Hitchhiking: A freely awesome way to get around!

I spent the whole last summer living in Minturn, about ten miles from my work in Vail Village, and I made it work car-less ! Hitchhiking daily is how I got around, and depending on where you live, it can be a great option for free transportation ( and a fabulous opportunity to make a new friend, acquaintance, or potential client, depending on your line of work!)

Before 2010 I had only hitchhiked once in my life: when my car ran out of gas on the way to work while living in Edwards. I was strapped for both time and cash so I walked to the nearest on ramp of I-70 and stuck my thumb out. This first experience was kindof nerve-racking! I stood outside on a snowy Colorado day, watching car after car pass by me, feeling a little more sorry for myself and my situation with every vehicle that seemingly sped up to pass me when they realized what I was up to.. It felt like I had stood there for an eternity, but about ten minutes after my now frozen thumb had made its debut appearance into the world of the hitchhiker, I got my first ride ever. Nervous about the probable serial killer/ rapist that awaited me inside the vehicle, I cautiously opened the door and and told the driver ( who was, to my surprise, a normal looking dude about the same age as I, also on his way to work) where I was trying to get to. "Oh, Vail Village? Me too! Hop in" was something like the answer I received. Success! We had a typical conversation to this part of the world: inquiring where we each work and what geographic location we resided in before finding the ski town haven that is the Vail Valley. I got dropped of to work on time, and even got a ride back to my car that afternoon ( no thumb necessary either, the girl just stopped!) when I was seen walking on the side of the road with the red badge of honor that exclaims " I don't know hot to pay attention to my gas gauge!" swinging from my hand ;)

When I traveled to Hawaii soon after, in the spring of 2010, I was a bit disappointed at first to find out how far my hostel was from the town of Pahoa (4 miles), beach (16 miles), and local farmers markets(4-20 miles). At that time I didn't realize that many of the locals didn't even own a set of wheels - not even bikes - but relied solely on hitchhiking. We hitched everywhere - multiple times a day - and I was so surprised and delighted every time someone would go out of their way to get us to where we where going safely. I learned that hitchhiking alone was the fastest way to get anywhere, although in groups we rarely split up (unless there where more than 3 people) because we where together, having fun, and it didn't necessarily matter how long it took to get somewhere. We had no where to be, really, we where on Hawaii time. The second most efficient way to hitchhike was in a group of all girls, but honestly, I don't ever remember waiting more than 30 minutes on any occasion.

Mango Road Puna, Hawaii

It was in Hawaii as a hitchhiker where I got the chance to drive down mango road, a thin winding road on which giant lush mango trees engulf you from both sides, laying in the back of a pick up truck. I got sunned on and rained on, and the experience of the road and the wind and the sky and the stars, all right there to see and more importantly, FEEL. On my face, my back, my toes, freely exchanging my breath with the living jungle around me. We got rides from locals, hippies, haolies, musicians, and sometimes even tourists.

Although not all of my hitchhiking experiences had been positive in Hawaii (the drunk Hawaiian local who picked us up with an almost-finished bottle of rum in between his thighs who later came back to the hostel with a gift and probably hopes for a late night rendevouz ) there have been several people that seem to have been sent by angels to scoop me up from the side of the road. a

I visited the Big Island again in 2012, and my six weeks spent there where relaxing, enlightening, friendship-forming, and I learned a lot about myself on many levels. I visited places I had never been to my first time around: lava fields, tide pools, ecstatic dance, all gotten to by hitchhiking ;) The day of my 9 p.m return flight home the sky was grey and a light rain was falling as I caught my first ride to the main Pahoa intersection. I had left 5 hours early to make sure I got to Hilo airport (about 30 miles away) safely and on time. I thought it might take me a while to catch a ride (or a few) getting that far, but I had not displayed my " :) Hilo Airport - Mahalo! "  sign for 5 minutes when a lady pulled over and said she would give me a ride. We got to talking, and upon finding out how much time I had until my flight, she invited me back to her home to relax before my flight.

How sweet! A cute little deer giving his monkey friend a lift !

I took the offer and was so astounded by the beauty of the property she lived on when we arrived! Her landlord had many acres of lychee trees, through which we walked, picked, and ate lychee fruit straight from the branches. It all seemed to be coming together - I had only tried lychee for the first time on this trip, and could not get enough of them! I would buy 5 lb bags at the farmer's market and they would be gone within days! It seemed only natural that this woman would be living on land that grew them in such a bounty, but what she was about to offer me was so much more magical.

