A Connecticut man is walking from his home state to California this summer just to appreciate the beauty of the countryside. He's taking Route 6 and arrived in Oakland Friday.
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Joe Hurley said he's trying to see the things you can't see from a car whooshing down the interstate.
"The reporter's blood in me - 30 years with the paper - (made me) curious to see different things," Hurley said.
After spending most of his life writing for a local newspaper and meeting people in his community, Joe said he wanted to venture further. He walked Route 6 across the state of Connecticut, but he decided that wasn't far enough.
"When I saw Route 6 went all the way across the country, I said, why not see what people of the whole country are like?" Hurley said.
With more than 3,000 miles ahead of him, Hurley set off on March 26. He started in Cape Cod and headed west.
"Certainly liked Pennsylvania -- beautiful out there," Hurley said.
He's traveled through every kind of weather on every kind of pavement and said he's well prepared for anything. He has a straw hat for sun and sunscreen for every day.
"I learned early, sunscreen even when you don't think you need it. And water is important," Hurley said.
Hurley walks 20 miles per day, five days a week and has a friend following in a car. On their days off, the pair writes stories of their journey for about a dozen newspapers all over the country.
