Getting out of Tallahassee proved to be very straight forward. It took two rides, the second of which was with a middle aged man with a southern accent so thick, I was initially unsure if he was even speaking English.
Three rides later, I found myself in Georgia, somewhere on highway 27 at a cross roads. It truly was the middle of nowhere. There was a little wooden house with a quaint porch and rocking chairs. And that was it. The morning mist still hung low, and I could only see long, straight, flat roads heading out in four directions.
This is one reason I love hitchhiking. How else would I end up in such a random there-is-literally-nothing-here place? It's a window to parts of the world that I otherwise would not see.
A huge red pick-up whizzed by but then skidded to a stop about 30 metres further down the road. I grabbed my rucksack and ran. (There is always that slight panic that the driver might change his mind). A 30 metre sprint is not easy with your whole life rattling around on your back, so after flinging my pack in the bed, I planted myself rather ungracefully, panting, in the front seat. I'd already clocked the licence plate but was thrilled to be told my new friend was from Kentucky! And was therefore driving all the way to (and then past) my destination of Atlanta!
I'd planned to make a stop off at Providence Canyon on route and so began planting my not-so-subtle hints for a quick detour. These turned into suggestions, and then instructions, as I convinced the man from Kentucky that it would be an enjoyable and worthwhile 20 minutes of extra journey time. And it was! The canyon is little but stunning, with sandstone walls changing from red to white.
After hours of conversation and a fast-food lunch, we arrived to the petrol station where my new couch surfing host was coming to collect me. James thanked me for making a good portion of his journey a lot less boring and gave me a three-blade knife, mounted in stag horn.
'A memento,' he said. 'I'm glad I picked you up today.'
And off he went.
800 Rides
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| Providence Canyon State Park |
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