Re: Whew! More Pleasant Story

[ABLE1 <somewhere@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 10/4/2020 4:51 PM, Jim Davis wrote:
> It's amazing ---- what you can do when your are that young and not fully appreciate it until you become an old man. There is
> just no way that you can communicate that to a young person. If all of that energy, blind courage, invulnerability could be
> directed to something productive and innovative what amazing things could be accomplished. Sometimes but very rarely do you come > across a young person who "gets it"

I totally agree!!  Personally your adventures (aka)stories are great and
only yours.  I have some that impress me at times but small compared to
yours.  Glad you survived this long to tell them.

When you think about it there are a whole lot out there that have lived
during the same time frame that have no "stories" to tell.  Or maybe
they lived them but just don't know how to tell them.

I may have typed this before but my best adventure was hitch hiking
across country from Vallejo, California to Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
I was in my dress whites with a small suitcase that I had put a banner
on that said "Pennsylvania or Bust -- Home"  Had my cousin drop me off
at the expressway and stuck my thumb out.  Got picked up rather quickly
for a short hop or two.  Then a car woman stopped and she seemed a bit
nervous.  She said the only reason she stopped was because her brother
was in Nam and she just wanted to talk to a service man and to help.
I told she was very safe with me.  I got in and talked for a bit and
she took me about 20 miles or so.

Couple more quick hops and a guy picked me up.  Was we talked he said
he normally gets off at the next exit but because he knows the CHP
officer that patrols this section of highway and that will take me in
since it was illegal to hitch hike out here on the highway.  I said,
"Well thanks, how do you know that??"  That is when he pulled hi jacket
back and showed his CHP badge. :-)

Then I got to  Reno, Nevada.  I decided that since I may never get the
again I decided to get off the interstate and walk into town.  After
about a mile I realized that it would take a long time to get there
and it may not be worth it.  So I turned around and walked back to
the interstate.  As I am walking up the on ramp a car pulls over.
I go the passenger side and there is guy with a young boy.  The guy
says "Do you have a drivers license??"  I said; "Well yes I do."

He says; "Great, get in."  He the explains to me that I just drove
out from Little Rock, Arkansas to pickup his son for his 6 months
of custody.  He was tired and needed someone to help drive.
No problem.  We talked for a while and stopped for lunch.  I bought
lunch for the three of us.  The back on the road and I drove while
he slept.  We switched again a few more time until we got to
Little Rock.  He dropped me off and I started out again.  That was
roughly 1890 miles on one ride.

I then wanted to go north to Des Moines, Iowa.  I had a cousin living
there and wanted to stop in since I was "in the area".  Got a couple
of rides north and by now it was about 1AM in the morning.  I was out
on some very dark road.  Very little traffic and what was there was
not stopping.  The there was this Semi Truck coming my way.  What the
heck, got nothing to lose, so I stuck out my thumb.  The truck stops
and I get up and open the door, the driver says hop in, where you
going??  I'm going to Des Moines.  He says, great that is where I
going as well.  After about 20-30 minutes of talking he says, you
look tired.  Why don't you hop up in the sleeper get some rest!!
Sure, thanks!!  My head hit the pillow and I was out. zzzzzzzzzz

Then I was being shaken and the driver is saying, were pulling into
Des Moines!!  I got out of the sleeper and back down into the shot
gun seat.  I looked over at the driver and it wasn't the same guy!!!
The driver says we switched drivers about 2 hours ago.  He told me
you were back there asleep and I should wake you when I got to
Des Moines.  WOW!!!!  Sure, Thanks!!  So as we got into town
I said I need to find a payphone to call my cousin.  A few blocks
ahead there was one.  So I asked him to stop at the light and
thank you very much!!  Called my cousin who picked me up and
I stayed at her place till the next morning.  She then took
me back out to the highway.  And I put out my thumb again
heading east.

Got a couple of short hops and then a guy stops. He says he
is on his way to Washington DC so he can get me closer to home.
Great, hopped in.  He asked where I was going and I said
Mechanicsburg, Pa.  I said, as a matter of fact my parents house
backyard is right next to the Pa Turnpike.  We continued to talk
and stopped for lunch somewhere in Indiana,  Once we got to somewhere
through Ohio into Pennsylvania, he says I usually get on I-70 to go
down to DC, how about I just continue in through on the Pa Turnpike, I
can always drive down I-83 to DC.  I said, you don't have to do that.
He says, yes, but I want to get you home.  So as we got close I said,
Please pull over and stop on this side of the next bridge.  He did,
I got out, thanked him for the ride and then ran across the turnpike,
climbed over the fence, walked up the backyard, and into the house
and said; Mom Dad I'm home!!

Not counting the day with my cousin it took me 3 days.

Now the rest of the story as they say.  If you notice I did not place
a name of the drivers that picked me up and moved me across the country.
I knew them by first name then.  Today, I couldn't even venture a guess.
Not that it was not important but it was like two ships passing in the
night.  I know I will never meet them again.  I doubt they will remember
my name but I hope that they remember that once upon a time they picked
up a sailor on a road and took him part way across the country to his
home in Pennsylvania.

Thinking about it, what would really be cool would be for one of those
drivers be reading this story and make contact with me.

Naaaaa what are the odds....................................

End of story!!
Sorry for any typo's!!

Les