On the Road Again (finally) part 4

I slept like a log at the motel and by 6:30 I was wide awake and feeling fine. It had been well over 24 hours since I had eaten anything substantial and while I wasn't really hungry, I knew that I had to eat. I was about to face the dreaded stretch between Medicine Hat and Canmore and I had visions of being stuck somewhere along that road for hours.. So I got up, had a shower, got some breakfast at the Husky across the street, and by 7:30 I was ready to hit the road again.

Medicine Hat is not a great place for pedestrians. In fact I am not too sure if the city fathers (or mothers) even recognize that there are such beings as pedestrians. The proof of this? There appears to be a real shortage of sidewalks. Of course there may be sidewalks in the downtown area, I don't know I have never been there but heading out along Highway #1 there are none. This lack of consideration for folks like me makes it a bit of a dangerous trip getting out of town.There are some sections on the overpass that one needs to time the crossing with the lights to avoid being brushed by cars as they head out of town.

When I reached a place that looked safe I got out my sign, set my pose, put on the smile and relaxed. I knew I was going anywhere soon.The sun was out in full force and I  quickly got out the sun screen. I remembered one other occasion standing at this spot and getting fairly badly burned on the inside of my hitchhiking arm. However my wait was not as long as I had feared. An hour or so later, a93 blue Mercury van made a rather daring lane change and stopped a 100 yards up the road. I swong the pack up on my shoulders and jogged up to the van.

My driver was a man from a local First Nations community. He had just bought the van (he was quick to assure me that it was not stolen), had put on some plates that he had lying around and was heading out to the "reserve" for awhile. He had paid $550 for the vehicle and it looked to be a great deal. He (like so many of my drivers) had just broken up with his girlfriend/wife. I don't know if there is a correlation between marriage break ups and picking up hitchhikers, but I think there might be.Perhaps because they are lonely or no longer give a damn.

He had bought the van because "he was tired  walking". Which I suppose is as good as reason as any to buy a vehicle. He told me that he was going to Brooks which was only a hour or so down the road. As we got closer to Brooks he told me that he was going to pick up a few things at Brooks and then would drive me a bit further if I wanted to hang out with him while he was shopping. He got a suitcase from a trailer in Brooks and then we waited in a parking lot until the liquor store opened. When it opened, he went in and quickly returned with a bag. My job was to stay in the van as he was afraid to turn off the van. It had needed a boost that morning and he wasn't sure it would start. (yes he had keys for it).

As soon as we on the road again he reached into the bag, pulled out a beer and started to drink. One of my few rules is that I don't drive with people who are either drunk or who are drinking in the car. But I knew I was getting out 10 minutes outside of town. He offered me a beer, which was generous of him, but I declined with the  excuse that beer on my breath might discourage some drivers. I don't think I have been offered a beer so early in the morning before.