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It Seems a lot of folks have a problem with perspective of time periods ? A lot of young folks can't understand there not being cell phones . At a time you were on your own . Communication wasn't what it is now , when I started home I didn't send a letter because it took 6-7 days to get there . I could beat a letter there hitch hiking .
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I had about $35.00 and some change . Didn't figure I had enough for about a thousand mile bus trip but would make better time on a bus . Thumbed to Apache Junction , walked out on the east bound highway and stopped to ask when the buses came through at a service station . Man said before daylight and bout 3 in the afternoon , dang I was going to have to wait 4-6 hours and watch the road to flag em down . Buses would pick you up on the road still if you flagged em . You had to pay cash and they would drop you off at the next terminal (bus station) where you had to buy a ticket .
Sat out by the road for over 4 hours , if I missed the afternoon bus would have to sleep in the weeds somewhere and try to flag down the early morning bus in the dark .
Flagged the bus down ..a Continental Trailways bus . Driver stopped and looked at his pocket chart , charged me to Tucson the next terminal . Cost me better than $7.00 . He was putting it in gear as I waked down the aisle to find a seat and the first empty seat was across from a black couple . As I crammed my bedroll into the overhead rack the black guy hollered ...HEY MAN ! You a westerner ? I thought ..oh carp .
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I thought o Lord why ! The black guy introduced his family . His name was Calvin , his wife's name was Rita and their 5 kids sitting behind them raising hell . They had sacks and baskets of food and ..who knows , everything but the kitchen sink . Rita was the ugliest woman I have ever seen in my life ..just a fact , she looked more like a man . The kids were screaming , fighting and griping , Calvin told me they were moving from California to Arkansas because Arkansas gave bigger checks . He ranted that how did California expect to keep people if they didn't want to pay more I just thought ..O Lord why !
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I had come from where it was so quiet and peaceful to being crammed into a big box of crazy people . Easier to walk out in the desert by myself with what food and water I could carry and explore for a few days. I started appreciating the day long journey with only a mule to talk to stocking the camps . Sleeping out on the ground and boiling coffee in an old coffee can in the morning . I had enjoyed being to myself and it was an awakening to get back around so many people .
They say there are hiking/biking trails through the Superstitions now , it's a tourist place . I'm glad I got to see it when I did in the way I did . It was lonely and beautiful . You felt like you were the only one in those mountains .
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Finally got to Tucson , keep in mind there were many stops at every hoot and holler . Had to cross the San Carlos Apache reservation and the bus stopped many times taking folks off the road like me and letting people off , slowed up the travel time. At Tucson I went to the ticket clerk and got him to figure how far I could go on $24.00 , that would leave me $3.00 cash .
He said I would get to Big Springs TX , I had hoped farther but was what it was . Bought a ticket to Big Springs TX , would get off in West Texas .
Next big stop and transfer to another bus was Lordsburg NM .
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Got to Lordsburg , had to lay over a few hours . Soon as they called my bus I was on it . Calvin and Rita boarded ..he saw me and they sat opposite me . O Lord why ?
I was in the window seat , saw a man chewing out a Mexican girl bout my age outside my window, couldn't hear what he said . She boarded , bout all the seats were taken and she sat down next to me . She was quietly crying , I had a clean blue bandana and just handed it to her ..I said nothing .
There was another new passenger , an old black man bout 70 . Had a three piece suit on and a fancy ivory headed cane .
Driver turned off the overhead lights and started off .
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The girl kept quietly crying holding the bandana with her head in her hands . Rita apparently woke up across the aisle and shouted ...Is that man bothering you !! Aww dang it !
She stood up and was hollering ..is that man bothering you ! , The Mexican girl was just sobbing and shaking her head no . Calvin stood up and asked me if I was bothering that girl . DANG IT ! THIS WAS GOING SOUTH QUICK .
I stood up and said ...I'm not bothering anyone ! Shut your mouths and sit down . She has trouble ...let her be !
Calvin and Rita sat down and stared like ignorant people do trying to figure something out .
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edge of my seat ...help me bro!
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Great story. Please continue!
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I sat down madder than heck ! It's always a good thing to be accused of being a pervert on a full crowded bus with 40 or so people . I rolled a cigarette and was rolling another one while I smoked the first ...Kept that up for a while and yes back then you could smoke everywhere . The Mexican girl never said a word .
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Deming New Mexico was the next stop . Didn't stay long , they gased the bus and long enough for a bathroom break . When we loaded back up the bus was half empty . The Mexican girl had disappeared but of coarse Calvin and Rita got on . Next stop was Las Cruces , had a layover and changed buses . I splurged and bought a cup of coffee and had a can of soup out of my bedroll . Could have had a can of beans but seeing as how I was on the bus thought it might be socially inappropriate ?
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"beano" wasn't available in those days!
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Got to Las Cruces , had a short layover . Got on a bus to El Paso ! DANG ! Was nearly to Texas !
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Got to El Paso , it was the biggest bus terminal I'd ever seen ..was big . Lot of buses coming and going . Checked at the ticket window and lady told me would be a 13 hour layover to my bus . Dang it ..hanging out in a bus station was a bummer . There was bout a half acre of wooden benches , lot of folks sleeping on em . Picked one out , used my bedroll for a pillow and got some sleep .
I had the life changing experience of seeing my first pay toilet ! Went to the gigantic bathroom and it cost 2 dimes to get in a stall ! I thought it was a crime against humanity . I couldn't believe they would charge you to ..... . It was inhuman .
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Finally got on my bus , I had been afraid to sleep because I might miss the department announcement . Dang it I was in Texas and halfway home ! The bus made good time , lol back then West Texas was a pretty 'non populated' place so didn't pick up or drop off many on the road .
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Was after dark when the bus got to Big Springs , still in West Texas . I bedded down on a bench in the terminal . No need to try and find my way out of town and try to catch a ride in the dark . Beat the heck out of sleeping in the weeds off the road .
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Got up come daylight , cleaned up in the bathroom . Put on my one change of clean clothes to try and look decent to catch a ride . Weather had cooled off but still warm . I had failed , did not have any way to carry water and I regretted that . Still had 3 cans of food ...I remember that well . Had better than $2.00 left ...hadn't spent money except on coffee at the bus stops . Back then coffee was 10 cents and all the refills you wanted but bus terminals charged 25 cents PER cup ...rip off .
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Walked out of Big Springs , Still had my old 50's Texaco road map . You might keep in mind the Interstates Highway system didn't exist ..least not in my country , was all two lane roads . Had bout 250 miles to go . Problem with hitch hiking was not many driving were going far . 2-3 miles and they let you out , you were dang lucky to get someone driving 50 or so miles ..BIG PLUS !