4

10/9/2007 5:10:11 PM

Quote :

"what state did you have the best/least luck in? were the friendliest people in the south, midwest, etc?"

That's the kind of question I'd love to answer.

It's about a tie for fast rides in the Pacific Northwest and North Carolina (I was suprised). Portland is known for transients and runaways so they get a fair number of hitchikers comming through (it was actually the only place in the country that I've seen another hiker on the road). And anywhere West of the Cascades from Eugene, Oregon to Vancouver, Canada is relatively liberal so you'll only have to wait about 10-15 minutes on an on ramp if you look clean cut.

North Carolina suprised me. I got from Asheville to Kitty Hawk in two days on 7 rides (stopped in Raleigh). One was a family, one was a college kid, two were mexican workers, one was a business man, one was a 'red-neck' and the last was a pot head. All of those except for the business man were very friendly people. The mexicans even took me as far as they were going and then called a friend to come and pick me up to take me further.

The area of the country didn't seem to have too much to do with how people treated me. Across the board people were very kind, helping me out where they could.

I never asked or begged for anything, but some days I was looking pretty rough and perhaps a little depressed, and people could sense that so they would offer me food or money. I tried not to accept it most times. I was in a rest stop in Illinois and the janitor, Edna, had seen me sleeping under the picknick table. After she asked where I was going and what my story was, she offered me a dollar bill to buy something from the vending machine. I, of course, refused.
"Boy, if you don't take this dollar, I'm gonna slap your face."

As far as quick rides, though, you have to dress for it. If your in the midwest, wear flannel and jeans and you'll get picked up faster since you look local. If you're in a city, where a button up shirt so you don't look like a bum. if you anywhere else, wear bright colors (yellow seemed to be the best). A dark blue or black shirt will never get you picked up.

[Edited on October 9, 2007 at 7:21 PM. Reason : .]

10/9/2007 7:18:56 PM

very cool.

10/18/2007 10:26:03 AM

good thread. I have travelled all over the US as well, but I did it by driving. hitching would be a crazy experience.

10/18/2007 11:10:17 AM

this thread is retarded... proof that evolution failed.

11/8/2007 12:01:20 AM

11/8/2007 12:19:56 AM

Madman's basic logic is retarded. Proof that Mrs. Jenkins' Fifth Grade Language/Arts Class failed.

11/8/2007 1:04:03 AM

this stuff sounds so intense

11/8/2007 1:11:14 AM

I highly doubt any of the shit you write is real, but who knows I guess
since, after all, this is an internet message board.

11/8/2007 1:34:59 AM

^ that's an interesting comment. to be honest, I'm surprised more people haven't voiced skepticism about my stories being real. Sometimes it seems totally surreal to me when i think back on it. like it was a dream, or a story that i read about someone else.

I'll tell you, and you can believe it or not, I have so far been 100% honest with what ive written in this thread. i dont have a need to exaggerate or lie about any of this shit -- the truth is weird enough already. but i have been considering how i might take "creative license" if i were to try and put this together into a book.

for instance, I have had 4 separate "adventures" spanning a total of about 2 years ... would i try to stitch unrelated events together for better narrative flow?

also, i might write under a pseudonym and change names of places so i couldnt be traced. im not sure I'd want the notoriety if people in my social and professional sphere knew about this aspect of my life. My wife, for instance, doesn't want to hear about the details. she knows some basics, but I don't get into much specifics. And my kid is 3 years old now. I don't think I want him idealizing his old man's "adventures" when he's 14.

11/8/2007 1:57:29 AM

this makes me feel bad for never picking up a hitchhiker

11/8/2007 1:59:04 AM

i never pick up hitchhikers any more.

fuck those guys. crazy bastards might try and rob me. or worse

11/8/2007 2:23:34 AM

hey 1985

tell me, did you do much travelling by foot? like around towns or cities? how did you do it? i mean, did you carry all of your stuff with you in a backpack or soemthing, or would you somehow store it somewhere.

did you go about town looking like you had been on the road for a month with few showers or real beds, or would you try to clean up once you got in town?

we have a lot of homeless-type people around here. some are professional bums. they just panhandle and utilize services indefinitely. you can tell because they're always sizing you up whether to ask for money. panhandlers only look at you like a mark, or an opportunity. youre not real to them, and theyre probably not real to many other people.

other vaguely homeless type people i see look bummy (as in dirty, a bit ragged maybe, needing a shower and laundromat) but they're often toting a large backpack, and got sturdy boots on, maybe even a walking staff... and they seem like they're on their way somewehre. when they look at you, they dont look like they're sizing you up as a target ... i.e., they dont look like they are interested in begging for money.

im wondering how you felt like you were fitting in around various towns. did you always have a goal to get somewhere, someone you know, or were you often aimless in your wandering. did you have different periods where you felt like a complete social outcast, versus times where you felt like maybe just a traveller.

11/9/2007 1:12:01 AM

Hey, I kind of forgot about this thread. Sorry to everyone who asked questions that I never answered.

A quick update: I took the bus back to Salem, OR (Probably scarier than hitchhiking itself). I moved into an apartment, but find it hard to enjoy staying in the same place. Joe_Schmoe, how did you manage to settle down? I haven't even managed to find a job that I'd want.

Some answers to questions.

I didn't get to travel around towns as much as I would have liked to, simply because of the backpack. If I did it again, I would carry much much less. Trying to go into a coffee shop or store unnoticed with a 40 lb bag on your back is very hard to do. I went out to eat sometimes, but of course I'd get the stares from the wait staff and customers. Every person I saw judged me. That was probably the hardest part, since I was determined to never ask for help, and no one dared to approach me to offer any, most days were extraordinarily lonely days. Some days I wouldn't worry about my gear, in a small town or something, and just store it in the bushes and live normally.

