THUMBS HIGH SANTA CRUZ

GUEST SUBMISSION #3

THANK YOU GABI KIRK 

When I learned how to drive, my dad taught me to use only paper maps. While many of my friends relied on Mapquest, in-car GPS, or their smart phones to get them to their destination, I always pulled out a map. When first learning my way around the Bay Area, I got lost many times, only to be saved by the impossible-to-refold bundles of paper stuffed into the side pockets of my dad’s station wagon. When I moved to Santa Cruz, I hung a map in my Kresge apartment of the coast past Aptos and marked friends’ houses and hiking spots. I do not own a car, so learned my way around this town via bike, bus, and foot. I prefer to navigate by bike. It is easier to see street signs and I love to shimmy down sidealleys or through parks. But sometimes I travel as a passenger in someone else’s car, often a friend, but sometimes, a stranger who is not in too much of a hurry to pick me up. Two nights ago, on the first day of my last week as an undergraduate, I was biking down Hagar Drive at night. I’ve ridden this slalom countless times. The full moon lit up the Great Meadow as I coasted down the curving road, going nearly as fast as the cars that barely passed me. At the bottom, I turned at the traffic light to continue off campus, and heard the sound every cyclist fears. My front tire pops and air slowly fizzes out, like a steaming kettle left on the stove too long whose water boils away. I marvel at the bad luck of getting a flat the week before graduation, but feel blessed it came at the bottom of the hill. I surely would have crashed if it had been even thirty feet earlier. I roll over to the Lower Campus bus stop to examine my tire and the bus schedule. It’s late and the next bus won’t be there for at least half an hour, assuming it’s on time. I examine my tire to see if I can ride it home, but the air has already completely escaped. I wonder what caused this misfortune, as I cannot find a single piece of glass or sharp pebble. Perhaps my tire simply ran out of air and gave up, just as I feel I have as I roll through my last seven days at UCSC. I lock my bike at the bus stop and stick my thumb out. It’s windy and has been raining all day. My eyes flit between the oncoming headlights of students leaving after another long day, and the beautiful moon lighting up the dense clouds over the oak trees. The rain stopped but the air still smells moist and lively. When biking home I do not always have time to look closely at my surroundings, as I am too absorbed in keeping track of my speed and the road. Standing now, on the side of the road, car after car whizzing past me, I can take a breath slowly and realize what it means to have spent four years in such a beautiful place.


It’s getting cold, though, and I’m frustrated at the lack of empathy from my fellow travelers. I try to put on a nice but non-threatening smile, but soon realize most of the drivers can’t even see my face. Finally a red pick up truck pulls over. I recognize a familiar face, my good friend’s boyfriend, in the front seat. I’m close with his partner but haven’t seen him in months. “My bike got a flat,” I say sheepishly. “Grab it and throw it in my truck!” he exclaims, happy to see me. Seems like my luck is looking up. I get in and we make small talk. Somehow I feel less comfortable talking to him than if he were a complete stranger, though. I often find it easier to start from scratch than navigate the social niceties required when you see an acquaintance. Perhaps this is why I have problems keeping friends through my time at UCSC. I find it easier to make new
friends than to maintain existing relationships. I wonder how well I will do at keeping in touch after graduation.


He drops me a few blocks from my house, apologetic. “I’m meeting a friend downtown and I’m already late,” he explains. “Otherwise I’d take you all the way home.” I haul my bike out and drag it six blocks before dumping it unceremoniously into my garage, then collapse onto my couch. One more block and I would have popped just like my tire. One more week of school, and I do not know if I could get through. Sometimes, that ride comes along just when you need it.


THANKS FOR SHARING GABI, THUMBS HIGH!

THUMBS HIGH SANTA CRUZ

EVERY HITCHHIKERS GREATEST FEAR

I know that safety is on everyones mind. Some people tell me they will never hitchhike because they heard some story about a girl who got killed in a car in Santa Cruz. I thought about this and decided to a little research. What really happened to deter a nation to avoid hitchhiking? It wasnt just one event, but there is one story that I think is important to note. 

DISCLAIMER: this event happened 30 years ago and we should not view it as if it was current. Refer to my safety guidelines in a previous post before going in a car. 

My friend Sean McCain sent me this article on Wikipedia about a serial killer named Edmund Kemper who picked up hitchhikers at UC Santa Cruz and Cabrillo College.

