I spent 4 days at a weird exit between Chattanooga and Knoxville. A Loves, random local truck stop and an exxon a mile away. Loves night shift were awesome, free drinks, free (old) hot dogs, free showers, connected McDonald's threw you extra food.. Cool to chill inside all night.
But then day shift.. if they saw you even across the street, copscopscops. They put up a few fliers at the trucker doors, talking about how dangerous, mentally ill and unclean hitchhikers are. Telling us if they found you camping in the woods around, they'd legally shoot you, because they supposedly owned all the surrounding land.
There were six other travelers when I arrived. Two had been there for weeks, given up, settled into homebumin. One guy tried walking down the interstate, but about two hours later A COP BROUGHT HIM BACK.. He said he was only about 2 miles from the next ramp. So then me and a couple decided to just walk 4 miles into town and cut down a parallel highway. We were crossing a narrow bridge past the town when a cop comes roaring up, full lights, full siren. Handcuffs us all, searches (trashes) our packs, then loads us into the car. Are we going to jail? Nope. Back to the exit with obstruction of traffic tickets. We spent the last of our money on a case of beer and drank all night on the ramp. 2:30am a pickup truck pulls over to finally take us the fuck outta there.
"Don't you know man? This is our hell. This where us hitchhikers come to die.."
-Bama Bandit, Loves homebum, somewhere between Chattanooga and Knoxville