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