The Cup Might Look Half-Empty, but Trust Me, it's Overflowing

Looking back at my entries so far, I realize that I've written a great deal about the frustrating or difficult aspects of my trip:

• "Longer, and longer, I waited. Doubts supplanted hopes" (The Beginning)

• "Drenched in sweat, I rested again ... I cursed that crazy mechanic" (Putting the 'Hike' in Hitchhike)
• "blankets of [fog] obscured my view of the legendary cityscape" (A Foggy Memory)
• "again [I stood] out in the rain waiting for a ride that didn't come" (A Home Away From Home)
• "The sooner I got to sleep, the sooner I could leave this bone-chilling campground" (A Day Unlike Any Other)
• "Oh, how Dave hated Tomakomai" (Tomakomai)

I know, I know. It's chock-full of trials and tribulations, disappointment and hardships, peril and privation. But let me not mislead you, valued reader! Most of the time, I was on top of the world -- driving through beautiful countrysides and making friends with interesting people.

But alas, happy times do not always make for fascinating stories. Misfortune and calamity seem to lend themselves more easily to engaging storytelling.

However, by expounding on the bad and ignoring the good, I am doing a grave disservice to potential hitchhikers everywhere. It's an experience that I highly, highly recommend.

And so, lest you begin to think I spent most of my time in Hokkaido wishing I were elsewhere, I'll be making an effort to tell you about what a great adventure hitchhiking can be. Posts to remind us of the good times. Post to remind us of the better times.

Stay tuned.