Jeff Thurman and his dog, Annie, find shelter from Wednesday’s rain under the Indiana Avenue overpass of Interstate 20. “There is a big difference between cold and being wet and cold,” Thurman said as temperatures dipped into the 30s. Thurman and Annie, who live in Oklahoma, had hitchhiked to Florida and back to Pearl, where he spent Christmas with friends. On Wednesday, he was headed to Dallas, where he was to visit other friends. “I eventually want to get back to my hometown,” he said. Thurman, who doesn’t drive, said he hitchhikes because it’s the only way to travel with Annie. “My family would be worried sick about me if they knew I traveled this way,” he said. (The Vicksburg Post/MELANIE DUNCAN)