for the west coast to see San Francisco. Naturally, I opted to hitchhike. There were thousands of long haired freaks lining the highways back in the day, begging rides from city to town and rock festival to commune. I stood beside Interstate 80 just north of Middlebury, Indiana with a buddy named Moon Mullins, our thumbs out. I would always get my hopes up when I spotted a paisley painted van, especially a Volkswagen Microbus. That was gonna be an almost certain ride, and there might be something to smoke and someone to grope. We didn’t snag a Microbus on that first ride, but you didn’t often turn down rides unless it looked downright dangerous so we ended up in and old Cadillac with an inarticulate redneck whose name I’ve forgotten, but he looked a lot like Jim Gaffigan. Over the next few years hitchhiking became a habit. I liked having the freedom that comes from not having either a car or a home. This may seem incomprehensible to those of you have grown accustomed to sleeping indoors and eating regular meals, but for a while I loved it. I had no ties and nothing holding me down. I hitchhiked from coast to coast more than once, and kindly strangers fed me, gave me a place to crash for the night and invited me to share their communal living arrangements with other hippies. And sometimes you would score unbelievably lucky rides. I once hitched from Phoenix, Arizona to within four blocks of my sister’s apartment on Cornelia Street in Greenwich village in two rides. It was a hitchers mother lode- Phoenix to New York City in two rides! On another occasion I hitched from Albuquerque to my folks front door in Michigan, again in just two rides. I had got picked up by a guy driving a rented Uhaul truck who was moving to Washington, D.C. and wanted help driving in shifts. He dropped me just across the river from St. Louis and before I could get my backpack on, a man headed for the Edwardsburg, Michigan beagle club stopped for me. He just wanted someone to talk to during the ride. We got along, so he drove me to my ancestral home. Again in St. Louis, a cab stopped to give a friend and I a ride. We leaned over and said we didn’t have any money. The driver had a guy in the passenger seat and he said “Fuck that, he’s off duty! Get in!” so we didn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, and got in. We had to climb over three cases of beer to cram ourselves and our gear in the back of that cab, and I didn’t even get the door shut before he was burning rubber. The driver had said he’d take us across the river and drop us at an I55 interchange. He was as good as his word and took us on a hundred mile an hour ride across the Mississippi River. I was terrified. They were chugging Budweisers and whooping it up, weaving in and out of traffic, slamming on the brakes to avoid rearending semis and then nailing that throttle again. All the empty beer cans went right out the window, and if he’d slowed down to under fifty for more than a microsecond I would have followed one of those cans. It was a long drop to that river, anyway. We were both a bit shaky when we finally climbed out of that cab in Illinois. We looked at each other at at the same time said “Ya think maybe that was a stolen cab?” Later on that same trip we caught a ride outside of Joliet with a good lookin’ dame in a Lincoln and wearing a fur coat. She wanted to show off the coat. She said her boyfriend, her sugar daddy, and just given it to her. She looked like she had earned it- the girl was hot. I got a ride in a Land Rover one morning from George LaForest, who was running for governor of Illinois on the Socialist Labor Party ticket. He didn’t pass a single hitchhiker, even after that Land Rover was full of us. And when we stopped to eat, he bought breakfast. Eventually I grew tired of the hobo life. Times were changing and rides were getting harder to come by. You can’t really hold down a job and hitchhike, and get to and from work reliably. You have to be footloose and fancy free for hitchhiking and although I was loath to admit it, it was getting hard on me sleeping beneath over passes in the cold and not knowing when I might eat again. I sold out to be working class, and swore off hitchhiking for good. I don’t really miss it. I miss the days of not having any worries or cares. I miss taking off for a new part of the country on a whim, and I miss the easy camaraderie of folks who live on the open road. I miss the rock festivals and the short stays at communes. I miss the freedom of being young and dumb. I miss sleeping under the stars in a new place every night. I got old, and I swore off hitchhiking. My name is Bill, and I’m a hitchhiker. Become a member now and get a free tote bag. |
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Uno commento. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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Ah, the memories... All not so smart things we did in our youth look kinda romantic now. Whether we want it or not, we feel nostalgic... I never regretted any one stupid thing I did when was young - they created memories. And in a blink of an eye, memories is all we're going to have. Visit my blog It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World of NaughtyInSO, leave a comment, become a watcher. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LIVE AND LET LIVE Be happy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Ahhh, the memory of misspent youth. Hazy and golden. But I betcha you'd do it all again, wouldn't ya.  Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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I've never really hitch-hiked. .. Oh wait. There was that one time when I was a little kid and I jumped into that old dude's car he saw me chasing the ice cream truck. I wanted to catch that truck! .. Ah, different times.  I have been given rides after breaking down on the side of the highway. Sometimes people would pull over then take off again when they saw me from the front. (It was my long hair.) Sleeping under overpasses is no fun. It is loud under there. Hitch-hiking was once very common. Not so much anymore. I'm sure that freedom was nice.
