Hitchiking Tales

April 30 In Search of America 1975 – Hitch hiking Tales When I was young and foolish Broke and stubborn I hitchhiked across the USA Started in Salt Lake City Where my greyhound bus pass Was stolen The station manager Could have helped me But refused to do so Threaten to call the cops When I grabbed my bags Without the stolen tags I said Go ahead But I am so out of here Wondered about Salt Lake City Went to a bar Found I had to buy my booze Next door And they would mix it for me Had to order food too After a bloody Mary And a burger I walked about town Saw the Mormon Temple Finally about 3 pm It was time to hit the road Did not look back Ended up in Cody Wyoming Got a room shower Steak beer Using my rapidly depleted cash Spent 25 dollars Money really went far Back in those days A band of professional Communist agitators Gave me a ride To Des Moines Lots of weed, booze And politics later Got off the road Slept outside Next day A beautiful woman Drove me to near Chicago In a red mustang Might have been The girl in the song Took it easy Digging her vibe She invited home But was not sure If her estranged husband Would welcome me So, I am being foolish And inexperienced with women Did not go to her place And always regretted That I had lost My chance that day Then on to Chicago Several rides later Visited friends Hit the road again A series of uneventful rides With truckers And others And a week later I ended in New York City Slept along the way In cars In truck stops In high way rest stops Always moving Always going None stop talking And lots of free weed And beer And conversation One more memorable ride Occurred outside Albany On my return to Chicago A middle age creepy looking man Picked me up In a brand-new Cadillac He was he said a dynamite deliverer For the Mafia Went to various places To blow up **** He hated a lot of people Particularly hippies from California And Jewish people Looking at me to confirm That I was both I told him that I lived in New York And had never been to California And although I might have looked Jewish As I what was called back in the day A “Jewfro” I was not Jewish Many years later I discovered That I am indeed part Jewish But then I did not know And I felt a bit of strategic information Might keep me alive end part one