Shock

Status:

Days on the Road: 55
Travelled Km: 12139
Location: San Francisco USA

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One of the questions I recently heard was: "Did you meet any weirdos while hitchhiking?"
I came hitchhiking for about 11.000 Km and I never had any bad experience.
But this all would change two days ago.
After my last post from Bandon, I Hitchhiked another 30 miles and found my self a nice spot on the hills of Port Orford overlooking the Ocean. The next day I got up and catched a ride within minutes from Orford to Cresent City with a young lady and here 6 month old daughter. That was the most trusting act I came across so far. I had some breakfast at the California beach and started to Hitchhike again. I got picked up by a couple, they where kind of strange by they dropped me in Klamath. I made my way across a big bridge, the spot as very nice but the cars where going very fast. After maybe 10 min. there comes a white car speeding pretty much. He kind of only recognizes me when he passed me. So he hit the break so hard he created a 30m trail and smoke from burning tires filled the highway. So I ran over to his car. I could tell right away he was taking some drugs, but a lot of people I drove with where consuming weed before or during the time I was in the Car with them. So I would ask the standard question where he is going but he could not really answer that, which is a very bad sign as well. But maybe it was because I had made so many good experiences and I kind of wanted to leave the bad spot that i Ignored all signs and got in anyway.
So we drive 1 min on the Highway when he suddenly takes an exit and telling me that he is going to take the "Back route". Now i realised he was not really talkative and that we where heading deep in to the woods. I started to feel really uncomfortable and pretty much in the Second I was about telling him to stop it happened. I guess due to his drugs, which I guess was "Meth", his reactions where delayed by at least 2 seconds. He realised that he wanted to take the exit when we passed it almost. But he tried anyway. Right in between the two street there was a very huge tree and in front was a guard rail. We where heading so straight for the Tree that my last thought was: "Hes doing it on purpose". We where still pretty fast but I guess it was the guard rail that saved "us" from more damage. It was completely bend back but the car was still able to go Backwards, but the left front tire was completely broken. But I just got out grabed my bag, while he started to remove the tire. There was retired couple that saw everything and I explained to them that he must be crazy and I would like to get out of here. So she went to talk to here Husband in the Trailer. But as we say in Germany, if you need help, then shout "fire" because if you call for help no one will. So they let me know that they would drive the other way.
So I started walking back to the Highway by my own. And while walking back I kept thinking that the accident and the chance to get out was maybe the good part of the story....
So I went back to the spot, but I was not really in the mood of hitchhiking and was still quite shocked. But at least I grabbed that Kitchen knife I bought the day before from my bag pack and put it in my pocket. After maybe another hr I got picked up by a native lady with a brand new BMW X3 and she would take me 200 miles. But I guess after that experience I would not have trusted if Good himself was behind the wheels. So my trust was challenge very hard when she invited me to stay the night at their place. But since it was kind unrealistic that my life was threatened twice a day I accepted. We drove so deep in to the woods it scared me. They lived in an old cabin which was over 100 years old. It was a funny picture. They had this old house which looked from the inside as if it was build by teenage boys but outside was the BMW ;)
They had homegrown weed for dinner and breakfast and he looked exactly like (and i mean exactly) Gimli from "Lord of the Rings"
The next morning she drove me out to the next town and I was more than happy to leave that remote place although they turned out to be very nice people.
I was not even starting to hitchhike when a car stopped and a young man asked to pick me up. So he dropped me at a very good spot. The next one who picked me up was (as it turned out later in SF) a "Weed-Farmer" from somewhere in the woods who did not even had a drivers licence. But he was nice and even invited me for dinner and paid a Hotel room for me since I did not found a couchsurfer on last minute. In addition he gave me a Phone with 60$ on it. But since I would like to stay away from trouble I was happy when we went separate ways this morning.

Anyway I will relax a couple of days in SF and then figure out how to get further. I am looking out for a boat that goes south because I get a 99% recommendations to skip the southern part of California and the US and just straight head in to Mexico.

cheers