I have been on two cross-country hitchhikes. The first was in the summer of '07 when I hitchhiked 5,500 miles from Alaska to New York. The second took place in the spring of 2008 when I hitched with my then-girlfriend, Sammy. We went from Mississippi to New York in 25-days. Below, are the tales of each journey.
"Rules of Thumb" is the day-by-day story of my Alaska-to-NY journey from May-June 2007.
Rule of Thumb #1: Prepare for anything. Failure especially.
Coldfoot, AK to Coldfoot, AK (0 miles)
Rule of Thumb #2: Even drivers who say, "If you're gettin' in my truck, you're gonna fuck" may not be so bad.
Coldfoot, AK to Delta Junction, AK (349 miles)
Rule of Thumb #3: Avoid drivers who "just got out" [of prison]
Delta Junction, AK to Tok, AK (111 miles)
Rule of Thumb #4: Avoid situations like being commissioned getaway driver in the mission to traffic "Joey" out of town
Tok, Alaska to Teslin, Yukon Territories (498 miles)
Rule of Thumb #5: Bring lots of stuff
Teslin, Yukon Territories to northern border of British Columbia (158 miles)
Rule of Thumb #6: Shatter your fears. Know the unknown
Northern British Columbia to Prince George, BC (776 miles)
Rule of Thumb #7: To be poor in things is to be free of them
Prince George, BC to Hope, BC (388 miles)
Rule of Thumb #8: Listening is an art form
Hope, British Columbia to Rock Island, Washington (303 miles)
Rule of Thumb #9: When there's no other alternative, walk
Rock Island, Washington to La Grande Oregon (296 miles)
Rule of Thumb #10: When there's nowhere to sleep, start turning knobs
La Grande, Oregon to Park City, Utah (538 miles)
Coldfoot, AK to Coldfoot, AK (0 miles)
Rule of Thumb #2: Even drivers who say, "If you're gettin' in my truck, you're gonna fuck" may not be so bad.
Coldfoot, AK to Delta Junction, AK (349 miles)
Rule of Thumb #3: Avoid drivers who "just got out" [of prison]
Delta Junction, AK to Tok, AK (111 miles)
Rule of Thumb #4: Avoid situations like being commissioned getaway driver in the mission to traffic "Joey" out of town
Tok, Alaska to Teslin, Yukon Territories (498 miles)
Rule of Thumb #5: Bring lots of stuff
Teslin, Yukon Territories to northern border of British Columbia (158 miles)
Rule of Thumb #6: Shatter your fears. Know the unknown
Northern British Columbia to Prince George, BC (776 miles)
Rule of Thumb #7: To be poor in things is to be free of them
Prince George, BC to Hope, BC (388 miles)
Rule of Thumb #8: Listening is an art form
Hope, British Columbia to Rock Island, Washington (303 miles)
Rule of Thumb #9: When there's no other alternative, walk
Rock Island, Washington to La Grande Oregon (296 miles)
Rule of Thumb #10: When there's nowhere to sleep, start turning knobs
La Grande, Oregon to Park City, Utah (538 miles)
***
"Lovin' and bummin' on the open road: An exploration of America's east coast" is my hitchhiking adventure, when I traveled with my girlfriend Sammy in the Spring of 2008 from Mississippi to New York.
Part 1- Mississippi to North Carolina
Part 2- North Carolina to Connecticut
Part 3- Connecticut to New York
