Hippies!

True

Heading north on highway one thru Big Sur in 1970, I recall a business had a sign in the window --No Hippies Allowed. Don't remember what the business was--mighta' been a little store or a restaurant.

Reaching the Canadian border--summer 1970--3 hippie girls and me and another long haired guy. Border people: Where are you going and why? One of us: oh, we're just going to travel in Canada and probably go clear across. Border guy with a frown: and how are you going to live up here? You know , food and such? ( Ok , I understood at that point that they weren't too happy about some freeloading hippies coming into Canada and leaching off the government. ) Man says: do you people have any money? ( yes--we were some of THOSE PEOPLE!) So I pull out five thousand bucks worth of travelers checks---the other hippies did the same with varying amounts of travelers checks and cash. ( all of us were working people /hippies and were taking a trip to enjoy life.) The guys eyes bugged out like in a cartoon --- and "WELL , C'MON IN AND PLEASE ENJOY YOUR STAY IN CANADA.!! We went on in and we did enjoy our travels across Canada. The others went on to Europe and I traveled back across with a car full of new friends that I met in Montreal who wanted to go to the west coast. Ah--the good days--the memories--never be like the 60s--70s again, IMO.

Yeah! I remember the thousands upon thousands of folks hitchhiking everywhere in those days. And the friendliness of the people in Canada as we camped and stayed in youth hostels across that country.

I am the only person I know that always takes hitchhikers on. The common advice is harbor suspect in the regards of drifters and globetrotters. Personally I prefer to avoid the cops. Unfortunately a hitchhiker is an increasingly rare occurrence nowadays here.

I didn't have money, and hitchhiked my way from Connecticut to California back in 1972. Stayed there about a year and a half, then came back to New England and moved around, living in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Vermont. Spent a couple years in Florida, then back here again. A lot of people didn't think much of us hippies, especially the guys. They were just seen by many of the 'straights' s shiftless bums.
Their crime?
Enjoying life and just going with the flow.
Many who disliked us branded themselves Christians
This was ironic, seeing as how Jesus lived pretty much our way. No secular job, moving from town to township, a gentle, peace loving fellow who hadn't so much as a bed! And those pictures these Christians had of Him on their walls?
Looked kinda like a hippie, didn't He?

I <3 this...