Nude for the road

For his famous 1934 movie, It Happened One Night, Frank Capra has his heroin Claudette Colbert succeed at hitchhiking where Clark Gable had failed by pulling up her skirt and showing some skin of her beautiful legs. There is no doubt some male hitchhikers could succeed with certain drivers by doing something similar, say, taking off a shirt. And if that worked, why not take off more? Maybe you yourself have driven down the highway, seen an attractive hitchhiker, and imagined him standing there, stark naked and begging for a ride. Now that's the stuff of fantasy.

But let's take the fantasy a little further: Why is he hitchhiking naked? Just to attract attention? Or maybe he has no luggage, no knapsack, nothing but the skin he was born in. Maybe his mates stripped him naked as a prank. Maybe he got drunk and separated from his clothes at a party the night before. Or maybe he lost a bet or a dare. Whatever the reason, he's naked and helpless, with nothing to bargain for a ride — except perhaps to do you some kind of favor. Surely you would have mercy on such a hitchhiker, wouldn't you? And surely you could think of some way he could repay your kindness?

These were some of the thoughts going through my head as I stood naked and vulnerable on an uncompleted stretch of freeway at sunrise with photograph Andrew Adam Caldwell. I'm not sure how many driver speeding by below caught my naked form illuminated by the rising sun. But I was completely exposed in any case. I'm only glad I wasn't really in the position of our fantasy hitchhiker, although it would certainly be a memorable predicament.

But to get a real sense of what's that like you need more than my words. You need pictures, and we have plenty of them for you. Go directly to Nakedism's photography department and check out the set called Road Show. Then add a comment below telling us how you'd handle that situation.

Rules of the road

As promised, this month Nakedism bring you a bonus gallery, another complete photo set documenting the 2011 Folsom Street Fair, the annual San Francisco leather and kink fest. Photographer Andrew Adam Caldwell was at my side, documenting the naked and the bold.

Officially and legally, San Francisco tolerates nudity in public anytime. The same, thankfully, is true of my home city of Seattle. But in both cases, lewd behavior or actions intended to shock or affront others is against the law. Consequently, you can walk down any street in the city naked as the day you were born — which I have done. Just don't try doing it with a boner.

Technically, the same laws and rules apply to the Folsom Street Fair. But there are key differences. Unlike an ordinary city street on an ordinary day, the fair grounds are blocked off and guarded by fair volunteers at every access point. This controls who can come and go from the area and makes it slightly less "public."

In addition, visitors are aware (or can be made aware at the entrance) that they are about to enter a very, very adult event. Consequently there is a greatly lowered chance that those in attendance will be shocked or affronted by anything they see.

The overall effect of these differences is apparent, not just to fair goers, but to anyone on the Internet looking for Folsom photos: Although both fair representatives and police in the area still advise people to behave themselves, the fact is that a certain amount of self-touching and arousal is not uncommon. And occasionally, as happened last September, some people go even further, tasting an exposed cock or even giving one a considerable amount of oral attention, just as long as no authorities catch sight of it.

Fortunately for you, dear reader, Andrew's camera caught sight of plenty. For a thorough cataloging of public nudity, public boners, and even some public play, visit our collection of Photo sets, and check out the most recent gallery, Sleazy street. It's the next best thing to being there.