He finally got his ducks in a row, gave up his apartment, sold his stuff, and bought a one-way ticket for London. The die was cast. He set a date to leave - yesterday, September 27 - and arranged for his first "couch," in Portland, Oregon. He originally planned to hitchhike, but Mom being quite nervous about this, keeping in mind the long stretches of empty rural landscape in northern California and a son who, while not sheltered, hasn't hitchhiked before, bought him a Greyhound ticket for this first leg. A good friend who has traveled by thumb is meeting up with him in Portland for the next stretch, and I'll feel less nervous about that.

So last evening, after two days of trying to wrap up his affairs, think of everything else he might need, and get it all packed up in his new backpack, I drove him to the Greyhound station for a 9:15pm bus, for a 1:40pm arrival in Portland. He posed cooperatively, backpack aboard, holding his new ultra-lightweight guitar, while I snapped a photo of him in front of the station door. I made him promise to e-mail regularly and keep me posted and to take care of himself. We had a long hug goodbye, and then I left him because he wanted to write an entry in his new journal, and drove back home.

The phone range at 11pm. He was still at the bus station. He had somehow missed the loading time for the bus and has missed it. He was now going to take the bus at 1am and would be in Portland Monday at 6pm. I wished him well and we hung up.

The phone rang today at 2pm. Greg was in Sacramento. He didn't realize he had to change buses in Sacramento, so he'd stayed on the bus while it continued east. At some point he realized he wasn't going toward Portland any more, got off, and caught a bus back to Sacramento. He was now awaiting the next departure from Sacramento to Portland. In the meantime he had met some cool people who had directed him to a great cafe, and he was going rock-climbing at a branch of his rock-climbing gym at home, and he would be in Portland tomorrow morning (Tuesday).

So at this point, he's been "on the road" for 18 hours, with a bus ticket, and he's made it to ... Sacramento, about 100 miles from home!

Thanks for the new link Artsnletters.
As in the other post, will be following his adventures with keen interest. Best wishes to him on his travels. He's sure to come back a changed man.

M

Artsnletters, please keep us posted on SYM's adventures. I must admit I'm a bit concerned for him if he is having this much trouble just getting to Portland. I would imagine, however, he's taking all of this in stride and considering this just an addition to the great adventure. (My 17 year old son would think your son was "so cool" if he was reading this!) Good luck to you son (and to you!)

Oh, I'm sure that his travel skills will improve rapidly.

He could have WALKED from SF to Sacramento in 18 hours. His 'travel skills' will have to dramatically improve between Sacramento and Heathrow . . . . . .

This is too funny. I will be following this saga with interest.

Loving your report, at least he is figuring out what to do, and I'm sure he will eventually get to London, just might take a bit longer than planned.

TTT I've got to follow this one.

Add me to the followers list hoping he has a good sense of direction. BTW, couchsurfing for the younger set has become quite popular for obvious reasons & the added bennie is that one has immediate 'what-to-do-and-see advisors'

Agree I would be extremely concerned - since he can;t even get to a nearby city. Does he have serious attentin disorder or something else that prevents him focusing?

Really - if he can't get to Portland how will he ever make it aournd the world.

(And I'm not a worry wart. I generally think kids heading out on their own to help them fing their feeet and grow up is a great idea. Took stepdaughters to London and Paris when 14 and 11 and had no problem with them going off alone for the afternoon to do teen stuff. Went to europe myself at 19 - as have both the girls. But, none of us ever got lost seriously. Perhaps took a wrong turning on a street and had to backtack for a couple of minutes - but never missed transportation - or failed to make a stop or switch.)

He's going to have to be a lot ore alert and focused to avoid issues on this trip.

Remember...a journey of a thousand miles begins when Mom drops you at the bus station! Good luck to the Scruffman...he will no doubt have lots of adventures, and become very self-reliant. I will be looking in to see what unfolds. Best, Rouss

Now, if he were a she, the missing the bus & changing transport would never have happened - gals are just so much more 'street smart'!!LOL - It's all a great big adventure and learning curve for the young man. With his travels ahead at least he's going to have something to tell his grandkids oneday that might capture their attention!

