Monday, March 31st
We started out today near Copper Mountain College, just outside of Joshua Tree, California. We walked through 29 Palms, California and kept going, finally stopping at a small airport. 16.7 miles ! A new record. A man drove his car into the shoulder about halfway through our walk today and asked us if we needed anything. He said he had seen us walking in Morongo Valley and wondered what we were up to. It's good to know that some people care about our safety. Today I found a pair of wire strippers, a 5/16 socket and a 9/16 socket, .46 cents and a 2 peso coin. I put 16.7 miles on my New Balance 858. Stay tuned ….
Sunday, March 30th
No walking today, Yea ! We attended church today at Desert Hills Presbyterian Church in Yucca Valley, Luke Jones, Pastor. After church, there was an informal gathering and we told the pastor and anyone who would listen about our walk and Habitat. Pastor Jones gave John a contact person to call in 29 Palms. We moved today to 29 Palms. We are in the RV park on the Marine base. Now we are in the low desert. The only difference I see is that the mountains are a little further away. No shade here either. Stay tuned ….
No walking today, Yea ! We attended church today at Desert Hills Presbyterian Church in Yucca Valley, Luke Jones, Pastor. After church, there was an informal gathering and we told the pastor and anyone who would listen about our walk and Habitat. Pastor Jones gave John a contact person to call in 29 Palms. We moved today to 29 Palms. We are in the RV park on the Marine base. Now we are in the low desert. The only difference I see is that the mountains are a little further away. No shade here either. Stay tuned ….
March 29th
John and I decided to put some miles in the bank, so today we walked 6.5 miles that went through the very small town of Joshua Tree, California. When Carol and Ruth picked us up, they had a copy of the Hi-Desert Star which had a very nice article about our walk and Habitat. Tomorrow after church, we will move the RVs to 29 Palms Marine Base. Today I found a pair of pliers and .10 cents. I put 6.5 miles on my New Balance 882. Stay tuned ….
John and I decided to put some miles in the bank, so today we walked 6.5 miles that went through the very small town of Joshua Tree, California. When Carol and Ruth picked us up, they had a copy of the Hi-Desert Star which had a very nice article about our walk and Habitat. Tomorrow after church, we will move the RVs to 29 Palms Marine Base. Today I found a pair of pliers and .10 cents. I put 6.5 miles on my New Balance 882. Stay tuned ….
March 28th
Today was a day of first. Starting at the Circle K, where we stopped yesterday, John and I walked about an hour and celebrated our first 100 miles. We clanked our water bottles together as a toast. Then after climbing a really steep hill and reaching the top, we were greeted by a reporter from the Hi-Desert Star. Our first interview. She asked a few questions and snapped our photo and then left to interview Carol and Ruth back at the RV park. She was still there when John and I arrived. John showered and cleaned up as he was to attend the local Rotary Club meeting. The reporter was Rebecca Unger, and she was a sweet as can be. She was genuinely interested in our walk and in Habitat. She took a photo of Ruth, Carol and Jolie Blonde and of our highway junk. Our article should be in tomorrows paper. After John got back from Rotary, we walked another 7.2 miles, for a total of 16.2 miles, our longest day. I found another American flag, a hose clamp and a penny. I put 16.2 miles on my New Balance 882. Stay tuned …
Today was a day of first. Starting at the Circle K, where we stopped yesterday, John and I walked about an hour and celebrated our first 100 miles. We clanked our water bottles together as a toast. Then after climbing a really steep hill and reaching the top, we were greeted by a reporter from the Hi-Desert Star. Our first interview. She asked a few questions and snapped our photo and then left to interview Carol and Ruth back at the RV park. She was still there when John and I arrived. John showered and cleaned up as he was to attend the local Rotary Club meeting. The reporter was Rebecca Unger, and she was a sweet as can be. She was genuinely interested in our walk and in Habitat. She took a photo of Ruth, Carol and Jolie Blonde and of our highway junk. Our article should be in tomorrows paper. After John got back from Rotary, we walked another 7.2 miles, for a total of 16.2 miles, our longest day. I found another American flag, a hose clamp and a penny. I put 16.2 miles on my New Balance 882. Stay tuned …
March 27th
We walked 14.3 miles today. We found the Rolex sign this morning and started walking east. After 4 miles, we turned north on Highway62. Windmill country! There are literally hundreds of windmills that generate electric power along this highway. We walked another 2 hours and then we had to climb, The Mountain ! It took us another 2 hours to get to the top where Morongo Valley lies. Carol and Jolie Blonde were waiting for us. Today I found a brand new paint brush, 2 golf balls, a steak knife and another socket extension. I put 14.3 miles on my New Balance 858. Stayed tuned.
