It took 59 days and nearly 8,000 miles, but Jim Zook has returned to Boulder Creek unscathed from his trek across the United States.
Zook’s goal was to examine the state of the country while taking photos and recording people’s stories during the completion of the first 100 days of the Obama administration.
What he found were the stories of about 40 people who continue to live their lives through hardship, joy and tragedy.
“It was as much a personal journey to me as it was rediscovering American,” Zook said.
Zook began the trek April 29, and after traveling through Las Vegas to Texas and to the East Coast, he headed through Chicago and onward to the West Coast in his trusty 2001 Hyundai.
“I gotta admit, people are just good-hearted,” he said. “I never came close to anger, or danger. But I’m still not sure about the economy.”
A woman and her aunt may have made the biggest impact on Zook during his travels.
The woman, he learned, had just become a police officer at 37 years old after her aunt’s daughter was killed.
“There was a lot of loss in the family,” Zook said. “The niece would not allow the aunt to fall into depression. I was amazed at their strength of will. They were out there laughing and enjoying life, but it must be tough.”
Zook met a horse-drawn carriage driver in Philadelphia who talked with him about the economy.
“His business was kind of strong, even with the economy,” Zook said. “‘Stay-cations’ have become popular.”
Then there was an Amish man selling produce in Maryland who said flower sales are down, but people are buying more fresh fruit.
Zook also spent time on Wall Street talking with young investors and learned from a doctor how the health care system is breaking down nationwide.
On his way home, he talked with the man who owns a gas station in the smallest city in the nation — with a population of one — Buford, Wyo.
After making a short stop in Portland, Ore., and heading down to San Francisco, Zook wrote on his blog on June 26, “Shot home to Boulder Creek like a law-abiding bullet.”
Now, Zook is looking for an agent and publisher for his book, “USA or Bust,” and continues to edit and transcribe the stories of the people he met.
To read about his adventure: www.jimzook.com/usaorbust.html.
