# dude, fuck hitchhiking.



## maus

straight up. or at least fuck how crappy it is anyway. fuck how many people pick you up that are creepy and controlling or preachy and tell you to get a job or just plain fucking nuts. its so not good in most places. a hitchhiking trip in so cal this past winter was the turning point of me saying 'fuck it, i want a pickup truck'.

i imagine the current economic downturn, especially if it gets worse, will lead to more people riding trains, great depression style, thus making it easier - but will it lead to more people picking up hitchhikers?? im guessing the opposite...


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## Matt Derrick

i dunno if it will make more ppl pick up hitchhikers... perhaps, but yeah, i feel you on the hitchhiking thing. and it gets worse the older you get. that era has just really passed us by in this new millennium of ours. i say get a bike. my prediction is that bike or bus travel will be the next big thing in the coming years.


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## macks

hopefully they won't start doing 6 month work camps for being picked up as a vagrant, depression style.


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## Dameon

When hitching is good, it's real good. When it sucks, it really sucks. I like how often rides turn into people giving me money or buying me a meal or is just cool people. I dislike when it's creepy people and you're stuck in a small space with them, or you get dropped off in the middle of nowhere, or that kind of thing.

I think sometimes you just have to take the good with the bad.


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## wokofshame

yeah i flipped off some tough guy biker in a pickup this morning after not being picked up for an hour and a half, in rush hour, he stopped and grabbed something from his truck and started walking back. i just skated away but he stayed parked there for 10 minutes until I got a ride. some people???????????


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## finn

I've personally never had to pull a knife while hitch hiking, though for that I have a little panic knife, which is a sharp little blade held upside down on a kydex sheath. It's not terribly threatening, but it's meant to be pulled fast to cut up something quick and not look mean. I've had my hand close to it only on one ride from a creepy postal worker when me and a friend were desperate for a ride out of the middle of nowhere. Nothing happened though.

Hey Arrow, I thought you were going to post more stories instead of short teaser summaries...


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## RandomRaccoon

macks said:


> hopefully they won't start doing 6 month work camps for being picked up as a vagrant, depression style.



FUck it maan, alot of those cats in the thirties, when they got sent to a work camp would get a new pair of boots and work clothes given and then fuck off, hick the hundred miles back to the nearest cc and take off with good gear...


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## Mouse

I feel ya on the wanting a pick up truck. I'm so over hitching. I haven't had that many bad experiences but it jsut gets old. trains aren't really my thing so I'd rather just drive.


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## Dameon

Well, there's a certain freedom you can only have without a car or truck, too. Vehicle = responsibilities and necessity for money.


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## maus

its funy but i just had an amazing hitchhiking trip from santa cruz to portland. i was with a lady and also this exact corridor is probably the best region to hitch in in the u.s. the last guy who picked us up and drove us from humboldt to pdx was this sculptor in a toyota pickup with a shell, which my friend and i chillaxed in the whole time, and i was like "dude i am so getting one of these in the next year." as fucked up as oil is, i cant wait to be a rubber tramp. in the meantime though i think i am going to hitch the 1 from crescent city to santa cruz!


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## Speedy

Maine was the best place i ever hitched. Bunch of really nice old ex hippies that got good stories and good pot


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## wokofshame

maine, yeah! a particular ride stands out: Jan and Jim, two ex-felon rednecks cruising around to get away from their wives and get some doctor mcgillicuddy's "we'll be rolling with the Doctor". we go on a side trip to find a wild apple tree, doing U-ies when we pass it several times, so we can produce a apple pipe.


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## macks

that's a pretty awesome score on the ride from humboldt to portland. most of the rides i've gotten on the 101 in that region have been short, but people are pretty good about giving hitchhikers a ride on the northern coast in my experience.


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## Mouse

I know there's a different degree of responsibility and limits you have to except when you have a vehic. but hey, we all gotta grow up sometime. I'd rather have a comfy place to sleep all the time and pay a lil gas than always be sleeping out and bumming rides. 

plus, I plan on working, making art, and being more sane an productive the next time around.

