Joe Hurley will be hosting a book talk and signing on Thursday, July 31st. Joe Hurley is a retired newspaper reporter who spent most of his career at The News-Times in Danbury Conn., where, among other things, he wrote the consumer-humor column “Shallow Pockets”.
He lives in New Milford, with his wife Pat. Same house, same wife, same out-of-control forsythia bushes for more than 30 years.
In 1999, Joe came to the startling realization that he knew almost nothing about the other side of the state, even though Connecticut is small enough to fit in the back pocket of Colorado or Nebraska. That year, Joe walked across Connecticut on Route 6 to give News-Times readers, and themselves, a better picture of their home state.
Later, Joe noticed that Route 6 stretched all the way to California – it was one of the nation’s few coast-to-coast highways and remains the longest continuous highway in the country. After retiring, Joe walked that 3,600-mile road while photographer Travis Lindhorst traveled along in the comfort of a car.
Their stories and pictures ran weekly in a dozen newspapers across the country. Now they’ve published a book about the adventure: “Ten Million Steps on Route 6: A Fresh Look at America and Americans From Cape Cod to California.”
Joe gives an inside look at the walk and the book in a program called “Behind the Scenes of Ten Million Steps.” It’s virtual trip across Route 6, with Joe leading the way.
When he’s not doing the program Joe is pretty much a homebody, writing occasional magazine stories, attempting to play basketball with other old guys, and promising Pat he’ll get after those forsythia bushes tomorrow.
Parking is available at the Providence Hilton Parking Garage: $3/3 hours.
Bring ticket for stamping at the Library.
Featured image from the Providence Library.
