Rides of Fame

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From my Adventures California Semi-truck Driver This ride was particularly frightening. I was heading south on Interstate 5 somewhere below Sacramento. It was a nice day, and I was out in the middle of no where as usual. Walking down the freeway which is illegal in California but mostly enforced around big towns, a Semi Truck pulled to the side of the road ahead of me. This was a flat nose Mac truck that had no trailor. I'm thinking yeah this outta be fun. I jog up to the passenger door as it swings open, a dog jumps out to greet me and driver says where ya headin? I jump in throw my pack between us and introduce myself and tell him I'm going south. The dog jumps back, I shut the door, and we're off. A few miles down the road I see the driver is using both lanes, and is paying very little attention to his driving. Our conversation quickly gets highlighted on drugs. He then proceeds to tell me he has been high on Methanphetamine for the past 2 weeks without any sleep. Im thinking, oh the joys of hitchhiking! lol. I watch his behaviour, he seems to be ok, except he is doing everything but driving. We chat on about drugs and such, he asks if I have any Meth. I say no, I don't play with Meth. He then states he is coming down off the high and is outta drugs. Knowing this is the worst time of the drug and the possibilities of what might happen (him passing out, getting ill, DTs, violent out breaks, delusions, ect) I decide to get the hell outta this situation. We are still in the middle of no where. After about 30 miles his condition is getting worse. I am seriously looking for a place he can pull over. It is starting to get dark and I don't want to be in this truck for that. Finally I see an off ramp coming up. I ask him to pull over and let me off. He takes the off ramp, stops, as I am looking around, there is nothing in site, just a cross road (hoping for a pay phone to turn this guy in). As I exit the truck, I encourage him to get some sleep, telling him from my past ride with him, he will be in an accident soon. He mumbles something I couldn't understand and we parted. I made camp under the overpass for the night. In the morning I hooked a ride right off, and low and behold 20 miles up the road, there was the Mac truck sitting on another off ramp. Don't know if he went to sleep or got busted. But sure was happy to see that rig parked and me sitting safely in a car with an older man talking about the good ole days when he used to hitch. Idaho Fire Bus This is a particularly neat ride. I was hitching east from Washington state and decided to try the ever famous Lolo Pass on the border of Idaho and Montana. It starts on the western border of Idaho. I was doing really good, until I got about a third of the way. It was summer and hot as hell. I put on a lot of miles, and was running short on food. I camped for the night, woke up and started to hitch again. Damn there was just no room for anyone to pull over, people tried, but it just wasn't safe (narrow road). After walking til noon, I was tired, hot, sweaty, and really hungry. I saw a creek and decide to wash up and cool down a bit. I went down, got streaky, and jumped in. I was in the water for an hour or so cleaning up and washing clothes. I got all done and headed back up to the road. I walked a mile or two and finally found a decent place to hitch. I wasn't there long when a Forest Fighter Bus (resembles a van but it's a bus) pulls over and stops. Hurray I am saved!!!! I jump in, greeting the driver and asking how far he is going. All the way to the top of Lolo, YES!!!! I sit down with 3 other hitchers that he had saved that day. We all exchanged stories of how we got in the situation, none of us has food, and all glad we are on our way to fresh resources. Just as it getting dark, we reach our destination in Montana, hop out a 7-11 and the four of us pile in. We get food and drinks and smokes and gather outside to chat. We are all laughing and joking, talking about our trips while we eat and drink. The four of us split our ways and headed off to camp for the night I never seen those 3 again! Thanks again to the Forest Fire Fighter who was driving the Green Bus on Lolo Pass in the summer of 2000, for saving our tails that day! Valley of Death I shall fear no evil as I hitch through the Valley of Death. I left Las Vegas after my 2 week stay there in a Hostel (links page hostels.com) for 8 dollars a day. The manager there even found me some work, thanks Marti. I was heading northwest out of Vegas wanting to hit the Lake Taho area. I got to little stop that night, had a bar cafe, thats it. Went in had a burger and a few beers. Tried to hitch a little more, but traffic was dead. I camped for the night. In the morning it was cold, about 8:00 I caught a ride to next town (Beatty, Nev). It was even colder, got some coffee and headed out of town going north. The wind was blowing, cutting into my clothes, and very unpleasant. After a few hours of this a police car pulls up (I am surprised there is a police in this town). He hops out and starts telling me about a weather front that just moved in over night and it's snowing 50 miles north of me. I thanked the officer for the information, did a 180 degree turn and head southeast out of Beatty. I grabbed some food, water, and smokes and started walking. It was about 2:00 in the afternoon, the weather was warming up and I was happy. This gray colored station wagon pulls over to give me ride. As I approach the vehicle, they have a very concerned look on their