The story reminds me of the way I travelled when I was half my current age. If you don't plan ahead, a lot goes wrong and you end up missing 90% of the things which people see who are a little more focussed. But on the other hand, you experience things you'd have missed if you had taken the correct bus and hadn't been stranded in Sacramento. If I look back at that time, I'm happy about the memories.

The only thing which is really different is phoning home. The curse of the cell phone. 20 years ago you went out of your parent's house and the next thing they heard of you was a post card 3 weeks later

I definitely want to follow this. If he has trouble getting on a bus when he's already in the right bus station, it should be real fun in cities with multiple bus/train/air termini! I take it he has to be in New York by a particular date to catch the plane to Heathrow? (Llife must have been easier for parents back when kids kept in touch by postcard!)

Being a good son, back in those days I usually tried to send my parents a postcard every day, but since the cards often arrived out of order, they never knew if I was in France, Denmark, Switzerland or Italy, etc.

Well, artsnletter, no doubt your scruffy son was on the bus that stops at the Greyhound Depot in my city. It is too bad I didn't know as I could have had a talk with him to make sure he knew how to get to Portland, lol. But all is well it seems, well I hope so! What tales he will have to share with his future children years from now. And when his kids are driving him crazy you can share this tale of adventure with them. Payback is often a good thing!

Arts - thanks so much for posting. I too plan to try to keep up on his adventures.

The nice thing about the way he's traveling (other than the ticket to London) is that it usually doesn't really matter very much if he gets somewhere later than he originally planned. Or gets on the "wrong" bus and goes somewhere else altogether. ;-> That's the freedom of traveling without hotel reservations, onward tickets, etc.

I wish him a safe and wonderful journey. All the best to both of you.

He's traveled almost entirely by car or plane in the past - where there are usually no transfers, you just get in and turn up later at your destination. I don't think he'll make the same mistake again.

He does have ADD and in any event isn't a guy who's good at logistics. I think he will rely on me, at least for a while, to help with less expensive options for longer jaunts on public transportation. However, one of his goals for the trip is to become more self-reliant, and I imagine he'll figure it all out in the end.

Those of you who think he'll see such goofs as part of the adventure have it exactly right. When he called from Sacramento, he was quite happy, enjoying walking around the city (which he's never visited), talking to people. He doesn't have an itinerary so much as an idea of the stops he'd like along the way. When he ends up somewhere unexpected, I imagine he'll just see it as part of the adventure rather than a setback.

He has a ticket to London from NYC on October 26 and wants to spend a few days visiting his best friend in New York before flying out, so he's got about three weeks to get across the country, plus a few days extra if necessary.

I just think it's great he's figuring this out now when he's in the US rather than, say, India or Kenya.

BTW, he promised to find e-mail at least once a week and at least let me know where he is and which direction he's headed next. As others have noted, in the past this wouldn't have been possible! But in these days of the internet and Skype and cell phones, there are lots of low-cost options for transcontinental communication, even from the outer reaches.

He'll get the hang of it soon enough and if not...oh well. My nephew went around the world twice and just sort of played it all by ear. Had some very interesting experiences, stayed in some places quite awhile...not always on the up and up, but that wasn't my problem. It was a great experience for him. His last stop on his last trip was Zimbabwe when it all starting going to he**. He decided it was time to come home.

artsnletters-

I read the thread over at the Europe board when you first posted it and am enjoying reading about the start of your son's journey.

I agree with those that say your son's travel skills will improve very quickly - and it's a good thing he has the time in the US to figure stuff out before heading overseas.

It sounds like a great adventure and it sounds like he's having a blast. Being a young man, off to explore the world for the first time - there's something about "the first time" that's pretty wondrous. I hope he has a great trip.

I was interested why he would want to take a guitar on a road trip around the world instead of a small netbook to check up on things? The guitar is going to be a hassle down the road with flying cheap airlines and their hefty excess baggage charges along with getting a "free ride" and having to find a place for it in the car. Just curious.

The guitar is small and very lightweight, and music is his pleasure and solace. He may have fantasies of busking at some point. The friend he will be traveling with cross-country is an even more talented guitarist. I agree it's probably going to be a hindrance, but I figure it's up to him to work it out.

