My Walking Trip on Route 66

I walked from Chicago to Santa Monica at age 62.

I am a die-hard hippie and a vagabond. I love to travel. I partake in activities that most people think is not practical or possible for someone my age. I am a Seasoned Citizens. I was 62 years old when I undertook a walking trip on Route 66.

Why Route 66?

I have been connected with Route 66 ever since I came to the United States. My brothers lived in Chicago at the time, while I attended College in Alva, Oklahoma.

Every spring, summer, fall, and winter, during the college break, I traveled between Oklahoma and Chicago. In those days, flying was for the most part, prohibitive, especially for a college student. Therefore, all travel took place at the see level, where you could see things. And Route 66 was the main thoroughfare in those days along the way. It was known as Main Street USA.

I wanted to take a trip on Route 66 forever and a day. My original thought was to take pictures. But there was already so much done about from a photographic point of view. I realize that every photographer has a different perspective, but competing in such a crowded space was not very appealing.

I was looking for an unusual angle, something different than what was already out there. One idea that I was contemplating was to travel up and down Route 66 during four separate seasons and photograph the people and the towns of Route 66 in different seasons.

As I was doing my research, I accidentally came across a picture of the Wall of China, depicting a man walking on the wall. That intrigued me. As I did some research, I found out that the Wall of China is 5,503 miles long, and there was someone who traversed on foot, the entire length of the Wall of China in 15 months.

That is only 12 miles per day on the average, and I thought to myself, “Shoot, I can do that.”

A new vision was born

Twelve miles per day was akin to walking in the park for six hours. Nothing said that I had to walk continuously for six hours. I had walked long distances and for a more extended period in the past. So, I knew it to be doable. The challenge would be to sustain it over a six to eight-month period.

On July 20th, 2016, I left the shores of Lake Michigan, at Adams and Michigan Avenues, and headed west along historic Route 66. That first day I walked a little over 15 miles. It was encouraging and exhilarating. I spend the night at my cousin’s place in the suburbs of Chicago for the next couple of days as I walked across the metro area. Then I was on my own.

Six months later, on January 21st, 2017, I reached the shores of the Pacific Ocean at Santa Monica Pier. During those six months, I walked close to 2,800 miles. I took a couple of week-long breaks in between, to celebrate holidays and my son’s birthday.

Along the way, I encountered more than two thousand people and took nearly three thousand pictures.

I also visited a few Toastmasters Clubs, and several Newspapers interviewed me along the way.

I kept updating my status and posting pictures on Facebook every day. I kept an online journal, and it is available for reading at WalkingRoute66.com

Why did I walk Route 66

The most common question I had to answer, even before I started, and throughout my walk was, why? Was I doing this for a Cause? And my answer was always the same, “Yes, ’cause I want to. And ’cause I can.”

You see, I wanted to prove to myself and the world that age is just a number, and you can do whatever you set your mind to do. And having done so, I can tell you that if you decide to do something and make a commitment to do it, there is nothing in the world that can stop you.

The desire to do (something) is proof that you have within you the power which can do it. ~ Wallace D Wattles

What is it that you yearn to do? What adventure is calling you?

Is there something on your bucket list that you need to check off?

Take action.

Originally published at http://agelessadventurers.com on January 19, 2018, and edited for Medium