Carlin walks because he can't drive 55

Lots of folks came through Sisters last weekend, but only one of them was on foot, heading all the way across the state.

Ted Carlin, a Crooked River Ranch resident, hoofed it into town on Saturday on his trek from Newport to Ontario.

"The original purpose was to reconnect with the state," he told The Nugget on Sunday morning as he prepared to set out on the next 15-mile leg of his journey. "I'm an Oregonian by birth, but I've been overseas for 25 years teaching military kids on overseas bases."

The 61-year-old retired physical education teacher figured he should have some sort of cause to give his trek focus, so he settled on an issue that he finds vexing: Oregon's 55 mph speed limit on limited-access roads.

He recounted how he was given a speeding ticket on an open road, which prompted him to start setting his cruise control at 55 mph on rural roads. He found that traffic was stacking up behind him, with drivers impatient to pass.

"Speed is not the problem," he says. "I lived for 25 years in Germany and drove the Autobahns, which have no speed limit. They were safer than our highways, because drivers were consistent and would only get into the left lane to pass."

Carlin is urging those who want to say no to 55 mph to get in touch with their legislative representatives to seek a change to 65 mph.

Carlin did not intend to spend his teaching career in Europe. He did a one-year Fulbright teacher exchange in Britain, and that whetted his appetite. He applied for a position teaching military dependents and the job was so appealing and the travel opportunities so great that he just kept going.

"There were interesting times," he said. "During the Gulf War they had soldiers with machine guns on the roof of the school. And, of course, 9/11 changed everything."

Now, he's happy to be back in Oregon, seeing the state through new eyes as he travels on foot. His wife Phyllis drives a support vehicle and friends occasionally tag along for a few

miles.

"I am enjoying it," he said of his trek. "The people have been really nice. They stop and give me water and bananas and say 'I agree with your cause; good luck.'"

To follow Carlin's journey, visit his blog at blogging

andslogging.blogspot.com.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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