My take on things is that young folks need to make their own mistakes, and it's better to get out of the way and let them get it over with. I don't plan to interfere unless it's a matter of life and limb or not having enough money to come home. I've found that this philosophy leads to open, constructive communication and a great deal of respect (eventually) for my superior wisdom, haha.

Artsnletters,

I too will be following your son's journey. You are a brave Mom.

How is he getting to New York?

Just got a gleeful call from Portland, where he has now arrived and was standing in the rain, waiting for a city bus to take him to his first couch-stay. (He was born in Seattle and lived there his first 10 years, so rain makes it feel like home.) He very much enjoyed his unplanned side-trip to Sacramento and said he's having a great time.

Going to New York via ride share and thumb. I believe the planned way-stations are Seattle, Detroit and Philadelphia, and I suppose wherever he ends up in between. If worst comes to worst and time runs short, he can always hop a bus or train to finish the journey. Or, given the events of the past couple days, maybe not? But I'm sure he'll figure it out.

I'm actually quite excited for him. It will only be hard not to see him for so long. If I win the lottery or have some other unforeseeable windfall, I could always meet up with him at some point during what will then be my trip around the world. (Dreaming, dreaming.)

Dream on! You seem like a fantastic mother. Quite a bit like my own, who allowed me to wander all alone all over Europe at the age of 17 -- without mobile phones or computers, just parental trust.

Your take on his trip is just right! I too let a 20 year old son take off on his own, not to Europe, but across the good old USA with just a friend & 2 sleeping bags in an old Jimmy. Now he's telling his 7 year old son about the adventures he had - planting the seed, I think! I will be following "scruffy young man's" trip with great interest - and wishing I was 21 again!

I am a bit worried for him now at UK immigration with a musical instrument. He will have to be careful that they don't see busking as working. I am not being humorous. I heard recently at 2nd hand from an old friend that a young american female who had lived and studied in Scotland was turned back when she arrived back for a holiday but bearing a guitar. The young american was a friend of her daughter. We can but hope for the best.

I think he's going to buy an onward ticket to Copenhagen before he gets to London. He's decided he doesn't want to stay more than a long weekend so there's no need to leave his departure open. He will also have a visa for India waiting in his passport. I will mention to him to say nothing about playing for money. He hasn't done it here at home - he just likes to play for himself, or jam with friends at small gatherings.

Yeah has arrived at his first planned port of call. Can't wait to read about his next adventure.

artsnletters, you sound like you've got a very laid-back attitude about the whole thing, and I'm really interested to hear about the rest of Greg's trip!

artsnletters, I'm impressed with your parenting style esp allowing your son to make his own mistakes. You have a safety net for him but it's not obvious and it still allows him plenty of freedom. It will be fun to follow his adventures. I hope you win the lottery so you can meet him someplace. DS left for his adventure when he was 22 but he let DH ride along across the US and I met up with them in Seattle. He spent the first winter with friends and then was on his own He didn't travel to any foreign countries, instead mostly wilderness exploration. Still, I was grateful for all the seemingly simple skills we taught him and eagerly awaited his weekly calls.
Wish I had gone on such an adventure!

Give him time, he'll sort it out. Meanwhile, I'll be following this with great interest. I'm more than a wee bit jealous of his youth and carefree nature.

Bookmarking. You son will learn so much!

Trip of a lifetime.

Your son will talk about his trip for years to come.

How fun! I'll also be following this adventure. Will you keep this thread in the US forum, tagged CA/OR, or will you be starting new threads as he changes locations?

DH spent the better part of his 21st year backpacking throughout Asia with a good friend. This was before cell phones & internet cafes and he didn't even have a credit/debit card. He grew up very fast, and said it was one of the best things he ever did, much more educational than a year in school.

Best of luck to your son -- and to you!

lvk, I'm not one who tagged it, and that's too bad, because this thread is going to cover a lot more territory as he crosses the U.S. He should be in Seattle by the end of the week. Once he changes continents, I'll start a new thread in that forum and put a link here for those who want to follow the continuing saga.

artsnletters - I have to ditto some other comments that I hope your son appreciates what an open mind you have about his trip, and how supportive you are being. I think that's really great!

