On the Road 2011 #7

One of my minor pleasures when I hitchhike is the knowledge that I am fairly proficient in my use of the public transportation system in various cities across Canada. Winnipeg is my favourite city for buses and most importantly their bus drivers. However it was Saturday morning this time and I was not sure how effective the bus system would be. I need not have worried. There is a bus stop outside of the train station. There were 2 other people waiting for a bus so I asked them if I could get a connection to the old bus terminal. I was told yes so I waited for the ten minutes until the bus came.

Within a very short time I got off at the old, now unused bus terminal and waited for the next bus. When it came the driver told me that if I wanted to waited 20 more minutes there would be one along than would get me a bit closer. I decided to get on the bus. Movement west was the objective. Standing still was not part of the plan. I would have lots of time for that later on. It was a good choice as the driver was talkative. He liked to travel and he mostly liked his job so we had lots talk about. I told him that I had always liked the Winnipeg bus service and their drivers. I wondered out loud if it was in part because they were happier in their jobs as compared to say the bus drivers in Calgary. He disagreed and listed number of concerns that drivers had in Winnipeg. Regardless of his concerns he was a bright articulate and friendly man who was glad to share part of his morning with someone he didn't know but had a few stories to tell. Like almost everyone I talk to, he wanted to know how the travelling was, did I get very many rides, did I ever have any problems? I am always glad to talk about hitchhiking, not so much in terms of wanting to convince people to do it, but at least putting the seed out there that it is not a terrible thing. Perhaps some of the people that ask me these questions will never hitch a ride, but they might think about picking up someone

Where he left me off was about where I always got off so I would have gained little by waiting the 15-20 minutes and I would have missed an enjoyable conversation The day had started of being sunny but it had gradually gotten cloudy. Still it was a pleasant day and I enjoyed the walk. As I  ambled along towards the highway, dodging cars as they made for the off ramps I realized that I was little bit more apprehensive than normal. I am still not too sure why. Perhaps because last year had ended on such a strange note, or perhaps because this year things had felt a bit more rushed than normal. Regardless of why, I started to stick out my thumb just past the first stoplight. Usually the traffic is far too thick and going too fast to have a reasonable chance of getting a car to stop at this point.  I usually make my stand well past the Flying J where the traffic has at least thinned out. I also almost never walk and hitchhike at the same time. Waking backwards is difficult and even sometimes dangerous as one can't see the pot holes behind you. It is also a very slow way of travelling. But I did show my sign and after 10-20 steps I turned around and stuck out my thumb. I was just practicing - making sure that I had not forgotten how to do it. I was not serious about getting a ride. I still had another three quarters of a mile to walk before I was in "my spot". But a car stopped and I had my first ride of the season.