Page 26 - Book Eleven Havelock

Page 24 RIDE with a PRO Written January 28 2010
I have some great memories hitch-hiking, like the time I saw a rare bluebird when I was standing at the side of the road near Orillia once. I also remember some less enjoyable experiences like being stranded for hours way out in the forest wilderness somewhere in Northern Ontario on my way to South Porcupine. It was pretty cold and lonely as I walked in the darkness most of the night. But I never encountered any bears or skunks and I eventually got to my destination. And it was a cheap trip.
This story is about the best hitch-hike I ever had. I was 15 years old, it was summertime and I was hitch-hiking from Havelock towards Niagara Falls where I was heading to Aunt Rub􏰀􏰁s to pick her cherries for her. I was as far as the QEW (a state-of-the-art 4-lane highway even then) when a car stopped to pick me up. I hustled over and got in. The driver was alone. Our conversation soon led to the fact that he was a professional baseball pitcher for the Hamilton Cardinals, a team in the St.Louis Cardinals system, best farm system of any at that time. But that was beside the point. The point was I was sitting beside a real professional baseball player and he was actually talking to me. His name was Arn Aitken. He was driving to his game, excused from travelling on the team bus because it was his turn to pitch tonight and he didn􏰁t have to be present at batting practice this morning. The game was to be played in Lockport New York just a few miles from Niagara Falls. I was wild with my stroke of good luck and even summoned the courage to ask him if I could go along with him across the border into New York State and go to the game􏰂 He said 􏰃Sure􏰄􏰂
There were no problems crossing the border in those days.
We caught up with the rest of his team where they were staying at a hotel in downtown Lockport. Arn told me I could ride on the team bus to the game and he went off somewhere in his car. He neglected to ask the team manager if it was all right so there were a few questions when I tried to board the bus􏰂 The manager obviousl􏰀 didn􏰁t appreciate Arn Aitken􏰁s presumption but he reluctantly allowed me on board. He even let me carry some team equipment so I could get into the ball park free. The whole experience was an exciting memory not even dampened very much by Arn􏰁s miserable performance pitching in the game that night. He lasted about three innings and the Hamilton Cardinals lost about 16-0. After the game I took the Greyhound bus to Niagara Falls instead of hitch-hiking. I had to wake up Aunt Ruby after midnight to let me in.
That was about the best hitch-hike I ever had.
Aunt Ruby
I didn􏰁t forget m􏰀 blessings when I purchased my own transportation a few years later. It was an
old Ford station wagon with its steering wheel on the wrong side because it had been manufactured for use in Great Britain during World War II. I picked up many hitch-hikers in that run-down wagon that could carry 10 people
easily. I recall once having a quasi-public transportation service as I was driving east out of
Toronto. I stopped about every 5 mi. to let out hikers or pick up another. M􏰀 Ford 􏰅Wood􏰀􏰁 was
filled to capacity the whole trip.
That was over 60 years ago. I still sympathize with guys holding out their thumb hopefully beside the road now but I don􏰁t like to subject other people in the car to the compan􏰀 of strangers􏰆 even though the􏰀 don􏰁t all smell like tobacco or in need of a bath.
Another fact made hitch-hiking easier then. The speed limit even on the QEW was 50 mph. It􏰁s harder at toda􏰀􏰁s higher speeds to act kindly towards hitch-hikers in accordance with our sympathy with them. And in accord with what Daniel said at 21⁄2. It was long after he was supposed to be asleep. My wife was putting some clothes away in the darkness of his room when she heard a small bo􏰀􏰁s voice. 􏰃 Momma. I love all the kids in the whole world􏰂􏰄
DANIEL RILEY
I think Daniel still does .