Looking at some of the comments - it shows a big difference between a lot of us Americans and those in other parts of the world.

I'm talking about things like "you are sure open minded about the trip" and "allowing your son . . . "

In many (most?) countries it wouldn't cross a parents mind (or the kid's for that matter) that a parent would have anything at all to say about a trip like this. This pops up on the Europe forum now and then - "My 18 yo daughter wants to go to Paris alone. Should I allow it?" The Yanks generally ask things like "How reliable is she?", or "Why not go w/ her and have a mother/daughter trip to remember?" or "No way - she is too young".

Most of the Europeans reply "Allow!?! Fer crying out loud - she is an adult. How could you stop her?", or "My daughter first traveled alone at 16 - of course let her go."

artsnletters son is 21 years old. This isn't any sort of slam or criticism -- just an observation.

I think these reports will be great fun . . . .

janisj, I've been on the verge of mentioning just that: my son is 21, a full adult, and has been self-supporting for three years. He's going to do this trip whether I approve or not. Taking a supportive stance makes it easy for him to call on me if he needs me without fearing he'll get a lecture or an "I told you so." I've related to him in this way ever since he moved out, and as a consequence he comes to me when he has a problem or a crisis in his life to ask for support and advice. I would rather serve that role than be only a resource of last resort.

Despite his going astray on the bus, he has a good head on his shoulders and is likely to be able to resolve whatever messes he gets into and to avoid major ones (such as fooling around near the borders of countries with whom the US doesn't have diplomatic relations). The messes are expected (even by him) and are part of the adventure and the growing process.

I've said it before and I'll say it again : Kudos to you Arts. Your son is very lucky and very fortunate to have a sensible and supportive parent in you.
I come from a large extended family where many of the women are/were strong and sensible like you and they are appreciated by all. They've had to put up with more than their fair share of hijinks and doozies from my cousins, siblings and I during our formative years, but truely, we've all turned out fine and successful in our lives, and we all know deep down that it was due in no small part to them.
I hope it will be so for your son too.

The younger son went to Europe by himself when he was 19. We had a joint bank account just in case he's in financial trouble.

He started at the friend's house in Germany, and I had that phone number. His friend's mom is a nice woman, we called each other more then once trying to figure out where our not-so-little brats are

I worry sick even now when my 30-year-old went to Africa (another son), but I would never even think of trying to stop either one.

Artsnletters is doing something right if her son feels free to inform her of his adventures. I wish you no sleepless nights

Yikes this is making me nervous. Most 21 year olds today are 21 going on 16. They haven't even been out on their STREET, much less out into the WORLD!

can't wait for the next update!

Yes, we need to know!

"Most 21 years old today are 21 going on 16. They haven't even been out on their STREET, much less out into the WORLD".

Really? Evidently the young adults you know are quite different than the young adults I know, divineMissM.

The reason why some 21 year olds are going on 16 is because the parents wouldn't loosen the apron strings.

I got a phone call from Scruffman Greg this afternoon. Here's the update:

He had a great time in Portland. He was waiting there for his close friend West to show up to continue on with him to NY.

The first time I met West, he was 14 years old and had blue hair and a lip ring. Contrary to any expectations I had from his appearance, he immediately stuck his hand out with a grin and introduced himself: "I'm West. Pleased to meet you." His family is decidedly counter-culture (both parents' hair is usually some brilliant shade of purple or pink or orange), and this apple didn't fall far from the tree - the blue hair and lip ring are gone, but somehow he doesn't look much more conventional. His entire family (including the grandparents) has been attending Burning Man for years.

(For those who don't know, Burning Man is a crazy festival of some 35,000 people in the middle of the Nevada desert that goes on for a week and involves, well, nearly anything at all. Your imagination will not exceed the reality. Trust me on this.)

Anyway, West and Greg met up according to plan in Portland. Some how photos were taken, and a few of them even made it on to Greg's couchsurfing page - which was the only reason I was sure</i/> he was still alive. It looks like a good, if gray-skied, time.

The boys hitchhiked yesterday from Portland to Seattle without incident. They stood by an on-ramp in downtown Portland with the traditional cardboard sign and got a ride within 30-45 minutes with a 60-year-old guy who reminisced about his own hitchhiking adventures back in his youth, and also five months ago. A kindred spirit, apparently. He dropped them in downtown Seattle, where they subsequently met up with their next couchsurfing host.

