Jun 22, 2013 | Traveling on Trust | Blog post
One of my best rides took me nowhere. I was picked up in Ponderay, Idaho, near the Big R grocery store, and–three hours later–was dropped off in the same spot. Kathy and Sharon, a mother and nine-months-pregnant daughter-in-law, saw me on their way to get...
Jun 22, 2013 | Traveling on Trust | Blog post
In eleven rides, I made it through Washington state, and in eleven rides, I learned who will pick up a hitchhiker. My trip officially began on June 20th, during a rainy afternoon in Mount Vernon. I had bussed down from Bellingham, and, finding myself in the middle of...
Jun 21, 2013 | Traveling on Trust | Blog post
When the hotel manager was young, he used to walk–multi-day or multi-week treks across country. It gave him time to think and see the land. He’s no longer in shape for a hundred-mile expedition, nor is he a young man anymore, but he still dayhikes when he...
Jun 20, 2013 | Traveling on Trust | Blog post
In 1938, people knew about Concrete, Washington, if only for a few days. On Halloween Eve, 1938, listeners throughout the town tuned in to hear Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds radio broadcast. Like more than a million others, Concrete’s listeners fell for...
Jun 17, 2013 | Traveling on Trust | Blog post
I know how to pack for a long trip–semesters abroad, fifty-mile hikes through the backcountry, three solo weeks across Europe. I can whittle a month’s supply of clothes down to a carry-on suitcase. I can survive a week in the wild with nothing but the gear...