NEVER SPANGE AGAIN!


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## marc

spanging sucks thats why i always travel with a instrument. it makes making money alot easier


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## Dameon

Spanging does suck, and I always travel with an instrument too so I don't have to spange...But sadly, I see spangers make more than I can busking. It's very depressing to spend an hour busking for $10 then see a friend go spend 10 minutes flying a sign and get a $20 bill.

I don't agree that we all have to grow up sometime. I don't plan to grow up. Ever. EVAR.


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## elokupa

its all well and good saying 'fuck hitchhiking, ill get a car' no all of us can afford a car. plus i would never become a slave to an oil giant.

hitchhiking is great no matter what you say. I do it in europe and its fine, you only meet awesome people. never had experiences with weirdos.


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## Mouse

growing up doesn't always mean growing lame. maturity is unavoidable. life teaches you shit that you can't ignore. Or you can do the same stupid shit over and over and never progress at all. whatever makes you happy I guess. haha.
-------------------------
anyone can afford a car. get $500 and you can get a car that runs enough to get you someplace. saying you can't afford a car just means you're not willing to work and get the money it takes to get a car.


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## Beegod Santana

I've done the rubber tramp thing and feel that packing it is always better. When you have a car on the road money is a constant issue, much more so then when hitchhiking. One bad breakdown or getting impounded in the wrong city can easily be the end of your vechicle. Then there's always gas, tolls, general upkeeep and the dangers of being pulled over. I find myself spanging more when travelling with a car because work isn't always available and you always need gas. Basically, cars are like cell phones, its awesome when everyone but you has one.


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## Mouse

I guess my plans are a bit different. I want to stay in one town for a few months at a time and having a car would make it easy to set up a small life in a new town, get a real job, have a place to sleep.

all you gotta do is make friends with someone with a back yard or other chill place to park and there's no worries.


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## elokupa

Mouse said:


> growing up doesn't always mean growing lame. maturity is unavoidable. life teaches you shit that you can't ignore. Or you can do the same stupid shit over and over and never progress at all. whatever makes you happy I guess. haha.
> -------------------------
> anyone can afford a car. get $500 and you can get a car that runs enough to get you someplace. saying you can't afford a car just means you're not willing to work and get the money it takes to get a car.



gah! my flesh is still young but probably not so tender; 

when i said couldnt afford one, i meant the petrol and i hate the fact you are forced to buy from these corporate conglomerations; lifes full of difficult decisions...

actually, what happens if the pigs stop you and youve got no insurance? hefty fine?


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## wokofshame

you gotta register in the state of NH. they have absolutely no law requiring insurance on your vehicle.


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## Mouse

I guess where you're at gas prices are way higher. gas is getting bad here but it's still not as bad as in europe and othe places. 

NH??! really. very good info. thanks so much!


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## Poking Victim

I'm done with hitchhiking as well. Most people driving have nice cars and don't give a fuck about you. I have to have cigarettes to hitchhike 'cause I get so aggravated


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## macks

yeah i'm with you on this one. getting stuck in sacramento in the hot hot hot sun definately soured me on hitching. but whatever, i think it all depends on where you're at. i've never had any problems in the northwest so i'll probably hitch up there again. but for other travels i think i'll keep my destinations with in a public bus ride from a crew change.


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## Labea

one post-apocalyptic day i might just drive a car, but for now, i'll ride free.


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## wildboy860

yea... if you register your vehicle in the state of NH as a non profit organization you get ur vehicle insurance for like 50$ 4 the whole year.


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## Monkeywrench

Poking Victim said:


> I have to have cigarettes to hitchhike 'cause I get so aggravated



A-fucking-men. I'm almost too hesitant to ride in nice cars anymore because I know the driver will most likely encourage to 'grow up and get a job' and there will be no smoking allowed. 

Anyway, I still won't fucking buy a car. A) I don't have the money. B) Even the worst times on the road make up a bigger picture that I love living.


