Living Car Free - Hitchhiking

So I know that hitching doesnt always involve bicycles, but I was just curious as to how many people still hitch frequently. Any good stories? Hitching with bikes? Grand Adventures? This is open for discussion.

I have been going on fun weekend trips all around Oregon. I love to see all of the different people.

I haven't hitch-hiked since maybe 1979... Last time I tried, no one picked me up. I completed the trip on foot, all 7 miles. :(

I had to hitchhike in Northern California after my touring partner blew through the sidewall of their rear tire. We were two smelly, hair lookign dudes with big heavey bikes and we got a ride after about 15 minutes from a nice guy with an empty pick up truck to the next town about 8 miles away.

I don't know but it sounds dangerous in today's world. Heck it wasn't safe to do in 1979 either but the people who do pick up hitch hikers can range from normal to out of this world. Play it safe and ride the bus. It's cheap.

I'm not sure hitchhiking is even a viable option any more. I used tot hitchhike a lot when I was younger, and I picked up my fair share of hitchhikers when I had a car, but I haven't seen a single hitchhiker anywhere since the 1990's.

I hitchhiked a lot in my youth. Never with bicycles though. Lots of good memories, the best ride being one that started with a short wait near Lone Pine, CA and ended up at my door in Santa Barbara in only one ride. Things have changed.

I stopped picking up hitchhikers when one gave me a severely memorable case of the flu.

On the road and The Dharma bums By Jack Kerouac... Great reads and some good hitchin (not so much biking though)! Must have been the glory days of it in the US (40's - 50's).

I think many people still practice the fine art of hitchhiking lol but there is a ton of fear associated with it these days. My mother and her friends busted it in the mid 70's... Stopped it when they got in with a nasty old guy who had no pants on... Ass, gas, cash or grass I guess. Nobody rides for free Hahahaha!

I'd rather walk than hitchike....too many loons out there.

Well this all bums me out. I was hoping to hear some good experiences from people, but it sounds like everyone is going with the normal view of society. I have not been picked up by any creeps or weirdos. Ever. My hitching has all been in Oregon and Northern California. Does that make a difference? I was just hoping that more people had faith in the goodness of others. Do you really believe that everyone is out to hurt or molest you? That is a very sad outlook in my opinion. The bus might be cheaper than a plane, but hitchin is free.

Well this all bums me out. I was hoping to hear some good experiences from people, but it sounds like everyone is going with the normal view of society. I have not been picked up by any creeps or weirdos. Ever. My hitching has all been in Oregon and Northern California. Does that make a difference? I was just hoping that more people had faith in the goodness of others. Do you really believe that everyone is out to hurt or molest you? That is a very sad outlook in my opinion. The bus might be cheaper than a plane, but hitchin is free.

Probably most people who offer candy to children are kindly people with good intentions. Its free too!

Probably most people who offer candy to children are kindly people with good intentions. Its free too!
Count on ILTB to have a know-it-all remark about something he's never tried!

I hitchiked all over N. America and Europe, many thousands of miles, without ever having a close call of the criminal kind.

However, as society became more paranoid, starting in the early 1970s, it became increasingly difficult to get rides. My last trip took me from Detroit to NYC. I got impossibly stuck in New Jersey on the way home, and ended up calling my sister to wire me money for a bus ticket back home. I think that was about 1978 or so.

But for a long time hitchhiking was definitely a nice carlight way to travel. Man it was fun!

Well this all bums me out. I was hoping to hear some good experiences from people, but it sounds like everyone is going with the normal view of society. I have not been picked up by any creeps or weirdos. Ever. My hitching has all been in Oregon and Northern California. Does that make a difference? I was just hoping that more people had faith in the goodness of others. Do you really believe that everyone is out to hurt or molest you? That is a very sad outlook in my opinion. The bus might be cheaper than a plane, but hitchin is free.

I'm glad to hear somebody is still hitching. Like I said above, I dodn't stop because of my fear, but because people seemed to get too afraid to pick me up.

Our society seriously overrates some dangers, like riding with strangers or riding a bike in traffic. At the same time they seriously underrate other dangers like diabetes from a sedentary lifestyle and high blood pressure from having a fearful attitude toward life.