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Ah, the memories... All not so smart things we did in our youth look kinda romantic now. Whether we want it or not, we feel nostalgic... I never regretted any one stupid thing I did when was young - they created memories. And in a blink of an eye, memories is all we're going to have.   Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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Do you have a picture of you from back in those days? Now I am curious to see you as a Hitchhiker 
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I've never really hitch-hiked. .. Oh wait. There was that one time when I was a little kid and I jumped into that old dude's car he saw me chasing the ice cream truck. I wanted to catch that truck! .. Ah, different times. I have been given rides after breaking down on the side of the highway. Sometimes people would pull over then take off again when they saw me from the front. (It was my long hair.) Sleeping under overpasses is no fun. It is loud under there. Hitch-hiking was once very common. Not so much anymore. I'm sure that freedom was nice. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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Thank you Cinnamon. I do have some beautiful memories. And YOU have some beautiful mammaries. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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Do you have a picture of you from back in those days? Now I am curious to see you as a Hitchhiker Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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I sure had fun, and I wouldn't trade those experiences or the memories. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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My mother never talked to me about sex but she certainly made sure I knew about the dangers of a girl hitchhiking. I'm really glad I ignored her lecture on girls traveling alone though! Opportunity may knock only once, but temptation bangs on the door forever!
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10/9/2016 21h54 |
i had a 69 vw bus, red, white top, blue curtains.... that was in 74 just got married and drove from PA to CA and back. had a nifty little bong set up that hooked on to the front ashtray with the bowl and two plastic tubes... got pulled over by cops in Oregon.. told them i was lost , had to put my baseball cap over the bong. while we chatted.. all went well, it was a great 2 weeks.. and i didn t see you on the road i swear i would have picked you up. face piles of trials with smiles.. MOODY BLUES please feel free to visit my blog happy blogging
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My mother never talked to me about sex but she certainly made sure I knew about the dangers of a girl hitchhiking. I'm really glad I ignored her lecture on girls traveling alone though!  BJ, I love your attitude! You know, hitchhiking can be perilous. But life itself can be perilous for women. I just rarely had times when I was scared while hitching. Cops scared me a lot more. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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An interesting peek into your past.  Vive La Difference
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i had a 69 vw bus, red, white top, blue curtains.... that was in 74 just got married and drove from PA to CA and back. had a nifty little bong set up that hooked on to the front ashtray with the bowl and two plastic tubes... got pulled over by cops in Oregon.. told them i was lost , had to put my baseball cap over the bong. while we chatted.. all went well, it was a great 2 weeks.. and i didn t see you on the road i swear i would have picked you up. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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There a storyteller, Kevin Kling, who I used to listen to on NPR. He told a great story about hitchhiking one day. He was hitching in Northern Minnesota, as I recall. It's worth a listen. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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An interesting peek into your past. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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I grew my hair out at the tail end of the free love movement in 1973. Realised I just didn't have the face for long hair.Most people just left you alone.Never hitch hiked on that level.Mostly after parking a car down river and hitching back and floating down. Great story! Using more than all the road!