March 26th
We walked 13.7 miles today. We walked from Beaumont, California through Banning, California and beyond the casino on the Morongo Indian Reservation. Everything was going great. We walked through Beaumont and Banning, there was a nice breeze at our backs and the sun was shining and the road was level. Then we had trouble. The road that we were looking for wasn't there, or at least we couldn't find it. So, there just happened to be a California Highway Maintenance building right there, so we went inside and talk to a very nice man and told him what our problem was. He said that the Morongo Indians don't allow anyone to walk on their land. No exceptions. But he did give up an alternate route. Just cross over Interstate 10, where the sign says no pedestrians allowed. Across we should find a hole in the fence and on the other side of the fence is a service road that no one uses anymore. Well, we did what he said and sure enough, we had a two lane road all to ourselves for about 2 miles. Then as we were re-crossing Interstate 10, we came across 3 homeless men sleeping under the overpass. We told them about Habitat and they said that they knew about it and Jimmy Carter. We pressed on passed the Indian casino, just after John had a strawberry sundae from McDonalds, crossed over Interstate 10 once again and walk down several miles to the Rolex sign. That's where Carol and Ruth finally tracked us down. Tomorrow is moving day. We leave Lake Parris State Park and will stay at Yucca Valley RV Park. I found one socket of undetermined size and .17 cents. I put 13.7 miles on my New Balance 817. Stay tuned.
March 25th
We walked 12.7 miles today from Moreno Valley, California to within a mile of Beaumont, California. The walk started out with sidewalks in the suburbs of Moreno Valley and ended in hell. When we got on Highway 60, west of Beaumont, we couldn't get on the other side of the road because there was a divider . We had to walk with the traffic, which was heavy, and there was hardly any shoulder. Cars and big trucks were whizzing by constantly. We walked on the other side of the guardrails when we could. It was very slow going and very uphill. We finally got a chance to cross over to the other side and made it to the top of the hill. Then, after a few more miles, we got stopped by our first state police officer. He informed us that we couldn't walk on this particular highway because it's considered a freeway/interstate and that we couldn't we walk any farther. We explained to him what we were doing and it wasn't very far to Beaumont, so he said be careful and that he wouldn't harass us anymore. Today I found 2 sockets, a 5/16 and a 7mm, a socket wrench handle, a General Mills plastic car, a miniature Angels baseball cap, and a plastic hardhat. I put 12.7 miles on my New Balance 926s. Stay tuned.
We walked 12.7 miles today from Moreno Valley, California to within a mile of Beaumont, California. The walk started out with sidewalks in the suburbs of Moreno Valley and ended in hell. When we got on Highway 60, west of Beaumont, we couldn't get on the other side of the road because there was a divider . We had to walk with the traffic, which was heavy, and there was hardly any shoulder. Cars and big trucks were whizzing by constantly. We walked on the other side of the guardrails when we could. It was very slow going and very uphill. We finally got a chance to cross over to the other side and made it to the top of the hill. Then, after a few more miles, we got stopped by our first state police officer. He informed us that we couldn't walk on this particular highway because it's considered a freeway/interstate and that we couldn't we walk any farther. We explained to him what we were doing and it wasn't very far to Beaumont, so he said be careful and that he wouldn't harass us anymore. Today I found 2 sockets, a 5/16 and a 7mm, a socket wrench handle, a General Mills plastic car, a miniature Angels baseball cap, and a plastic hardhat. I put 12.7 miles on my New Balance 926s. Stay tuned.