I'm really glad to see Lenore Skenazy bringing up this issue with her book about free range kids (http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/).

Count on ILTB to have a know-it-all remark about something he's never tried!

I hitchiked all over N. America and Europe, many thousands of miles, without ever having a close call of the criminal kind.

However, as society became more paranoid, starting in the early 1970s, it became increasingly difficult to get rides. My last trip took me from Detroit to NYC. I got impossibly stuck in New Jersey on the way home, and ended up calling my sister to wire me money for a bus ticket back home. I think that was about 1978 or so.

But for a long time hitchhiking was definitely a nice carlight way to travel. Man it was fun!
Yeah, what happened to us? Last time was about 1979. Really, what happened was there some TV blitz
or something? All of a sudden it seemed like people didn't do it anymore. I got a job and old car about that time.
Last time I picked up a hitchiker with my "new" used VW van:
I picked up a middle aged woman around 1980. She was returning from a court appearance, as a witness. That
was her story. It was too bizarre to be made up. She was telling me that some guy put something in her drink and
knocked her out. When she woke up she had bite marks all over her body. So they caught the guy by matching teeth
marks to teeth. She had to testify that the last thing she remembered was drinking with the same guy.

I had some weirdo drivers pick me up but mostly not. Maybe twice in thousands of miles. A few times people picked
me up who were in a hurry. Why stop when you're in a hurry? One guy got me North to South across Georgia in
record time down two lane roads Highway 17 I think. He had this old Mercedes. At Jacksonville Fla. I complemented him on his high speed driving and passing skills. He said he was a race car driver. Wild.

Count on ILTB to have a know-it-all remark about something he's never tried!

Wrong again Jack-O! I wasn't allowed to bring my car to Penn State as a freshman and frequently hitch hiked the 200 miles from Philadelphia. But since when is knowing what you are talking about a qualification for reading your crystal ball and making smug remarks?

Or maybe you were referring to handing out candy to school kids, on that subject I will have to defer to those car free people with more experience.

I hitchiked all over N. America and Europe, many thousands of miles, without ever having a close call of the criminal kind.

However, as society became more paranoid, starting in the early 1970s, it became increasingly difficult to get rides. My last trip took me from Detroit to NYC. I got impossibly stuck in New Jersey on the way home, and ended up calling my sister to wire me money for a bus ticket back home. I think that was about 1978 or so.

But for a long time hitchhiking was definitely a nice carlight way to travel. Man it was fun!

Only problem is that the OP lives in the present, not in the time warp that you so fondly remember.

Only problem is that the OP lives in the present, not in the time warp that you so fondly remember.

Yeah, when not hitchhiking or riding my bike, I prefer to travel in my Wayback Machine.



http://uthpstr.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/mr_peabody_and_sherman.JPG?w=191&h=160

Yeah, when not hitchhiking or riding my bike, I prefer to travel in my Wayback Machine.



http://uthpstr.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/mr_peabody_and_sherman.JPG?w=191&h=160

Oh, I don't know. I'd estimate that a goodly number of your posts are made while you are wearing your wizard's hat and guesstimating the future.

Occasionally, you post a trenchant observation about the reality that exists for people who are not wrapped up in a simple life ascetic lifestyle.

Oh, I don't know. I'd estimate that a goodly number of your posts are made while you are wearing your wizard's hat and guesstimating the future.

Occasionally, you post a trenchant observation about the reality that exists for people who are not wrapped up in a simple life ascetic lifestyle.

Thanks...I think.

We both forgot to mention that besides bike, hitchhiking and the Wayback Machine, I especially love to ride my high horse. ;)


http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:_0JmGiVYX-vi6M:http://rubyshooz.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/high-horse.jpg

Thanks...I think.

We both forgot to mention that besides bike, hitchhiking and the Wayback Machine, I especially love to ride my high horse. ;)


http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:_0JmGiVYX-vi6M:http://rubyshooz.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/high-horse.jpg

Well, seeing as how I'm a grown man who rides a bicycle out in public, and in traffic no less, I tend to hold back a little in making judgments about who is normal enough and who is not. Ride on, Roody!

