Sixty-five-year-old Bill Catlett plans to bicycle 1,900 miles on Route 66 from Victorville, Calif., to St. Louis in his native Missouri, according to the San Bernardino County Sun.
Catlett, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., wants to raise $25,000 for the Inland Empire United Way and Inland Valley Hope Partners to help combat child hunger.
As a young boy, Catlett traveled on the famed highway with his family and collected fond memories.
“It was so much different then in the ’50s,” Catlett said. “It was like a Norman Rockwell kind of thing. You’re always meeting people, talking to people of different towns.” […]
“When you travel on the interstate, you bypass all the towns,” Catlett said. “Route 66 is specifically designed to go from town to town. You go back in time. People become a little more human. You see a different America.”
Catlett estimates he’ll average 31 miles a day over the two-month period. He’ll start April 29 or 30.
Catlett said on his website:
My goal is to use this ride to raise critical funds for local programs addressing the issue of childhood hunger – something that I understand all too well. […] I hope you will help me make sure that other kids don’t have to experience the feeling of hunger in a way that I did back in Missouri as a child. If you are so willing, please take a look at my website and consider making a donation toward the cause. It will mean a lot to me … and even more to local hungry kids. Whether you can contribute $10 or $10,000, every dollar counts!
His website, Bicycling 4 Hunger on 66, is here if you wish to make a donation.