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
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