Hitching through California

[Kjetillund]

I’m leaving Bellingham Wa for San Diego California next week, and I’ve never been to California before in my life. Growing up in Idaho it was often described as a hellscape due to the long-standing beef between Idahoans and the Californians that would move in. Any places/people I want to avoid or tips? Also hoping to hop a train at Klamath Falls in Oregon, seems like there would be a good spot there. Thanks!

 

[TheUndeadPhoenix]

Avoid interstate 5, it's (reportedly) really bad for hitchhiking. I hitched up from LA on the 101 and 1, I highly recommend them, they run pretty much parallel to each other and intersect often. If you want to see more of the beach, take the 1, if you want to see more slightly inland, take the 101. Either way they both have great views.

I grew up in Sacramento and if you like history it's pretty good but the cops are pretty notorious for not liking the homeless. If you're going to Klamath Falls, you MIGHT be able to get a ride into Roseville yard, one of the largest yards on the west coast and you won't be too far from Sacramento. There may be a bus (not greyhound, I mean a local bus run by the county) that goes from downtown Roseville to downtown Sacramento

Also, if you get stuck somewhere for a few days without a ride, try to find a bus, some of the coastal cities have buses that go between each other and they're usually just a couple bucks (<$5). Somebody told me that they went from SD to SF on buses alone but I didn't go looking for them because I was able to just get rides.

 

[superphoenix]

Don't let the Idaho propganda fool you, Cali is dope. Downtown LA is pretty rough, and I would say Fresno and Bakersfield are cities best avoided. Stockton is just sad - the worst poverty I've seen in America there.

 

[Matt Derrick]

cali is cool but south california mostly sucks (i.e. los angeles). but as mentioned, the I-5 is boring and sucks for rides, i've done it several times. the way to go is the 101 down the coast, you can start from upper oregon and hitch your way down and it's amazing pretty much all the way to san franscisco. beaches, cliffs, woods to camp in, easy hitchhiking, etc.

klamath falls is a crew change hub, but it's the only spot (that im aware of) that has a mandatory 2 week jail sentence if you get caught on a train there. it's in the city laws or something like that. so you either need to be super ninja and know what you're doing or pass it up for an easier yard somewhere else.

based on the route you're taking, you're going to either hitch or hop, not both. id do the hitching down the coast first, then come back and do the trains someday when you've got a little more experience under your belt.

it is true there is/was a city bus from sacramento to roseville (and an amtrak for like 10-15 bucks), but keep in mind roseville is one of the biggest yards in the country, probably not the best place to start out your first time riding trains.

 

[drift]

The 1 and 101 in California was some of the easiest hitchhiking I've ever done. More than one driver got me stoned, if you're into that kind of thing. Another guy offered to give me twenty dollars if I let him suck me off. I declined. That was in 2011.