Day 107 - The End of the Road

Morning of the final day. I left early, wanting to be on my way as soon as possible at this point. Also, my host is in nursing school, and had to be at the hospital very early in the morning. She dropped me off at a nearby truck stop, where I hoped to catch a quick ride across the mountains and into the warmer central valley. No luck with the quick hop, though. I had a trucker let me know that a lot of people were waiting out the day, as the wind was gusting through the pass. After a few hours at the truck stop and freezing in the wind, I walked out to the on ramp and tried my luck with the cars. A good idea, too. I suddenly realized that while there were plenty of trucks around, very few were actually getting onto the freeway heading west.

My first ride took me across town, he was a cool guy with some personal hitching experience. Short ride, though. It was probably one of the best spots to get dropped off in Reno, and had an IHOP where I tried some eggnog pancakes, but even so it was hours before I actually got a ride.

My second ride was a cute girl on her way to the stables with a load of hay in her pickup. She couldn't take me very far, just a few exits, but at this point I'd take anything. So I did :)

Third ride got me almost as far as Truckee. Awesome guy, out here for the skiing. Super grateful to him for the lift, too, as the place I'd been dropped off really didn't have much traffic. Though it was the shortest wait so far...interesting.

Fourth ride was a woman from Palo Alto who was up skiing for the day. It was a test run, seeing if she minded the four hours of driving to go each way. Since she didn't, her plan is to take two days off from her job owning a yoga studio and ski every single week. She has a son named Daniel as well. Who also lives in San Francisco. And who also has a birthday coming up, on the exact same day as me. He's a year younger than I, though, so we're not completely secret twins. After a car ride listening to the TED talks off of my mp3 player, she dropped me off at the BART station and I headed back home.

At this point, I should really sit down and write a profound wrap-up of my trip, explaining what I learned, what I think, and all of that jazz. And someday I may do just that. But truth be told, I'm not in that much of a hurry to do so. It's been an awesome trip. I'm incredibly glad that I did it, and wish I could have spent even more time at it. It's something I'd love to explain. But it's not something I feel a burning desire to summarize on paper. So if you want to know my thoughts, ask. Because it'll be a long time till you ever see me write it up on here :)

Trip Stats:

Total Distance: 237 miles
Total Time: 10 hours
Google Estimated: 3:56 hrs
# of Rides: 4
Total Cost: $8

Day 106 - Off again

Time to go! Work starts next week, dance thing I want to see is on Friday, and a church Christmas event is on Saturday. It's starting to get late, so now I'm on my way back to California with speed as my primary goal.

I began at a little before 10am, just as snow started falling. My main goal on this trip has been to avoid snow, but it looks like that was not entirely possible. I'm glad I didn't have to wait nearly as long this time as I did the last time I was leaving from this point. Within a half hour I was on my way to Twin Falls with a group of county officials on their way to Boise for a meeting on taxes. Pretty cool guys, one of which had a number of awesome stories about his own hitchhiking adventures. Back in the late 60's, he'd decided that he was going to go LA and make it big, and so with no plan he took off from small town Idaho. It didn't really work out. He knew that he had an uncle in San Francisco, though, and he had an address, so he stuck out his thumb again and was off on his way. He found his Uncle's place at about two in the morning, somewhere in the Haight area, not having had any opportunity to let his uncle know that he was even coming. He knocked on the door, but unknown to him the building had two apartments, and the outer door only knocked to a corridor. He sat down on the doorstep to wait till morning, when the neighbor across the street got up and called him over to see if he needed help. He ended up giving him a place to stay for the night, and in the morning he was able to get in touch with his uncle. His uncle was a bit freaked out by the idea he'd spent the night with a complete stranger, and my ride was introduced to the idea that in cities, people often don't know their neighbors. Anyways, this guy's uncle was gay, and lived with his partner. And for the number of months that my ride stayed with them, he was introduced to the gay scene of San Francisco. Not a lifestyle that he was interested in, but he said they were an excellent group of people to hang out with. He had some great stories. Also, after mentioning that I was returning to California to take a job in the architectural field, they said that they were looking into designing a centennial park in some little town, and they'd be interested in getting in touch if I had some ideas for the project. I told them it might make an interesting portfolio piece, so shoot me a message. I hope they do, it could be fun :)

My next ride had an elk in the back. The driver had just driven up from Wells where he'd been out hunting for the past few weeks, and finally had what he'd wanted to get. Too bad I hadn't met him a few days earlier when he was on his way south. Still. he got me to the other side of Twin Falls, onto a junction heading south.

The next ride was very short. I wanted to get into the next little town, to a junction where all of the south bound traffic would have to pass. The two guys (mechanics, actually) who picked me up said they could get me close. Close meant about 7 miles away, or about half way between where I was and where I was flagging for. I was a little irritated at when I first looked at the spot, since where I'd been had had a pretty solid shoulder and slower traffic speed, and they'd had to drop me off at a side road with no shoulder and 60mph traffic, but as always, it worked out. And probably helped me, actually. The next ride to pick me up was a couple coming through back roads from Oregon on their way to Wells. They got on the highway below me, headed the wrong direction, passed me, then realized their mistake, turned around, and picked me back up on their return. I'm sorry that they had to lose time by going the wrong way, but I'm glad that I was able to get a ride the 90 miles or so to the next truck stop.

Wells, NV is pretty much nothing. It was a few truck stops for people heading east and west on I-80. I think there's a small town a ways off from the freeway, but I've never actually seen it. Still, pretty good place for me. I hung out by the truck stop for a bit, then got cold (snowing again) and headed to the on ramp to try and catch car traffic as well. This was a time of getting lucky, I was a bit worried that I'd get stuck here for the night, and I do not have the gear I'd want for the temperature it was. Luck was with me again, though, and as it was getting dark a truck pulled over for me and gave me a ride all the way to Reno, where I had some CS friends I'd hosted at the last minute the year before. He was a very Christian person, and we talked about God and religion through most of the trip. He didn't agree with my faith, but was very respectful as offered his thoughts on why the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was not 'truly' Christian. Overall, it was quite a good trip.

A successful day. Later than I'd planned, but exactly where I'd hoped to be on the eve of the day.

Trip Stats:
Distance Traveled: 562 miles
Total Time: 12 hrs
Google Time: 9:03 hrs
# of Rides: 5
Total Cost: ~$5

Day 105 - Kick Back and Read

I now own a Kindle. And it's awesome. Touch screen is a bit wonky, though, so I'm going to have to have a replacement sent out to California, but this will do just fine for now. I really like the idea of having books with me all the time now, and without taking up a ton of space or battery life on my phone. Now if only the Couchsurfing website will work on it...