There have still been a few snafus. A guitar string was broken. A new sleeping bag turned out not to be not even warm enough for a basement floor in Portland. A little Portland sunshine caused a backpack to be rather more damp than is desirable. A communal household of couchsurfing hosts turned out to be the sort of people who host a Beatles sing-along all night and get little sleep.

These crises will be duly dealt with with a visit to REI and a guitar store, and some more gleeful singing in the night.

Scruffman Greg and sidekick West will be in Seattle another day or two, and then the next destination is Denver, via whatever route they figure out. Boise was mentioned. Mom suggested sticking to I-90 through Spokane and then Montana, followed by a jaunt south through Wyoming - more scenic territory. Only the next phone call or e-mail will reveal where the road takes them.

Sorry, goofed up my html and didn't preview. I pay the price.

For those of you who worry, the Scruffman is not a stranger to independent travel. For example, he drove a couple friends down to Joshua Tree National Park this summer where they all camped out in the wilderness and went rock-climbing for a week. They took all necessary food, water, etc., and came back happy and in one piece. He just wasn't experienced with Greyhound bus travel. That's now been resolved. He'll be fine!

And he's spent time on the mean streets of Oakland and San Francisco. Not a babe in the woods, nor in the city.

Glad to hear the Scruffman (or Scruffy as I've come to think of him) is doing well. I look forward to the next update.

artsnletters:

You are one brave and very supportive mom. Appreciate your honesty in reporting the bad as well as the good.

Following with interest. Thanks for sharing.

Sandy

All-in-all, I'd say he's doing pretty good so far. I've heard about Burning Man and its pretty wild. Thanks for the update A&L.

I myself leave for a 3 week adventure a week from today so I may miss out on a couple of your updates. Really interested in seeing how the world unfolds for Scruffman (in a good way) and appreciate your candour and honesty.

M.

artsnletters - thanks for the update on Scruffman Greg! I'm so interested to see where this journey takes him.

>A communal household of couchsurfing hosts turned out to be the sort of people who host a Beatles sing-along all night and get little sleep.<

This sounds like a hoot. Truly enjoying reading about your son's adventure and I am more than a little envious - makes me wish I had been able to do something like this when I was younger.

When DS was 17 I encouraged him to visit a 4-H friend in AK. I didn't realize the friend's parents thought nothing of letting the kids go backpacking in the wilderness by themselves. DS said some of the rock climbing was a little scary since he was inexperienced. Also, when he reported bear in the yard (horse was getting spooked) parents just asked what color? Oh, black bear, no problem, just ignore. Kids have to get experience on their own. Parents give as much training as they can but until a kid goes out by himself, you don't know if they've been paying attention. When we camped around the NE when DS was 13, he was a little uncomfortable with the idea that sometimes we didn't know where we would be the next day and worried the truck would run out of gas. DS learned to scope things out and make the best of things. One time stranded in DC trying to fly via Denver to AK he decided to get earliest flight to Denver since he prefered to be stranded there. Hadn't been to Denver before, rented a car and made the best of a lengthy delay.
I look forward to more of Scruffman's travels. I wish DH and I had had some of those adventures when we were younger.

I'm considering allowing Scruffy Greg houseroom if he comes through Paris. I just housed my nephew for 5 days and it was a delightful experience.

Good for you Kerouac.
If he were passing anywhere near me I'd extend a helping hand and do it too.

M.

Very sweet of you to consider it, kerouac. I can assure you, if you meet the Scruffman, you will probably be quite impressed with him. He knows how to be good company. I've been impressed with what his couchsurfing hosts so far have to say about him. He's not quite so considerate when he's visiting me.

Hello artsnletters..love getting caught up on Scuffy..and I was thinking if he had needed a "couch" when in my city he would have been welcomed too. I bet his buddy West didn't look any stranger than one of my stepgrandson's who had the left side of his hair hanging below his shoulders and the right side of his head completely shaved off, lol. And the left side always had some bright color streak in it.

So where is Scuffy now?