I pick up hitchhikers if I have time to spare and they don't look homeless or crazy. I don't think anyone likes riding with people who smell real bad. I picked up some guy near Orlando once who may have been an escaped convict. Be careful out there.

I picked up hitchers at every chance I had - twice in ten years of car ownership. Both times they were foreign students, one bunch on a backpacking trip, the others working at a fruit farm. Neither group seemed in the slightest bit threatening.

I pick up hitchhikers if I have time to spare and they don't look homeless or crazy. I don't think anyone likes riding with people who smell real bad. I picked up some guy near Orlando once who may have been an escaped convict. Be careful out there.


I picked up hitchers at every chance I had - twice in ten years of car ownership. Both times they were foreign students, one bunch on a backpacking trip, the others working at a fruit farm. Neither group seemed in the slightest bit threatening.

This guy look normal enough for you?
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v423/n6939/fig_tab/423497a_F1.html (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v423/n6939/fig_tab/423497a_F1.html)

This guy look normal enough for you?
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v423/n6939/fig_tab/423497a_F1.html (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v423/n6939/fig_tab/423497a_F1.html)

Ted Bundy is a ridiculous example and I think you know it. :rolleyes:


What do you really think about the risks of hitchhiking? I'm betting that you'll say we don't have enough data to form good conclusions or even opinions. These issues are right up your alley, and I really am looking forward to learning what you think.

In my driving career, I probably picked up over 100 hitchhikers. Most of them were interesting, nice people. One or two were drunk. One was a pothead who got so annoyed that I didn't have any pot that he asked me to stop and let him out. One asked me for money. One asked me if I'd accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior (I said I was a Mormon, just to shut him up). One guy, a little dirty, with long hair and somewhat soiled clothes, who'd just spent 3 months in a remote region of Wyoming, living off the land, or so he said, took out a rather large knife and started sharpening it, then quickly put it away and apologized profusely when I mentioned that the knife made me really uncomfortable.

Some of these people were annoying, but none were dangerous, at least not dangerous to me. I kind of saw it as an interesting way to see into the lives of people I might not meet otherwise. I can sort of see, though, why it fell out of favor. It's a very unreliable form of transportation, especially if no one has the balls to pick you up, and even if the vast majority of rides are safe, it would totally suck to end up winning that lottery.

I and some of my friends used to hitchhike all over the eastern half of the country back in the 80s. We were cadets at one of our nation's service academies and wearing our uniforms was the ticket to unlimited rides.

The best trip was one-ride from NYC to the front door of our seedy motel in Fort Lauderdale. The three of us hitchers did almost all the driving and the car owner, a middle-aged beach bum type, spent the trip sleeping and drinking beer and smoking (something other than tobacco). Good times.

I've hitched thousands of miles all over Canada. Had several good moments. A handful of creepy old man and a young one that was pretty clear about his desires but was very cool after being declined. Never once feared for my life. I'd do it again but I have a car and pick up hitchers when I see them, sometimes going out of my way to their destination or a better hitching spot.

I think it's sad that people are so affraid.

I think it's sad that people are so affraid.
Yeah, once I was stuck between ferry's on Martha's Vineyard with a friend. We were walking from one town to another and I was telling him we should hitch a ride. He didn't want to because of cops or weirdos or whatever. As I was arguing with him a guy stopped to ask us if we wanted a ride. The guy had just bought an old car and wanted to drive it. He gave us a wonderful fisherman's tour of the island and got us to our ferry to New Bedford on time. It was a wonderful afternoon. Much better than sulking along the road being paranoid about weirdos and cops.

Between 1975 and 1981 I hitched about 25,000 miles on trips over two hours (I kept a diary) including short trips I'd say another ten or twelve thousand more. I didn't have many wierdos and a few come-ons from guys but mostly just folks trying to help out. My best trip was Newport ,R.I. to Summerville, S.C.(Charleston) in 18 hours and six rides. I got a ride from the I-95/I-80 split to I-25 in S.C. in brand new Alfa-Romeo coupe the guy must have done 70 to 90 MPH the whole way with a radar detector and CB radio going. Most of my hitching now is across a big toll bridge with no ped crossing.