Part 4 - Hitchhiking in Triplicate

 

Hitchhiking in Triplicate

 

            I had a hotel in Anchorage for the night. The next morning I would get some breakfast and find a spot to hitchhike.

 

            Highway 1 that goes north through Anchorage to Denali also goes south towards Seward. My hotel was roughly in the center of Anchorage. I took a look at the maps to find what seemed to be a good on ramp south. The problem going south, though, is that there is no singular spot where everyone going south will see you. There are many more ways to get on Highway 1 going south.

 

            At 11:30 I walked to a ramp that I thought would be good, new cardboard sign in hand. This place wasn’t a great spot to catch a ride. There just isn’t a spot for someone to stop quickly and there was quite a bit of traffic. I waited about two hours before someone stopped. 

 

            A guy named Austin stopped to pick me up. He told me that he couldn’t take me all the way to Seward, but was going to Indian, Alaska which is about thirty minutes south. I was a little worried that I could be stranded if he took me there, so I asked if I would be able to get another ride around that area. He assured me that I would get a ride in ten minutes or less. He dropped me off on the shoulder of the road. It’s a very scenic spot overlooking the Turnagain Arm inlet. I set my stuff down on the shoulder and got a few very scenic pictures. When I was done, I picked up my sign and began flagging down cars. Sure enough, ten minutes later I had a ride.

 

            A lady and her 14-year-old daughter stopped to pick me up. They were also going to Seward. I didn’t catch the daughter’s name, but the mom’s name was Alexis. They were driving a 4-door Ford F-150. Alexis helped me load my bag into the bed of the truck. She was excited to pick up a hitchhiker, but her daughter was most certainly not. I went to the rear passenger door and pulled the handle. Just as I pulled it the daughter, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, locked the door on me. Alexis told me to come to the other side because there was more room. It was a little tight anyway, but it was a ride. They had two dogs. One was a smaller, fluffy mixed breed dog who alternated sitting on the daughter’s lap and center console. The other dog was a larger black lab. It was snuggling up to me the entire time. I was his buddy. This ride did not last long, however. 

 

            The daughter was obviously uncomfortable. Alexis tried telling her daughter that you can tell when someone is safe to pick up. If they have clean clothes and a nice bag, they just want to travel around to various places. She told me that her daughter was obviously uncomfortable, but it didn’t take a genius to feel the tension. They took me roughly 7 miles to Girdwood and let me off. There is a really big gas station there. I asked her to let me off on the shoulder on the opposite side of the road. Literally, as soon as I got my sign out a truck pulled over. 

 

            A guy named James, who was about 35 picked me up. He had his 3-year-old daughter in the back. Her name was Lilly. She was shy. Every time I looked back at her, she would either look away or put something in front of her face. They were going to visit some family in Kenai which is on the western side of the Kenai Peninsula, the opposite side as Seward. Initially he was going to dop me off at a place called the Y (the point where you either continue south or turn west), but Lilly was having a fit. It took a while to understand what she wanted, but eventually I made out that she wanted her mom. James and his wife had a 7-month-old so she stayed at home with the baby. He called her on the phone and let Lilly talk to her. She calmed down a little bit. Eventually we made it to Seward. We stopped at a grocery store. I needed some snacks and things so it was a good stop. I tried to give James some money for the ride, but he wouldn’t take it. I bought two Hershey’s candy bars and stuck them on his door handle when I came out.

            From there, I walked to grab some lunch. Then I headed to the place I would stay for my time in Seward: Moby Dick Hostel.

My backpack and sign

Scenic picture near Indian, AK