Walking challenge: From LA to Portland, Maine – Mission Accomplished

Hello Portland, Maine! Figuratively speaking.

My youngest daughter, Mallory, challenged me in late 2013 to “walk” across the United States, from the Los Angeles City Hall building to the Portland city hall building. That was 3,082 miles. So, between walking, working out, and other forms of movement (such as mowing the lawn, raking leaves, etc.), I converted the calories burned into steps via www.caloriecontrol.org.

And, the morning of Dec. 31st, I met my goal – my 6,515,348th step of the year. 3,082 miles. 14 states. I finished the year with 3,085 miles.

It was quite the challenge. It was fun and worklike at times. I enjoy a good challenge, but basically having to ensure I walked an average of almost 8.5 miles a day grew a little monotonous at times. There were some fantastic months, such as November, when I logged more than 408 miles. There were two “off” months, when I became a bit lazy and didn’t exert myself quite as much – April and August, when I combined for a total of 297 miles. But, in the end, I had more successful months than “off” months.

During the challenge, I “walked” through several states I’ve visited.

Some of the highlights of the walking challenge are:

Starting in Los Angeles, we visited the LA City Hall in September 2012. We met our friends Mark and Ron from Anchorage, Alaska, in LA for the Nebraska-UCLA football game. Ron’s brother and sister-in-law were also there. We consider Fred and Annette friends, as well. They came in to town from Colorado.

Next major stop for me on the walk was Las Vegas. I’ve been to Vegas a few times. Trips have been fun and challenging. I don’t care for large crowds, and The Strip in Vegas is basically elbow-to-elbow people. Still, good times.

Denver is the capital of Colorado. On this walk, I had to divert to check out the Coors brewery in Golden.

Crossing the state line from Colorado into my home state of Nebraska meant I was almost at the midway point of the challenge.

I discovered what a great city North Platte is during our trip there in June 2014. We’ve passed through the area on westward vacations, but, through the encouragement of the Lincoln County Visitors Bureau, we made it our destination stop. Man, am I glad we did! You can spend a week or so there to check out its attractions and to use it as the base for day trips to Ogallala, Carhenge and Lake McConaughy, among other destinations.

As I made my way east across Nebraska, I had to check out the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha. I love this place. The zoo was voted the top zoo in the world by Traveler’s Choice and tops in the United States by Trip Advisor.

Making a stop in Iowa, I checked out the Covered Bridges of Madison County. The county has an annual festival in late September. We visited in 2013, and had a great time.

As I neared the Illinois state line, I made a final rest stop in Iowa at the world’s largest truck stop.

Once in Illinois, I worked to cross the northern half with some zest, so I could make up some lost time. However, I just had to spend some time in Chicago. I checked out the “Bean,” a magnificent art piece in Millennium Park.

Cleveland was a great stop over on the trip. While in town, I decided to visit the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.

Also, being about 30 minutes away from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I jetted on over to Canton. This is the city where pro football was invented.

As I made my way through Pennsylvania, I got off the beaten path and checked out Pittsburgh – the “City of Bridges.” What a beautiful view.

In New York, I actually made my way north of the border to Niagara Falls, Ontario. The Falls are a wonderful place to visit.

The trip also took me through Massachusetts and New Hampshire on the final leg to Portland.

Portland is the planned site where we will celebrate Mallory’s 30th birthday in August. Maine will be the actual 50th state she visits in her quest to knock off all 50 states before her birthday. She has less than a handful to visit.

So, I accomplished the challenge of “walking” across the country. I feel great achieving it. Looking back, on January 1st, it seemed like too much of a challenge.

Now, before I take on any new challenges, I am going to enjoy sleeping in for a day and relaxing in front of the TV, watching football and hockey.

Happy New Year!