http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/booming/a-reunion-with-my-younger-hitchhiking-self.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 "What strikes me is how much we all trusted one another. Scruffy youths on highway shoulders asking for a lift; girls meeting unknown boys in bars and inviting them home to hang out; strangers offering empty beds, or a floor, for overnight stays. We had a communal pact. How many my age today recall getting a lift, or giving one. Legends swirled about psycho hitchhikers, but it was a time when a generation still felt bold enough, foolish enough, innocent enough, to thumb, and just as many said, “Hop on in.”" I enjoyed this nostalgic look back, along with all the comments from other folks remembering their more innocent days. I also spent time hitchhiking in the mid-70s, with mostly good results and good memories, other than a couple of encounters with guys thinking I should be willing to trade "favors" (so yeah, not just a problem for the girls!).
This really brought back some good memories. Hitchhiking was my mode of transportation before I got my driver's license and even after since we had three with licenses and one vehicle at the time. Being close to the coast we hitchhiked to the beach all of the time and never thought twice about it. I only had one encounter where a guy wanted to "trade favors" as you say. That was a short ride to say the least. My parents would always pick up men in uniform and they would pile in with the rest of the family. I would stop and pick up hitchhikers all of the time to return the favor. It is totally different world today. I even find myself hesitating today about stopping to help someone change a flat tire !
Yeah, I drove by 2 or 3 people on my vacation having flats or other car troubles, but they all seemed under control. It would be difficult to convince myself to stop for anyone or anything these days. In an age of cell phones, the risk to me seems high relative to the risk to the stranded motorist. Saw maybe one young person hitchhiking. And the stupidest thing I ever did was hitchhiking in a blizzard across Iowa and Illinois! Yet somehow it all worked out. God takes care of the feeble-minded.....
I grew up in a small town and knew if I was spotted hitching a ride, word would quickly get back to mom & dad.
