Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

A man on a mission

Most have sung the words from sea to shining sea, but Phil Goddard is actually connecting the dots, walking from New York to Los Angeles and passing through southwest Arkansas on the way.

There is a reason Goddard, a 47-year-old native of London, England, is walking across the United States. He is commemorating the life of his late wife, Jayne, who died last year after a battle with cancer. His walk dubbed Coast to Coast is raising money for the Association for National Cancer Research in Jaynes memory.

Goddard said his wife was a very special person. She was a speech therapist and psychotherapist and was one of their native countrys leading experts on the human voice, he said.

When Jaynes life was tragically cut short, Goddard said he knew he had to do something like she would have done.

She was a very kind and outgoing person, he said. I thought that she would have turned it into something positive.

Goddard, who is a French, German, Italian, Dutch and Spanish translator by trade, admits that there have been some personal advantages for himself as a result of the walk. He often uses his time walking along the side of the highway reflecting upon life and deciding what to do next, and sometimes, he said, he walks for miles thinking of absolutely nothing at all.

His journey follows the interstate highway system, although he actually walks on highways that run adjacent to the interstate. While walking through south Arkansas, he followed U.S. 67. Following the interstate ensures that there is a motel about every 15 miles, he said. That is about the length of a days journey.

A few short breaks along the way have allowed Goddard time to experience American culture. He recently spent several days exploring Little Rock while staying in the home of a friends friend. He also took a detour by bus to New Orleans and assisted with reconstruction efforts in that city.

Goddard never rides in a vehicle unless it is bringing him back to the exact spot he stopped walking.

Im walking every step of the way, he said.

Most nights are spent in motels, although he said he is always open to stay in the home of a friendly person he meets along the way. Even though he is financing most of his trip from his own pocket, the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the British pound make the cost seem extremely inexpensive for him.

But when there is no motel and no homes with open doors, Goddard has a back-up plan - a tent he carries in his backpack. The tent has only been used a few times so far, he said, but he expects to have to use it much more as he ventures into the open West.

Goddards goal for his Association for International Cancer Research fund raising is approximately $24,000, he said. However, because of the generosity he is finding, the goal keeps being pushed up.

Im hoping it will be a very large sum by the time I get to the other side of the country.

Goddard keeps a regular blog on his Web site: www.justgiving.com/uswalk. In one blog entry he talks about his stay at Gurdons Southfork Inn. He calls it one of his favorite.

Donations to his charity can also be made from the Web site.