According to state law, "No person shall stand in a roadway for the purpose of soliciting a ride from the driver of any vehicle." Technically, Dan and I stood to the side of the roadway and our main purpose was to have an adventure, but Illinois state might beg to differ.
Ever since the time Dan and I picked up hitch hikers in New Zealand, we have been itching to give hitch hiking a try. At this point, you are probably asking yourself, why would anyone in their right mind want to try hitch hiking? I'll attempt to explain. First off, if the average person is considered to be in their right mind, then I can admit that I am not completely in my right mind. Secondly, hitch hiking is by far the cheapest way to get around, and also the most exhilerating. It allows you the opportunity to meet someone new, the chance to trust in another person. Dan and I were aware of the potential danger that comes along with it, but we decided that we had the ability to refuse a ride if it didn't feel right. There's always a risk, but sometimes it's worth taking.
My friend Chelsey lives two and a half hours away from Chicago and she invited Dan and I to stop by for the weekend. Since she lives in a small town, literally in the middle of nowhere (population 900), there aren't many modes of transportation directly to her town. The best option is an overpriced bus ($22 one way!) that drops you off 45 minutes from her town. The route seemed pretty simple and direct and since we didn't have any time constraints we made the mutual decision to give hitch hiking a try.
Ever since the time Dan and I picked up hitch hikers in New Zealand, we have been itching to give hitch hiking a try. At this point, you are probably asking yourself, why would anyone in their right mind want to try hitch hiking? I'll attempt to explain. First off, if the average person is considered to be in their right mind, then I can admit that I am not completely in my right mind. Secondly, hitch hiking is by far the cheapest way to get around, and also the most exhilerating. It allows you the opportunity to meet someone new, the chance to trust in another person. Dan and I were aware of the potential danger that comes along with it, but we decided that we had the ability to refuse a ride if it didn't feel right. There's always a risk, but sometimes it's worth taking.
My friend Chelsey lives two and a half hours away from Chicago and she invited Dan and I to stop by for the weekend. Since she lives in a small town, literally in the middle of nowhere (population 900), there aren't many modes of transportation directly to her town. The best option is an overpriced bus ($22 one way!) that drops you off 45 minutes from her town. The route seemed pretty simple and direct and since we didn't have any time constraints we made the mutual decision to give hitch hiking a try.
Saturday morning we woke up around 9am. I made a sign that read "Rockford, I-90W, Please," while Dan packed some energy bars and water for the trip. Dan and I decided that it would be best to stand just outside the highway entrance ramp, so that cars headed in the same direction would be forced to pass us. My expectations were fairly optimistic, guessing that we would manage to get all the way there in just 1-2 rides. Dan, being a bit more of a realist, predicted 5-6 rides. Our excitement soon faded as we took our places (me holding the sign, Dan with his thumb up) and quickly became embarrassed as cars began to drive by and slowed down to stare at us. Fifteen minutes, and some sweat stains later, two young guys rolled down their window and asked where we were headed. It just so happened that they were traveling 70 miles west and could drop us off at our next road.
Recent Michigan graduates, they were headed to spend a weekend golfing with family friends (golfers have to be safe, right?) Dan and I shared some stories with them as they played a combination of rap and reggae music for us. We joked with them about how there was really no need for us to be hitch hiking and they called us hitch hiking yuppies. It was their first time picking up hitch hikers and admitted that they stopped because my sign was written so nicely (I'm not going to lie, it was a pretty great sign).
After driving 70 miles, they stopped for gas and let Dan and I off. At this point, we were only about 40 minutes away. I made a new sign (we made sure to pack the charcoals), and began walking. We held out the sign as we walked alongside the one lane highway in the blistering sunlight (it was pretty darn hot at this point). After walking two miles without much luck, we spotted a lake to our left and decided to explore. Eventually, after some time spent lost in the woods and several phone calls from Chelsey volunteering to pick us up from where we were (since we weren't too far away), we gave up on hitch hiking and instead found a shady spot to play cards. One friendly driver pulled over and offered us a ride, but we refused since by then Chelsey was on her way.
Despite some dirt on our legs and our shirts being one shade darker than when we set off, for our first time hitch hiking, I don't think it could have gone any better.
"Hitchhiking is a beautiful regress to an infantile state of being. You grow infinitely younger as your ego diminishes and the realization dawns that you are no longer in control of your fate. Once this has been accepted, the mind relaxes and the fun begins. You play with the traffic on the road and it plays with you. Sometimes it tickles you, sometimes it laughs openly to your face. Often it patronizes you and sometimes it sneers in disgust and belittlement. You never really know what’s going to happen next, neither do you understand exactly who those people behind the wheel really are. It is a cultivation of care and kindness, appreciation and respect. It lets you know that there are plenty of people out there who would go literally out of their way for complete strangers. It is living close to the edge, to the margins, the frontier where anything and everything becomes possible."
- Eurizons
Recent Michigan graduates, they were headed to spend a weekend golfing with family friends (golfers have to be safe, right?) Dan and I shared some stories with them as they played a combination of rap and reggae music for us. We joked with them about how there was really no need for us to be hitch hiking and they called us hitch hiking yuppies. It was their first time picking up hitch hikers and admitted that they stopped because my sign was written so nicely (I'm not going to lie, it was a pretty great sign).
After driving 70 miles, they stopped for gas and let Dan and I off. At this point, we were only about 40 minutes away. I made a new sign (we made sure to pack the charcoals), and began walking. We held out the sign as we walked alongside the one lane highway in the blistering sunlight (it was pretty darn hot at this point). After walking two miles without much luck, we spotted a lake to our left and decided to explore. Eventually, after some time spent lost in the woods and several phone calls from Chelsey volunteering to pick us up from where we were (since we weren't too far away), we gave up on hitch hiking and instead found a shady spot to play cards. One friendly driver pulled over and offered us a ride, but we refused since by then Chelsey was on her way.
Despite some dirt on our legs and our shirts being one shade darker than when we set off, for our first time hitch hiking, I don't think it could have gone any better.
"Hitchhiking is a beautiful regress to an infantile state of being. You grow infinitely younger as your ego diminishes and the realization dawns that you are no longer in control of your fate. Once this has been accepted, the mind relaxes and the fun begins. You play with the traffic on the road and it plays with you. Sometimes it tickles you, sometimes it laughs openly to your face. Often it patronizes you and sometimes it sneers in disgust and belittlement. You never really know what’s going to happen next, neither do you understand exactly who those people behind the wheel really are. It is a cultivation of care and kindness, appreciation and respect. It lets you know that there are plenty of people out there who would go literally out of their way for complete strangers. It is living close to the edge, to the margins, the frontier where anything and everything becomes possible."
- Eurizons
