The story, titled "Thumbing Out West," is a conversation between a hitchhiker named Janine and a driver named Steve. The setting is a rural highway in South Dakota, heading toward Wyoming. Janine is described as a short, solidly built woman in her mid-twenties with dark curly hair, while Steve is a tall, lanky Western man in his early sixties.
Steve, driving a dusty Ford SUV, picks up Janine, who is heading west toward Gillette, Wyoming. As they drive, they discuss their reasons for traveling. Janine says she is camping and is on her way to a ranch north of Gillette that is "hiring", where she plans to learn the ways of Western ranchers and cowboys.
Steve is evasive about his profession at first, but eventually reveals he works in the "entertainment business". He claims to have been Mr. McFeely, the delivery man from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. He also says he was Mr. Greenjeans from Captain Kangaroo.