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I grew my hair out at the tail end of the free love movement in 1973. Realised I just didn't have the face for long hair.Most people just left you alone.Never hitch hiked on that level.Mostly after parking a car down river and hitching back and floating down. Great story! I appreciate your comment. Thanks for stopping by and reading. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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Wow! I'm living vicariously through your writing. I have never hitch hiked. Hm. Great post as usual. Kitkat The observant make the best lovers, I may not do right, but I do write, I have bliss, joy, and happiness in my life, Kitkat Come check out my blog KItkat1415 check out this post by me Adventures In Body Grooming #39 April Topic Link: What Lies Beneath If April Showers Oh Bloody Hell What Kind Of Weather Turns Me On Bloggers Symposium 40
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Bonjour Kzoopair J'ai fait de l'autostop de Montréal à Monterrey et au retour du Méxique jusqu'à Phoenix en Arizona , mais là les flics étaient trop emmerdant et j'ai acheté un forfait Greyhoud pour retourner au Canda par la côte Ouest et la transcanadienne , c'était en 1975 et la plus grande aventure de ma vie ♥ Bisou ♥ Poton ♥ Annie ♥ Hello Kzoopair I hitchhiked from Montreal to Monterrey and of return Mexico until Phoenix Arizona, but here the cops were too boring and I have bought a package Greyhoud to return to Canada by the West Coast and the Transcanadian, it was in 1975 and the greatest adventure of my life ♥ Kiss ♥ Annie ♥
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Good Morning Bill, I joined the Royal Air Force at the age of 16 in 1960, and was in for 14 years altogether. My memories of Hitch Hiking come from those early times, before I got my first set of Wheels (a 1959 Lambretta Li150). I always hitched in Uniform, in those days it almost certainly guaranteed being picked up. One Friday afternoon at my base in Gloucestershire, a visiting pilot was flying a 2 seat Meteor Jet Trainer back to RAF Valley on the Island of Angelsey North Wales, about 90 miles from my home. Having got permission from my Chief, I was quickly strapped in, and on my way, when we landed at Valley the pilot gave me a lift to the main road and I stuck out my thumb. The first car that stopped was a Jaguar Saloon, and that lift took me nearly 80 miles to within a Bus Ride of home. The journey back on Sunday took a bit longer! . Later when I had my first car, my folks where on Holiday in Devon, as I had the weekend off I decided to drive down to see them, I had a good weekend with them, but on the Sunday evening as I drove back to base, my car broke down (Head Gasket gone) in Bath  I had to get back to base for Monday morning, so out came my Thumb again, I must have walked for several miles in pouring rain before a car stopped for me! My luck however was in, it was a guy off my base who I had never met before, on his way back after his weekend off  Have a Great Weekend Visit my Blog Older but no Wiser and find out more
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Good Morning Bill, I joined the Royal Air Force at the age of 16 in 1960, and was in for 14 years altogether. My memories of Hitch Hiking come from those early times, before I got my first set of Wheels (a 1959 Lambretta Li150). I always hitched in Uniform, in those days it almost certainly guaranteed being picked up. One Friday afternoon at my base in Gloucestershire, a visiting pilot was flying a 2 seat Meteor Jet Trainer back to RAF Valley on the Island of Angelsey North Wales, about 90 miles from my home. Having got permission from my Chief, I was quickly strapped in, and on my way, when we landed at Valley the pilot gave me a lift to the main road and I stuck out my thumb. The first car that stopped was a Jaguar Saloon, and that lift took me nearly 80 miles to within a Bus Ride of home. The journey back on Sunday took a bit longer! . Later when I had my first car, my folks where on Holiday in Devon, as I had the weekend off I decided to drive down to see them, I had a good weekend with them, but on the Sunday evening as I drove back to base, my car broke down (Head Gasket gone) in Bath I had to get back to base for Monday morning, so out came my Thumb again, I must have walked for several miles in pouring rain before a car stopped for me! My luck however was in, it was a guy off my base who I had never met before, on his way back after his weekend off Have a Great Weekend  Thanks for that story, Dave! I've never willingly passed up anyone in military uniform. I do have a tragic hitching story, that I left out. My brother in law was on a plane that was grounded in Northern Michigan due to engine problems. He hitched a ride on a KC 135 to Chicago, which blew up over Wisconsin. He was a terrific man, and I was fond of him. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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My friends and I once picked up a total drunk who could hardly stand. It was about 3am in the middle of nowhere. He started to tell us that he was the mayor of Denville and owned a big hotel there. As we got closer, his story got *smaller* and we just figured he was lying about everything. When we got there, everything he had said was true. His wife had kicked him out of the car for being too drunk. He invited us into the hotel and gave us a case of beer, even though we were underage.He told us that we could come back anytime and use the pool if we wanted. It turned into a pretty fun night.
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My friends and I once picked up a total drunk who could hardly stand. It was about 3am in the middle of nowhere. He started to tell us that he was the mayor of Denville and owned a big hotel there. As we got closer, his story got *smaller* and we just figured he was lying about everything. When we got there, everything he had said was true. His wife had kicked him out of the car for being too drunk. He invited us into the hotel and gave us a case of beer, even though we were underage.He told us that we could come back anytime and use the pool if we wanted. It turned into a pretty fun night. My own story here may be coming to an end. I hadn't anticipated it, but it might be about time to stick out my thumb again. I thought I was getting too old for that shit, but I've been wrong before. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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