Milepost: Slate, I-80 Eastbound, 1980


This is a true story. Although just 20 years have past since this trip, it seems to and may have been in another lifetime. More than a story, it's just a telling of the events of one hitch-hiking trip that, in retrospect, may seem oddly humorous.

Today it's difficult to recall the events that led up to it but basically I was in San Jose, California and needed to get to Arvada, Colorado. No job, no money and my honey was in Arvada. I have not yet ridden the rails but I used to often put out my thumb. It was usually just as fast as driving. Sometimes not...


Getting started out of a metropolitan area is often difficult and this time proved to be bad. Eventually I made it about 100 miles to Davis where I stood at the on-ramp under the very hot San Joaquin Valley sun. The sun was setting before I got my first ride of several that took me to the Donner Lake exit.

As it was going to get quite cold and I wasn't prepared for it, I continued to hitch-hike even though it was very dark on a sparse traffic on-ramp. Rather quickly I got a ride with, for lack of a better description, a Gypsy in a very creaky Citreon. We had a pleasant ride down to the Humbolt river where I got out prior to his exit for Fallon. I didn't really want to sleep to close to any town and felt comfortable hitch-hiking on I-80 in Nevada.

After hiking some distance off the road into some trees to spend the night, I threw my sleeping bag on the ground and went to bed. Just prior to sunrise I awoke, freezing and surrounded by cows. I went back to the highway to try my luck. It was very dark, maybe foggy, but I did get a ride right off much to my surprise.

The rig was an older medium sized tractor pulling a flatbed trailer full of crates. His truck would do maybe 55 mph flat out, downhill. I thought of putting my pack in back with the crates but decided against it. One never knows when one is going to have to abandon a ride... As it was, the fella was hauling bees in bee hives up into Jordan Valley and as he had lots of tales, we had a very pleasant trip.

As the day warmed up, we ran into road construction between Lovelock and Winnemucca. Now bees apparently won't fly if the wind is to high (or the truck is moving). Also, they won't fly if it's to cold, but now it was quite hot again. Stopping for a flagman gives them an opportunity to leave the hive. Now if the hives leave them, both the bees and the owner are sort of out of luck. Never mind the flagman who is then left with a bunch of homeless bees. After many stops we eventually got a very special escort thru the construction.

As the owner was getting concerned about losing to many bees, in Winnemucca I ended up jumping out of the moving truck as he turned north onto highway 95. (This was before I-80 bypassed the town.) It was good that I had not put my pack in back or it would have been full of bees and he would have had to stop to let me out.

Then as now, one did not hitch-hike in towns in Nevada. So I loaded up and started walking the 2 miles or so back to the re-start of I-80. So when some fella pulled over and asked if I would like a ride out of town, I hopped right in. After seven miles or so he said he needed to go down to his house for 'something', but it would not take long... I agreed to ride with him so as to not lose the ride.

About two miles north of I-80 we came to his house. He asked if I wanted a beer but I declined. As he came back out of the house, a cement truck pulled up and he said "good, it looks like we're right on time". Realizing his intentions of me helping with his new patio, I said that I needed to get back on the road and went and got my pack. When he came back out of the house with a long-gun, we had further words. The cement driver was just watching, chewing his tobacco and starting to pour the cement. After some discussion the gun ended up in the cement. I picked up the pack and walked back south to the first gulley at which point I believe I damn near outran a coyote as I tried to get back to I-80.

Now I-80, thru most of Nevada is a high desert. Very few trees. Pretty flat. No place to hide... I could see the patio guy's house and I felt that he could see me. Hitch-hiking often allows the mind dwell on such things. Such as how do I hide from this fella if he comes after me. Will the local law believe the resident, or the out of work, broke, hitch-hiker. Are hitch-hikers even covered by the law, do they really have rights? Do they have chain gangs in Nevada? Needless to say, I took the very first ride even though it was only going to Golconda, even though the odds of getting a ride from Golconda were lousy.

Back on the side of I-80 just east of Golconda I was watching this crop duster flying around to the north, wondering what he could be spraying in that desert. When he finished and turned south towards me I just knew I was had. After flying over me to the east he came back and sprayed me before heading out of sight to the west! I knew he was going to do it. Before he turned back west I just knew it, but what could I do? There is NO PLACE to go.

Very surprisingly, I got another ride after several hours (waiting for the patio guy). This ride only went the short distance to Valmy, but at least I felt safer from the patio guy. But I wasn't safe from the crop duster. He re-appeared and sprayed me again! This trip was turning into a real bummer and my mind was reviewing all sorts of scenarios.

After several hours standing on the shoulder of I-80 east of Valmy some fella in a newer Volvo pulled over off the highway and offered me a ride. I asked how far he was going and he said Colorado. Well you can imagine how I felt. (You might also imagine how I smelled, although I really hadn't been on the road that long. The spray was apparent.)

The fella did not smoke, the car was nice and the air conditioning was on. Neither one of us talked much so I napped 'till Salt Lake. We ended up stopping for the night just short of the Wyoming border at a "rest stop". He slept in the car and I slept back toward the fence. In the morning he woke me and we got back on the way. Normally a ride does not last overnight. Rides just don't last that long and either party may worry about getting robbed or such and as it's so awkward, it just does not happen. In this case it worked out fine.

Initially we both were just headed for Colorado. Then Denver. Then Arvada. As it turned out, he was going to the house that backed up to the house that I was going to, and he went by my house first! That ride went from Valmy, Nevada, overnight right to my destination. Amazing, what were the odds?


I hope you've enjoyed this. I realize that most people do not hitch-hike and have no idea what it can be like. It's usually not as drastic as above. It mostly means spending time along some on-ramp or walking some state highway where one would not normally be. The views, animals (both dead and alive), people, weather and the highway often made for an interesting trip. Usually a good trip!.

I did marry (and am still with) my Arvada honey and seldom hitch-hike anymore. Unfortunately, hitch-hiking is no longer as acceptable as it were. Sometimes I wish it were...


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    created in DOS with a text editor, 21 July, 2000
    fixed typos, 14 Sept 2003
    filename: honey.htm
    maintained by , <slate@frii.com>.