Day 104 - Relax

Today I learned that the Kindle 3g no longer has free web access through the experimental browser. This is a sad, sad fact. On the plus side, it does mean that the version of Kindle that I've decided on will be $50 cheaper than what I'd expected. Thanks family for the awesome gift!

Day 103 - Church

The church is a place of many functions. It is a place where God's instructions can be shared. It is a worldwide community that supports itself and others whenever needed. And it is a major part of what 'home' is. Coming back to Idaho, going to my parent's home ward (congregation), and meeting people who have known me since I was eight years old...it's a very rewarding experience for me. There are many new faces that I do not know, and perhaps someday will, but it is those who I've known who make it so enjoyable.

Of course, it's not entirely for these specific individuals that I come. It's because it is a body of believers who follow the same God and doctrine. And that is part of why I attend wherever I may travel.

Day 102 - Thanksgiving v2.0 in Idaho

On the road at 7am today, but not via hitchhiking. My sister-in-law, nieces, and I headed up to my parent's place for our time-conflict-free Thanksgiving dinner (sweet potato pone and rice dressing, the season is now complete :D ), then our traditional early Christmas. We do this a lot: Rearrange holidays to fit the schedules of those who are around, rather than basing them on the day they actually occur. It makes things a lot less stressful, and allows us all to attend events with other family on the day itself. I like this idea quite a bit.

Otherwise, relaxing day. I should begin hitchhiking again on either Wednesday or Thursday.

Day 101 - Utah

A day of visiting family, not much to say on the travel side of things.

Day 100 - Thanksgiving

Today, I give thanks for family. For a brother in Utah. For a sister in law and her family who invited me to join in their celebrations. For nieces who love lying on the ground and drawing pictures of ponies with their uncle. For 100 days of awesome journeying, with a few more still to come. For a secure job in a time when people don't expect it. For all of the incredible people that have helped me on my way, and for a few of them in particular. And for the rest of my family up in Idaho, where I'll see them again soon.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Day 95 - Relaxing in Fayetteville

Not much to say today, just a day hanging out in town with a friend, making brownies and french onion soup, and adding even more patches to my jeans. Pretty awesome day.

Trip Stats:
Distance Traveled: 0
Total Time: 0
Google Estimated: 0
# of Rides: 0
Total Cost: $8.00

Day 94 - Heading to Fayetteville

There really isn't enough time on this trip to do everything I'd like, or spend enough time with everyone that I should. I see friends for a few hours, then it's off. Hosts for a few hours, then off. Other people that I'd like to meet with I don't end up seeing at all. And yet it's still awesome.

After getting a ride to the highway, I was picked up by a guy on his way into town. He had one of the most interesting stories that I've heard thus far on my trip, and there is no way I will do it justice. But I'll try.

The second ride was very short, and came from two guys on their way back to work as contractors. They'd needed to make a quick run to Lowes, where I was at, and while they weren't going very far they could at least take me to a truck stop.

Next I was picked up by a woman on her way to Hernando, MS. She has two daughters, and almost got charged with child endangerment when she and one of them went to work in the tobacco fields of Tennessee, and her daughter got nicotine poisoning to the point that the police thought she was giving it to her directly. Nope, just through contact. I didn't realize you could get that much in through your skin, I suppose coming up with a patch wasn't that far fetched of an idea.

An older couple gave me my next lift, getting me to the last exit in Memphis. They were interested by the idea of couchsurfing, so I gave them a card so they could look it up later.

My next ride was very short. I needed to get across the river, and the bridge I was by wasn't the walking kind. No shoulder at the onramp, either, but I got lucky: a guy stopped at the light honked at me to let me know he could give me a lift, paused on the ramp long enough for me to toss my bag in the back of the pickup and hop in the cab, and got me the five miles to the nearest truck stop. He was an ex-con, who spent 15 years in jail after a drug run gone bad involving cocaine and a knife fight. His first and only altercation with the police, and not something he has any intention of ever repeating. Now he works for a man who runs all of the horse drawn carriages in downtown, doing whatever job needs done, be it bar tending, maintenance, or, as was the case today, picking up a couple tons of feed for the horses.

From Memphis it was truck driver time! I got picked up by a man on a cross country trip, from South Carolina to California. And lucky me, he could get me all the way to the turn off to Fayetteville! Our ride was spent in stories of his somewhat messed up relationship with his estranged wife and current girlfriend, his Harley Davidson hobby and the rallies that he's been to (I'd never heard of a motorcycle rodeo before this trip), and random bits from his over 20 years of driving a truck. Also, his transmission has 18 speeds. I didn't realize that they went that high, and I would not want to be shifting through those time after time.

I was dropped off near the junction of I-40 and I-540, in the little town of Alma. Being as the sun had already set, I figured I'd be stuck for the night then get to head up to Fayetteville in the morning. Still, it's always worth a shot to try, and so I decided I'd stand outside for 200 cars, then start my CS search at the nearby McDonalds. Before I could get my car count that high I had a ride with an awesome family heading up my way. Conversation subjects included the occupy movement as I've seen it across the country, alternative building methods, and the fact that the one of the women in the car is currently collecting stones for building a small studio home. We shared contact information, and the hope is that I'll be able to keep in touch and see the progress as it moves :D

Excellent evening in Fayetteville.

Trip Stats:
Total Distance: 400 miles
Total Time: 11 hrs
Google Estimated: 6:29 hrs
# of Rides: 7
Total Cost: $8.00

Day 91 - Actually into Georgia

I made it to Atlanta! And while Atlanta itself doesn't interest me that much, it does put me within two hours of tomorrow's target, Auburn Alabama. And that makes me quite happy.

I was happy to learn this morning that TA Travel Center's willingness to give free showers to hitchhikers does indeed appear to be company-wide, as I was again given a free ticket the moment I asked for it. Such a nice way to start off a morning.

My first ride came from a CPA exec with a love of driving. I'd decided to try hitching towards Savannah and then back across to Atlanta instead of trying to go west and up, and he was able to get me all the way up to the first truck stop past the Georgia border. He wasn't really headed that way, or that far, but had simply seen me and decided to help, and as he had the time took me as far as needed to get me to a good location. He said that if he didn't have commitments on Tuesday, he'd drive me all the way to Idaho just so he could see it. In addition to working with businesses, he owns a pecan orchard that his wife inherited from her parents, on an estate that's been in the family since the 1800's. Most of the trees are over 80 years old, and have a harvest season that may last several months, as the ones at the bottom ripen faster than the ones on top.

