WALKING ROUTE 66

What Is The Craziest Idea You Ever Had

Here is a page from my life: It’s A Trip.

I am Mister Weirdo

Ten days before my 60th birthday, I climbed Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas at 8,749 feet. It was a strenuous hike of 8.4 miles round trip; it took me eleven and a half hours to complete. (Normal time is 6 to 8 hours)

Having conquered that, I was itching to do something else. Something that would cater to my sense of weirdness as well as my nomadic and adventurous nature; something that would be a fun undertaking and keep me busy for a while.

Historic Route 66 has always held a special place in my heart. When I first arrived in the United States in 1974, I attended college in Oklahoma while my two brothers lived in Chicago, and I visited often.

Back in those days, Greyhound was the way to travel; as Harry Chapin put it, “It’s a doggone easy way to get around.” Not to mention cheap as well. Those trips took place on Route 66, also known as Main Street, USA.

I love photography and have often played with the idea of making money as a photographer. So, I figured, I could travel Route 66 and take some pictures, maybe a lot of pictures, and turn that into a profit center.

Route 66 Here I come

I soon realized that there is an abundance of material about Route 66 available online. But the whole idea of doing something about Route 66 has been with me for almost a decade and it would not go away.

I have learned that when an idea would not leave you alone, it is your Higher Self guiding and directing you to something only you can do, something that you are better equipped and qualified to do than most others.

“Seasons in the Sun”, a popular song from college days came to mind, and I thought that maybe I can travel up and down Route 66 four times, one for each season. That’ll keep me busy for a year.

I wanted to devise a way to generate enough income to at least cover the expenses while I was traveling. If I could make from it, that would be a plus. So I took to the Internet for some research, and what came out of it can only be described as a crazy idea.

Have you ever had a crazy idea? An idea so crazy that all you can think is, “That’s Crazy!”

I was on the phone Googling Route 66 when out of the blue, a message popped up on my screen. “Use your voice to ask Google how long is the Wall of China.”

WTF?

So I did.

Turns out that the wall of China is 5,503 miles long. Google also showed a photo of a man walking atop the Wall. I said, “Hey Google, has anyone ever walked the entire length of the Wall of China?”

Yes. In October 2000, five adventurers set out on such a journey, but only one of them finished it in January 2002. (Many have done it since.)

A crazy idea is born.

My math-major brain went into overdrive. That’s 15 months. 5503 miles in 15 months comes out to be roughly 367 miles per month or 12 miles per day. “Heck, I can do that!” And the crazy idea was born. I will travel the entire distance of Route 66 on foot.

On the 20th of July 2016, I began my walk from the corner of Michigan and Jackson Avenues near the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago and ended up at the Santa Monica Pier on the shores of Pacific Ocean on the 21st of January 2017, 30 pounds lighter and 8 inches skinnier. Much of which I have managed to restore since then.

It would be an understatement to call it a trip of a lifetime. I met over 2,000 people along the way making some lifelong friends, in person as well as online, and the entire adventure was made possible by twisting balloons and the generosity of friends and strangers alike.

I will be recounting my journey and writing a story every day on my Publication Freedom Lifestyle, and posting a weekly recap of those stories here every Sunday.

I wanted to prove to myself and everyone else that you can accomplish anything you want, and that age is just a number. I met many people along the way who were older than I was, doing amazing things and proving that life is what you make of it.

What will you make of your life?

I am tagging some friends who I think will enjoy receiving a weekly recap. If you don’t want to receive it, please mention it in the comments and I will not include you next week.

If you are not on the list and would like to be informed of the weekly recap, please leave me a note in the comments so I can add you to the list.

Either way, I appreciate your support.

Chris Hedges George J. Ziogas Sinem Günel Kathryn A. LeRoy, Ph.D. Dr Mehmet Yildiz Mary Holden Ann Venkataraman Sylvia Love Johnson Bill Abbate Joe Luca Alison Tennent René Junge Kevin Buddaeus Dr John Rose Paul Myers MBA Arthur G. Hernandez Brian E. Wish, PhD Charlene Fate Charles Roast Charlotte Zobeir Ali Karen Madej💛 B. A. Cumberlidge. Dr Ron Pol Michael Patanella Kathy Lum Holly Jahangiri Bob Jasper

As always, thank you for reading and responding.

Here are a couple of related stories:

Rasheed Hooda is a published author, and a regular contributor and editor for ILLUMINATION, a writers’ community on Medium, where writers support each other.

He is a self-proclaimed weirdo who lives a Freedom Lifestyle and writes about related topics — Travel (a top writer), Personal Growth, Freedom, and entrepreneurship. (Get the Newsletter)

More about me:

An interview by Dr. M Yildiz for ILLUMINATION

Testimonial by other writers.