Bob Hill
Roaming around western U.S. and Canada searching for trout, beautiful camping spots, interesting hiking trails, and outstanding breweries.
What’s the most stupid thing I have ever done?
Someone asked me that not long ago and I have been thinking about it.
I couldn't decide which of these two was more stupid. So, here are both.
Hitchhiking Across America:
2,000 miles (3,300 kilometers)
When I was 18 years old I hitchhiked from Iowa City, Iowa to Paris, Tennessee, then back to Grand Tetons National Park, Wyoming: 2,000 miles or 3,300 kilometers. Why? To visit one more time with a lovely Southern lady. What else would cause me to do something so stupid? Two high school friends and I were spending the summer traveling around the U.S. in a Volkswagen beetle. In Iowa, I decided to return to Tennessee but with little money hitchhiking was the only way to go. I slept at the side of the roads or, when possible, in Greyhound bus stations. I ate sausage, cheese, and crackers for every meal. The two weirdest rides I got were: 1) the Catholic priest who wanted to have sex with me (At the time, I thought that this must have been a quite unusual request, but now I guess it wasn’t.) and 2) the felon just released from a psychiatric ward in a Colorado prison, asking me to make sure we weren’t being followed by his “watchers.” (Fortunately, we weren’t.) And, also fortunately, I arrived at our meeting point in the Grand Tetons to find my two friends waiting for me. All went well, except for facing my father when I arrived home. That was not so fortunate.
Crossing a River in the Amazon on a Homemade Raft
Almost 25 years ago, I organized an “off road expedition” in Brazil to attempt to cross a section of the TransAmazon Highway which had not been transited for over ten years. This was a major undertaking involving 10 months of planning and preparation. Among the team’s innovations was to design and build an inflatable raft to cross small rivers. These photos show the raft in action, crossing a such a river in the Amazon basin.
What makes this so stupid?
First, Preston, my 17 year old son, swam across the river with the rope used to guide the raft. (Then, he swam back.) Being the Amazon basin, the river was densely populated with piranha. Being smart city folk, we “knew” that as long as there was no blood present the piranha would not attack Preston. Fortunately, Preston swam over and back with getting bitten. Unfortunately, upon our return home, I had to explain to his rather distressed mother why I had let Preston swim across a river full of piranha. My answer was: He did it when my back was turned and he didn’t ask me. Not a great response but good enough for an irresponsible father.
Second, the raft was engineered by a landscape architect, a video store owner, a car mechanic, dental surgeon, and others with the same level of qualifications. Testing prior to the trip had been minimal in a swallow pond. To my surprise, but not to the superbly qualified designers, the raft functioned perfectly as can be seen in the photos. If it hadn’t my jeep would still be in the Amazon at the bottom of that river.
We weren’t able to get through the “impassable” section of the TransAmazon Highway.
But, we were able to contract a barge with a tugboat to take us around it.