Ever hitchhike?

[Baldsicle]

Don't see anybody doing it nowadays. Years ago it was kinda common. Hippies and young people would hitchhike across America.

[IronLionZion]

1. only locally

going long distance sounds exciting but is probably dangerous. Lots of sketchy characters out and about

[Kali]

2. Used to hitch home from high school

Never tried long distance. (that was back in the 70's) Now I only do it if I break down in the middle of nowhere, heh heh - even that not so much since we got cell phones.

Edit to say last two times I got a ride because of car trouble were with the local Sheriff - he's republican but OK in my book ;-)

[tk2kewl]

3. i hitched from manhattan to montreal 20 yrs ago

[qnr]

4. Traveled all over the country in the 70's. Haven't done it recently n/t

[The Great Escape]

5. I See Alot Of Hitchhiking In The Summertime...

I work near an intersection of two interstate highways...I 81 and I 77...and close to several Truck Stops...in the summer I see someone trying to hitch a ride almost every day.

[HEyHEY]

6. Yup, not anymore as I own a car

But in college I did

[IowaGuy]

7. Longest I ever hitched...

Was from Des Moines to Sedalia, Mo and back for the Ozark Mountain Music Festival back in...uh...1975? Lets just say a few toxins were involved or I would probably remember better....I am pretty sure I had a real good time though...

[blue sky at night]

8. oh man i used to hitch all over......

i used to put my thumb out to go to: high school, college, across town. After I graduated HS i went to Canada and hitched around in Ontario, later i did it again....all the way to Manitoba, on the way back we hitched through the states.......not as easy but it was always great to meet folks who would pick up a hitch-hiker(some even let us drive for them). during college i had a sign and the same folks would pick me up over and over. it is a shame we had to stop, it was a great way to save gas and meet people. i have seen a few folks doing it this year, but i drive a company car and they forbid us from picking up anyone, but i do donate to anyone who stands on the road and asks for money.......sort of the same idea. it proved to me the old adage: ask and ye shall receive.
by the way, i finally gave up trying to hitch across Canada, and took the train from Toronto to Vancover.

[cally]

9. A few times

I knew it was dumb when I did it but I did it anyway. I hitched to get to backpacking trails before I owned a car. Also, I hitched a few times when I ended up miles from my car after a backpacking trip.

[teach1st]

10. I was a hitchiking fool back in the day..

The stories I could tell! I hitched twice to California from Florida and many, many times to New York and New England.

This was back when hippies roamed the Earth.

[gater]

11. From N.Y. to L.A. and back in 1980.

I learned alot before college.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

12. Yes.

Medium to long distances some thirty years ago, but not across the country, the dream of all hitchhikers. This was back in the era of CB radios and, uh, weed.

The last time I hitchhiked was eleven years ago, from the motocross course at Washougal WA to downtown Vancouver WA. Got a ride in the back of a pickup truck. Barring a breakdown (of a car, I mean), that may be the last time ever. Might as well go out in style, eh?

The country's just too weird now.

[bikebloke]

13. All around Europe

After a time, I didin't feel right about depending on other folk. So graduated to a bicycle. Now that's the way to travel.

Also hitched Israel back in the early 80's. The top of New Zealand's North Island after the folk at the hostel said the road up was unsealed. Caught a ride in five minutes. The freindly bloke gave me the grand tour. Including some stretches I would never have reached on my two-wheeled horse.

[Goathead]

14. Hell yeah, back in '93

I hitched from Jackson Hole, Wyoming to to Moab Utah, via Dinosaur Nat'l Monument, then to the Grand Canyon and across Arizona to Gallup, New Mexico. Then up across the Navajo I.R. to Telluride, Colorado and back to Moab. It took me a month and I only had to sleep on the side of the interstate once, outside of Cedar City, Utah. Most memorable moment was outside of Gallup hitchhiking on to the rez on Route 666, there were all these Navajos hitching as well so it took me a long time to get a ride there. It was real deserty and I look down to see a tarantula crossing the highway. It was just one of those things that only the brotherhood of hitchhikers know about. There was a song in his heart, it crept to his lips but only the wind and road could hear it.

[Maine Mary]

15. Yup. It was 26 miles from HS to home and..

if my daughter even came close to doing any of the stuiped, idiotic, stuff I did back then I would go ballistic and insist on therapy for her.. Thank God she is safe away in college (I hope)?

[Maine Mary]

17. BTW I had some scary scrapes...

The scariest were NOT seeing anyone on a -18 day while still trying to appear "cool" :eyes: I would have even taken the school bus if it came to over 5 miles w/no cars in sight.

[Magical]

16. When I was 16

Detroit to Vancouver Island via the trans-canadian hwy.
Back to Detroit via Hwy 90
That was 31 years ago and looking back, it seems crazy.
Left with $180 and was gone 8 weeks.
Got a job in Jasper moving boulders for a hotel.
Very fond memories of Canada.
Once we got in the states, got picked up by cops twice and had a backpack stolen with all our film.
Youth hostels in Canada were $.50 for a warm room, 2 meals and a shower.

[prolesunited]

18. To Florida as a teenage runaway

Yes, I was once that stupid. Got busted for possession on the beach and got a police escort to the airport to be flown home. I have *no* idea what I was thinking.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

19. All over the country. It was a blast.

Most fun I ever had.

[Wat_Tyler]

20. Yeah. Across New Zealand five years ago.

[miss_kitty]

21. yeah i used to hitchike all over Seattle

and I had a friend (also female) who hitched regularly to Guatamala for a few years. But I live in Seattle and Ted Bundy happened...

[Ann Arbor Dem]

22. In the '70's in my hometown, occasionally I would....

It's a small town and I only took rides from people I knew...and everyone knew everyone back then.

[arwalden]

23. When I Was In College... Locally

[CAcyclist]

24. I did in Boston

a few years ago - I thought I was getting a ride to the bus station and he thought I was a hooker - OMG, never will I do that again - I don't know what I was thinking. It was broad daylight, so it never occurred to me until after I was in the car that he thought I was a pickup.

He asked me if I dated. I didn't know what he meant - I thought it was a weird question. When he made a u-turn instead of going straight I panicked and tried to open the car door while he was driving - so then I guess he realized I wasn't what he thought I was and he let me out.

[bluetrain]

25. no great distances

but from 14 to 18 (when I moved away) I would often hitch just as something to do, sometimes with one friend or another but just as often, alone. We'd get drunk or stoned or both and take off. We would go from one side of town to the other and then get another ride to somewhere else. We stopped for a while after I accidentally thumbed down a cop car and the friend I was with started mouthing off to him and almost got us locked up. But after a few months we were back at it. We were all constantly intoxicated and I had a bad habit of thumbing away without any word to anyone all of a sudden and out of the blue. My mother caught me at some point and I promised to stop. But kept a secret clause that I could still hitch motorcycles. Something about the wind. I wound up dating this one guy who picked me up on his bike for a while. I was back in my hometown visiting a few months ago and after a late night and even though I was at most a 15 min walk from where I was staying just couldn't restrain myself and thumbed one down. Never had any problems with a driver but figure I've pushed my luck.