Now, THIS Is QUITE Impressive!

I recently read about a young man from town that has embarked on an ambitious journey. 24 year old Danny Finnegan from Rockville Centre, along with his friend Abby Bongaarts, also 24 from Michigan, have decided to fulfill their dream and walk across America! They began their trek in March from Long Beach, New York and are determined to make it to San Francisco by the fall.  These two are doing this to raise money for JOIN, a charity that focuses on helping the homeless. They became friends when they lived as community mates in Gresham, Oregon, and both volunteered at AmeriCorps and Jesuit Volunteer Corps NW before working at JOIN. What impressed me most was how Danny rationalized the journey. He said, “The slow pace of walking is what defines our journey.” During an episode of On Being, Ellen Davis offered a description of poetry, saying “often you can read an instructional manual or a textbook without paying all that much attention. You skim your way through it to get to the heart of the matter. But you can’t read poetry that way. Poetry slows you down. And anything in our world now that slows us down is to be valued.” For us, walking is the poetry of transportation. Much like poetry, walking slows us down, forcing us to pay attention. It will fulfill our desire to see and experience America at a slow and patient pace.”  What a wonderful opportunity to take in the sights, the people, their stories and the view while raising money for a worthy cause. They are seeking hosts to help them regroup and re supply their water. If anyone knows anyone who can help these two travelers, visit their website at https://walkacrossamerica2017.com/about/  Danny and Abby update their website and post pictures, telling everyone about their travels and the ups and lows of their journey. Here is the list of upcoming towns and where they need assistance :

Colorado towns:

Arriba

Limon

Simla

Peyton

Colorado Springs (have a place to stay)

Woodland Park

Hartsel

Buena Vista (have a place to stay)

Crested Butte (have a place to stay)

Somerset

Bowie

Paonia

Hotchkiss

Delta

Grand Junction (have a place to stay)

Fruita

Loma

Mack

Utah Towns

Agate

Thompson

Crescent Junction

Green River (looking for water assistance to Salina)

Salina

Scipio

Holden

McCornick

Delta

Hinckley (looking for water assistance to Baker)

Nevada

Baker (looking for water assistance

Osceola

Major’s Place

Ely (looking for water assistance)

Eureka (looking for water assistance)

Austin (looking for water assistance)

Middle Gate

Fallon

Silver Springs

Stagecoach

Mound House

Carson Springs

Indian Hills

Genoa