Hitchike Stories now and then(splinter)

[wineturtle]

good posts on History about thumb travel.

Spent some 1950s summers in Bedford NY only folks who lived there or their tradesfolk drove the roads . Eveyone offered rides.
My Manhattan youth afforded a wealth of adventure at my toetips no thumb needed.

[jhc68]

Growing up ages ago in Orange County CA, my buddies and I used to hitchhike to the beach 5 or 6 miles straight down the road almost every summer day starting at about age 13 until we got our own cars a few years later. We'd wear baggie swim shorts, a tee shirt, barefoot and carrying one swim fin (the better to body surf with) and take maybe 50 cents for a soda and be gone all day, then hitch back home. We'd usually just leave a note for our parents or tell a sibling that we'd gone to Newport Beach.

When my own kid was that age I'd have gone berserk if he'd hitchhiked to East Beach and it was within easy walking distance!!!

[SQUACKEE]

Hitched hiked from Stuttgart Germany to Paris France in 1972 with my friend Larry. We had a spot of bad luck, no ride for 5 hours as we kept walking towards Paris. It was dark and we were on a long steep hill when we saw a very slow moving flatbed truck with heavy farm equipment chained down on the bed coming up the hill towards us. It was traveling about 5 miles an hour and the choice was do we jump on, hold on to the chains and ride to wherever it goes or let it go, too dangerous and we dont know where its going?

I chickened out. ops:

[Cooter Brown]

Parents dropped me off at the city pool when I was 5 or so. After a couple of hours I was ready to go and they hadn't shown back up so I decided to walk. After a while, I realized I didn't know where I was going. Some guy riding a bike stopped to ask me what I was doing. I told him. I didn't know my address but I knew I lived on the same street as the hospital. So he gave me a ride home. I guess that counts as hitchhiking?

[dukehjsteve]

gh might remember the details, but of all people, Bert and Cordner Nelson, once related a great hitchhiking story in relation to the Los Angeles 1932 Olympics.

[Bruce Kritzler]

In 1980 htchiked from Gainesville, FL to Austin, TX for ncaa track meet. Hitched west to LA for AAU or TAC meet at Mt. SAC. Then caught a ride to Eugene for Olympic Trials. Then hitched east to Ohio to visit my family. Thought about going to Philadelphia for an international meet (Freedom Games?) but my boss said I better get back to work. Whole trip took about 6wks.

Later hitched with friends from Caracuz, Venezuela to Sao Paulo, Brazil to run the New Years Eve Midnight Run. Took 2 weeks. Not much traffic out there in the Amazon jungle.

[Conor Dary]

When I visited my brother in Ghana 30 years ago we hitch hiked around the country. Over there it is considered rude to stick your thumb out, so to hitch you put your hands in a begging bowl formation, implying "I beg thee for a ride". Usually ended up on a lorry.

[Daisy]

I used to hitch a lot when i was a student in Scotland. One memorable one was getting a ride in a fish delivery van from Dundonnell to Inverness. What a stink.

On rainy days I recall we'd be swearing a lot as all the cars with space drive on by.

[Wang Lung]

I played High School football with a guy nicknamed "Chainsaw".

In College, he worked Summers in Alaska fighting wildfires. Each year, he would hitch from Arkansas to Alaska, which is remarkable on its own.

But one year, on his way up, he was picked up in Washington by the contractor who had hired him for the season. Pure coincidence.

[bambam]

Anybody remember Jackie Vernon - the comedian from the 60s and his hitchhike comedy routine?