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## soodoenim

*Hitchhiking in the Digital Age.*

While I share your sentiment about hitchhiking, and its many seedy and unsavory qualities--proselytizers, political and sexual wierdos, exposure to the elements, that sinking feeling that the bulk of humanity is without any modicum of compassion, etc.--I must say that I keep coming back to it again and again because I love to meet people at their best. The fact of the matter, at least for myself and all of my road doggs, is that the majority of people who offer us a ride are doing a good thing, even if they aren't usually the best of people. 

Which isn't to say that I want to change the tone of this thread, because it's good to share the shitty stuff about hitchhiking. In fact, I think that my preferred method of hitchhiking is probably a shitty last-resort for many others. I like to put my final destination on a cardboard sign, secure it to my pack, and just walk the interstates. I might walk a bunch of miles on a given day, but I've never gotten better rides. I once got a ride in Calgary that took me all the way to Thunder Bay this way. Granted, it was fucking cold up there, and I walked from the West end of Calgary to the East before finally getting a ride. Oh, and when the guy pulled over, because he was a Tractor Trailer pulling three trailers of timber, it took him about a mile to stop, so I had to jog that with my pack on. All the same, there's nothing much more glorious than landing a ride like that after a hike like that. It's because of the suffering that I could savor the sweetness.
Peace and Love,
Dan


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## soodoenim

Oh, and Craigslist is out there now for those moments when you don't want to pay for a ride, but don't want to wait or walk for one either.


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## GutterGrayse

It's definitely tedious. But sometimes you've got to.


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## r3353

WOW,
i guess its been to long for me hitching in the states. ive gone from San Francisco to Vancouver, (mind you im a MN resident) but ive done LOTS ov hitching in Europe. All these shit stories ov weirdos in the states make me hate this country even more. Though im sure this is a bitch-thread, If you want to give up your thumb for the internal combustion engine. Remember evertime you start that ignition, some poor ass soldier fighting a war to pay for college is dying. If you are driving, it better be a good cause. Like saving a life or going to a good concert. i really don't think the horror stories are so true. Don't get me wrong, i drive once in a while too, but to actively deny a better method ov transport is just silly. ive met many travelers who are circling the world and the reverberating theme is the humanity in all the rides. And if we do all grow old and so ugly even a compassionate soul wouldn't pick us up, then maybe its our time to wander the wilderness...


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## Dirty Rig

I get frustrated hitch-hiking very easily. Typically after the first two and a half hours, I'm inclined to walk up to the nearest gas-station, grab a tallboy, and just nurse it while I hitch.

Every time I crack that can, EVERY SINGLE TIME, a ride pulls over and I have to sacrifice a full tallboy for the sake of a ride. A reasonable trade, but bittersweet never the less. Every fucking time.


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## RnJ

I recently got a nice long train ride, 21 hours. Decent for me, a newb. I thought it would suck hitching out this time 'round, and it was slow at first, but everybody I got a ride with was pretty cool. Some ex-electrician who decided to go self-sufficient, some native guy who just got out of the hospital from being stabbed in the stomach, some german kids in a VW, and then some music junky the rest of the way. it probably beats riding in a friggin grainer hole by myself. hitchhiking will probably always have it's place in my heart, though i do find it much more tedious in the us and other dead spots. no so cool when nobody picks you up for 3 or 4 days, but trains are sometimes no better.


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## mksnowboarder

Well, I may be newer to hitching than the rest of you, but I've had nothing but positive experiences. I can't ride trains without facing prison time because of probation, or else I would almost certainly choose that as a method of travel. To me, hopping trains isn't just about getting around - it's a fantastic adventure in and of itself. Hitching can be an adventure, but more likely will result in boredom. Granted, I've never done more than several hundred miles. I've only done a very little bit of riding freights, but I greatly prefer the solitude and the scenery, not to mention the whole "hide and sneak around the yard and jump on discreetly" aspect, which I find to be exciting beyond whatever normal society can offer.

