When I was growing up, I didn't have the luxury of having a car like a lot of kids do today. Not only did I not have a car, there was no car in my family. Sounds unbelievable given the culture that we now have. But during those days many other people were in the same boat. If you wanted to get anywhere you had only a few options. These were catch a ride with someone you knew, take the VTC Bus or hitchhike. I left out walking because I never seriously considered that as an option at that time. If you were going to Harlan, or anywhere in-between, you could catch the bus. If you were going toward Pineville there was no bus option.
I have on a few occasions walked from Wallins to Harlan or back. This was always a last resort. You could most always "thumb" a ride with someone you knew. I hated to spend the money to ride the bus. I would rather have the money to use for other things. I believe the fare was 25 cents. Do you know what that would buy? You could play five games on the pinball machine. You could play three games of pool. You could eat two chilidogs with a soda pop. You could even buy a pack of cigarettes. With this in mind, there was no way that I was going to spend the money my mom gave me to ride the bus.
The best place to catch a ride was always at the main highway at the stop sign. When cars from Wallins Creek stopped for the stop sign you could stick out your thumb and give your best hopeful look. If they passed me by, it usually caused me to mutter a few things regarding their parentage, and a few other choice things. It was especially bad when someone I just knew should have stopped, but didn't. I usually swore that someday I would manage to return the favor.
On the return route from Harlan to Wallins, the best place was on the corner where the Harlan Baptist Church was situated. I never really paid attention to what street location this was. It was the last straight shot and last traffic light before getting out of Harlan. Hopefully, I could catch a ride from someone I knew. If not, I might only get a ride to Baxter or even Loyall. It was harder to get a ride on home from there. If I got to Loyall, I waited at the light on the corner. When cars caught the red light, it improved your chances of getting a ride. It was hard for the drivers to ignore such a pleading figure of a boy.
I guess I have literally traveled the width and breadth of Harlan County by thumb. Once I caught a ride with Ned Breathitt when he was campaigning for governor. He later won the election. I also recall a time when I was thumbing with my cousin Bob Morgan. A man in a brand new car picked us up. Bob, who was a few years older and a lot wiser than I, was expounding on the beauty and other virtues of the car to the proud owner. When the owner asked how I liked the car, I replied that I preferred the other well-known competitor model. Needless to say we were unceremoniously put out of the car. I received a much-needed lesson in diplomacy from my cousin Bob.
I remember thumbing the highways with my friend Earl Gooden. We would thumb to Loyall or Harlan to meet girls. Earl was pretty good at this. I only did it a few times when he got me fixed up with a date with someone to go to the Loyall Theatre or to visit with them at their house. She was usually a sister of the girl he was dating or maybe their close friend. Earl was definitely the ladies man.
I never dated much when I was growing up because I didn't have the money or the other things that would impress the girls. I was thought of as a friend to most of the girls I knew. That is always the kiss of death to a boy looking for love (so to speak). Some of the other guys in town had the material things that impressed the girls. I think the way I coped with this was to be the "Class Clown". This proved to be counter- productive, however, as no one took me seriously. I guess that's why I felt it necessary to go to Loyall or Harlan for a date.
We have lost a lot of the innocence we took for granted during those wonderful days. People are afraid to pick up hitchhikers these days, and for good reason. We read in the paper about folks getting carjacked. That's too bad. Frankly, I don't know what I would have done if no one would have given me a ride. Maybe I would have stayed home more. Nah, this wasn't really an option. I had to be moving around. It was in my genes.
