Today was a 650 mile drive that would probably have been a little monotonous if not for the hitchhikers… En route from Alb to Tulsa, I passed two hitchhikers in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. Their sign read OKC (Oklahoma City) which was directly on my route and still 500 miles away. I gave them a ride. David is a 19 year old student at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He decided to hitchhike home to Nashville for Christmas instead of flying. He told his parents about his plan and his dad flew out to meet him in Colo Springs and hitchhike back with him as a bonding experience. Red (David’s father) is a forestry service fire fighter of many years. He is also very involved in deliberate burning of forests for ecological benefit. They both had very good stories and were excellent for making the ride go much more quickly. I made the whole crew peanut butter and honey tortillas at a gas stop. It was a great day of travel, but not much photo ops.