Printed in the September 29 edition.

story by michael prochaska  |  photos by michael prochaska and courtesy of anthonywalksamerica.com

On a journey from Charleston to San Diego, Anthony Lambing finds southern charm and true hospitality

If Anthony Lambing’s journey across the United States doesn’t strike a comparison to Forrest Gump, then surely his philosophy on life does. He’s learned – through walking rural America – that he never knows what he’s going to get. Sometimes it’s a pair of shoes, a radio, a bottle of Gatorade or a friendly smile. It’s usually not a box of chocolates, but life is like that.

On a journey from Charleston to San Diego, Anthony Lambing, 26, stopped by Madison last week for only a few hours, most of which he spent entertaining morning customers at Perk Avenue. As he took a bite of his first slice of strawberry cake, the patrons of the coffeehouse took note of his week-grown beard, blonde and matching the hair on his arm that flared up and curled with sweat and grime; his American flag bandana tied across his forehead in a way that flaunts the stars but conceals the stripes; a 40-plus-pound backpack draped with canteens, camping equipment, and a white poster board that reads AnthonyWalksAmerica.com in black and red letters; and his animated, bluish eyes, spanning the room for a new friend to talk to. It turns out people are just as eager to talk to him.

Lambing, who is traveling across America on foot, has seen many small towns in the few weeks he began his journey, but though he said they never blend together, sometimes they do hearken to places once traveled.

 story by michael prochaska
 photos by angelina bellebuono

story by kathryn schiliro
photos by angelina bellebuono

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