March 24th
We walked 15.7 miles today, feels like twice that. It was a milestone for me. In training, the most I walked was 14 miles. At that point, I developed severe shin splints. Very painful. So I had to scale back on my training and never did 14 miles again. In fact, the most I did after that was 12 miles, but the shin splints were gone. We walked through Parris, California. Nice town, very suburban. Today I found agenuine pearl bracelet, well maybe it was a genuine plastic pearl bracelet; another socket, metric this time; and a penny. Tomorrow we move to Lake Parris State Park. I put 15.7 miles on my New Balance 1123s. Stay tuned.
We walked 15.7 miles today, feels like twice that. It was a milestone for me. In training, the most I walked was 14 miles. At that point, I developed severe shin splints. Very painful. So I had to scale back on my training and never did 14 miles again. In fact, the most I did after that was 12 miles, but the shin splints were gone. We walked through Parris, California. Nice town, very suburban. Today I found agenuine pearl bracelet, well maybe it was a genuine plastic pearl bracelet; another socket, metric this time; and a penny. Tomorrow we move to Lake Parris State Park. I put 15.7 miles on my New Balance 1123s. Stay tuned.
March 22nd
We walked 5.5 miles today, our so-called day off, through Lake Elsinore and to the eastern fringe of town. Our first Saturday to walk. Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, and we spied a church to go to tomorrow. John has an oil leak on his truck, a Ford, and I received a recall letter informing me that a fused jumper harness, whatever that is, needs to be replaced on the motor home, a Ford. So, Monday morning, bright and early, we will deliver our vehicles to the local Ford dealership and get that all fixed. So while the repairmen are fixing our truck/motor home, John and I will be walking our first 15-mile day. Today I found a fishing bobber, a notebook, a 9/16 socket, and a penny. Total cash for the week = .58 cents. I put 5.5 miles on my New Balance 882s. Stay tuned.
We walked 5.5 miles today, our so-called day off, through Lake Elsinore and to the eastern fringe of town. Our first Saturday to walk. Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, and we spied a church to go to tomorrow. John has an oil leak on his truck, a Ford, and I received a recall letter informing me that a fused jumper harness, whatever that is, needs to be replaced on the motor home, a Ford. So, Monday morning, bright and early, we will deliver our vehicles to the local Ford dealership and get that all fixed. So while the repairmen are fixing our truck/motor home, John and I will be walking our first 15-mile day. Today I found a fishing bobber, a notebook, a 9/16 socket, and a penny. Total cash for the week = .58 cents. I put 5.5 miles on my New Balance 882s. Stay tuned.
March 21st
We started at the Ortega Country Candy and Cookie Shoppe and thought we had reached the top. Wrong! We had another 4 miles to go before we did. We had a sweeping panoramic view from there. We could see the city of Lake Elsinore, the lake itself, the entire valley, and off in the distance, snow-covered peaks. Very beautiful. On our way downhill, we stopped to talk to two young ladies. Turns out they were Jehovah's Witnesses out doing their work. John told them what we were doing and gave them one of our brochures. Can you imagine? We gave them one of our brochures. We finally walked into town and passed by the RV park that we will be moving to tomorrow. We walked 11.3 miles and finally made it over the Santa Ana Mountains. I found a golf ball, 1 open-end wrench, 2 socket wrenches, 1 Allen wrench, and .52 in coins. I put 11.3 miles on my New Balance 822s. Stay tuned.
We started at the Ortega Country Candy and Cookie Shoppe and thought we had reached the top. Wrong! We had another 4 miles to go before we did. We had a sweeping panoramic view from there. We could see the city of Lake Elsinore, the lake itself, the entire valley, and off in the distance, snow-covered peaks. Very beautiful. On our way downhill, we stopped to talk to two young ladies. Turns out they were Jehovah's Witnesses out doing their work. John told them what we were doing and gave them one of our brochures. Can you imagine? We gave them one of our brochures. We finally walked into town and passed by the RV park that we will be moving to tomorrow. We walked 11.3 miles and finally made it over the Santa Ana Mountains. I found a golf ball, 1 open-end wrench, 2 socket wrenches, 1 Allen wrench, and .52 in coins. I put 11.3 miles on my New Balance 822s. Stay tuned.
