Tales from the Trails

I remember when I was a small boy riding in my dads truck and seeing a hitchhiker and just wondering who that guy was and how he survived out their with only a back pack and his wits .

When I was 16 or so I met a group of Dead Heads( For those of you that don't know what A dead head is they are people that flowed the Grateful Dead)that took me under their wing. At the time I didn't know that this was a a caravan living on the road I just liked their drugs . Man let me tell you their drugs were the best. This is how I began to live my life in the Hippie dream.

Once I went to my first Dead show than my eyes were open to entirely new ideas; I now knew about this secret society . My life was for changed from the day forward. I later went out on tour. Well I learned on tour that all those Peace loving hippies will often take every thing you Owen and leave you for dead; and not the Grateful Dead, Just plain dead.

I want to talk so much about all my stories on the road with you however I have set out to write a peace on survival on the road so if you ever feel like you may want to do something crazy like hitchhike around the country one day you will know how to avoid the same mistakes I have made.

The first thing I recommend is that you don't travel alone especial if you are female. The best way is Boy, girl and dog. Than If you are picked up the chances are you are getting a ride from a person that wants to help you get some where and not a pervert. Next to boy, girl and dog is 2 boys; no one person is going to want to risk trying to bring harm to you when they know they could get a Knife stuck in them by your buddy. So I say having a companion on the road is always a good thing.

Always remember that you are taking a risk by taking rides from strangers so try to get a feel for who you are taking help from first this is tricky for you only have a short time to decide if you are willing to take your chances. In general if they seem a bit to friendly or to eager to help chances are they have motive's so don't go .

some states look down on hitchhiking and so you have to be clever you can make it a point to be drooped off where every body is on their some where like a rest stop or a truck stop. Remember that their are loitering laws so you may have to spend a little money at a truck stop. Now remember you don't to have the law come brake your balls so don't draw Attn to your self you can go and rest in the lounge where the truckers do this is also a good place to find a shower.

Clean body and close make all the difference no one wants to take a person in their car or truck they think stinks so try to keep clean. While you are at a truck stop you can make a little money if you have the rite stuff some times you can Polish the rems of drivers trucks this can help you get down the road a little bit further also gives you a chance to talk with some of the truckers and find out if they are going in your direction.

Most of the time drivers are working for a company that won't let them take on passengers so don't be upset if you can't get a ride with a truck. A bad attitude will reflect and reduce your chances of getting where you want to go.

I have found that it is important to have proper gear this means a tent ,good sleeping bag, a mess kit and a few none perishables make a big difference. You can camp in national forest free for a short time.like up to 2 weeks. remember that your gear is your life line so don't let it out of your sight.

Their are always ways to make money when you are out their so remember to be resourceful.