NEW INSTALLMENT!!!

In which Scruffman Greg revisits Seattle, encounters a ghost from years past, and wends his way to...

So the Scruffman spent a delightful few days at the Starship Submarine, a communal household of musicians, artists, and social activists in Seattle. This was the group that had the all-night Beatles singalong. The Scruffman was born in Seattle and lived there until he was 10, when his mother (yours truly) removed him to the San Francisco Bay Area so he could become a hippie. Or something like that. So Seattle is familiar territory.

One day, the Scruffman decided to take an urban hike, from the Leschi neighborhood along Lake Washington through the Arboretum to the University District, in part because he didn't want to lay out funds for a city bus ride. At the end of the hike, waiting at a bus stop for a bus back to the Starship, he noticed a young man his age passing by.

"Doug???"

Yes, it was Doug, one of his friends from elementary school. Doug was easy to recognize because he's rather distinctive in appearance, having very wideset eyes and a (now repaired) hare lip and deviated septum. In kindergarten he used to entertain people by putting spaghetti in his mouth and pulling it out his nose, to the screaming delight of a gaggle of little boys. Anyway, Doug was wondering who this hippie guy was who knew his name, but Greg re-introduced himself and they caught up. Doug is now studying music at Oberlin, and he relayed that Greg's best friend from fourth grade was now at USC. (These are some seriously bright boys.)

The needed trip to REI (mentioned above) resulted in the purchase of a thermal mattress pad to insulate the Scruffman's scrawny bones from the ground. This turned out to be a really, really good thing, as we shall soon see.

Yesterday, Greg and West hitched a ride with a young female farmer who happened to be a couchsurfer herself. She took them as far as Issaquah, a suburb of Seattle, and from there they managed to wrangle a ride as far as Ellensburg, in central Washington.

Now as you may recall, Greg has a ticket to London on the 26th, and he wants to spend time with his best friend Emma in NYC before departing, so he wants to be there by the 20th. They are adamant that they don't want to spend money on transportation, but as time is now beginning to run short, our heroes made an executive decision to start heading seriously east, without the planned stops in Denver, Chicago, or Detroit. They have friends on the east coast and lots to do there.

Planning to hunker down under an overpass for the night, they decided to head into a nearby truck stop for a beer. Both being unusually sociable guys, they befriended a female trucker who was heading to Detroit.

She was amazed to find out that they were hitching (and roughing it) in October. Shaking her head, she gave them her cell phone number and told them that if they were still there in the morning, give her a call and they could ride with her. So they did, after a chilly night (around 19 degrees, I believe). Apparently her maternal instincts kicked in, as she bought them lunch today. And they stopped for the night in...

Little Big Horn, Montana!

where, as I was told, there is not much.

They are following I-90 and this is at the point where it takes a serious dive south into Colorado before bending east again.

Greg and West plan to bed down under an overpass again tonight, and they have the option of continuing with their trucker friend. It's going to be cold again, but the Scruffman soothed my worries at least somewhat with an inventory of the clothing he plans to sleep in (approximately everything he has with him, including snow pants.

He doesn't, however, have a pair of gloves. Apparently he's not feeling particularly in need just yet. Young people just don't have as many nerve endings as us old folks. I just hope they don't freeze their cojones off before they get to New York.

Incidentally, his total expenditures since leaving home 16 days ago (less the bus ticket I paid for) are about $260, including the $120 he spent for the thermal camping mattress.

Next report when I hear from Scruffman Greg again!

Sounds like that have everything sussed out, and will get to New York by the desired time. I am loving reading about the Scruffman's adventure.

LATE BREAKING UPDATE

Just got another call, as computer access has been scarce and the Scruffman needed to contact his next scheduled couch, in Detroit, by going through me.

He is currently in South Dakota, still traveling with his trucker friend. He says I-90 has been a pretty boring route. They passed within an exit of Mount Rushmore but didn't stop. He's sleeping out again tonight, but a little concerned because it's raining and he has to find an overpass with sufficient flat space for sleeping. However, he's taking the rain as a good thing - that means it's warm enough to rain rather than snow!

Ah, the frustration of passing the monuments when you don't have a chance to stop! He'll get back to Mount Rushmore one of these days... (Of course, I myself have not made it there yet!)

