Chinese Student Arrives in Chicago After Walking Most Of Route 66
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 22-year-old student from China just arrived in Chicago after walking most of the 2,000 miles of the old Route 66, all the way from Santa Monica.
A small contingent of his blog readers met Boyi Ouyang near Jackson and Michigan Avenue as he wheeled his bag to a stop near the sign that marks the end of Route 66.
He says he felt the need to walk those 73 days across America.
"I lost myself. I don't know what I should do."
So he started hiking. And meeting people.
Once his tent was flattened by a sandstorm. But then he met a man who offered help.
"His name is Harold. This guy is a very, very good guy. He stopped the car and asked me, 'Do you need help?'
"I said, 'Yes, yes. Please.'"
And so Harold bought him a hotel room and then gave him $200, which Boyi says he didn't want to accept.
"He put it in my hand and said, 'Pay it forward.'
Pay it forward is what Boyi says he heard from Americans all along the old Route 66.
He says he'll go back to China and then return to the U.S. and grad school in New York.