My second ride came from two lawn care / property managers on their way to work, who were quite happy that  I was just looking for a short hop, as it meant that they could help. Two of the nicer people I've met, actually.

Third ride and first trucker of the day, an Albanian-born computer science major who graduated with 3 kids right as the tech economy was tanking. As he'd been trained as a chauffer in communist Albania (an intensive 9-month course of study that required drivers to know everything about their car, including how to fix, not replace, broken parts), he decided to make use his CDL again. He bought a truck, and now he runs his own business.

I made the mistake of getting out too early, thinking a truck stop would be my best bet. Unfortunately for me, the place I chose didn't really have sace for a truck to stop, so it was up onto the freeway and walking for me. Worked out well, though, because I met a great guy with an interest in moving to San Francisco. A bit of an older guy, he'd gone through a divorce and was ready to move on with life and try again in a fresh spot. The city has always held a certain fascination for him, and now may be the best time to explore it.

My final ride came just outside of Savannah, from a Thai man driving back to Atlanta. He works on the funding side of a non-profit that helps disadvantaged immigrants, focusing specifically on the school-aged youth. A very friendly guy, he even arranged for me to stay in an apartment maintained by the company as a school, though when we arrived we learned that since the program as gone on hiatus, some small 6 legged critters have made themselves at home. Not too much of  problem, though. I figure I'll run into much, much worse in the future.


Trip Stats:
Distance Traveled: 397 miles
Total Time: 13 hrs
Google Estimated: 6:33 hrs
# of Rides: 5
Total Cost: $9.00

Day 90 - Ok, this day of hitchhiking probably was dangerous.

Not because of the people, though. Because I did most of my traveling in the bed of a pickup trip on the freeway.

First ride was in a pickup, going about 15 miles. Couldn't say much about that ride, since we didn't have the chance to talk.

The second ride was short, but with a cool guy. He's from New York, and recently moved down to the area. A former hitchhiker, and happy to help others out.

The third ride came from a father taking his 20ish yr old son to a medical appointment. I learned something new on that trip: epilepsy is a disease that the Make-a-Wish foundation works with.

Fourth ride was the longest, and spent in the bed of a pickup truck because (like the other) a couple was occupying the front seat. Can't say anything else about them.

Fifth ride was by far the most awesome. My ride was only going to the next exit, but took me well outside of town to the next truck stop anyways. Wanderlust is a condition he's quite familiar with, starting with when he was close to my age and began hitching around the country, then boat-hitching across the ocean and moving throughout Europe, returning to the US and working as a truck driver, and generally traveling wherever and whenever he wants to. Gave me some good tips on hitching in this area, too. Though the general conclusion is that the south is not very hitchhiker friendly :/

In a nowhere spot near a truckstop, so time to camp!


Trip Stats:
Distance Traveled: 158 miles
Total Time: 7 hours
Google Estimated: 2:35 hrs
# of Rides: 5
Total Cost: $16.50

Day 89 - Seeing Value

You know those moments when you look back on something and realize, 'that was worth it'? Today has been one of those days.

I served a two year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I was assigned to work in the Florida Orlando Mission, Spanish speaking. My purpose was to go out and find people with whom I could share the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to help them apply it in their lives to the greatest extent possible. Missionaries are frequently moved around and assigned to different congregations, and the importance of the work means that once you leave an area you completely change your focus to your new location, and leave the spiritual welfare of those with whom  you worked to the missionaries who take your place. You may the beginning of someone's story, but rarely could you see where it led them. Coming back to Orlando nearly 5 years after I left it, I've seen some of the longer term stories.

I spent the better part of the day with a family that I was honored to help introduce to the gospel. They were not in the best place when I first met them: health, faith, work, personal, and family relationships in problematic states. Now, years later, everything has changed. In every category. And it's easy to see the role that the gospel has played in that. That I was allowed to play even a small part in the beginning of their journey is something that I am very grateful for.

Seeing this was the best part of my day, but not the only bit of awesomeness. A person I'd worked with at the beginning of 2005 will be baptized in two weeks. People I haven't seen in years recognized me and welcomed me back to the ward with open arms. A couple that I introduced to each other while serving now have two kids, an education, and have just bought a house. I learned how to make pupusas.

Today has been awesome.

Trip Stats:
Total Distance: 0 miles
Total Time: 0 hrs
Google Estimated: 0 hours
# of Rides: 0
Total Cost: $0.00

Day 88 - Back to Orlando

Man, I wish I had more time on this trip. I have people I need to meet in Orlando, but great opportunities down in Miami. My CS host last night was awesome, and invited me to join him and a group of his friends (and some fellow CSers) in taking a boat around the coast. It's also free day at the museum from 1-4pm, and there are events happening in the evening. But...I also want to see some friends up in Orlando, go to church at the ward I first served in during my mission 5 years ago, and be able to leave Florida first thing Monday morning. So after a quick wander through downtown Miami (and a peek at Herzog and de Meuron's parking structure in South Beach) I headed north.

First ride came from a guy on his way up to Fort Lauderdale, a shortish hop but good for getting me to my next destination. He's gay, and conversation turned to that scene in the Miami area, and religious rules for gays in the Catholic and LDS churches.

The second and final ride was very enlightening. I'd never known much about Alcoholics Anonymous, but my ride has been sober for a year thanks to them. He shared a bit of how the program aims to help people solve their problems through relying on a higher power. 'God,' for lack of a better term. This power may be in the understanding of an actual religion, or it may be something else that the specific participant is comfortable with. It also puts a large amount of emphasis on problems ultimately being caused by selfishness, and that it is through selflessness and service that life becomes good. I also learned that they have a book that describes the principles they strive to follow, divided into a hundred and some pages of fixed explanation of the steps to freedom from alcohol which were written back in the 1930's, and then 40 stories that are periodically swapped out, detailing the struggles, experiences, and ultimately successes of modern individuals. I read a few chapters of the book, both from the beginning and the stories. It's a very good program, that's for certain. It's more spiritually based than I would have ever guessed. And it is so steeped in principles as opposed to quick fixes. I recalled Stephen Covey's comment in the beginning of the Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, that when looking at self help books you can see a trend of principle-driven writings up until the more modern era, then it becomes technique based. AA's 'Big Book' obviously follows the path of the former. It appears to be a very wonderful system.

The evening was just as good as the rides. I had the opportunity to meet up with a family that I knew on my mission, and make plans to visit two others tomorrow. It's incredible to see how boys I knew when they were 7 and 9 are now 13 and 15. I've been out of the area for so long...it's rather incredible how things change, and how things stay the same.