She was a massage therapist, and when we entered the bungalow she put on some soothing meditative music. She began asking me about myself and I couldn't help but divulging my (very much coming up on this trip) crazy relationship to food and my body. We sat on the floor and talked for a few hours and the wisdom and words she spoke seemed like the perfect things I needed to hear at that moment. After talking with her it helped me to realize that I was exactly where I needed to be in that time of my life, and that I still had a lot of growing to do.

It was almost time for my flight, but before she dropped me off, we went to visit and feed her beautiful horses. I love horses and hope to have a few to share my future land with someday. I am a horse according to the Chinese horoscope, and growing up my Russian grandmother Tamara would always send me picture books of horses and little horse figurines. It was a very special experience to be able to commune with these majestic creatures as a final gift from Hawaii. I left the islands with one more friend and a lot of Aloha, and I have hitch hiking to thank for that.

I came back to a warm, green Vail and was re-united with my sweet puppy Shadow, and my trusty Pontiac Grand Am that had been serving me well since 2007. It was a beater for sure, but aesthetics aside it was mechanically sound and "got the job done." I drove it around for a few weeks until I didn't want to afford the towing fee + a new year of registration and insurance. So I decided to hitch hike all summer long.

There's a corner leaving Minturn that if you stand on, are a woman, and don't dress like a total crazy lunatic, you will get picked up within 5 minutes. That was my experience anyways. The days when my outfits where crazy hippie-tastic where the days where I waited maybe 7 minutes ;) The first time someone in a Mercedes stopped to pick me up (I almost didn't even stick out my thumb for that one, but I'm glad I did!) I was shocked! Lots of people said something along the lines of "Oh, I used to hitchhike when I was younger," and most people where super friendly and nice, again, many of them going out of their way to get me to work on time. Thank You! I even got picked up several times by people I knew and once by a lady that works at the Vitality Center with me!

Sure there where days when I rode my bike into town, but I was happy to have another, free, option of transportation when I didn't feel like making the 20 mile roundtrip haul.

I encourage people to hitchhike ! Be safe, have fun, and get around for free!

Here are some of my tips for hitchhiking:

-If you are new to it, and nervous, do it with a buddy until you get comfortable.
-Don't hitchhike at night if you can help it.
-My experience (in the Vail Valley) has been that the more "normal" I look and dress, the more likely people where to pick me up because they felt less threatened (they told me this).
-If you get a weird vibe from someone who stops to pick you up, you have every right to refuse the ride! If you don't feel comfortable simply telling them no, make up an excuse! Don't take a ride with someone you don't feel safe with ! (Asking where they are heading before telling them where you are going makes this easier since you can just say you are trying to get to somewhere else!)
-Hitch from an area where cars can easily and safely pull over
-Tell someone where you are going
-Use a sign
-Take multiple rides .. someone may only be able to get your half way, but if they can drop you off somewhere where you are likely to easily get picked up again, no worries!
-Pick up hitchhikers yourself! Rack up that hitching Karma :)

I know a lot of my friends and family where worried about me hitchhiking, and that the "hitchhiker culture" is different from place to place. I have even noticed that is is a lot harder to get a ride from Avon or Edwards than it was from Minturn. (About 7 miles away from each other) Hopefully this post has created some peace of mind for people that think hitchhiking is unsafe everywhere; its definitely not! Would I hitch on the South side of Chicago? Probably not unless I was in a real jam, plus there is cheaper public transportation there. Colorado? Yes. Hawaii? Yes. I look forward to many future hitchhiking adventures and a big shout-out to my friend Dan who is soon embarking on a backpacking trip across South America! May many safe hitches and new friends greet you on your travels!

Aloha!

Have fun and be safe out there !

Sofie K 

First Bike Trip to Vail Village!

                                                                                     

I won't have any recent photos until I receive the new camera
cord I ordered, but this is what I look like riding a bike :)
Crested Butte, CO summer 2012

Today was the first car-free day!

It started around 8 a.m. after about an hour of hitting -snooze- on repeat :) My original plan for the day was to join Nate & Susi on a hike up to Booth Lake in East Vail, but I (thankfully!) followed the nagging feeling I had in the back of my mind to check MindBody (my online schedule of massages) and saw that I was on call.  I hope you guys had a great trip!

I rushed around all morning and left the house at about 8:45 to head to Vail Village. I noticed that I had a lot of energy and my hands where shaking while I tried to adjust my helmet strap. I was anxious in both an excited and nervous way. I am SO used to being VERY lazy and taking the lazy half-assed, rushing at the end approach to getting things done and going places, but I noticed some apprehension of leaving my front porch and the 'safe zone' of my home. I just wanted to GET THERE and be at my destination already, and had to re-mind myself to enjoy the present moments along the journey.