To me, hitching is just a method to get somewhere when you must (despite probation, I go to music festivals frequently, and almost always rely on hitchhiking. Catching out is almost spiritual. I won't ignore the benefits of hitchhiking because of the downfalls, but it never hurts to be aware of them.

mike


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## Dirty Rig

there's nothing worse than a shitty hitch. but it someone is being inappropriate to you or yer roaddawg, you can whip out a knife and hop out of the car. what bothers me is those "iffy" rides. example: caught a ride to baltimore with some good ol' boy. vomit was in the front seat, with me and two other roaddawgs in the back. decent ride the whole way (upwards of a 120 mile ride, which is a pretty long hitch for me) until we pull into the city. then homeboy starts spewing a lot of racist ignorant bullshit.

now, he hasnt done anything to us personally, and we made our views very clear. he was offending us, and we weren't comfortable with what he was saying, but he persisted. what do you do in that situation? my gut instinct is to pull out my railspike and smack him in the temple with the blunt end. but my roaddawgs must've read my mind, because i was getting that "dude, dont fuck up, we need to get to baltimore" look from them all. that's what i hate the most. that uncomfortable "do i fuck this guy up, or do i put up with it for the sake of a ride?" situation. ugh.


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## Dirty Rig

sorry. i know this isnt a "bitch about bad hitches" thread, but i think this falls under the "fuck hitch-hiking" title


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## coolguyeagle76'

hitch because you care, or hitch because you dont.


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## mksnowboarder

Dirty Rig said:


> we weren't comfortable with what he was saying, but he persisted. what do you do in that situation? my gut instinct is to pull out my railspike and smack him in the temple with the blunt end.


 
You ask to be let out at the nearest possible spot to hitch from. You can't get violent just because people have different beliefs than you; you're acting just like the rest of society. Yeah, racism is whack, but fuck it, how much fun is life without the wackos and tribulations?

mike


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## Dirty Rig

Sorry. This is where I'm different from a lot of people. You bust out some ignorant fucking racist bullshit after I've already told you twice not to spew that shit, yer ass warrants a thrashing in my book. It's not PC, but I don't fucking tolerate bigotry. Not against blacks, not against women, and especially not against the residents of my hometown.


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## Dirty Rig

ps: there's nothing fucking fun about those wackos. wingnuts and homebums are one thing, but bigots get a beatdown.

which brings me back to my conundrum? is it worth it to fuck this guy up after he carried across state lines? further than he intended? does one good deed make up for a lifetime of hatred? my answer is no, but at a 3-1 vote, i had to concede to the wishes of the group, eh?

[/little jonny badass]


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## rezmutts

That is true. I usually take my lover along, It's faster, But you just don't jump in without checking if the person is sober.


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## creativitysucks

I don't mind hitchhiking, it tends to be the quickest way to get where I'm going. I've met a few creepers - one guy gave me a ride about five miles when he offered me 50 more miles to be able to feel my crotch through my jeans while masturbating. I pulled out my mace and told him to just keep driving and drop me off. I started walking the highway from there, just trying to make the next on-ramp when a cop pulled up and started giving me shit. We made friendly pretty quick though and he drove me 3 exits up to a truck stop and gave me $5 to get lunch! I bought beer instead, but regardless, a cop gave me money!

I'm a firm believer that dressing to please is a huge help in getting good rides. I put my day clothes in my pack, and switch into my 'fancy duds,' which I always take with me, and make myself smell better at a gas station. On a train there's no reason to worry about it, but yeah, I'll play their game. It's their ride after all!


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## Sandbeard

Dirty Rig said:


> Sorry. This is where I'm different from a lot of people. You bust out some ignorant fucking racist bullshit after I've already told you twice not to spew that shit, yer ass warrants a thrashing in my book. It's not PC, but I don't fucking tolerate bigotry. Not against blacks, not against women, and especially not against the residents of my hometown.



Well said. Everyone is allowed their own opinion, but when its outright offensive and have been told such, really they need to stfu.