Trip Stats:
Distance Traveled: 216 miles
Total Time: 4:50 hrs
Google Estimated: 3:34 hrs
# of Rides: 2
Total Spent: $3.50

Day 87 - Boca and Miami

Again, meeting up with old friends, especially page friends, is awesome. Going to Boca was well worth the time it took :)

Then after a relaxing morning, hanging out at the beach, and picking up lunch, it was off to the commuter rail and on to Miami. Not much time to look around, but I did explore Biscayne and the Miami Modern architecture that it holds. Then I met up with my rather awesome CS host, headed out for a cuban dinner, and went home to crash. Not much to say about today, but don't let that fool you. I still had a blast ;)

Trip Stats:
Distance Traveled: 0
Total Time: 0
Google Estimated: 0
# of Rides: 0
Total Cost: ~$13.00

Day 86 - Late start

You never really can tell how long something is going to take. I didn't begin my day's trip till much later than I'd planned, but it still worked out great. Also, today was quite different than my experiences hitching in South Carolina. I have indeed left the south and reentered the north.

My first ride came as I was walking to the onramp, thumbing as I went. Sped up my day quite a bit, thanks to a drummer, programmer, and college student who picked me up.

Getting to the turnpike onramp, I started out with a generic sign saying 'East.' I had to give it up fairly quick, though, after two people stopped and offered to take me just a few miles down the road. I needed to give people a better description, so that the many kind people who couldn't get me to a better spot wouldn't stop. So I said 'Cocoa,' and soon I was on my way to Cocoa with a retired NASA engineer, Marine pilot, and currently a hobby pilot who has owned as many as 5 airplanes at a time, and has made connections with doctors and others through his flying. Really solid connections, too, who performed operations when he needed them at no cost. These are also doctors who buy $400,000 planes.

Ride number three came from a member of the Air Force returning home from work. With no history of twins on either his or his wife's side, they've still managed to have two sets.

Ride four was a very short hop, 3 exits down but I was glad for them, as they moved me to a truck stop and a better location.

Ride five requires more description than I care to write tonight, because he got me all the way down to Boca Raton to visit my friend, and had an awesome life story to share. I'll edit this later to include a bit :)

And that brings me to my evening activity: meeting up with another awesome page friend and seeing where our lives have brought us.

Trip Stats:
Distance Traveled: 192 miles
Total Time: 4:30
Google Estimated: 3:07
# of rides: 5
Total Cost: $12.00

Day 85 - Truckers!

I made it out of South Carolina! I'm sure it's full of wonderful people, but it wasn't a very hitchhiker friendly crowd. I think I'd like to explore it more some time when I have my own means of transportation.

I had three rides today, but barely spoke to any of them. The first I had take me a mile up the interstate, only to find that the nearby rest area was shut down, and so I walked back to where I'd begun. A nice guy, but I can't say anything more about him.

The second person to pick me up was a truck driver on his way back to Georgia. He was hauling a load of paper, supposedly 45,000 lbs worth, but wet. Because of this he was avoiding the scales by driving on back roads, and could only take me the first 80 miles or so to Savannah. His AC didn't work, and so we kept the windows down. Unfortunately, because of the noise and me being a bit hoarse, we had almost no conversation.

The third person to pick me up was another awesome truck driver. He'd taken out the second seat in the cab of his truck, and said that he couldn't take me up front, but he did have a solution: he was driving a trailer with 6 cars on it, and offered to let me ride in one. However, he could get in trouble if I was seen, so it was on one condition: I needed to lay down and stay out of sight, especially when he slowed down for scales. Also, not only was he going through Savannah, he was going all the way through Orlando! I decided that, as nice as Savannah probably would have been, I wasn't going to risk another day stuck on the side of the road. Plus, I could do the whole thing while riding in my own car, laying back and taking a nap. Way too awesome an experience to pass up :D

I made it to Orlando at around 11pm, caught a bus into the main part of the city, met up with my CS host, and promptly joined him in making a menthol/eucalyptus vapor tent on the stove, strong enough that after standing under it for a few seconds I couldn't see a thing. So, being good friends, we got his roommate and his girlfriend to come experience it too. We then sampled his spice cabinets. So many things I haven't tried!

Trip Stats
Distance Traveled: 451 miles
Total Time: 15 hours
Google Estimated: 7:26
# of Rides: 3
Total Cost: $6.75

Day 84 - Quick Quick Quick...stop.

Hitchhiking is a funny thing, isn't it? You can get ride after ride in no time flat, then spend hours with no luck at all. Today was pretty much that situation, doing all of my traveling in the first few hours of the day, then staying on the same patch of ground for the next 5 hours.

After getting a ride out to a nearby town to begin my day's hitching, I caught a ride within minutes from a doctor on his way to work in Sanford. Originally from Pennsylvania, he moved down for the better weather (can't really blame him, I'm back to wearing short sleeves and carrying my warm gear in my pack.) He dropped me off near his hospital, then I had the chance to get some exercise and hike across town.

My second ride came from a salesman representing a contracting service, primarily involved in remodels and other projects that don't require pulling permits. He also has good tastes in subs.





My third ride came from Brother Stevie, a native american man who had went from a rather dismal life to one full of life by coming to God. Since then, he's committed an impressive number of scriptures to memory, especially around the theme of baptism. We spent the ride looking up scriptures on my phone, mostly relating to the names of Christ, the concept of trinity (his belief is very strongly that Christ is our sole God, and the concept of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are all titles he uses.) If I was going to be in the area, he invited me out to church with him this evening. He also asked that when I mentioned him, I share this reference: Acts 2:38. Reading that scripture is probably the best description that I could give of this trip, actually.

My final ride came from a man whose picture I won't share. A nice guy with some interesting stories, I'll save them for those who are curious. I'll just say that he brought my proposition count up to four.

And thus ended my rides, but not the people I met :D While I stood trying to hitch south, I had a few people come up to me who were heading in other directions. One was a Assistant Chaplain up at Fort Bragg, and overall an awesome guy. It didn't take long to juxtapose concepts from military service with the gospel, and it was obvious that he knew both very well. Talking about the concept of the physical man and the spiritual man being in opposition to each other, he made an important point. The one that wins is the one that is fed the best. The world constantly feeds the physical/natural man, filling it with ideas and actions that are contrary to the will of God. It doesn't take any real effort on our part to do this, we just have to let it happen. To combat it, we have to feed our spiritual side, through scripture study and prayer, to the point of making it a habit. I wish we'd been heading in the same direction, I would have liked to spend more time listening to him share his feelings and belief.