I adjusted my helmet and bike seat to a comfortable position, thankful for how smoothly everything was functioning after the wonderful and accommodating gentlemen at SSV in Lionshead Village brought the brakes, front tire, and pedals back to a functioning level. Thanks guys! The morning was brisk,  and I was cutting sharply through the morning breeze heading out of Minturn, grateful for the clear blue sky and sunshine warming my back. I'm glad I also remembered a scarf! I noticed how quickly I was feeling out of breath riding up hills and remembered the mantra of -slow down, take a break- often, greeting the downhill slopes with relief.

On the car ride back from Moab, Utah
April 2012
Left: Moon  Right: Shadow

My ride took me along the winding Eagle River through valleys so beautiful, even the morning bustle of the I-70 interstate could not take away from my bliss. I felt compelled to soak in the green lushness of my surroundings with frequent rests at look-out points and some much needed morning stretches. My backpack was filled with a few books, laptop, and food for the day, and the ol' neck n' shoulders where definitely calling out for some love about halfway through the ride.

A few bikers wizzed past me so fast that I began to question how safe it was going to be to bring my dogs along for the next trip. There are only two ways to get to Vail from Minturn - one is by car via I-70 and the other is along the bike path until I reach West Vail. Im going to try Moon (my Chihuahua/Min Pin mix) in an open-ish backpack until I find a front end basket that he can burrow in. Shadow, (a former sled dog husky who's gait, at nine years old, easily overtakes mine even on a bike), and I will have to practice a side-by-side position with a leash for a while, until he learns to stay on the right side of the bike path for the safety of everyone involved :)

I was surprised at how quickly I arrived at Intermountain in West Vail, but was ready to give my legs and lungs a break so I snapped a few photos of my bike and some trees while I waited for the next bus to scoop me up :) I had never used the bike rack before, so the bus driver's helpfulness and eagerness to show me how to mount my bicycle was greatly appreciated!

I was the only passenger for a while, feeling energized and happy to have caught a bus that greeted my ears with amazing music the second I stepped on. It was when others started to board at later stops that I noticed my psyche re-acting in ways that are less-than helpful for my well being. I began to feel uncomfortable and tense when a very beautiful man and woman sat immediately across from me, and had to re-mind myself over and over again to unclench my jaw and shoulders, and to open up my heart. (To the beautiful people and myself - also a beautiful person, that doesn't always believe this is true.) It seems like I am still very tightly holding on to false belief systems of not being attractive enough, especially since cutting my hair short again and ceasing to obsess over the few extra pounds I still carry around.  I sat back, closed my eyes and began to breath in relaxation and breath out the limiting stories my aunt Ninnie brain was adamantly pushing forward into my conscious stream of thought.   On the still nearly empty bus, I sat with soft eyelids for the remainder of the ride, absorbing my current state of listening and being open to whatever thoughts came up, soaking in the bluegrass tunes that seemed to dance straight out of the mountains themselves.

After a day spent hanging out at Starbucks, working on the blog, and compiling jammin' music playlists, I hopped back on my bike, and rode all the way home to two very excited puppies VERY ready to go outside and play :)

Thank you for reading <3 Here are some wise words from a very kind man.

"This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness."
-Dalai Lama




Love and Blessings,
Sofie

Is It Jet Lag? And why am I not surprised....?

The past few nights I have been staying up until 3 or 4 in the morning ... and waking up around noon. Is it jet lag? Have I been staying up all night pooping around on the internet, making up for all the LOLCATS I may have missed out on while on my "internet cleanse" in Hawaii? (I didn't bring my laptop on my six week vacation and only used the internet occasionally to check e-mails and facebook.)

Today was supposed to be my first bike ride from Minturn to Vail, but when I saw the clock at nearly 4 a.m. and I was still in the middle of researching "Inception Movie Explained" (yeah...) I knew that I would not wake up early enough to be in town by 11 a.m.

I would like to see my sleep schedule return to: being in bed early (8.pm. - 10 p.m.), and also rising early, with abundant creative energies flowing through out the day. It seems like I have wonderful ideas right before I am going to bed though, and am quite lazy during the day. I am visualizing that shifting NOW!

I drove (illegally :/ ) to Vail Village today and am currently sitting at Starbucks using their free interwebs.

I have already spend around $20 on gasoline since I have been back in Vail and my "tank empty" light is currently shining. My goal is not to fill it up again.

