“68″

Over the last few weeks, people had been leaving the beach. It was late July, I had hitch hiked down here from Ocean City N.J. With a kid named Eric, upon arriving, we went our separate ways. The migration was to California. Groups of kids in cars were leaving daily, and you would hear of people hitch hiking as well. I was feeling bold, after all, getting here from Jersey went well. I had absolutely no concept of distance, but had talked with kids who said they had made the trip, and they encouraged me. It is a long way to St.Louis. Every time I’ve hitched out west, its been hard to get to St.Louis. This time however, I took the long way. How you get from Roanoke Va. to Chicago Ill. On your way to Los Angeles is probably a good question. Not having a map I think is a pretty good answer. I had left Ocean City Md. In the morning, got a ride with someone heading to Townsend Md., let out at a pretty good spot, and was on my way. I remember hitch hiking through the night, all the next day, arriving on the Van Pelt expressway in a driving rain storm at about 8 pm. I was let out on the expressway. I guess my ride thought it better than dropping me off in a Chicago neighborhood. This was getting discouraging, I knew being out here in a storm was dangerous, I knew I was closer to Phila. Than L.A. I was surprised at how fast I got a ride out of there,I was on the highway south to St.Louis. Through the night I picked up rides. The next morning, a family going west, picked me up, taking me through the Gateway. I remember, from about 30miles out, the Father pointing out the arch as it glowed, reflecting the rising sun. It seemed as soon as I passed that arch,things got easier. Missouri is a big state, but getting long rides was getting easy. Before, the rides were short little hops even from truckers, but now I was moving hundreds of miles a shot. Somewhere west of Tulsa I got a ride with a young family in a old black Cadillac going to the west coast. Around Oklahoma City they decided they were stopping for a late lunch. Where I got out, there was a Holiday Inn with a restaurant right on the highway. I was hungry too, and with little money, I went to the back in the kitchen, found the Chief, told him what was up,asked if there was some work I could do for a meal. This was a good guy, he helped me pull out the kitchen mats to the parking lot, set me up to wash them,taking the time to explain how to keep clean while doing it. I will never forget, when I finished the mats, he set me up on a couple milk crates, a roast turkey dinner compete! When I finished, we moved the mats back in, and I was gone. When I got out to the highway it couldn’t have been 5 minutes before that old black Cadillac comes rolling by, stops and picks me up. I know they are going to california too and I’m feeling things are working out! I rode with them to Shamrock Tx. We had driven into the evening and they were going to check in for the night. I was let out at a gas station and just hung out with the kid working there. I knew, if nothing else, that Cadillac would be passing by sometime next morning. Anyhow about 2 or 3 am. a 66 orange-red Mustang with California plates pulled in for gas. I had been asking people for rides through the night at the station rather than standing out on the highway. Well,this guy was heading back to school in San Diego, had room for me,and told me to grab my things. On that ride I remember rolling through those old western towns, towns that today you can only see off in the distance as you drive the interstates. Although his destination was San Diego, he. Drove to L.A. Dropping me off on P.C.H. At Chautauqua Bl. I didn’t know where in the heck I was. Remember I didn’t have a map. From P.C.H. I saw two girls walking down the hill. I told them that I was just dropped off, that I had hitched out from the east coast, that I was tired, and I asked if they had a place for me to crash. They were collage girls, I was fourteen, they may have been a little worried for me. They drove me to a house on Topanga Beach that was rented by some law students. They took me inside, told the other people in the house what was up with me, fed me, and told me where I could sleep. I would wake up the next morning,sun shining, waves crashing, feeling good about being here at last