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## RnJ

Dirty Rig said:


> there's nothing worse than a shitty hitch. but it someone is being inappropriate to you or yer roaddawg, you can whip out a knife and hop out of the car. what bothers me is those "iffy" rides. example: caught a ride to baltimore with some good ol' boy. vomit was in the front seat, with me and two other roaddawgs in the back. decent ride the whole way (upwards of a 120 mile ride, which is a pretty long hitch for me) until we pull into the city. then homeboy starts spewing a lot of racist ignorant bullshit.
> 
> now, he hasnt done anything to us personally, and we made our views very clear. he was offending us, and we weren't comfortable with what he was saying, but he persisted. what do you do in that situation? my gut instinct is to pull out my railspike and smack him in the temple with the blunt end. but my roaddawgs must've read my mind, because i was getting that "dude, dont fuck up, we need to get to baltimore" look from them all. that's what i hate the most. that uncomfortable "do i fuck this guy up, or do i put up with it for the sake of a ride?" situation. ugh.



This is how I feel with wingnuts and haters. Except I know I would never deliver a blow to him. For me it's more an ethical dilemma. As in, how could I just sit and listen to that bullshit without intervening, just to get myself a ride? Feels like I'm letting someone talk shit about certains kinds of people just so I can get a free ride. I usually try to provide soft arguments against whatever the driver is BSing about, like BS stories and hater propaganda.


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## ary

CHUGACHUGACHOOOOOCHOOOOOO!!!!!! all the way....only been hoppin for a yr n whenever i find myself hitchin, i just wanna blow up every minivan wit one person in it haha.....


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## LarZ

Matt Pist said:


> that era has just really passed us by in this new millennium of ours. i say get a bike. my prediction is that bike or bus travel will be the next big thing in the coming years.



Hitch hiking never was and never will be "the big thing". It's not simply a mode of transportation and (almost) anyone who has done it has felt the magic. The era isn't over just because you get less frequent rides. It changes, yes, but to something equally fulfilling, just at a slower pace. Waiting and waiting is completely worth that one ride who drives you all the way there, is great conversation, buys you dinner and drops you off at the edge of the woods with your leftovers, $10 and a joint. (that's a true story =)

I don't do it to get anywhere, or not primarily at least. You head in a particular direction and let the universe do with you what it will; crossing hundreds of other people's lives every hour, each that might make your day or you theirs. It's only aggravating if you're impatient or on a schedule, so don't be. Hitch hiking is beautiful and everyone should try it at least once.


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## brotherart

If i just have to go, i often hitchhike out, because i like to wait fr nightfall b4 hoppin out. However, i've got to get my train fix, and usually i can wait fr a train. 

i didn't feel like readin this whole thread, so i don't know if anyone mentioned it yet, but i make bank hitchin without even tryin. Usually, the folks end up really liking me and want to help me out. That's one of the best things about hitchin--the social and material resources. 

Rail workers have helped me with food, water, and info many times; but not nearly as often as hitched rides, especially since i try to avoid everyone when riding trains.


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## Diagaro

@larzkaz14. Fuckin right on man.


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## Melssen

All I can say is Fuck Arizona Hitchhiking took me and a friend 4 days to get from El Frieda to Santa Monica. Especially Tucson People are cool there but the cops fucking blow


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## Spirit

Dameon said:


> When hitching is good, it's real good. When it sucks, it really sucks. I like how often rides turn into people giving me money or buying me a meal or is just cool people. I dislike when it's creepy people and you're stuck in a small space with them, or you get dropped off in the middle of nowhere, or that kind of thing.
> 
> I think sometimes you just have to take the good with the bad.


 

^ word.


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## Dirty Rig

Matt Pist said:


> i dunno if it will make more ppl pick up hitchhikers... perhaps, but yeah, i feel you on the hitchhiking thing. and it gets worse the older you get. that era has just really passed us by in this new millennium of ours. i say get a bike. my prediction is that bike or bus travel will be the next big thing in the coming years.


