Dee Caughlin knows walking shoes. In a year, she has gone through 10 pair. She swears by New Balance 606 cross trainers.
Saturday, she’ll lace up her shoes for a ceremonial finish to a trek that’s taken her 5,003 miles. She’ll stroll into Stanwood from Norman Road, south of town.
Caughlin, 45, will walk into the American Legion Post 92 in Stanwood, where her journey began. Friends will welcome her home with a potluck.
"I had a golden opportunity to do what I always wanted to do, walk across the country, and do it for a cause," Caughlin said Thursday by phone from Key Largo, Fla.
Before hitting the road on Jan. 1, 2003, Caughlin had help from the Stanwood post in sponsoring her Stride of Pride.
She works as bar manager at the Stanwood American Legion, and plans to be back on the job by Sunday. Before she left, folks there helped her decide on a destination, Key West. "It was either there or Bangor, Maine," Caughlin said.
Her aim was to raise funds and awareness for the American Legion Child Welfare Foundation and the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. A member of the American Legion Auxiliary, Caughlin walked in memory of her late father, John Frink, who served in the Pacific during World War II. He died in 1974.
A lofty goal is one thing, logistics are another. Caughlin was accompanied by Susan and Pat Patterson of Onalaska in southwest Washington. The couple drove a truck with a 23-foot trailer. "Sue did walk a lot, she’d put in five miles a day. Her husband was our safety driver," Caughlin said.
The Stanwood woman didn’t walk day and night, and her pace "wasn’t any power walk," she said. "I was walking 10 to 20 miles a day, from about 7 to 11 in the morning."
They steered clear of interstate highways and often parked two or three days at American Legion posts. At their legion stops, Caughlin would ask that donations be made directly to the war memorial effort and the foundation, created in 1954 to serve the needs of children across the country.
The National World War II Memorial will be dedicated on May 29.
"After 9-11, everybody was flying the flag," Caughlin said. "They were supporting the troops, but that has dwindled down. I wanted to do this for our vets. People serving our country are fighting for our freedom."
Caughlin doesn’t yet have a total on the donations sent in by the legion post. A look at her Web site, www.strideofpride.org, shows contributions ranging from $35 to more than $3,000.
American backroads took her through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.
"You don’t see anything on the interstate. This was just gorgeous. I’ve seen so much beautiful country," she said. "We were in places where (Abraham) Lincoln had been."
Highlights included welcoming an Air Force squadron home in Kentucky and attending a Vietnam veterans reunion in Kokomo, Ind.
Caughlin lost about 30 pounds along the way, but said she had gained before she left after quitting smoking. "The other big problem, we had a lot of down time in the afternoon heat. We’d stay inside the rig, and then you’d munch."
She suffered nary a blister and said she’d do it again — "in a heartbeat."
"God watched over us, it was wonderful," said Caughlin, who is single and didn’t have to worry about leaving family behind. "I still believe in America and showing support to our veterans, always."
By Saturday, she’ll be ready for a walk. First, she’ll hop a plane.
"I want to get home," Caughlin said.
Columnist Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460 or muhlsteinjulie@heraldnet.com.
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