Anyone ever hitchhiked?

As I said in the bus ride post, I did a lot way back when. In those days it was not a death wish to pick someone up, or get in the car with a stranger.

Interesting rides at times.

One time in college in BFE Mississippi when we flipped a canoe on a 3 day trip and lost all of our food. Black preacher with this wife and daughter picked us up and drove us to closest town and back

quote:

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In those days it was not a death wish to pick someone up, or get in the car with a stranger.

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No, but there were still rules of the road in play

My FIL did this from Quantico all the time and would turn down rides that did not go to full destination.

If he was going to Atlanta, he would not take a Charlotte car as he would be hitching at 2 am and that was not conducive.

My piece of shite college car threw a timing belt in the desolation between the Oklahoma / Texas line and a town called Autry, OK. (Named after Gene Autry)

It was pre-cellphone so I had no choice but to start walking. I stuck my thumb out and some guy in an honest to god creeper van with no windowns pulled over. I was hot and tired and hopped up in there. Dude had a giant bowie knife in a sheath sitting on the engine hump between our seats.

I never figured out if he was scared of me or a serial killer. We didn't talk much and I had him drop me at the first exit with a gas station. I rode the whole way with my hand on the passengers door handle figuring I would just jump if he went for the knife.

That was my one and only time and it was a doozie.

True story: A long long time ago when I quit offshore they dumped my arse off on the shore and my car was in Broussard.
Welp... I started humping it and eventually an old baw picked me up.
(I was to scared to actually hitchhike)
I could see the sawed off shot-gun behind my front passenger seat and a gallon frickin jug of homemade hooch between his legs.
This frickin couyon was drunker than Cooter Brown on payday....
About 5 minutes after getting on hwy 90 he gets pulled over and I don't know what's going on but he was smoking and joking with the state trooper and tells him I needed a ride and that he was only going as far as New Iberia. Turns out they were cousins and the Trooper said, "Well hell son, come on n' get in, I'll get you back into town."

So I rode in the front seat of state troopers back to the yard in Boussard where I had to sleep outside the locked gate until someone got there at 5am to let me.
Once I got in my car I didn't stop until I got to Shreveport!

Still common in trail towns. Love picking up hikers headed to town for supplies and hearing their stories.

I picked up a hitch hiker once when I was around about 30 years ago. When I said "I need to turn here so you gotta get out" he started begging me to take him further. It was an ordeal to get him out. Never again.

Ya see, people keep saying that but I've been giving people rides as recently as 5-6 months ago.

They just needed a ride to the next exit to get to the truck stop.