 EDMUND KEMPER, SERIAL KILLER

The article is terrifying to read, especially if your a UCSC student; its very easy to put yourself in their shoes. 

keep throwing up your thumbs, 

THUMBS HIGH SANTA CRUZ

Good luck with finals!

Thumbs High Santa Cruz

Guest Submission #2:  Shana Michelé Cohen (super homie and coworker of mine) and graduated senior.

SOoooo I love hitch hiking whenever in doubt i stick my thumb out- anyways I have been picked up by all sorts of fellows, small, big, old, young, students, professors, whomever... so i obviously return the favor and enjoy the deed of picking hitch hikers up on the reg. Sometimes i've picked up old friends by coincidence which is always a great surprise but this one time, I was pulling out on the west side of campus near Porter college bus stop to pick up a hitch hiker when all of a sudden about 9 students fled to my car. HAH I thought it was hilarious and there was quite a debacle of who should get the seats based on who touched the car first and what not, but in the end it was quite the sight and sense of warmness to look in my rear view mirror and see 4 unfamiliar faces, all who seemed to have at least one thing in common, making new friends!

Thanks Shana! 

If you see a white volvo S60 and your on campus, throw it up, THUMBS HIGH.

Thumbs High Santa Cruz 

My first guest submission!

Guest Story from Chela Schaun S.

       I hitched a ride from the base of campus and was sitting in the back and the guy driving was a grad student and was saying how he did undergrad in film and went to LA wanting to be a cinematographer but hated everyone. I was like "ohh thats funny my dad is a cinematographer in LA" and he turned around and was like wait is your dad Johnny?! I had coffee with him 2 days ago...

THUMBS HIGH SANTA CRUZ POST #4

Unexpected Trip to West Cliff

Thumbs High Santa Cruz Post #3

Addressing Issues of Hitchhiking Safety for Men and Women in Santa Cruz.

When I talk to women about hitchhiking, there are generally two responses: the first is that they love hitchhiking but are extremely cautious, and the second is that they would never hitchhike due to their gender. Men are generally physically stronger than women and this makes the idea of hitchhiking simply unacceptable. Safety is the biggest issue in hitchhiking and there are numerous cases of women getting into cars with drivers who are dangerous, sexually abuse their passengers, or inflict other types of physical harm. This alone is enough to deter women from hitchhiking, but also some men.

I would like to reiterate that this blog pertains to hitchhiking to and from the UCSC campus and not in other cities. From my experiences in Santa Cruz, here are some tips for safe hitchhiking in Santa Cruz for both men and women.




ESSENTIAL TIPS TO UCSC STUDENTS FOR SAFE HITCHHIKING




1. VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION: When your standing at your post with your thumb proudly in the air, you must think critically about the types of cars that move towards you.




a) NEW CARS: If you see a brand new looking car, you probably wont be getting picked up because what student has a new car? But if they do pick you, be wary that they might not be a student and are not familiar with picking up hitchhikers. My rule is to simply not count on new cars picking you up.




b) CARS WITH A LOT OF DAMAGE: When hitchhiking, being judgmental is essential. If someone's car is really beat up or damaged, I don't think i would feel too inclined getting in that car. What could it possibly mean about the drivers judgement? Maybe they are an unsafe driver, maybe they have a reckless personality? I usually don't want to find out. I will usually throw my thumb down to avoid attention to myself. If they pull over anyway, I simply say that I'll just wait for the bus or I changed my mind about going to campus. Its no loss to you or the driver.




c) BIG TRUCKS AND SUVs: Something about a truck or SUV really deters me from getting into the car. This might seem intuitive or not, but I again make harsh judgement calls about personalities based off of the types of cars people drive. I have gone inside trucks and SUVs but when it was clearly a student driver, or when there were other students in the car.




2. DRIVERS: Making judgement calls on who is your driver is, is probably one of the most important aspects of safe hitching.




a) STUDENTS: are probably your safest best. Right off the bat, ask the driver if they are a student before you tell them where you want to go. Look for signs on the car, like a UCSC sticker, fraternity/sorority sticker, or club affiliations. Does the driver have a backpack in the front seat? T




b) ADULTS: Here is the tricky part. If an adult picks you up hitchhiking, immediately ask them where they are going and why. For example "Are you going by the bookstore for any reason?" They might then answer, with "No but I can take you there". This is usually a good sign because most drivers who pick up hitchhikers will probably go out of their way to take you somewhere specific.




3. WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU: If you feel really uncomfortable with hitchhiking, but want to do it, by all means arm yourself.




a) PEPPER SPRAY: Pepper spray or mace is becoming more and more readily available. Many women at UCSC carry pepper spray and its a good thing. UCSC and the city of Santa Cruz at night can have a lot of dark corners. Arming yourself with pepper spray has become socially acceptable in the last few years.




b) POCKET KNIFE: Why not? Nobody wants to have to use it, but I always carry a multi-tool in my backpack. Its equipped with a knife and other sharp objects. The most use my knife gets is for cheese and fruit :)




4. OTHER PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES




a) TEXT SOMEONE YOUR GOING IN A CAR: If you text your friend of loved one that your hitchhiking from one place to another you can give yourself a head start on safety. If you make it a common practice to text someone then they will know if something is wrong if you don't text back upon arrival. Its definitely an option, although I have never done it.




b) KEEP CONVERSATION: Nothing is worse than having a completely silent hitchhiking ride. If you however don't find anything to talk about, make sure they know exactly where to drop you off. There is not a stranger feeling than having a driver miss your drop off spot and thinking that the unthinkable is happening.



c) MAKE CONNECTIONS: If your feeling uncomfortable with a student or adult driver, ask them if they know certain people. Its not uncommon for me to find friends through 1-2 degrees of separation. It happens almost every time.




d) USE YOUR GUT: If none of these tips registers in your mind when your getting in a car, all you have left is your intuition, which is always your best asset.




5. TIMING: this should be fairly obvious but sometimes getting a ride up or down from campus at late hours saves you a lot of waiting time.




a) NIGHTTIME RIDING: This should be straightforward. Don't always do it unless you have no choice. All of the same rules apply, just exercise extra caution. You can greatly increase your safety by hitching with at least 1 or more people with you. A sketchy driver (not implying that there are a ton of them out there) will most likely want to pick up a solo driver.

What if an old man picks you up? 

Story of Walter- The 1st Philosophy Major at UC Santa Cruz. 

He picked me up around 12:24 from the Bookstore/Cowell bus stop. I needed a ride home towards Bay/King. He was the first adult to pick me up in a few months. He drove a 2004 silver honda civic, and said he preferred to drive stick. When he pulled over he was hesitant to say anything. He seemed pretty shy, and opened the door for me. Normally, when I get into a car, words are exchanged pretty quickly, at least within seconds, but for some reason no words were shed for what felt like at least 15 seconds. 


"My name is Walter, are you a student here? What are you studying?" said the man. 


"I'm Ben, Ben Oberhand. I'm considering adding a philosophy minor to environmental studies" 


He made eye contact with me for the first time. I guessed that he was at least 65. He looked at me with curiosity and then an excited face. He said "you know i was the very first philosophy major at UCSC? Well there was actually only two of us at the time, can you believe that?" 

This is Walter. He was laughing and telling me a story about how he was hanging with with Page Smith, a man who had a building in Cowell dedicated to him. The Page Smith Library to be exact. 

He reminded me of the old guru turtle from the movie Kung Fu Panda. I asked him what he was doing on campus, and the reached for a pamphlet from the dashboard and it mentioned something about philanthropy. He asked me what I was taking as a class and at the time I was teaching a class on energy efficiency and green building through the Education for Sustainable Living Program (ESLP). He asked me if I was a graduate student and I felt a little flattered, but only if it were true...I was a sophomore at the time and he quickly grabbed for a pen and paper, and asked if he could write down my contact information. I was kinda surprised about this. I know getting a ride with a stranger is something but just giving away my information? My intuition however told me that something about this meeting was definitely not as creepy as I thought. 


Walter pulled the car over in front of my house, and instead of getting out and thanking him for the ride, i stayed in the car and heard the story of what it was like to be the first graduating philosophy major at UCSC.


We talked for over 30 minutes. Since he had been around UCSC since the beginning, I asked him about the way UCSC has been expanded over the years and what he thinks about the design and layout of the school.  He said that planning out UCSC came with various philosophies, some he agreed with and disagreed with. For those who lived at Cowell college, you probably studied at the Page Smith Library. Walter claimed to have known Page Smith as a friend and that he lived in a trailer on the exact spot where the OPERS gym is today. "It was a cool place to stay and hang out, and eat because there was also a dining hall there too."