S.1. Ep. 16 "The Hitch-Hiker"

The nervous, flighty, 27-year-old Nan Adams, played by Inger Stevens, has been driving cross-country to California for days.  She is driving through Pennsylvania when her tire blows out and she has to get a mechanic to fix it. While she follows the mechanic to the pit-station, she sees a man. A thin, dark haired hitch hiker, played by Leonard Strong. She drives away, leaving him in the dust. Everywhere she drives, each time she stops, he's standing near, thumb in the air with a blank gaze on his face. Shortly on her journey she runs out of gas. She tries to wake the owner of a closed gas station but he wants nothing to do with her. She begs him to help her because there's a man trying to kill her!

Behind her appears a nameless sailor, played by Adam Williams. He needs a ride to San Diego. She begs him to ride with her and he accepts willingly over and over again. The sailor gets her a can of gas and they take off. As they drive, she asks him if it's possible for a hitchhiker to keep up with her if they keep getting picked up. He agrees her physics questions is plausible. She sees him again and he tries to hit him. The sailor flips out. She tries again and again to hit him. The sailor has enough of this near death bullshit, makes her pull over and ditches the crazy bat.

She stops at a diner to call her mother. Another voice answers and tells Nan that her mother is the hospital due to a nervous breakdown. Nan confused, asks what the voice on the other end means. The voice reveals that Nan was killed in a car accident in Pennsylvania. A tire blew out and the car flipped over, killing Nan. Slowly, she puts the phone down on the receiver and returns to her car. There in the rear window are the eyes of the hitchhiker. "I believe you're going, my way."



SPIN


When I younger, I thought, screw this. I'm running away from my parents and I'm going hitchhike until I find a place that I like. When I was in 11th grade, I read one of my still favorite books, On the Road by Jack Keroauc. He just went. Took off. Said, fuck this, I'm out. He saw his country and its neighbor on foot, in car and by bed of truck. How I wish.

Then as a freshman in college, I watched Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas adapted from Hunter S. Thompson's book of the same title. Driving.. cross country.. on a mission to find.. the American Dream. YES, PLEASE. This venture is still on my bucket list, however, with gas at $3.50 a gallon, it may simply be a memory of a dream I had when I was 18-years-old.


Now for the news!


This is why you don't stop for hitchhikers.

DeKalb County man shot after picking up hitchhiker

Posted: Mar 07, 2011 1:18 PM ESTUpdated: Mar 07, 2011 1:18 PM EST

DEKALB COUNTY, AL (WBRC) - An elderly man from DeKalb County is recovering at UAB Hospital after being shot during a robbery at a church.

Investigators say a 70-year-old Pete Bailey picked up a female hitchhiker who asked him to pull over at a church. That is where detectives say she shot him before stealing his vehicle.

37-year-old Patty Elaine Westbrook was arrested by DeKalb County authorities. She is charged with attempted murder.

Copyright 2011 WBRC. All rights reserved.

This is why you don't hitchhike.

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Hitchhiker beating suspect sentenced

He and his younger brother beat, robbed man

Updated: Wednesday, 23 Feb 2011, 1:07 PM MST
Published : Wednesday, 23 Feb 2011, 1:07 PM MST

SAN JUAN COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) - A San Juan County man has been sentenced to six years in prison for the brutal beating of a hitchhiker nearly two years ago.

Joshua Garcia, 23, and his younger brother Jose picked up Leroy Thompson in Farmington, New Mexico in October 2009 and told him they would take him to Kirtland, but instead, they beat and robbed him.

Thompson survived the attack.

Jose Garcia was sentenced earlier to nine years for his role in the case.

Hitchhiking is illegal in most states. In case you wanna go hitchhiking, please visit this website first: USA Laws to Hitchhike.