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Dean Fuller at the age of 19 decided to take a trip which at the time was just a fun , but little did he know it would change his whole life. Him and his friend Steve Irwin decided to hitchhike across America.With the little money they had they lived a simple life for the few months while they were on the road. With a fews bumps in the road like medical emergencies and a potential love the trip was not what was initially expected.
“At the time when we decided I was in a position where I was not tied down or obligated to anything,” Dean Fuller said. “It just seemed like a carefree way to travel around and see the nation.”
On the night of June 3, 1982, Dean and Steve decided that they were going to leave to take the trip of a lifetime. Two days later they were in the first person’s car awaiting their fate.
“It took us about 48 hours for us to get all of our stuff together,” Fuller said. “Once we decided we asked some friends to borrow some back packs and tents. We then went out a bought a cantine, rope, sewing needles, fishing line, waterproof matches, and then packed whatever else we could fit like clothes and then we left.”
Fuller looking back realizes hitchhiking now is vastly different than it was back then. Now there is a lot of risk when going hitchhiking, but then it was just a carefree experience. Since 2009 300 people have reported crimes while hitchhiking such as rape and murder this was done as a study from wandrlymagazine.com/article/hitchhiking/.
“ Hitchhiking was just a relatively common way of moving around where you need to go without having a car. It was like ride sharing now without money,” Fuller said.
Not wanting to do this trip of a lifetime alone Fuller and his friend Steve Irwin traveled together. Steve was very similar to Fuller which made the trip fun and much easier.
“Steve was the best ever guy to travel with, super carefree, and between the two of us we were super resourceful,”Fuller said. “We were always looking for the next fun thing to do, never worried about the future or any ill fate around the corner we just always seemed to be living in the moment.”
A few weeks into the trip when Dean was in Daytona, Florida he got a ride from Kay Casar. Dean Kay, and Kay’s two daughters Dana and Marie all spent Memorial Day weekend together.
“From that weekend I just think about all the fun times we had together and how fun Dean was,” Dana Casar said.“Leaving that weekend I never thought we would see each other again, but I guess it was fate.”
Kay stopped her car a little way up the highway, because she was skeptical of picking them up. At first she only saw Dean, and felt okay. But then she saw Steve run up and she thought she was being ambushed. Actually, it was just the opposite.
“Her car had stopped a little farther down the highway,”Fuller said “So then I grabbed my bag and ran up to her car then my friend grabbed his bag and met me up there. That was when we first met my future Mother-in-law.”
With the 48 hours they used to plan before leaving Irwin and Fuller made a route of places they planned on traveling to. They were able to make it to some places, but not all due to bumps in the road.
“The original plan was to go from Austin where I was living then to Florida, then to New York where my parents lived then to go to the west coast with no specific plan after that,” Fuller said.
Like any parent Fuller’s mother was very concerned about him. She also new that he was a very smart and resourceful and be just fine.
“I was of course scared like any mother would be because things like that can be dangerous, but I also knew that he would be just fine,” Kay Romaine said. “Growing up he was a very as they say “street smart.” He had moved out right after highschool and after that we really did not have any control over him he was just very independent and determined.”
At the time Dean was living with friends and had little to no money so he had to be very careful with how he was spending what he had when preparing for the trip. Combined they had $130 to start off the trip.
“It was funded by, starting off with $130 between the both of us, and from there it was from the goodwill of others and a lot of improvising,” said Fuller. “ Since money was not just readily available to me my confidence in being resourceful grew. I found that people typically enjoy helping others who value what little they have.
On Memorial day weekend when Dean and Dana met they never intended on seeing each other again. After that weekend Kay, Dana, and Marie went back to Fort Lauderdale, where they lived.
“After that weekend I never really intended on seeing him again. I just thought it was a fun experience not thinking much else of it,” Dana said.
The less than a week later Steve had to be flown back to Dallas because he had an emergency appendicitis situation. Dean having nowhere to go decided to call Dana.
“When I called Dana I really did not know what to expect, but when she offered a place for me to stay I took her up on it,” Fuller said. Shortly after I arrived at her house we started dating. At the time Dana was a senior in high school graduating soon so I stayed with her till graduation then left to go back to New York, But I knew I would come back for her.”
In late July Dean was traveling back down to Austin , but before making it to Texas he stopped in Florida to ask Dana a life changing question.
“When I went back through Florida I had to take a chance and asked her if she would want to come back with me,” Dean said.
Dana saw this opportunity to move as an escape from moving and having to go to community college, so she took it.
“ I really did not know how much moving to Texas would change my life,” Dana said. “When I said yes to Dean I did not ever think we would get married or what my future would look like. At the time I was just really living in the moment which looking back is the best decision ever.”
Dean and Dana packed up and left Florida to start a life together. This trip affected both of their lives forever and gave Dean a new perspective on life.
“Certainly hitchhiking gave me a feeling of how independent and resourceful I was for sure", Fuller said. “On the flip side I also new I could have a great time wherever I was with money or not. Hitchhiking just gave me a feeling of confidence in myself and my abilities.”
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