(A spin off to Red's thread about giving rides to strangers)

Have you ever accepted a ride from a total stranger?

Twice when I was really young. Both almost ending the same way. I smartened up enough to not be a three time idiot.

Yes, I have.

Once, and it happened about 10 years ago. And the weird thing is, before I got into the car I thought it was someone I knew! I was waiting for a bus and this car pulled over and the driver started talking to me like she knew me. I thought I recognized her, so when she offered a ride I happily got into the car. At closer look I realized it wasn't her, though she still thought she knew me. We both felt really, really strange when we realized that she picked up a stranger.

She still dropped me off at home.

Not that I can recall.

Well, in the late '60s and early '70s I hitch hiked a lot. It was quite common. I went up to Mississippi from New Orleans a lot.

The longest trip was from San Francisco to New Orleans which I had some interesting turns with some interesting pickups.

Shale wrote:

Well, in the late '60s and early '70s I hitch hiked a lot. It was quite common. I went up to Mississippi from New Orleans a lot.

Do you think this is a riskier thing to do today? I know there were harmful people out there in the 60's and 70's and that some hitchhikers' lives fell into danger. But I think there are lot more loony people now. Maybe it just seems that way because of more people (law of probability).

Twice. Once when I ran out of gas and another time.

Yes. From a very nice black family in downtown Newark.

Yep.

Once my husband and I had car trouble in the middle of a move to another city. Was winter and we had our poor cat in his cat carrier. Some very nice people came along with a good sized van, and were going to the town we were heading for. They offered us a ride we accepted. It was a several hour trip. We were very very thankful.

Haha, yeah.

I thought my friends had left me in the club and was walking around outside looking for them, since one had my keys. I told this guy who was hitting on me in the parking lot what happened, and he waited with me until the club emptied--no sign of my friends.

Not only did I catch a ride but I went to stay at his house for the night (as opposed to the park bench). Dumb teenage move, but he was really nice and very respectful, and didn't take advantage of me. We watched TV, he fed me and offered me some purple haze LOL. Unfortunately we lost touch, but sometimes I reflect on that story and wish I could find him now, just to say thanks again.