Anyway, I'm here for the winter, then I'm thinking of moving to Australia/New Zealand next year. Maybe do the same thing, but actually be a traveler.

12/18/2007 8:36:58 PM

^go a-waltzing Matilda?

12/18/2007 8:48:35 PM

Quote :

"Joe_Schmoe, how did you manage to settle down?"

pussy.

getting it's one thing .... keeping it, that's what's hard.

so first you get a job, then everything else snowballs from there.







[Edited on December 19, 2007 at 12:34 AM. Reason : ]

12/19/2007 12:31:42 AM

Do y'all carry febreeze with you when you hitchhike? I think I'd be more inclined to pick up hitchhikers if they had a bottle of frebreeze on display so they could spray the seat down when they get out.

12/19/2007 9:50:34 AM

I just got back from almost hitchhiking in Uruguay. Me and my woman would take the bus to random cities and find a hostel there whenever we got in. It's sort of the same, only a lot different.

12/19/2007 11:02:53 AM

bumping this.

parallel story being featured on ABC about the college grad who was decided to be homeless in Charleston SC, to prove how easy it is.

2/20/2008 1:35:19 PM

^When is the story airing?

2/20/2008 2:57:09 PM

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/story?id=4298321&page=1

2/20/2008 2:59:32 PM

^^^ thread in soap box referring to that kid - are poor people lazy

2/20/2008 3:08:22 PM

^^fuck him. bullshit.

2/20/2008 3:09:23 PM

a+++++ thread would read again

2/20/2008 3:11:08 PM

That ABC story was very interesting.

2/20/2008 5:05:38 PM

Quote :

"Would your project have changed if you'd had child-care payments or been required to report to a probation officer? Wouldn't that have made it much harder? The question isn't whether I would have been able to succeed. I think it's the attitude that I take in: "I've got child care. I've got a probation officer. I've got all these bills. Now what am I going to do? Am I going to continue to go out to eat and put rims on my Cadillac? Or am I going to make some things happen in my life...?" "

yeah! you lazy blacks

2/20/2008 5:25:54 PM

Thanks for posting that. Interesting story. I actually thought of doing the same thing, to deny my educated background and see how far I could get. I decided against it though, because of all the deception I would have to espouse. I wouldn't feel comfortable with it.

I didn't get to see the documentary, but from reading the transcript I don't thing he gave enough credit to his education. His speech and mannerisms were probably more appropriate than the average person not going on to college, and therefore would have been better off at interviews and whatnot.

On a side note, It took me 4 months, but I managed to fully furnish my apartment for free off of craigslist and freecycle.

2/20/2008 5:32:17 PM

Link to some pics posted by a guy who is apparently living the hobo lifestyle for a while.

http://svr84.ehostpros.com/~plrds84/adc1.htm


Awesome photos. Number 23 is a little sketchy.

Pulled this link from another board I post on. Evidently one of the poster's cousin was one of these train jumpers and killed himself by jumping in front of a train recently and was sent this link by the feller that took em.


Or maybe they are just junkies, either way, the photographer is amazing

Here are more: http://svr84.ehostpros.com/~plrds84/fred0.htm


More info: http://www.needles-pens.com/polaroidkidd.html

[Edited on March 25, 2008 at 9:27 PM. Reason : asdf]

3/25/2008 9:12:44 PM

Wow - those are some damn good shots. That dude's got a good eye for the crazy.

3/26/2008 9:21:15 AM

Nice pictures. Thats all the crap that I tried to avoid. And did, for the most part. Do you know what parts of the country those were taken in?

3/26/2008 12:52:59 PM

From what I can tell a lot of them were taken in the Oakland area.

Quote :

" traveled various stretches between Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, California, Oregon, Washington, and Pennsylvania, where I am now. "

Here is an "interview" with him.

http://www.fecalface.com/SF/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=57&Itemid=92

I wouldn't mind a full blown coffee table book of this stuff with accompanying story lines. It seems he sold some books in the past but they were just some that he made himself. If I had some dough, I would pay this kid and make a book. Fascinating really.

[Edited on March 26, 2008 at 1:01 PM. Reason : quote]

3/26/2008 12:59:17 PM

nudge

6/23/2008 12:37:18 PM

Small update/advertisement : Ive recently been getting into the Couch Surfing community (http://www.couchsurfing.com). Its sort of an outlet for my wanderlust, at least I get to hear about other peoples adventures. I haven't hosted yet, but have gone to some local community events and loved the people that were involved. I really wish I had done it on my trip, but I'm sure I'll get a chance later on.

my advise to anyone that might want to surf in the future, plan an event with surfers in your area to get references. Then when you hit the road you wont have any problems finding a couch to stay the night.

I might hitch out to Bend OR this weekend to take some pictures, ill update with stories.

8/13/2008 2:58:33 PM

are you still on the road? i want to travel to Bend myself to see if its worth living there.

[Edited on August 13, 2008 at 3:06 PM. Reason : please post pics]

8/13/2008 3:05:52 PM

^No, I live in Salem, OR for now, but am looking to move again in a few months. Are you in oregon? Bend is a beautiful area, but a little too expensive for me.

8/13/2008 3:30:21 PM

I am looking at a grad school there. I love the outdoors and feel like it would be a good fit.

I am also planning a trip, fly into Seattle, and drive down to Bend, then the entire PCH.

[Edited on August 13, 2008 at 3:32 PM. Reason : ]

8/13/2008 3:31:56 PM