What a wonderful adventure for the Scruffman and you, artsnletters! I'm Australian and probably not surprisingly, in the "oh for Pete's sake, he's 21, not 12!" camp along with the Europeans, so will be following his journeys with much interest & cyber encouragement. Imagine if some of the men who headed companies & countries had this experience behind them! Wouldn't that bring some empathy, lateral thinking and an appreciation for different people, to the world? And the confidence borne of having successfully solved problems will stand him in very good stead throughout his life.

A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ANGLE ON THE SAME STORY

West's mother just e-mailed me with the update she got from West:

Just heard from West. They left Seattle last weekend — took them 3 hitches to get just to Eastern Washington. There they took refuge from the 14 degree weather in a bar in a small town and met a lady trucker from Ontario who told them they were NUTS, INSANE, WTF are you doing hitch-hiking across the country at this time of year for?! Then she took pity on them and is taking them along with her to Detroit. They’ve spent the past few days in this cushy 18-wheeler riding 10 – 12 hours a day and camping at night. She calls them at 6am and they pack up their stuff and meet her and get on the road again.

West called from somewhere in South Dakota — he said he was on a grassy median with a field full of corn on one side and field full of trucks on the other — very American. She’s going to take them all the way to Detroit (so they’ll miss seeing friends in Denver, Lincoln Nebraska and Chicago) but then they’ve got a couch-surfing hook up in Detroit and a LOT less ground to cover to get to NY in the next week or so.

West sounded really jazzed, and thinks that Eloise (the trucker) has really enjoyed their company. Their gear is keeping them warm at night, and they drove through the worst of the storm in the big fancy truck, so they are doing well.

As you can tell, West's mom and I share largely the same attitude toward our sons' travels!

That is great!

What a great learning experience. I"m a 68 year old woman and I hitch hiked alone through Europe when I was 17/18. I stayed in Youth hostels and met so many interesting people and saw so many things I never would have seen any other way. European and Asian kids are always on the road all over the world. I often wondered why so few American kids travel. When one learns that only about 30% of Americans hold a passport, it makes one understand some of the ignorance we Americans have about the rest of the world. Travel is wonderful. He's getting a good start in life, IMO.
Maybe you should start a new thread once he gets to Europe so this one doesn't get so long.

kleroux, I agree that this will be a priceless education. And yes, I'll definitely be starting a new thread for this tale once he changes continents.

I think this is fabulous - both his travels, and your attitude. I traveled to Europe when I was 21 and had no contact with my parents for 10 weeks (there was no way to BE in contact back then). Traveled cheap, slept on floors and trains, in hostels and dives, etc. etc. However, now that I have my own 20-something children, I find it really really difficult to "let go" --- geez, I was worried about my nearly 25-year old son driving in light (non-sticking) snow this morning!! But I'm trying (and given that he lived in Africa for two years, believe me, it's me, not him!) The experience will be invaluable.

I am so happy for your son and his friend. I always encourage young kids to do this. Heck I've even told my own boys that one thing they must do is throw a backpack on their back and hit europe for several months. I never had the idea to do something like this. I work with quite a few 20 to 30 somethings that have been able to do this and are thankful they did.
I will be reading your updates!!!

What's the latest on your son's adventures? Did they make it to New York?

And eventually to London???

In short - yes. I was hoping to get "the rest of the story." I have as much of the story as I'm going to have, so just trying to get motivated to write it up. I am doing heavy writing for work right now and struggling to spend my personal time writing. Coming soon!

NEW INSTALLMENT!!!

In which the Scruffman makes it to New York, minus a few accoutrements…

When last we left our hero Greg and his sidekick West, he was standing between a field full of corn and a parking lot full of semis in South Dakota, en route to Detroit in the company of Eloise the trucker.

The next call came from Lansing, Michigan, where Eloise had let them off. Greg was trying to connect with his Detroit couchsurfing host and needed me to check if he had received an e-mail message from him. Unfortunately the answer was no, and because it was now 3pm, he needed to make some decisions about what he was going to do. But he wanted to get on the road, so he hung up pretty quickly.

