# Hitching during lockdowns



## Deleted member 28591 (Sep 5, 2020)

Yo. Just tried hitching out of Merced, CA for 7 hours. No luck, decided to grab an ultra cheap flight to Sacramento to try my luck around there, or find a place to be. It was outrageously hot today, haha, 104 to be exact. I look pretty clean and neat, have super long hair. My personality is garbage, but people tell me I’m attractive all the time! Throw off a surfer vibe, though I don’t surf (though I would). 

Forgive the vanity, or flame me for it, whatever. My point is, I thought I’d have an easier time getting a ride. I had no luck at all. Had a dope sign, was posted right next to a highway at a gas station corner. 

Was it Merced? Was it the lockdowns? Was it that people could feel the arrogance coming off me as they drove by?

Anyone else tried hitching recently
near Merced, or Cali, or anywhere? What’s the scoop?

Also, I’m on the side of thinking the lockdowns are overblown and that in general the perception of covid is totally irrational, and the numbers are fudged, and etc etc. So, please save any snark you were loading on that topic.


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## roughdraft (Sep 6, 2020)

@Bushpig was saying he had plenty of luck pretty recently.

I reckon with the lockdowns gradually calming down, things will normalize rapidly enough. 

Yeah maybe it's that people see how gorgeous you are and think "eh, too good to be true"

Try to rub a bunch of mustard on the front of a white t-shirt and rip a couple holes in it ?

I crack myself up, nah, I have never hitchhiked in California but something tells me it's just blown out


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## Bushpig (Sep 9, 2020)

roughdraft said:


> @Bushpig was saying he had plenty of luck pretty recently.


I've hitched in California in the past, but not since Covid. I don't think it'll be that much different. But I move while hitching. You'll have better luck, and if not, you'll still be making progress. If I'm not up for walking, I post up at a truck stop. Plenty of food and water. And when you do get a ride, it'll be a long-distance one. 

I'm currently resting up, but hoping to hit the road going westward later this month. I'll let everyone know how it goes for me, but I don't expect any Covid-related problems. Just the normal difficulties.


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## Potts (Nov 30, 2020)

I've never been anywhere near Merced, or anywhere in Cali, except for OC and and brief jaunt through some of L.A. but I've never had any luck anywhere else hitching. Countless hours of smiling, holding my thumb up, and near begging at truck stops. Have availed about a total of 5 rides. 2 were memorable and one, life changing. The lesser of the two happened recently. It was a kid, my ageish..35-40 driving a Tecate box truck. Our conversation about meth and how he got sober, and how our hometown of Dodge City was the same made it seem fitting he reach behind the console type thing between the seats a whip out and crack, an ice cold Tecate. The first was the life game changer..it was a guy outside of Vegas who had split up with his "old lady" in Cali somewhere and had been up on Coke for a couple days. We drank a lot of budweiser beers...my first time doing a grab n go beer run. I was 19 and got the shit kicked out of me, literally. One of 3 or 4 guys who rushed outta the store after me in Albuquerque hit hard. I was scrambling away and getting drilled, shook a turd out of my Dickies. The guy started freaking out about no beer, and I somehow ditched and slipped him. It was life changing cause I saw a train rolling and grabbed it. I got off in some town south of Albuquerque. None of this has anything to do with Merced really or anything you mentioned. Except my opinion is that hitching sucks. I used to travel and live with some form of couth. Always clean cut haircut cologne and still had all my teeth. Also is it anyone elses experience that only gay men offer rides, or I mean men who didn't know they were gay until they picked another man up. 
Good luck with covid though. It has most civilians I've met very well shook. Cheers,


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## Bushpig (Dec 6, 2020)

Got distracted, but I'm back in Indy from my recent trip. Leaning from Indy, I made it to Chicago, spent a few days, goat a good ride to California, spent time in Sacramento and Bakersfield, then Tucson for a few days, then back to Indiana. Had trouble getting a ride out of Dallas, TX and ended up taking greyhound (since I found almost $300 walking highway). Again, other than Texas, no more trouble than pre-Covid.


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## Roadtroll (Aug 15, 2021)

Up in canada during first lockdown was harder but honestly not by much.

Ive had as easy if not easier a time hitching since early spring this year.

If anything im noticing now people being less paranoid there may actually be more drivers out there that wouldnt have been pre pandemic.


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## Tony G (Aug 20, 2021)

Honestly i don't hitch but id imagine it was harder now hopping was way easy during the pandemic


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## Bibs (Aug 20, 2021)

I've hitched a shitton around the central valley and its just hit or miss all the time. 
You could be waiting seven minutes, or seven hours, or even seven days if your luck is bad. 
There's a lot of tweakers who hitch out there too, and that's done nothing to help the image of hitchhikers. 
If you're out there again your best bet would be to get to highway 5 and hope for the best. Be safe, have fun. Good luck.
With gratitude, -Ian


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## ElNayshon (Aug 29, 2021)

It was easy for me last year I gave up until things clear. Flights are still down low enough. Hell if you don’t have any luggage you you can get tickets for less than the dirty dog.


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## TheDesertMouse (Sep 2, 2021)

IanIam said:


> I've hitched a shitton around the central valley and its just hit or miss all the time.
> You could be waiting seven minutes, or seven hours, or even seven days if your luck is bad.
> There's a lot of tweakers who hitch out there too, and that's done nothing to help the image of hitchhikers.
> If you're out there again your best bet would be to get to highway 5 and hope for the best. Be safe, have fun. Good luck.
> With gratitude, -Ian


I disagree, the 5 is just as hit or miss as the 99. Hitchhike into the foothills, if your in Merced for example, just fly a “Yosemite” sign. Get to the 49 and hitch north or south along it. Waaaay easier rides, its a bit higher up too so its not as hot and its way easier to find nice camping spots. And food. Actually The foothills are just 200% better then the valley in almost every way.

There are also a few rrliable sidings in the valley that you can hit up. Infact I’ve never successfully hitched directly out of the valley, I always go via the mountains or the trains.


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