LEJ- I think Both have changed, the times and the attitude toward risk and danger. Maybe I'm naive, but I think the dangers were substantially less back then. Thirty years ago, I viewed hitch-hiking a very reliable form of free transportation, as long as you had the time to sometimes go slowly toward your destination. It was somewhat risky, but I generally travelled with a friend as a practical matter. Sure never felt any need to carry a concealed weapon, which some people these days so. Sure, I had one or two ugly long-hair vs redneck scenes, but we simply walked away and went to the next town. No "Easy Rider" type stuff.

Society wasn't safe by any means. Those were the days of Ted Bundy. I used to work with a girl who may have been one of his unproven victims. But these were considered bizarre, isolated incidents. Even the drug culture was different. There were few, (in my hazy recollection), reports of violence associated with the distribution of drugs. There was more a spirit of cooperation and enlightenment. I was stunned when reports started coming in about the blatant robberies on "The Hill" in Boulder.

Now the kids are going to want to travel. I still see a few hitch-hiking. I think many, if not most of these kids have decided alternative means, such as the bus, are safer these days. The "Urge For Going" is strong, but these days you need to factor in things like common drive by shootings. I wouldn't feel too safe standing on the Interstate.

As a former railroader, I've always recommended against it as a way to travel. It's bad enough as an employee in a comfortable cab being stuck in a siding for six to twelve hours in 100+ or 10 below temperatures. The walls of a steel boxcar magnify that considerably. Sorry, didn't mean to write a book here. BlueJay