The next time I heard from him was a couple days later, at which point he was in another semi truck on the road somewhere in Ohio. He had gotten a ride from Lansing with Mickey, a good Christian woman who was willing to pick up a couple young hippies by the side of the road. How brave of her! Anyway, she had dropped them in Ann Arbor. Since they hadn’t heard from the host in Detroit, they’d decided to keep moving. The original plan was to go camp in one of the deserted areas in Detroit (yes, mom was not happy with this thought, but they did have specific information about where it would be safe to stay), but they hadn’t wanted to take their luggage along with them, so they decided to bag Detroit and keep moving.

In Ann Arbor, they were able to arrange an impromptu couch. Their hosts fed them two home-cooked meals and took them to a bar for dancing and beer (and the hosts paid for it!), and a good time was had by all. Now I have to tell you, the people he’s stayed with write reviews of him on the couchsurfing site, and the folks in Ann Arbor thought he and West were the greatest guys in the world and exemplified the true spirit of couchsurfing – which apparently is to be good company while your hosts take good care of you!

And the next call was from New York, where he had arrived right on time on the 20th. They had gotten dropped off in Lebanon, New Jersey and camped for a night. The next morning they were trying to hitch to New York but got hassled by the police, who told them, “For God’s sake, the bus to New York only costs $10!” So they coughed up $10 each for the bus fare for the last 40 miles. They were staying with Greg’s best friend Emma in Soho and were having a good old time.

I needed to mail him some important papers (passport, new driver’s license, new credit card which I had gotten renewed early s it would not expire while he was on the road) and his plane info for New York-London and London-Copenhagen and a bunch of stuff to help him get through passport control in London, and there was great debate about how to do this. Emma’s apartment building didn’t have a doorman, and she was certain that it would be stolen if mailed there. So in the end, I sent everything to General Delivery at the Madison Square Garden post office, and he picked it up the morning the day before he was leaving. I had also packed up a batch of his favorite homemade snickerdoodle cookies, and he enjoyed those immensely. (The post office has this deal where you can send one of their special boxes, about 15”x12”x4” but any weight, for $10.30, so that was great!)

BUT

Of course with my son, there is often a but. As it turned out, he had left his guitar, his iPod and his journal in Mickey-in-Michigan’s car. Now how you can forget that you have two pieces of luggage instead of one, I truly don’t know. But this is the price of ADD. At least, as Greg pointed out, he had only lost his fun stuff, not his important stuff. It does give me pause. However, other than one’s life and sometimes one’s health, there is very little that can’t be replaced, although sometimes with some hassle and at some expense.

However, he had for some reason gotten her phone number, so now efforts are under way to get his stuff mailed here so I can mail it to him in Italy in care of a friend who is studying in Florence. So eventually, I hope, he will be reunited with his stuff.

Anyway, to finish up, he survived all the way to New York.

Total cost of transportation from Portland to Seattle to New York: $10.

Total cost of accommodations from the Bay Area to Portland to Seattle to New York: $0.

And he didn’t even spend that much on food, as many of the people along the way fed him.

Greg and West parted company, as West is hitching back home through the south, and Greg flew off to London.

So this thread will pick up on the Europe boards, as he did in fact make it to London, without losing anything else.

artsnletters - I can't wait to read the Europe installments. You're a forgiving mom to mail a guitar to Italy!!

Fantastic! He still has a place to stay in Paris if interested. (Well, maybe not for a month.)

Thanks for the update; I'd been looking for it. Looking forward to Europe!

Love it, artsnletters, and you are a good mom indeed! And it sounds like Greg was able to enter England, fantastic! I will look for your thread in the Europe Forum!

jent, I don't have to be forgiving - he's paying for it!

kerouac, I will let him know of your kind offer, although I don't think he's planning on coming by Paris. However, he's got to get from Amsterdam to Italy somehow, so who knows where the road will take him?

As the Scruffman is now in Europe, the story will continue here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/the-scruffman-in-europe.cfm

I am very much enjoying sharing his adventures with you all!

This is becoming the best read on Fodors in quite a while.

Your son is so lucky to have you for his mom....his trip will
no doubt be life altering an a great way. I wish I had the opportunity (more like courage)to take off and experience the world as he will be doing.