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Authors: David Blistein
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March 28, 2006: Las Vegas, Nevada to Zion National Park, Utah. 175 Miles
. I love picking up hitchhikers. I know people think itâs dangerous. But, most of the ones I pick up are in far more desperate physical and psychological straits than I am. We exchange the usual pleasantries: Where you going? Salt Lake City. Iâm going over toward Zion. Just drop me at Route 9. Can I smoke? Sure. You want one? No, quit a while ago. But you go ahead.
He then lights up and dives in without further preamble:
Hitchhiker: This guy picked me up â¦Â Iâd gone in to get a cup of coffee. And he says whatâs your game? And I said, I donât gamble. And he said, âWell youâre going to gamble today.â And he stuck a .45 in my ribs and pushed me out the passenger side door and they shot him to death â¦
Me: [shocked] Who shot who to death?
H: The security guards shot him to death. We parked out in the open parking lot. And heâs got his gun
.
D: So they saw his gun and shot him?
H: I rolled out of the car and yelled, hey this guyâs got a gun and they shot him. Just unloaded on him
.
D: Unbelievable
.
H: I mean nothing personal but Iâve already been shot, I donât need to get shot again
.
D: [laughing, thinking heâs kidding] When were you shot?
H: He shot me an hour earlier right below the kneecap
.
D: You mean you knew this guy?
H: Well, weâd been riding together since Salt Lake
.
D: And why did he shoot you the first time?
H: Weâd just got gas. I started to get out and wish to hell I would have. I wouldnât a got shot â¦Â Heâs twice the size of me, stronger than hell. But heâs all hot, eating pills and smoking dope
.
D: Oh I see [laughing nervously â¦]
H: And we didnât need no gas until he got to Caesars and he was almost empty. In the parking lot. Got to the door and Iâm thinking yeah, I know these security guys. They just gunned him down. Son of a bitch. I got my leg taped up and glued. Cops said well weâll bag him and tag him. You know that dumb son of a bitch had $1200 in his wallet. He was just going down for the night. He had a room at the Tropicana, and he was going to stop at Caesars, the Pyramid, and the Tropicana and then he was going to leave early in the morning. He had a wake up call all ready at 5 or 6 in the morning
.
D: Ended up dead
.
H: Right. And this cop dug the .45 out of the corner of the car door â¦Â low velocity â¦Â the ballistic manâs been here, and heâs got all kinds of shell tricks. Heâs got chambers he puts in that barrel. I knew the guy had one gun. I didnât know he coulda had ten in a second. He had gun parts everywhere
.
D: Jeez â¦Â so what were you doing in Las Vegas?
H: I spent the rest of the night there
.
D: Yeah, but now???
H: Oh this time? Iâm on my way home to Council Bluffs, Iowa
.
D: Whatâs in Council Bluffs?
H: I live there
.
D: You have a place to live there?
H: Iâve lived under a bridge for almost 40 years
.
D: Almost 40 years? Whyâd you come all the way out here?
H: I had no winter clothes. Really. But now Iâll just suffer through the winter
.
D: 40 years? How old are you?
H: 80
.
D: No â¦Â really? Câmon. Your life? Youâre not 80
.
H: [changing subject] You can follow that dirt road all the way back to the town up there. I was crossing up there one time and an old black guy says, donât touch my pot! Heâs got a rifle and another guyâs got a shotgun. Two kids got â¦Â You here to pick our pot? No Iâm here to â¦Â shit
.
D: Sounds like you run into some guns in your line of life
.
H: You run into lots of idiots who carry guns. What are you doing out here from Vermont?
March 29, 2006: Zion National Park
. It takes an impressively contrarian emotional life to feel claustrophobic about the idea of going to the Grand
March 28, 2006: Las Vegas, Nevada to Zion National Park, Utah. 175 Miles
. I love picking up hitchhikers. I know people think itâs dangerous. But, most of the ones I pick up are in far more desperate physical and psychological straits than I am. We exchange the usual pleasantries: Where you going? Salt Lake City. Iâm going over toward Zion. Just drop me at Route 9. Can I smoke? Sure. You want one? No, quit a while ago. But you go ahead.
He then lights up and dives in without further preamble:
Hitchhiker: This guy picked me up â¦Â Iâd gone in to get a cup of coffee. And he says whatâs your game? And I said, I donât gamble. And he said, âWell youâre going to gamble today.â And he stuck a .45 in my ribs and pushed me out the passenger side door and they shot him to death â¦
Me: [shocked] Who shot who to death?
H: The security guards shot him to death. We parked out in the open parking lot. And heâs got his gun
.
D: So they saw his gun and shot him?
H: I rolled out of the car and yelled, hey this guyâs got a gun and they shot him. Just unloaded on him
.
D: Unbelievable
.
H: I mean nothing personal but Iâve already been shot, I donât need to get shot again
.
D: [laughing, thinking heâs kidding] When were you shot?
H: He shot me an hour earlier right below the kneecap
.
D: You mean you knew this guy?
H: Well, weâd been riding together since Salt Lake
.
D: And why did he shoot you the first time?
H: Weâd just got gas. I started to get out and wish to hell I would have. I wouldnât a got shot â¦Â Heâs twice the size of me, stronger than hell. But heâs all hot, eating pills and smoking dope
.
D: Oh I see [laughing nervously â¦]
H: And we didnât need no gas until he got to Caesars and he was almost empty. In the parking lot. Got to the door and Iâm thinking yeah, I know these security guys. They just gunned him down. Son of a bitch. I got my leg taped up and glued. Cops said well weâll bag him and tag him. You know that dumb son of a bitch had $1200 in his wallet. He was just going down for the night. He had a room at the Tropicana, and he was going to stop at Caesars, the Pyramid, and the Tropicana and then he was going to leave early in the morning. He had a wake up call all ready at 5 or 6 in the morning
.
D: Ended up dead
.
H: Right. And this cop dug the .45 out of the corner of the car door â¦Â low velocity â¦Â the ballistic manâs been here, and heâs got all kinds of shell tricks. Heâs got chambers he puts in that barrel. I knew the guy had one gun. I didnât know he coulda had ten in a second. He had gun parts everywhere
.
D: Jeez â¦Â so what were you doing in Las Vegas?
H: I spent the rest of the night there
.
D: Yeah, but now???
H: Oh this time? Iâm on my way home to Council Bluffs, Iowa
.
D: Whatâs in Council Bluffs?
H: I live there
.
D: You have a place to live there?
H: Iâve lived under a bridge for almost 40 years
.
D: Almost 40 years? Whyâd you come all the way out here?
H: I had no winter clothes. Really. But now Iâll just suffer through the winter
.
D: 40 years? How old are you?
H: 80
.
D: No â¦Â really? Câmon. Your life? Youâre not 80
.
H: [changing subject] You can follow that dirt road all the way back to the town up there. I was crossing up there one time and an old black guy says, donât touch my pot! Heâs got a rifle and another guyâs got a shotgun. Two kids got â¦Â You here to pick our pot? No Iâm here to â¦Â shit
.
D: Sounds like you run into some guns in your line of life
.
H: You run into lots of idiots who carry guns. What are you doing out here from Vermont?
March 29, 2006: Zion National Park
. It takes an impressively contrarian emotional life to feel claustrophobic about the idea of going to the Grand
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