After Jeanie and I were married in 1989, I began making several trips each year from Coquitlam, my new home, to the Alberta farm and back again. I could make a one-way trip in a long 14-hour day; it seemed like less travelling from Alberta to B.C. because of the time change at the provincial border.
I was alone in the farm pick-up truck so I started picking up hitchhikers. In some cases I really helped them out, and they helped keep me awake and entertained. I told Jeanie, who was not at all happy with the practice, that I could make a four-second character analysis to decide if I should stop. I believe I’ve only picked three obnoxious hikers of the many that have sat beside me since 1989.
Here are a few of the stories of my brief acquaintances.