My First Hitch Hiking Experience

I finished an article I was freelancing today, threw on my jogging shoes, grabbed my iPhone and headed out the door. It was warm, and gloomy and I was pleased when Josh Groban's Remember When It Rained repeated on my iPod. It did start to drizzle, and after about a mile, I realized the drizzle had turned into a real, actual storm. I kept jogging, not wanting to overreact, but tried to call my friend to come get me.

After an unsuccessful effort, I noticed several lightning strikes over a field. I didn't know it at the time, but my kids (who were about two miles away) were in "tornado position" in the halls of their school.

By this time, I was completely saturated, pretty desperate, and regretting that I never watch the weather.

That's when I looked up and thought my eyes were deceiving me. I saw a train of mule-pulled covered wagons, dozens and dozens of wagons like a scene from Little House on the Prairie.

I'd never hitch hiked before, but why not start with a mule parade?

Feeling my thumb was a little cliche, I raised my arm like hailing a taxi.

The wagon stopped, and the canvas cover was unzipped like a tent. Inside, Billy and Darlene shook my hand and introduced themselves and their son. They had come forty or so miles and were on their way to the mule trading in Columbia during our annual "Mule Day Festival."

For a mile or so, which takes a lot longer in a mule-pulled wagon that you might think, we visited. Inside the wagon were the trappings of modern life -- an open beer can, an iPod, and a cell phone. Cars buzzed by, and I could tell Darlene was worried about the mule tied to the back of the wagon.

"My mom told me never to hitch hike, but I figured I could just jump off the wagon if y'all were dangerous," I said.

"Well, you picked a good time to hitch hike," the dad said. "Mule owners are the most family-friendly group you'll ever find"

And they were.

I reluctantly got out of the cozy wagon and wished them well. Within thirty minutes, dime size hailed pelted my windows like rocks, flash flooding caused traffic to come to a complete stop, thunder shook my windows, thousands of lightning strikes touched the ground in our area, and schools were under lock down.

Sitting here in front of the weather broadcast, I'm chilled after getting drenched on my run. Plus, I wonder how my friends in the wagon train are doing, and whether anyone's there to help them like they'd so generously helped me.