Hitchin' a Ride

[7Critter]

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This song was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the thread title.

 

[Selectric]

Every time me and a friend got together it was no holds barred extreme question mark lol. We hitched a ride to a friends house and got picked up by a strange old guy. To put it as mildly as i can he tried to 'pick us up'. That didn't end well for him lol. I've picked up a few hitchhikers here and there as well help stranded people. Always have a feeling if i am going to or not. The one guy i helped i ended up getting a major discount on auto parts for my car

 

[Lynne]

It occurs to me that the new hitching is called "Uber" and you just pay the stranger instead of riding for free.

good point on the uber, still dangerous in my opinion, for both the driver and rider. I have never hitched a ride.

 

[Lynne]

I went hunting with a mate when young, we set off at 2am for a 4 hour trip to a farm. We turned off the highway onto a side road at 4am, pitch black. there was a middle aged guy hitching so we pulled over. He pointed to an overturned car ahead and said he'd rolled. I went to open the door for him and my mate locked it and said drive up to the crash. As we approached we realized the car was an old wreck and the guy was walking up with his hand behind his back . I floored the pedal and we left the guy in dust and stones. As we camped that night we heard on the radio a couple had been abducted at gunpoint by a guy in that area. We didn't sleep and headed back the next day, no rabbits but alive.

Oh man that was close, your friend's intuition was on point. I hope you reported his description to the police. Did you ever hear an update on the couple?

 

[Duke]

In the late 80s I was traveling to Palmdale, CA, very frequently. I usually flew into Burbank Airport. One trip I was in line at the airport to get my rental car when I heard a spirited conversation between an older woman (she reminded me of actress Shirley Booth in her "Hazel" role) and the woman behind the counter. The woman was trying to rent a car with cash, claimed she had no credit card. They refused to rent her the car.

I heard the woman say she had to get to Palmdale and she was upset and crying. I told her I was going to Palmdale, and offered her a ride. She seemed hesitant at first, but decided to accept the offer as her only other option was to take a cab. After collecting her luggage, off we went.

Long story short, turns out she had left her husband and didn't want to use a credit card in case he reported her missing. She was going to stay with an old friend in Palmdale who'd agreed to take her in. The drive was over an hour and during that time I heard her story about her husband. Sad tale, the guy was apparently a lunatic.

When we got to Palmdale, she offered to pay me for the ride, and then offered to take me to dinner when I declined the cash. When she asked where I was staying, I lied and told her on base at Edwards AFB. I got a hug and a peck on the cheek that left a red lipstick mark as we parted company.

Nice lady, I've long wondered how things turned out for her.

 

[Debi]

In the late 80s I was traveling to Palmdale, CA, very frequently. I usually flew into Burbank Airport. One trip I was in line at the airport to get my rental car when I heard a spirited conversation between an older woman (she reminded me of actress Shirley Booth in her "Hazel" role) and the woman behind the counter. The woman was trying to rent a car with cash, claimed she had no credit card. They refused to rent her the car.

I heard the woman say she had to get to Palmdale and she was upset and crying. I told her I was going to Palmdale, and offered her a ride. She seemed hesitant at first, but decided to accept the offer as her only other option was to take a cab. After collecting her luggage, off we went.

Long story short, turns out she had left her husband and didn't want to use a credit card in case he reported her missing. She was going to stay with an old friend in Palmdale who'd agreed to take her in. The drive was over an hour and during that time I heard her story about her husband. Sad tale, the guy was apparently a lunatic.

When we got to Palmdale, she offered to pay me for the ride, and then offered to take me to dinner when I declined the cash. When she asked where I was staying, I lied and told her on base at Edwards AFB. I got a hug and a peck on the cheek that left a red lipstick mark as we parted company.

Nice lady, I've long wondered how things turned out for her.

What a good guy you are! This reminds me of the people who jointly rented a van together to get to their destination when their plane was canceled recently. None of them knew each other, but with that many it was probably a safe option.

 

[Duke]

What a good guy you are! This reminds me of the people who jointly rented a van together to get to their destination when their plane was canceled recently. None of them knew each other, but with that many it was probably a safe option.

I was more interested in renting my car and getting on the road before rush hour than anything else. There was only one employee at the rental counter and the old gal was occupying her. I figured if she had a ride she'd let move aside and let me rent my car.

 

[garnetsilver]

When I was about fifteen, I ran away from an extremely dysfunctional home. I planned to visit a girl I had met at Girl Scout camp when we were both eleven years old; we had kept in touch by letter. I lived in NJ and she was near the NY state border. I took a Greyhound bus, but got off too soon, so I started hiking along the highway. After awhile my feet were getting blisters, and I decided to hitchhike. A guy in his late thirties to forties pulled over, and with much apprehension, I got in. After the usual questions about why was I hitchhiking, he placed one hand on my leg. Terrified, I slid over towards the passenger door, and started silently praying.

The guys removed his hand, and told me that he had a daughter my age, and scolded me for hitchhiking. Whew! He dropped me off at my destination with no further trouble. I never did hitch another ride, after that.

 

[Selectric]

When I was about fifteen, I ran away from an extremely dysfunctional home. I planned to visit a girl I had met at Girl Scout camp when we were both eleven years old; we had kept in touch by letter. I lived in NJ and she was near the NY state border. I took a Greyhound bus, but got off too soon, so I started hiking along the highway. After awhile my feet were getting blisters, and I decided to hitchhike. A guy in his late thirties to forties pulled over, and with much apprehension, I got in. After the usual questions about why was I hitchhiking, he placed one hand on my leg. Terrified, I slid over towards the passenger door, and started silently praying.

The guys removed his hand, and told me that he had a daughter my age, and scolded me for hitchhiking. Whew! He dropped me off at my destination with no further trouble. I never did hitch another ride, after that.

Glad that turned out fine. For a guy you don't expect much issue but if there is, usually can rectify it fairly quick. I can't imagine being a female in that situation. Lot's of pepper spray or a retractable baton to clobber someone with for sure.

 

[ozentity]

Oh man that was close, your friend's intuition was on point. I hope you reported his description to the police. Did you ever hear an update on the couple?

We never reported this and all we heard was the radio report. We thought he hijacked the couple's car but can't remember hearing of the outcome I think, it was about 42 years ago and my memory is fading a bit. I do remember the scary bit clearly.