March 20th
We survived the first day and not being too smart, we're back for more. John and I walked 12.7 miles today, mostly uphill. We had to run across a bridge that had no shoulder whatsoever and two blind curves behind us and in front of us. So John listened for the traffic, and when he heard none, I took off. When I got across, then John took off running. We made it fine. At the top of the hill was Ortega Country Candy and Cookie Shoppe. John went in to use the restroom while I looked out for Carol and Ruth who were on their way to pick us up. Tomorrow it's all downhill to Lake Elsinore. Today I found a bungee cord, a lug wrench, a golf ball, and my first coin -- a nickel. Walked 12.7 miles in my New Balance 858s. Stay tuned.
The walk begins …
Wed., March 19th
Background: John Goodman and Dick Mattson are walking across the United States to raise awareness for Habitat for Humanity. The starting point is San Juan Capistrano Beach, California, and the walk will end 8 months later in Brunswick, Georgia. We start on March 19th , John's birthday, and end on November 19th, Dick's birthday. We will walk 15 miles per day more or less Monday through Friday, taking the weekends off to rest and relax. John's wife, Ruth, and Dick's wife, Carol, are the support team. They will drop off the walkers in the morning and pick them up 15 miles down the road. In addition, their duties include soothing tired and aching muscles and spirits and catering to John and Dick's every whim. Yeah right! At 8:15 a.m. this morning, everyone assembled on the beach, where we were joined by Amy Aguillara, a friend of the Goodmans' daughter, Jonna. After posing for photos with our large Habitat banner, we celebrated John's birthday by presenting him with a small gift. After which Wes read a beautiful and moving prayer that he wrote for this special occasion. It set the stage for beginning the much-anticipated walk, but before we set out, Dick and John got their shoes wet in the Pacific Ocean. John a little more wet than he planned. Don't turn your back to the ocean! With that, the 6 walkers started off, Dick, John, Jerry, Cindy, Wes, and Amy. We walked 4 miles to Capistrano Mission and had a mini-break at Starbucks. There we said good-bye to Wes and Amy; they had planned to walk only the first 4 miles. Then it was off again for the 4 remaining walkers. We walked an additional 7 miles and decided that was enough for the first day: 11 miles. Ruth and Carol were waiting for us, and we all returned to "Capo" to celebrate at Jack-In-The-Box. We returned Jerry and Cindy to their motel room, said our good-byes and thanked them for joining us on our first day. Our first day couldn't have been better. The weather was sunny, but not hot, the fellowship, the camaraderie , Wes' prayer, and Jerry's humor. We had so much fun, we're going to do it again tomorrow! P.S. We found 5 perfectly good bungee cords, 2 screwdrivers, 1 drill bit, 1 11/32 socket, and a bicycle wrench. John found a penny. Dick put 11 miles on his New Balance 817s. Great shoes. Stay tuned …
Wed., March 19th
Background: John Goodman and Dick Mattson are walking across the United States to raise awareness for Habitat for Humanity. The starting point is San Juan Capistrano Beach, California, and the walk will end 8 months later in Brunswick, Georgia. We start on March 19th , John's birthday, and end on November 19th, Dick's birthday. We will walk 15 miles per day more or less Monday through Friday, taking the weekends off to rest and relax. John's wife, Ruth, and Dick's wife, Carol, are the support team. They will drop off the walkers in the morning and pick them up 15 miles down the road. In addition, their duties include soothing tired and aching muscles and spirits and catering to John and Dick's every whim. Yeah right! At 8:15 a.m. this morning, everyone assembled on the beach, where we were joined by Amy Aguillara, a friend of the Goodmans' daughter, Jonna. After posing for photos with our large Habitat banner, we celebrated John's birthday by presenting him with a small gift. After which Wes read a beautiful and moving prayer that he wrote for this special occasion. It set the stage for beginning the much-anticipated walk, but before we set out, Dick and John got their shoes wet in the Pacific Ocean. John