I also met a couple on their way back to San Diego from Deleware. The woman said that she'd left with only $150 in her pocket, needing to make the trip to take care of some business out on the East Coast. And with that and her trust in God, she's made her way safely here and is now on her way back. The kindness of strangers and the kindness of God provide for her until she can return to work in California, and it's a kindness she shares freely, knowing that it's a temporary gift, to be spread not kept.

It's now late, and time to go set up camp. I haven't had a need to camp since leaving Chicago, and I've been glad for it. Much too cold up north. But down here? With a low in the high 40's, it looks like an excellent evening to be under the stars :D


Trip Stats:
Distance Traveled: 150 miles
Total Time: 10 hours
Google Estimated: 2:54 hrs
# of Rides: 4
Total Cost: $0.00

Day 83 - Down to the Carolinas

Back on the road, and happy for it :D It's been a nice break being in a bus, but it's more fun hopping into random cars.

Today's experiment was also seeing if being in a white shirt and tie increased the response from drivers. While one experience isn't really enough to reach solid conclusions, my preliminary thoughts are that it helps in citified areas, and it hurts in rural areas. Though my last ride (in a rural area) did say that he stopped because I was dressed like he was (he was wearing a white shirt and tie, heading in to manage the bar at a hotel).

Quick info on my rides:

The first ride was a man, born in Pakistan but raised in the DC area. He'd rarely been to Pakistan, but still had a noticeable accent. He runs a used car business, and throughout the ride would get calls relating to various problems that he would need to resolve. Obviously a very busy individual, and I was quite fortunate to get a ride from him. I only had to wait about 5 minutes, too.

My second ride was a man on his way to Florida from Long Island, NY. Retired for 10 years, he used to be a guidance counselor in Brooklyn, and before that was a special ed teacher. It was a profession that he was at first very gratified by, but by the end of his 29 years of service was more than a bit disillusioned. He'd also served in the army for a time, has several successful kids, and family scattered around the country. He's heading south to find an apartment to rent for a few months this winter, then will return and bring his wife down with him.

The third and final ride of the day was with a man who tried for the American Dream (or American Game, as he later referred to it), made it, then lost it. He was an application developer for some software company, and eventually the bottom fell out. He went from being enamored with technology, to getting rid of as much as possible, and was impressed with the advancements, such as the fact that I could quickly do transit routing through google maps. Still, not a part of life that he wants to return to.

And finally, in the evening I had the opportunity to meet up with an old friend and roommate from Page School down in Chapel Hill. Home of a great burrito place, I might add. Meeting up with old friends is perhaps one of the best parts of this trip. I wish I could stay here longer, though. Apparently he and another page are participating in a stand-up act next week, and it would be really cool to see both of their routines. But alas, in the morning it will be time to move again. And come to think of it, it is also time to sleep.

Trip Stats:
Distance Traveled: 258 miles
Total Time: ~5:45
Google Estimated: 4:33
# of Rides: 3
Total Cost: $17

Day 82 - Sunday in Virginia

I've mentioned it before, but I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. A 'mormon.' And one of the things we do is create congregations based on geography, language, and one other criteria. Marital status. Entire congregations that consist solely of singles, either in the 18-30 age range, or in the +30. It's a pretty awesome system, and really does help you to associate with people who are in a similar stage in life and with similar problems and successes. And if you're looking for singles units, DC is one of the best places to be.

I attended the District of Columbia YSA (Young Single Adult) second ward, just across the border from Bethesda, Maryland. It's one of the largest YSA congregations I've been to, and it had some interesting features because of it. Generally new visitors and members are invited to introduce themselves in the second hour, when people move into a smaller classroom and things are a bit more intimate. Because of the number of people in this ward, though, introducing  yourself in that group would have only introduced you to a third or a quarter of the members, so they do it at the end of the first hour. I introduced myself as being from San Francisco and currently hitchhiking across the country. Immediately after the service, a number of people came over to introduce themselves and ask about the experience, including another couchsurfer. One of the girls invited me over to a potluck dinner being done at a friend's house. I love people like that, who go out of their way to make someone else's life a bit more fun.

Church was wonderful. The dinner was excellent, and the company enjoyable. I was able to find a late night response to my CS requests for Arlington, and I feel ready to move on in the morning. After over a week of relaxing in cities and taking buses from place to place, it's going to be nice to be thumbing it again. Here's hoping for the Carolinas by sundown!

Trip Stats
Total Distance: 0 miles
Total Time: 0:00
Google Estimated: 0:00
# of Rides: 1
Total Cost: $3.70

Day 81 - Slow and Relaxing

Late night yesterday meant a slow day today. A bit of wandering around Bethesda (site of a fun farmer's market and craft bazaar), then off to College Park to hang out with a friend from last night's event. The University of Maryland has a very nice campus out there.

Meeting up with a friend of the friend, an excellent dinner on U street, then deciding that we were tired enough to skip the original plan of finding somewhere to dance (and all feeling too cheap for the cover at the ones we did know), and the night was over. Overall a very calm, relaxing Saturday.

Trip Stats:
Distance Travelled: 0 miles
Total Time: 0 hours
Google Estimated: 0 hours
# of Rides: 0
Total Cost: $21

Day 80 - Back in DC

It's good to be back in DC :) Time to see a few things that I hadn't been to before, like the Museum of the American Indian, and the new Congressional Visitor's Center. It was under construction back when I was a page, and not wanting to throw away my water bottle kept me out of it the last time, but I came prepared this time! It's definitely interesting to see what they've built. It was also nice to take a Capitol tour - I'd never taken the one typically provided for tourists, it was nice to see it from another side.

I also found a bit of nostalgia in going to the Longworth House Office Building for my standard page lunch: pizza and a build your own salad. Just like I remembered it, though the slices are now square rather than wedges.

The Occupy movement also took up a bit of my time: Unlike in most cities, they have two parrallel movements happening in DC, in two separate parks. They also have slightly different motivations: one is the standard mix of economics and general discontent, the other has more of a focus on politics and social issues, a protest that began on its own then aligned it with the general 'Occupation' method of doing things. The more general site is probably the largest one I've seen outside of NYC, and definitely the most bustling (partly because I was around for their 6pm 'General Assembly'). Well organized by the look of it, too. The park service has even distributed flyers explaining how to correctly use generators should they be necessary. That evening they were on their way to protest outside of the Republican presidential candidate debates happening, and it was interesting seeing their precautions: 25 members had been selected and given identifying arm bands (marked with either a peace sign or the flag of DC), tasked as peacekeepers to calm down anyone who starts getting out of hand and giving the police cause to react. They also briefed people that they should expect to see Capitol Police and Secret Service in full tactical gear, and to remember that while there was a chance of tear gassing, they shouldn't go out of their way to provoke anything.