face. I jump in and off we go. As we chat they tell me I am in Death Valley and nights here this time of year are very unpleasant, and there are virtually no stores of any kind until the other side. I had really no idea where I was at the time. We ride on, stop at the drivers fathers trailor in this back community of camping trailors and shacks built out of what ever they can (kind of reminded me of the lost UFO community). The people there were really nice, we stayed for about an hour. Dipping below sea level while still on the ground has to be the weirdest feeling ever. To say the least, I rode with this couple until wee hours of the morning where they dropped me off close to Sacramento. I had no Idea I was in Death Valley, but it sure was cool and peaceful there. I have to return there in the summer sometime to get a better look around. South California Now this is a heart warming story. I was north of LA an hour or so hitching along the freeway as usual. A guy in a little blue Toyota stops and picks me up. We are chatting having a good time getting to know each other. He is going somewhere in LA and remembers that where he gets off the free way is not a good place. He asks where I want to be dropped off. I ask him to let me off at any decent off ramp before his. We drive a little further telling him where I am going (Mexico). He says he is going to do me a favor and take me about 15 minutes past LA to a nice little town to hitch from. I thank him and tell him he doesn't have to go out of his way. He says its no big deal and he is glad to get me to safe place to hitch. So we drive on past LA, I am telling him stories of hitching adventures (rides love to hear your stories) and he really gets into the spirit of hitching. I am really impressed with this guy. We ramble on telling stories back and forth having a great time. I see the sign for the town he mentioned he was going to drop me in go by. I wait a little while and ask if we passed the town he was going to drop me in. He said yes we did, I got a little bit nervous and he stated he was going to take it one step further and I would like the new place he was going to drop me at. We drive on for another 45 minutes and pull into this ocean side town north of San Diego about an hour. We drive around a little bit, palm trees, nice weather, really nice. He pulls into a what looks like a train station or a railway of some sorts. We get out, I grab my pack and was going to say thank you. He says wait here I'll be right back. In a few minutes he returns with a ticket he bought for me. He took me to the spot I needed to be in to catch the ride, I thanked him and we parted. I wasn't even sure where the train went. Finally one of the trains came in, it wasn't a train, but a train trolly. Open window seating, kind of like the ones in Frisco. I was thinking this is great. So I take the ticket number and find out where I can get off of the trolly. It's last stop is at the Mexico Border. Now that was one hell of nice thing to do. Got me past LA and a ride right to the Mexico border. Thanks again Mike!!!!!! Washington Woman I was sticking around the Olympia area for a while, was picking up some good work, and the camping was great. I worked all week through a temp agency (ManPower) at a bottling company. The work was easy and good pay. The weekend came so I decided to go out for a while. I went to a few clubs in downtown Olympia and had a really good time dancing and drinking. It was about midnight and decided to head for my camp. The buses quit running at 9:00 so it was a wobbly 5 mile walk back to camp. I figured why not hitch?? So I did, about a mile into the drunken stupper, a man and a woman picked me up. They had been out top and both were buzzed pretty good. We drive on and I tell the driver where I am going. She says she lives just past where I am going and has to detour to drop this other fellow off. I say sure no problem, still pretty drunk from the whiskies I was drinking. We dropped the other fellow off, and headed for my camp. When she went to drop me off, she says there is nothing out there but woods. I say she is right and I am hitcher and am camped out there. She is really surprised and gets curious and wants to come and see. I take her to my camp, build a fire, tell her a few stories of hitching. The buzz is wearing off and she runs to her car and comes back with a bottle of Mexican whisky (teq). We sit and talk and get ourselves extremely intoxicated. We are laughing and joking and having a really good time. The night went on until the sun came up, and it was noon before we sobered up and she was well enough to drive. It was a wonderful night spent with a lady, she was great company, and really a free spirit. Not another night like that has happened, but I wont soon forget it either. Kansas State Patrol Car I was living in Montana and I met this woman on Paltalk who seemed really interesting. We had a lot in common and after 6 months of chat and spending time together on the net, we decided to meet. I took the train down to see her. She met me with a big hug and a kiss. We went to her house and had fun getting to know each other. We went out a few times then it began. The hidden part of her was coming out. Turns out she is a heavy drinker. Starts out a 6:00 in the morning and doesn't stop until she passes out slobbering drunk. OMG what a site this was. She did this for 3 days straight and was getting nastier by the day. Finally I decided this was enough and it was time for me to go. I packed my stuff into my two travel packs and was trying to tell her I was