Hitch 2

I never tried my thumb in America. My co-workers were full of fear, always berating me for thinking it acceptable to rely on the kindness of strangers. They would tell me that death was sure for any road warrior, I would counter that death was sure for everybody.
The final plunge took place during spring break this year. A free spirited redhead named Amelia was to join me on a short journey. We were going a few hours down the road. The majority of travel would be on a two lane country highway, connecting the desolate olympic peninsula to the south puget sound, to Olympia. There are a half dozen villages on the road, but mostly just oyster farms and logger homes.
This is native country, so it only fit that our first ride was with a native couple. The rotund couple were crammed in the front of a miniature pickup with four children. We jumped in the back and rode for a half hour. Along the way we saw a large fogbow, a full circle rainbow around the sun. I took that as an omen of our good luck.

From there the rides were fast and reliable. The waits were short and the ride entertaining. I never felt uncomfortable with the drivers. We got dropped off a few blocks from our final destination.

The ride home was another story. The first ride was less than a mile, just to the edge of town. We rode in the back of a red pickup with a massive propane tank. Then we stood.