Hobo Hops a Train in Casper, Talks About Life On The Rails

This is a life most of us will never know or understand. A hobo hopped a train in Casper and shared his thoughts of what it's like to live life on the rails.

This guy's name is John E. Ringo. Say that out loud and feel free to make your own Doc Holliday "Tombstone" humor. I know I would. He refers to himself as a hobo, so I'm not name-calling. He hops trains and travels all around. It might surprise you to know that he has a very active YouTube channel where he shares his adventures.

Before I go any further, a very big disclaimer. To be clear, train hopping is illegal. I don't endorse it in any way, shape or form. As Quora points out, train hopping is dangerous and many have lost their lives doing this. I'm only sharing this guy's point of view to try and understand why he and others do it. DO NOT DO THIS. Please, just don't. Also note that some of the language is very NSFW.

I have so many questions and most relate to how John and others take care of themselves. (I just realized that I "Doc Holliday" am concerned about the welfare of John E Ringo...funny) Seriously though, John talks about how it's hard to stay hydrated. He has food, but how does he sustain that going from town to town and state to state?

The answer to that may be that it's obvious based on the comments that many people follow John on YouTube because they view rail-hopping as pure Americana and are vicariously living through him sharing his adventures. He has a Patreon account where viewers can send him money. Some seem to admire his freedom and wonder what it would be like to have no ties to anywhere, but just continually travel.

After John arrives in Cheyenne, he talks about how he can't divulge some of the secrets of rail-hopping to protect the lifestyle. He seems like a reasonably sharp guy who has chosen this lifestyle for reasons I'll never understand.

While my ultimate hope is that he and others would find a way out of this life to something legal and safe, he is truly a free spirit. My prayer is that he and others will stay safe.