by Adam Breen, reporting for BenitoLink -- Seven months after he started pushing a modified stroller from the shores of Delaware with a goal of walking thousands of miles across the country on the American Discovery Trail, retired San Benito High School Earth Science teacher Jim Ostdick this week crossed into California, his journey's end in site.
His multi-month goal has been to raise awareness and money in an effort to connect San Benito County to the nation's historic trail system. He rode Amtrak from California to Washington, D.C. and began his 4,000 mile walk to promote Recreation, Exercise and Community Health San Benito Foundation's REACH Across America project.
On Wednesday, Sept. 14, Ostdick reported to BenitoLink that "I'm in California!"
"I crossed the state line in South Lake Tahoe today after getting chased off the Tahoe Rim Trail by an early season cold front," he said. "I was lucky to miss the snow for the most part, but 24 degrees Fahrenheit is too nippy for this old beach bum. After a rest here, I will continue to follow the Pony Express National Historical Trail to Sacramento. It feels great to be here in the Golden State and I am looking forward to getting home in a few weeks or so."