 
BULLSHIT

look, im glad yer enthusiastic about yer bike, and i know its been the new "thing" for the past couple years, but i cant stand bicycles. they're ugly, uncomfortable, utterly useless for less-than-paved terrain, and they wear my fat-ass out. i know everyone and her brother is biking now, but it takes some cajones to say bikes will replace hitch-hiking. i'd rather walk across the states than straddle one of those hipster-robots. i absolutely do not see how the pro's outweigh the con's when it comes to biking.

that being said, have fun on yer bikes and dont mind me


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## Spirit

Dirty Rig said:


> BULLSHIT
> 
> look, im glad yer enthusiastic about yer bike, and i know its been the new "thing" for the past couple years, but i cant stand bicycles. they're ugly, uncomfortable, utterly useless for less-than-paved terrain, and they wear my fat-ass out. i know everyone and her brother is biking now, but it takes some cajones to say bikes will replace hitch-hiking. i'd rather walk across the states than straddle one of those hipster-robots. i absolutely do not see how the pro's outweigh the con's when it comes to biking.
> 
> that being said, have fun on yer bikes and dont mind me


HAHAHAHAH hipster robots i lol'd so hard man.


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## vagabond719r

I've lived in my van for over a year and a half now, parking in WalMart parking lots and blending in with the employee's cars. I have other places I go, but that's where I stay most often when in town. Finding a way to come up with cash to maintain it is worth it on those -15 degree nights. Getting the vehicle registered and insured, now that's the shitter. My van isn't any of that so every time I drive I have to be on cop watch constantly. If my van stalls, I gotta move fast getting it off the road, running, and back on the road. Or I have to abandon it, and most of the supplies that I have either worked for, or put the time and effort into building. Sometimes I wonder if it really is worth it all, but in the winter it's great. Friends or family are great in cases like this. Just park your vehicle in their yard while you go on brief stints of hitchhiking or whatever. If you are smart though, you can make it across country with a set of phony plates with a sticker from the state. I have a few times within the past couple of years to see family. I'll be making my way out west soon, and along the way I'll pick up people. My biggest problem when I hitchhiked was that the rides that you thought you'd get (VW's, cars full of stoners) never picked you up.


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## cricket

Dude i aggree hitching gets fucking annoying when you see large passenger vehicles fly by with maybe 2 people in it, but thanx to the DMV i cant get my license ( i am pretty much blind in my right eye) sooo hitching is were i am stuck at. bout to try my luck with frieght mayhaps.


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## Linda/Ziggy

I LOVE HITCHING !!
Yeah it can be CRAPPY at times, but that's usually the cops hassling me.
Otherwise I LOVE it. Meet cool & crazy peeps, have adventures.
Been hitching 30+ years, in the USA & UK.

REALLY if yer in a super hurry OR have a crappy attitude - DON'T HITCH.


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## NyxNomasters

I've only been hitchin a few months, but I've only had good experiences so far. A few creepers, but respectful when I have declined their advances. Having a wingman definitely helps that, I'm sure. Most rides hook me up with a meal or some cash. I've hardly had to panhandle due to good rides. One dude even gave me mystery drugs (some kind of white powder, which as a general rule I tend to avoid), which I gave to my adventurous brother to try out. 

I'm guessing my good luck so far is simply female privilege, but I try to keep myself looking as clean as possible, which also helps a lot. Hitching with two fairly clean cut people (myself and a male) we have averaged 2 hour waits for rides, most of the time. 

I like meeting people, the exchange of knowledge that occurs between us and, being slightly insane myself, I really enjoy meeting the strange people who aren't afraid to pick me up. I haven't hitched alone but I will in the future. I definitely wouldn't hesitate to use my blade to get out of a car if I needed to. But I would never threaten or use violence due to a difference of opinion, no matter how offensive an opinion may be. Taking offense is the problem of the person who is offended, not the other way around. Not everyone thinks the same as me and it's not my place to school them. I can only respectfully disagree and explain why. I learn a lot and I change my opinions from respectful conversations with people. I can only hope others do as well from their conversations with me.


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