a little more wet than he planned. Don't turn your back to the ocean! With that, the 6 walkers started off, Dick, John, Jerry, Cindy, Wes, and Amy. We walked 4 miles to Capistrano Mission and had a mini-break at Starbucks. There we said good-bye to Wes and Amy; they had planned to walk only the first 4 miles. Then it was off again for the 4 remaining walkers. We walked an additional 7 miles and decided that was enough for the first day: 11 miles. Ruth and Carol were waiting for us, and we all returned to "Capo" to celebrate at Jack-In-The-Box. We returned Jerry and Cindy to their motel room, said our good-byes and thanked them for joining us on our first day. Our first day couldn't have been better. The weather was sunny, but not hot, the fellowship, the camaraderie , Wes' prayer, and Jerry's humor. We had so much fun, we're going to do it again tomorrow! P.S. We found 5 perfectly good bungee cords, 2 screwdrivers, 1 drill bit, 1 11/32 socket, and a bicycle wrench. John found a penny. Dick put 11 miles on his New Balance 817s. Great shoes. Stay tuned …
Coast-to-Coast Walk minus one day …
Tues., March 18th.
We are camped in the RV park at Camp Pendleton, California. Our walk starts tomorrow. Today we drove from Capistrano Beach, our starting point, up to San Juan Capistrano mission, about 4 miles and then west on Highway 74 another 7 miles. Our target for tomorrow as well as Thursday and Friday is 10 miles more or less. After we reconnoitered our walk, we returned to Camp Pendleton to find the post office in order to pick up our forwarded mail. After asking for directions for the fifth or sixth time, yes a man admitting he asked for directions, and after driving around and through all of Camp Pendleton, we finally found the post office and our mail. Be careful when asking directions out here, we asked one lady where the nearest commissary was, and she said she didn't know. Then we found out it was across the street. That evening we went out to eat at El Adobe, a Mexican restaurant just down Camino Capistrano from the mission. Joining us were Jerry and Cindy Schultz from Olympia, Washington, and Wes and Mary Sullivan from Long Beach, California. Jerry and Cindy wrote the book Sole Mates, which chronicled their walking adventures when they walked from Olympia, Washington, to Atlanta, Georgia, to attend a Habitat for Humanity convention. Their book inspired John to think he could walk across the United States. And I, not being particularly bright, agreed to join John. Wes was a friend of the Goodmans when he and John both were in the military. We had an enjoyable meal and fellowship and agreed to meet at Capistrano Beach in the morning.
Tues., March 18th.
We are camped in the RV park at Camp Pendleton, California. Our walk starts tomorrow. Today we drove from Capistrano Beach, our starting point, up to San Juan Capistrano mission, about 4 miles and then west on Highway 74 another 7 miles. Our target for tomorrow as well as Thursday and Friday is 10 miles more or less. After we reconnoitered our walk, we returned to Camp Pendleton to find the post office in order to pick up our forwarded mail. After asking for directions for the fifth or sixth time, yes a man admitting he asked for directions, and after driving around and through all of Camp Pendleton, we finally found the post office and our mail. Be careful when asking directions out here, we asked one lady where the nearest commissary was, and she said she didn't know. Then we found out it was across the street. That evening we went out to eat at El Adobe, a Mexican restaurant just down Camino Capistrano from the mission. Joining us were Jerry and Cindy Schultz from Olympia, Washington, and Wes and Mary Sullivan from Long Beach, California. Jerry and Cindy wrote the book Sole Mates, which chronicled their walking adventures when they walked from Olympia, Washington, to Atlanta, Georgia, to attend a Habitat for Humanity convention. Their book inspired John to think he could walk across the United States. And I, not being particularly bright, agreed to join John. Wes was a friend of the Goodmans when he and John both were in the military. We had an enjoyable meal and fellowship and agreed to meet at Capistrano Beach in the morning.
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