Journey's End

HE DID IT!

At noon on Saturday a couple dozen of Kent Treptow's friends and family members, including his "five readers" (running inside joke), met him along the shore at Huntington Beach as he finished his solo trek across the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

(Greeting Friends)

(Maybe more)

BREATH-TAKING! (Tracking the journey)

(The Friends)

As one who was among those "five readers" - I've followed his adventure on the blog he created using his cell phone, HERE, from day one - I must say that it takes my breath away as I contemplate some of the events of his 175 day, 3400 mile, 10 pair-of-shoes journey. Suspicions were confirmed when he told us that, although he wrote about many of the "interesting" situations in which he found himself on his journey, he did not include ALL of them for fear of causing his parents distress. The dose of poison Oak he received during his perilous climb through a local canyon in the last couple days may be the very least of it. Perhaps we'll hear about them later. (A Little Poison Oak )

(The proud parents)

PERFECT EXCLAMATION POINT!

The day was perfect for his arrival - bright, sunny and temperatures just warm enough for him to strip down and take a climactic running jump into the ocean as the exclamation point on his trip.

(The Run)

(The Dive)

THE "REWARD"

(The trophy)

He was presented with a trophy by his long-time girl friend, Alicia Robinson (former Daily Pilot ace reporter, now working for the Riverside Press-Enterprise) for the completion of the trip. The inscription says, "Kent Treptow. Walked from Maine To California Except For A Few Miles East of St. Louis. June 12 to Dec. 3, 2011". (The "other" reward)

A "FORREST GUMP"?

(The last few steps)

Some of us wondered if Kent might just pull a "Forrest Gump" on us and, once he stuck his toes in the Pacific, just turn right around and re-trace his steps back to Maine. Not a chance!

WHAT'S NEXT?
He's not talking about what the future holds right now. Although prodded by the crowd about writing a book chronicling this journey, Kent didn't make a commitment. I hope he does write the book - he's already done most of the heavy lifting with his blog. Mention was made of grad school, but I suspect he's going to find a job and re-stock his pantry before too long.

CONGRATS, AND WELCOME HOME
Congratulations to Kent Treptow on the completion of this wonderful adventure. Along the way he made many new friends and gained a perspective on this country few of us will ever have. I'm happy he allowed us to follow along each day as he posted entries on his blog and live just a little bit of his adventures vicariously. What a guy!

Adios, Alicia

I received some sad news earlier this week. Daily Pilot ace reporter and columnist, Alicia Robinson, is moving on. Her last day a the Pilot will be next Friday, October 19th.

Alicia, who has been a stalwart on the Daily Pilot for the past few years, has handled general reporting assignments and has covered the politics of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa like a blanket. I've always found her articles to be accurate and balanced, providing the news as it should be presented. She managed to give us in-depth coverage of issues without injecting her own views or emotional attachment to the story. She has been a real pro.

Her "Political Landscape" column each week is widely quoted, particularly on local blogs.

In addition to her print work, I, personally, enjoyed the recent video debate between combatants on both sides of the Newport Beach City Hall issue. I'm sure that was a lot of fun and it gave her a chance to spread her wings a little more.

According to Alicia, she's moving to the Riverside Press-Enterprise, and will apparently be focusing on news of Corona and environs. You know Corona, right? It's the gateway to the Inland Empire. It's the place you never visit because it's on the way to somewhere else. About the only time most of us even think of Corona is when we're stuck in that traffic on the 91 Freeway. Usually it's mentioned in that cell call which goes something like this: "Sorry, Mom, the traffic is terrible and I'm stuck in Corona."

Nonetheless, this is a terrific opportunity for a very bright and talented reporter. In the Press-Enterprise she'll be read by nearly four times the number of readers as the Daily Pilot. Granted, she may have to learn "909 Speak", but she can handle it.

Alicia is the most recent excellent Daily Pilot reporter to move on to bigger things. You'll notice I didn't say "better", just bigger. I know we'll see her byline on big stories in the future. I wish her all the best as she takes her talent to the next level.

Good Luck, Alicia. You have many fans and we'll miss you. Keep up the good work.