leaving. Then the crap really hit the fan. In my struggle to get out, I had misplaced my money, or she took it, not sure. She tore my pack strap to one of my packs and was acting really crazy. She went to the kitchen stating she was going to O.D. on some pills. I heard the bottle rattle, and this was my cue to hit the road. I was out of there faster than a bullet. I stopped and called 911 to let them know the circumstances of her possible suicide. An hour later, police stopped me, we talked about the situation (one of the police knows her, this is very normal for her), and they let me go my way. I was about 150 miles away when I noticed my cash was missing. It wasn't worth going back for a couple hundred bucks. I have hitched before and I should be home in a few days. I caught a ride into Kansas City and was heading North. It was not tpo cold but cold enough to want to be somewhere warm. I walked into the night hitching (I don't recommend this) trying to make some headway. Finally I was too tired to carry on, my feet were tired, my legs had swollen, and it was time for some rest. The ground was getting frosty and I was cold. I got off the freeway a ways and built a little fire. I am pretty comfortable taking naps between stocking the fire. I was half asleep and my radar goes off, something is in the area and closing in on me (something you learn when outside for awhile). I jump to my feet, kick my pack to the left of the fire hearing a noise coming from that direction. I move to the right of the fire, pick up 2 large sticks and move into the darkness flanking what is approaching. I am in full attack mode, ready to pounce and plummet what ever or who ever this was. I come from behind a bush to the person holding a flash light shining it towards the fire (we are about 20 yards from fire). I pretend I am a police officer and ask quickly, do u have any identification?? The flash light whips in my direction, I have 2 sticks as weapons and the officer replies as he draws his weapon in fear, I HAVE A GUN DROP THE STICKS. I reply, do you have any identification?? He replies, I am a State Trooper, now DROP THE STICKS! I figure he probably isn't lying about it and is about to shoot me, I drop the sticks. He tackles me to the ground and I am laughing at this point. I knew he was a police officer soon as he turned around, I heard that familiar sound cops belts make. He is searching me and hand cuffing me asking if I have anything he should know about. I don't, we move over to the fire and he checks my packs. I tell him the story of how I got there, now he is laughing. He apologizes for the tackle, stating I gave him a good scare. I laughed and replied, next time yell you're a police officer when you approach. Two more officers arrived at the scene and he informed them of the situation. He put out my little fire and said he would give me a ride. He drove me 18 miles north of Kansas City to a truck stop. He went inside knowing the cashier, told her I was ok, just passing through town. She was really nice and gave me a cup of coffee, about 3 hours later I was in a Semi heading North back to Montana. Montana Used Car Hauler I was hitching west from eastern Montana. I was just past Billings, a very slow day for hitching (damn road construction). It was a hot day, and I was getting no where fast. Finally a used car Hauler down shifts really fast and stops to pick me up. Great, I hop in and off we go. We talk a lot about this and that, it was about 2:00 P.M. It's a very long day riding in that truck. Only the drivers side had the bouncy seat. I was getting thrown around in that truck like a rock in a muffler. I was enjoying it though. He reached his limit on hours he could drive so we decided to get a room (share expenses) at this trucks stop that had some strippers in Western Montana. Wahoo we are going to have some fun tonight!!!! We go to check in, and the damn place is booked!!! Just my luck, I go back to the truck, let him know the place is booked. He still had the sleeper in his truck, I on the other hand was going to have to sleep outside. I got some dinner, by now its 11:00 P.M. and I head for the freeway over pass. I get there to find out it to is already booked. There must have been one hell of show there!!!! So I start walking down the freeway. I have no idea what time it is, I am so tired and exhausted I can barely walk, and it was too dark to walk off the road. I stop and lay down a few times until I reach a weigh station where I gladly sleep behind it. In the morning, I get up and see a small town a mile away or so. I finally get there, a little store is open. I get some coffee, and some food and head for the highway. I found out I walked over 8 miles in the dark. I got to the freeway and was hitching, jamming on some tunes for about 2 hours. Holy crap, I hear that familiar fast gear down of a used car Hauler. I am laughing as I jump back into the rumble truck I was in the day before. He asked how the night went, I told him the story he laughed like hell. He told me it was a crazy night at the truck stop, he barely got any sleep. So off we rode heading west. About 1:00 in the afternoon we got to his turn off, where he had to head south and I was still going east. He dropped me at a hotel for truckers and instructed me what to say to get a real cheap room. I thanked him for the ride again, and off he went. Pretty funny getting a ride from the same truck in 2 days going form Billings, MT to Spokane, WA. He was one hell of a nice guy, we had a lot of fun on the trip.
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