To top off the night, my CS host invited me to the French CS group hangout, an affair that included a hot tub, cheese fondue, a French film, playing with cats, and dancing at the end. Overall, a nice cap to the evening. Or morning. In any case, off to sleep with me now!

Day 78 - Slight Change in Plans

Hooray for the Chrysler Building!

I've realized a few irritating things: one, New Jersey and Delaware have the most restrictive hitchhiking laws I've seen thus far. It's effectively illegal to ask for rides while standing anywhere related to the roads, including shoulders and sidewalks. Two, on inner-city transit fares alone I'm burning through more per day than I have in my budget. Three, I've been straight up spending more than I'd originally budgeted.

Add this to the fact that I'd originally conceived of this trip as a 60 day venture, and I've since decided to make it closer to 100 days, and I reach the inevitable conclusion: I'm poor.

Columbia's chapel.

Though, not broke! And based off of tonight's calculations, at my current rate of spending I won't hit that point until the very end of this trip. So....yay! I've also realized that I spend more in New England than I typically do, and it behooves me to leave it quickly. So I'm going to do just that. I've purchased a Megabus ticket to DC, leaving Thursday afternoon. I'll leave DC on Monday, and hopefully be back into warmer weather and cheaper locales. It almost feels like cheating to use a bus for the second time, but I feel pretty justified with snow on the ground and power outages still dotting northern New Jersey. And laws that are much harder than usual to get around.

Cuban dinner :D

Korean Lunch :D

Enough of the money-talk, though, because today has been an awesome day of catching up with old friends! As some may know, I spent a year of my high school career as a page in the US House of Representatives. And since arriving in NYC I've been able to catch up with two of my former classmates, and hope to see more before I leave. And not only page friends, but an HKU friend studying at Columbia. This trip has been such an awesome chance to meet up with old friends, and I'm looking forward to seeing more in the next few weeks :)

Day 66 - Here comes the rain...

This is the first day on this trip where I've tried to hitchhike in the rain. It's likely going to be the last, based on my experience.

I started a bit later than originally intended. Not very excited by the idea of standing in the rain. Two miles of walking got me to the freeway, then I caught a quick ride with an older couple out to the nearest truckstop, 7 miles west of town. Opposite direction from where I wanted to go, but probably the best place to hitch from within 50 miles or more.

With the constant drizzle, I made a decision: either I would get a ride of a hundred miles or more, or I'd stay put, head back to Ann Arbor in the morning, and catch a ride with Jeff back down to Toledo in the evening. It's cold out already, I'm not going to risk a cold and a wet night outdoors if I don't have any reason to. With that in mind, I set out a sign that said 'Boston,' and spent the next 6 hours trying for a ride that didn't come.

I'm not very surprised by that, though. I feel that I get rides primarily because people look at me and feel like I'm a safe individual. They feel that way because of the way I dress and the expressions on my face. Because of the rain I wore a poncho that covered most of my clothes, a beanie and hood that covered most of my head, and gloves on hands that were normally under the  rain gear anyways. I wasn't giving out any more information than where I was headed, and that I was wet as a dog who'd jumped in a lake. I was not the model of someone you'd invite into your car.

Come six, it was obvious I wasn't going anywhere. New sign for Ann Arbor, a break in the rain that let me take off the poncho, and 10 minutes of waiting and I was off with a 17 yo guy and his mother. Awesome people who were going to drop me off at the McDonalds and head home, and then we started talking about couchsurfing. An hour, a meal, a facebook invite, and a great conversation later, we parted ways. Then it was back to Jeff and Kirsten's apartment, and time for a wonderful, warm evening full of food, cats, and quadsuits.

Trip Stats:
Distance Traveled:
Total Time: 10 hours
Google Time:
# of Rides: 3
Total Cost: $1.80

Day 60 - The benefits of anonymity

Because of the fact that I'm a hitchhiker, and people know that they will likely never see me again, and I'll never see them either, I'm told many things that would generally not come up when two people first meet. Examples include sexual preference, prison time, legal status, and more. Today, it was the drug trade.

This isn't the first time I've been in close contact with drug dealers on this trip (I've met more than a few people who traffic in illegal drugs, either on a regular basis or from time to time). It was, however, the first time I've (presumably, as I saw nothing) been in very close proximity to a  number of illicit drugs. It was also the first time I've been able to have an extended conversation about them, how they're acquired, how they're sold, and what sort of income can be made through them. Without detailing the answers in this blog post, I'll just say that in two runs per month, this person has a higher annual income than I'm likely to have for years, more than what I hope to someday raise a family on.

I also find it interesting that a number of the people I've met who trade in drugs don't use them in their own lives. The drug business is a shady thing, I do believe. For most drugs, the only purpose is to make money. It's a sad, sad thing.

Trip Stats:
Total Distance:
Total Time: 7 hours
Google Estimate:
# of Rides: 2
Total Cost: $9.90

Day 58 - Situation Normal

Different cities have different draws. Sometimes it's a building, sometimes it's a feeling, sometimes it's just because it's there. For others, a chance to connect with a friend. Bloomington / Normal, Illinois was for exactly that. But, as usual, there was more to find and discover.

 

I came here to visit with Allie, a friend from my time at HKU. I also had the chance to see two university campuses, an old one room school house, and do some geocaching. Overall, a day well spent.

Day 55 - Gateway to the West

...or in my case, Gateway to the East.

A two hitch day, and an excellent one. My first ride came from Chris, a retired firefighter turned commercial truck driver. A fall through a staircase while on the job cost him his mobility in one arm, but it doesn't see to have done much to dampen his spirits or his faith. He was positive, friendly, and when he found out that the recipient of his delivery was going to be a bit delayed, he took a detour to show me the access point to a caving attraction. He mentioned that he'd seen me the day before at the Flying J, but had to hurry to make a delivery and wasn't able to give me a lift. Today there wasn't nearly the constraint, and I'm glad for it. It's fun running into people a second time, even if I had no idea :)

My second ride was with an awesome Ukrainian family. Not only did they get me from the outskirts into town, but they took me right into Forest Park, home of free museums, the St. Louis Zoo, and the Muny (America's oldest and largest outdoor musical theater). Their families had each moved to St. Louis from Ukraine years ago, where they later met. Now they have three children, all of whom are very friendly, especially the one who shares my name!