From my home to my work it is about 9.5 miles on the bike path, about an hour long bike ride, Google predicts. I live in the Rocky Mountains so the path winds uphill, as well as down. It will probably take me much longer my first few times; I want to leave at least 3 hours before I have to be at work so that I have time to shower beforehand. There is also an option of biking to West Vail, hopping on the bus that leaves from Intermountain to Vail Village, which cuts my trip down to 4.2 miles instead of 9.5. I think I'll start with that :)

Blessings, Positivity, and Love!
SK

Goodbye White Bird and Mahalo for your Kokua (Thank You for your Cooperation)

On the road for a summer in Crested Butte, CO

My car is probably my second highest expense. It gets OK gas mileage at about 20-25 miles to the gallon, but also requires yearly state registration (about $60), monthly insurance payments (mine are $110 a month), and repairs .. more of them if you drive like a dummy like I do ...

I didn't notice I had a flat tire until this happened..

Tire damage: one of the minor things that I have put this Bird through; dirt roads are harsh on wheels but they sho' are purty and usually bring you to really majestic places. Unless they don't .. and you end up at some hillbilly ranch in the middle of no where and things start to get real weird real fast .... but I digress.


Maybe you noticed that beautiful second pair of wheels I tote around on the back of this gas guzzling beauty. I am making it a point this summer to use exclusively my bicycle, feet, hitch hiking, ride sharing, and free bus services for transportation. Currently the car is unregistered, un-insured, so I would have to be a certified ding dong to keep driving it around. (I am using it today and tomorrow to pick up my dogs and a spare bike tire tube and hoping for no police intervention.) For now I am not going to sell my car because God knows I have said that I was going to do many things in the past, and then later given up.

I am excited to explore the Vail Valley on leg-powered wheels and cut out a huge expense out of my lifestyle right from the beginning.

Update on my first bike ride from Minturn to Vail soon to come :)

With love and abundance,
SK

Welcome to the Freely Living blog!

Welcome Friend!
Did you know that you are a truly amazing human being who is capable of living a spectacular life? So what is stopping you? 

Me, Adventuring in the Holy Cross National Forest near Vail, CO in 2010

The Freely Living Blog aims to re-claim our innate freedom, energy, and desire to live the life we LOVE and dream of.

"If the world is to be healed through human efforts, I am convinced it will be by ordinary people, people whose love for this life is even greater than their fear. " - Joanna Macy

How do we do that?

Freely Living aims to be a lifestyle blog following my journey as I attempts to use resourceful creativity to utilize a wide spectrum of modalities to live more freely.

Reducing, re-using, re-cycling, DIY-ing, bartering, foraging, hitch-hiking, and employing strategies of Freeganism to live with more financial freedom.

"Earth provides enough to sustain every man's need, but not every man's greed." Ghandi

Practicing yoga, meditation, self-help techniques, spirituality, mindfulness, and letting go of belief systems that no longer serve me to live with more mental and emotional freedom. Freely Thinking, exploring, and questioning.

Finding health, vitality, and flexibility in a more physically free body through nutrition and exercise :)

Freely sharing information openly, without reservation or fear of judgement.

Freely allowing myself to engage in the present moment.

Freely giving and freely receiving.

Freely giving and receiving love and support wherever and whenever it is needed.

"Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for right thinking; where it is absent, discussion is apt to become worse than useless." - Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoi - (1828-1910) Russian writer Source: On Life and Essays on Religion 

It is my intention that other people who are also interested in Freely Living, sustainably, and with great passion toward the life they choose to live will learn from this blog and offer me helpful tips and support along the way :)
Check out the different sections of this blog to see how I am manifesting Freely Living on all levels of my life! You may sometimes find the same post in more than one section since I write in a free flowing style that tends to touch on a variety of subjects throughout one stream of thought / post. 

                <<<<Eagle County Residents and Visitors!!! >>>>
Check out the Vail Valley Free Community Events page and Like! the associated Facebook Page to get updates about awesome, fun, and (mostly) FREE events, services, and community projects! 


Thank You for stopping by! Leave any comments, questions, or feedback you have :) Subscribe to this blog if you feel like it could be of service to you on your journey, and add me as a friend on Facebook. I am sure we will learn a lot from each other! Namaste.

                                A Personal Affirmation and Intention
Soon to come...

Bunches of bananas grown and harvested on property at
Hedonisia  Eco-Hostel and Rainforest Retreat on the Big Island of Hawaii
where I volunteered for six weeks in the spring of 2012.
Cant get more local or Freely-Living than that!
Check out Hedonisia Hawaii !