Petrus Spronk

More notes on hitch hiking…

I have stood many hours on the roadside with my thumb in the air practicing patiently.

What makes a person stand at the edge of the road in all kinds of weather?

If he or she would work instead of hanging out casting their net into the river of traffic in hope of catching a ride, they would probably earn enough to pay for their intended journey.

But you probably guessed it. This isn’t about the money.

I can only speak for myself when I say that I do it for the joy and the unexpectedness of my journey. I can stand for hours on the road.

Then, when I see the car which has just past me by, his brake lights come on, I know there is the possibility of a ride.

Getting a ride depends on quite a few considered thoughts about the concept of hitch-hiking.

One of the first considerations is how you present yourself. You are going to spend time in someone else’s property. Dress neat. You don’t have to wear a suit just look neat. Everything I wore including my back pack was blue, since it is a spiritual colour and it is easy on the eye.

Then there are two items I couldn’t do without when I wear my hitchhiking gear. One of them gets strapped on the side of my pack – an easy to take off umbrella, for both the sun and rain protection. I figured that people don’t want a dripping wet person in their car. Anyway you are being considerate, which is usually appreciated.

The second most imporant item for your backpack is a piece of board (A4 size) with some pegs attaching a few sheets of paper, plus a felt pen on to the board. I have figured out that when I can’t get off the foot path, I write the name of the closest town on the board. People pick up a short ride over a long one.

Once you are inside the car you start a conversation in relation to where you are going. Make a bit of small talk.

I recall a day in California. It was a slow day. Air conditioned cars were zipping past. I was starting to melt. Then an idea hits me. I was hitching towards Big Sur to check out where my favourite writer, Henry Miller, lived and had written that onto my board. But I wrote it wrong – I wrote “Big Sir”.

It didn’t take too long before a before a huge Lincoln car came to a halt. The front window opened slowly. Everything about that Lincoln car was slow. The first thing the driver told me was that my spelling was wrong.

I told him with due respect it wasn’t. Sir, I wrote it in the correct spelling. He insisted that he was right. Americans are a very polite race.

So I told him that I had written it to get him to stop. And told him that I had succeeded. He said “smart kid, hop in”. We had a wonderful journey – he drove me all around the place to where Henry Miller lived.

When I stepped from his car he gave me twenty dollars because I’d told him that I would be sleeping on the beach. I had a very strong one-man tent and found excellent hiding spots and never got into any trouble…..

But this is just a tease. The rest of the story will be revealed during my presentation for Words in Winter 2025.

Petrus Spronk is a well known and loved local artist and story teller

Related story:

Do Not Allow Fear to Direct Your Journey

Petrus Spronk is a well known and loved local artist and story teller.