St. Louis itself is also proving to be a blast. I had three hours, and only made it through the art museum, and that a rather quick pace. It's much more than what I would generally expect from something that you don't have to pay to enter. It's supported primarily by city funds, adding to the yearly taxes of those in the area. But, as my couchsurfing host said, the amount that is paid per person is so small, and the use and pleasure that is received by virtually all of the city is so great, that even if people only go once a year it's very easy to justify the cost. Imagine if every city thought that way. I've been impressed with the amount of public art that I've seen in some locations, and I can only imagine that it would be even better with more.

Can't say too much more about the city just yet, but more to come! I'm hoping for some time at the zoo tomorrow, which is ranked #1 on in the Midwest and #3 in the nation. And to think...it won't cost me, or anyone else who enters, so much as a penny to see it.






Trip Stats:
Total Distance: 213 miles
Total Time: 6 hours
Google Estimated Time: 3:39 hours
# of Rides: 2
Total Cost: $0.00

Day 52 - Not All Highways Are Helpful

I generally like smaller two lane highways, because people often go slow and pick you up quick. Today was not that sort of day. I spent about 7 hours going roughly 60 miles. Every ride but the first and last required a nearly two hour wait time. Yet I still got where I wanted to go.

My first ride came from Danny, a retired psychiatric nurse and Navy vet who enjoys fishing. His preferred fish to catch is catfish, and he's caught a 76 pound catfish with 10 lb line and an ultralight rod. It took a few hours to wear it out, apparently. Not like in the olden days, when he and his grandfather would use dynamite or an old crank telephone. The phone trick I'd never heard of: apparently these old phones had a crank generator on them, and if you stuck the two lines into the water it would stun the fish long enough for them to float to the top and then be caught. Didn't kill them, though.

Second ride was with Jimmy, who along with his dog Christie was heading out to the lake to let her play in the water. He said it was too bad that his wife had decided to stay home that day, if she was there they'd probably have decided to just drive the whole way to Tulsa just for kicks :)

Brian got me as far as Beto Junction, where the highway connects to the interstate. Then he was off on his way and I was on the road again. Fred picked me up next, a former Marine who'd served three tours in Iraq and had worked for the National Guard as an instructor. He told me that when he returned from his last tour in Iraq, he took his motorcycle and spent eight and half months touring around North America, his self-treatment for PTSD. It was just what he needed, and it gave him the chance to see everything he'd ever wanted to.

C------ got me through to Burlington, a city that Fred had warned me I should avoid because of an upper class snootiness and distrust of hitchhikers and anyone outside of the status quo. He was on his way to an addiction recovery center, one of several that he attends as he tries to get himself off of a number of earlier addictions. 18 days clean and counting, so congratulations to him! He was a great guy, and I hope he's able to get himself to where he wants to be.

Ted had stopped by on his way north, letting me know that he could take me a ways down the road when he was headed back home, and I was welcome to have dinner and spend the evening if I'd like. He ended up meeting me in Burlington, just a bit south of where we'd met. We headed to his house first to refresh on water and so I could check out the building (which was quite cute, and only cost $27,000!). Since there was an hour left in the day, though, I decided that I'd try thumbing it a bit longer, though I'd only take a ride if they were going all the way into Oklahoma. 

I'm glad I did. Joe was a very friendly truck driver who already had one hitchhiker, David, in the car. They were on their way to Texas, and would be going straight through Tulsa. And so, less than 20 minutes after starting out, I had the last 2/3 of my route covered. Those two were a riot, it was great to sit ion the bed in the back of the cabin and listen to them banter back and forth. We also managed a good bit of food sharing: Joe's cookies, David's cinnamon rolls, and my carrots. 

And so, 10 hours after I started, I made it to Darren's house in Tulsa. Too late for the amazing home cooked dinner that he'd hoped to make for me, there was still some leftover Israeli couscous with pesto and Parmesan that he could offer, and it was delicious.

Trip Stats:

Total Distance: 226 miles

Total Time: 10 hours

Google Estimated: 4:07 hours

# of Rides: 6

Total Cost: $0.00

Day 51 - Surprises of the Midwest

The Midwest: A massed region that is thought to be full of hicks and more conservative people with dull, boring accents. These are bigotted, narrow-minded people from other regions who say this.  --Urban Dictionary


You know, when I first headed out into the midwestern states, I wasn't expecting much at all. My expectations weren't quite as low as above, but...well, I expected that I'd leave feeling one day had been enough. Virtually every place I've visited has proved to deserve more time than I could give it, and Omaha, NE is no exception. This city is amazing.


First, the architecture. The number of turn of the century buildings is incredible, if understandable. That so many of them have been renovated and continue forward, be it in their original purpose or otherwise, is wonderful. The Omaha Building, an example of the Italian Renaissance style, was beautiful. My favorite, however, was the Old Market Passageway. A three story alley that's been repurposed into a beautiful atrium space for galleries, wine tasting, and design-oriented firms, it's incredibly well done, comfortable, and inviting. The Old Market area in general is very well done, obviously targeted at tourists but in a very welcome way. Oh, and the more modern buildings like the Union Pacific Center are worth a peek as well. It might not be as flashy as Gehry's work, but very well done nonetheless. 


Second, the art. Walking through the Gene Leahy Mall (think National Mall, not Mall of America) was a treat. Lots of modern art and sculpture, a landscape that makes use of water in a number of clever ways, and what appears to be a bridge that turns out to be a giant slide. The galleries in the Old Market were full of wonderful works by local artists. Sculpture could also be found around the more modern buildings. 


I'm also told that the music scene is incredibly good, though I can't speak to it myself. The Omaha Zoo is said to be well worth a visit, as is the Joslyn Art Museum. I hear that having a steak out here isn't a bad idea, either. Whatever way you look at it, though, Omaha is a place to come back to.


Hitch Notes


Only one ride today, but what a great one! The dean of the music department of Kansas University took me all the way to the Brown vs. Board of Education Museum in Topeka, Kansas. A Texan who has also lived in Utah and is familiar with Pocatello, Idaho, he was a friendly and very knowledgeable driver. I have a small set of notes of people and places to research courtesy of him, and perhaps an architect to meet in Louisiana. 


Trip Stats:
Total Distance: 144 miles
Total Time: ~3 hours
Google Estimate: 2:42 hours
Total Spent: $1.23

Day 50 - Why I Avoid Cities

Goodbye Iowa!

