Dreams from the LORD 2003-2006
12 July 2006
I am back in Riverton, Wyoming. It took me eight days to hitchhike to Washington, D.C. and nine days to get back. A couple of gas field roughnecks picked me up outside of Rawlins. They were drinking beer and having a good time. They stopped at Sweetwater Station (a bar and grocery store) and had some mixed drinks and played some pool with three other roughnecks. They were getting pretty drunk. The one guy tried to pick a fight with another guy. They were getting fairly loud and obnoxious and finally we headed for Riverton.
I slept on this dirt road just north of Rawlins last night. The air was dry and cool. The sunrise this morning was very beautiful. That is one thing about the desert: spectacular sunrises and sunsets. It is great to be back in dry country: I had some wet clothes in my backpack because I had to walk in the rain when I was going through Iowa. I laid out my wet clothes last night and this morning they were mostly dry. That’s the thing about life east of the Missouri River: very humid—hard to stay dry. It is great to be back in Wyoming.
Dreams from the LORD 2007-2010
1 October 2010
Yesterday I walked a couple of miles out of Lander, Wyoming and this guy in a pickup pulled over to give me a ride.
“Heading to Riverton?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I replied.
“That’s where I’m going.”
We drove down the highway a few minutes and then he asked, “Didn’t you write a book?”
“Yeah. I had a book published; it hasn’t sold many copies.”
“I’m pretty sure I picked you up earlier this year.”
I looked at him and said, “You look familiar.”
“I picked you up and drove you to South Pass. I was test-driving a vehicle.”
“Yeah, I remember you. It was sometime this past summer. Did I write down the title of my book and my blog for you?”
“No.”
“If you have a piece of paper, I’ll write down some information, if you want to look up my blog. What’s your name?” I asked.
“Keith,” he replied.
“My name is Tim.” We shook hands.
Keith gave me a piece of paper and a pen and I wrote down the title of my book, my name and my blog address.
Keith then said, “I guess I was meant to pick you up again so that I could read your blog.”
“Yeah. I thought I wrote it down the first time I met you.
“Nope.”
“The Lord works in crazy ways.”
“Yeah, he sure does.”
I remember Keith picking me up this summer. He works as a mechanic in Lander. When people pick me up hitchhiking, I usually ask them if they want to read my blog. If they do, then I will write some information for them on a piece of paper. I guess when Keith picked me up the first time, I assumed that he wasn’t interested in my book or my blog. I assumed wrong.
God’s thoughts are higher than my thoughts.
This is an account of my being arrested and put in jail for a short time in Riverton, Wyoming [September 2009]. I had failed to pay a fine ($60.00) or appear in court for a hitchhiking violation.
A couple of days ago, I hitchhiked from Jackson to Riverton, Wyoming. My last ride to Riverton was with this lady who sold Avon products. We had a nice talk. She said that she wanted to take me out to eat, so we had a buffet at a Chinese restaurant in Riverton. After the restaurant, she drove me to the south side of town near an industrial area. I thanked her and took my backpack and walked down this foot path. After about two hundred yards, I veered off the foot path and walked across this open ground to this place overlooking the Wind River. I set up my tent and bedded down for the night (or so I thought). It was around 9 PM.
A short while later, I heard this car driving around maybe a hundred yards north of my tent. I looked out of my tent and saw this car drive very fast in and then out of this gravel driveway.
Maybe fifteen minutes later I heard this other car drive down the same road. I looked out and saw the car turn and shine its headlights on my tent. The car approached my campsite and I got out of the tent to see what was going on.
The car stopped and a man and woman in uniform walked towards me. They were with the Riverton Police. They told me they were looking for some kids that were trying to break into a car in a housing subdivision just north of where I was camped. They thought that the kids may have been from the reservation (Wind River Reservation--made up of Arapahoe and Shoshoni Tribes) just across the river.
They asked me what I was doing and I told them that I was hitchhiking and had camped out for the night. They told me that there are a lot of violent crimes on the reservation; there were twenty-eight murders so far this year--probably alcohol and meth-related. I told them that I had camped here earlier this summer and that I was planning on hitting the road the next morning.
The lady police officer asked what my name was and she ran a check on me through the police department; I also gave them my driver's license. We talked for a little while longer and then she said that I had a Bench Warrant for my arrest and that I needed to pay sixty dollars or else go to jail. It was from a hitchhiking ticket I got back in February of 2009: I had failed to pay the fine or appear in court.
I walked back to my tent and looked in my billfold and told them that I had fifty bucks. She said that they needed sixty. Looked like I was going to jail.
They let me put on my pants and shoes and I took a few valuables with me. I was patted down for any weapons. They had me stand with my hands behind my back as they put these handcuffs on my wrists. They led me back to the police car and had me sit in the back seat. The handcuffs were very tight and uncomfortable.
On the way to the police station, they asked me if I knew anyone in Riverton that I could contact to help pay the remaining ten bucks. I gave them a name of a friend who had picked me up hitchhiking a couple of months ago.
We pulled into the garage at the police station. They led me to a large room with a table and sink. They had me empty my pockets and take off my shoes and sweatshirt. Then they led me into this small adjoining room and locked the door behind me. This room had a concrete bench to sit or sleep on; it had a sink and a toilet. It was probably ten foot by ten foot. I sat there for at least half an hour.
Then someone unlocked the steel door and they told me to come out. They said that my friend had arrived with the ten bucks. I put my sweatshirt and shoes back on and walked to this other room where my friend and his son were waiting. I paid my fine and walked out a free man.
My friend drove me to my campsite where I broke down my tent and put all of my gear in his pickup. We drove to his house and he let me sleep in his camper that night. I was very grateful that he helped me out with the ten bucks and for a place to stay for the night.
The police were friendly, courteous and professional; I was in jail for a very short time; I have no complaints there. I asked the police how long it had been illegal to hitchhike in Wyoming; they didn't know. I would really like to know WHY it is illegal to hitchhike in Wyoming.
__________
Copy of Bench Warrant (Filed Mar 19 2009):
In The Circuit Court of The Ninth Judicial District
Fremont County, Wyoming
State of Wyoming, Plaintiff
VS.
Timothy M. Shey, Defendant
TO: ANY PEACE OFFICER IN THE STATE OF WYOMING: GREETINGS:
WHEREAS THE DEFENDANT, has done the following according to the Court record, more specifically set forth as follows:
Failure to Appear as ordered on 2/18/09
YOU ARE HEREBY COMMANDED to arrest the above-named defendant and bring him/her forthwith before this court to be dealt with according to law.
Bond: $60.00 [ ] Cash-- Must be posted before release from Custody.
[ ] Bond may be forfeited in lieu of appearance. The defendant may appear before this Court at 1:30 pm on Wed following his or her release.
Dated 3/18/09
Original Violation(s): 1)31-5-606 a SOLICIT ON STREETS & HWYS
[Originally published by Digihitch.com]
Why is Hitchhiking Illegal in Wyoming?
Hitchhiking Stories from Digihitch
Sitting in Jail in Broadus, Montana