Now, don't misunderstand that title. I love cities. They have tall buildings, lots of culture, and are generally awesome. However, they're pretty miserable if you need to hitchhike through them.

Today's hitching began a little before noon, up in Ames, IA. Darian dropped me off near the interstate, within 20 minutes I had a ride, and I was off to Des Moines. I told my first driver, a union ironworker who's looking into working on a set of wind turbines a few hours east of Ames, and who had worked on the construction of the tallest building in Iowa, that a truckstop might be a good place for me. He knew of one on the east side of town, so he dropped me off there. The locations wasn't bad. Flow pattern wasn't ideal, but overall pretty good. Only trouble was, it was too close to the city. Two hours, and no rides.

Monarch on the road?

Finally, a guy who just got off work from Pizza Hut stopped and picked me up. He was an MP in the Army Reserve, and is studying Criminal Justice at the local university, with the hope to eventually make it up to the position of K9 handler. He was able to drive me to the next truckstop, partway through the city. It looked decent, but was still taking forever!

The next ride I got only took me one exit, to the third and final truckstop of Des Moines. I can't say too much about him, except that he was about my age, had a somewhat messy car, and was a very friendly guy. Quite happy for his help.

I found a park with all of the trees lit from beneath in Omaha.
Pretty...

I waited again, getting a ride from a guy who had also studied Criminal Justice (though he hasn't finished his degree) who was able to take me to the edge of town. Still, a bit of a slow spot. I walked along the freeway for the next mile or two until I got to a rest stop, where I finally caught a ride to Omaha with a man moving from Chicago to Santa Fe with his dog.

The time between getting dropped off in Des Moines and getting my ride out of the city was nearly six hours. If you're wondering why this happened, I can give two reasons: first, the original place I set up had a branching freeway in front of it, meaning passersby were not that likely to be heading to my destination, even when there was a high flow of traffic. Second, people inside of cities are generally only going as far as the next exit, and assume that hitchhikers don't want such a short ride (and often, I don't.) Sadly, these combine to produce long days such as this. Such is the life.

Trip Stats:
Total Distance: 177 miles
Total Time: +9 hrs
Google Estimated Time: 2:59 hrs
# of Rides: 5
Money Spent: $0.00

Day 26 – On the Road Again

It was nice to be riding in a car that I was able to control. I do enjoy driving from time to time, and this stretch of Canada was a great break from my current routine. But I've gotta say, it feels great to be back on the road again, doing things the thumbing way.

I should let you know something, too: I've gotten rather behind on these. The next 25 days worth of posts are being written well after the fact, and so I'm not putting too much thought into them. I apologize for that. Hopefully I'll do better in the coming weeks.

But back onto the people I met. I'll be brief, though. I got a ride from a soldier first. Quite a cool guy, he'd also done a turn or two up in Alaska. Funny the connections you make. The next ride I had also gave me my first chance to experience car trouble: We made it halfway to Missoula, then the car overheated. We pulled over, and found that the coolant tank was completely empty, and that AAA didn't have anyone that could deal with it till Monday. That ended that ride. I went off to the road, and they headed to a hotel. It's rather sad...they were headed out to South Dakota to Jewel Cave, for a quick vacation. This is a reason why I like hitchhiking: no worries about maintenance.

My final ride was from an awesome couple in a travel van. I sat in the back seat/couch, plugged in my phone to the outlet, and just had a great time. These things sound awesome! Perfect for two people to travel around in, as you can use it to cook, clean, closet, and crash...in comfort.

It was nice to hit Missoula, though. Especially after I sat in McDonalds and found a CSer to stay with!

Day 23-25 – Ridesharing to the US

 Back to the lower 48! Now, this trip is primarily about hitchhiking, but Alaska did take a serious amount of time to get to. For that reason, I decided that exceptions could be made, so long as they don't cost any more than hitchhiking. I did some searching on Craigslist rideshares, and I found the perfection solution: a woman was moving down from Alaska to Oregon, and needed a second driver to help get her through Canada! She wanted to do it as quickly as possible, so with two drivers we'd be able to make it all the way down in only two days.

Granted, that's not quite what happened. We met up in Tok, AK, at about midnight. I decided to try something I'd never used before: a 5 hour energy. I drove all night, learning that Canadians shut down their gas pumps after a certain hour, and then you're stuck. I think it has to do with the fact that many of them run on generators. We were lucky, though. We had enough gas to get to a casino, where they did keep the pumps up 24 hours. I drove us the rest of the evening, getting to the Destruction Bay gas station right as it opened the following day.

I'm getting off track. I said we would do it in two days, switching off drivers. But we didn't. My copilot, Cheryl, unfortunately fell ill that first day. She had a hacking cough, worsened by the close proximity of her cat in the car. It would have been very unsafe to drive in such a condition, so I took over, driving almost the entire distance. I might have still tried for the 2 day time frame, (more 5 hours), but it was decided that sleeping in a real bed would probably be much healthier for her. And so we did. Hooray for awesome couchsurfers in Edmonton and a repeat at the hostel I stayed in before :)

Overall, the trip went well. I don't think I'll use another rideshare on this trip (I do prefer hitchhiking for my current purposes), but it's definitely something I would recommend and will use in the future!

Day 14-22 – Alaska

It's tempting to stay here, find a job, and eat fish every day for the next year. After net fishing while hanging over the side of cliff on the most dangerous stretch of a river. Actually…I just want to do that part. You need to be an Alaska resident to make it worthwhile, though, so I’ll be heading back to the lower 48.

Alaska is incredible. I haven’t done nearly enough exploration to satisfy me with this place, I will be coming back up here in the future, when I have the time to really get to see what it has to offer. I’ve met half of the goals I had for Alaska: I’ve walked on a glacier, and I’ve seen the Aurora dancing across the sky. I have yet to pan for gold or see a Grizzly bear, but I suppose I’ll have to try those the next time I come through.

The majority of this week has been with Adam and Alanna, two friends of mine that I met back in San Francisco. Through them, I’ve met a number of other people, and been to a number of places. Rather than use words, however, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Day 13 – Wide Open Spaces

1200 miles. That’s how far I’ve driven in a single car. Based on my average number of miles per day, this would have taken XXX days. Instead it took two. Hooray for awesome people who are going to the same place as you!

Driving through British Columbia is absolutely beautiful. But it does have problems. As A----- said, ‘It’s beautiful. Eight. Hundred. Miles. of Beautiful.’

Note: The majority of the following photos were taken from through the window of a moving car.

Trip Stats:

Total Distance: 679 miles
Total Time: ~12 hours
# of Rides: 1
Total Cost: $7.50