"American Ramble": A writer's walk from D.C. to New York City

[@alexonkow]

I rode my motorcycle around the country a few years back. I camped in National Parks and Forests for almost two months as I made my way from Philly to Chicago, through all the amazing landforms out to Portland, then down to San Francisco and the Grand Canyon and then meandered back to the Northeast. It was an amazing experience and I think about it all the time. Similar to this man my main take away was generally positive. Everyone I met was friendly and wanted to help me in any way possible. It really made me feel that most people are good

[@gardensofthegods]

Wow that was one heck of a road trip ! Maybe you could write a book about it or make a series of vids or one long vid and if you don't have many pictures of your own I guess you can get them from stock photos here on the tube ? Please tell your story ... I think it will inspire a lot of people . I'm from the Philly area but moved away to Dallas over 15 years ago .

[@cannonw59]

Thank you, Neil, for sharing this journey Peace&Love be with you!

[@marywatkins6798]

Lovely story. All the best to King. There is more that unites us than separates us as citizens of the U.S.

[@EnronnSierra]

Introspective humans like these are becoming rare. Beautiful glimpse into how much America's melting pot of diversity is what keeps it going. We need to appreciate and embrace it more, no particular race or group has superiority over the other.

[@daimonmarioperez9501]

I truly wish that dream would come true somehow someday .

[@RealMTBAddict]

Yes we are

[@gardensofthegods]

I don't think introspective people like that are becoming rare I think more and more of them are getting out there and exploring the world and talkin about it .

[@AmyMalkoff]

@@gardensofthegods Agreed, it's easy to fall into the deep cynicism of thoughts like "introspective people like this are becoming rare", but I think it's important not to...

[@Scott-ph2yk]

Great story and a reminder that while not perfect, our American Republic endures. The journey is a reminder to take time to take care of ourselves and to never stop learning about the world around us. 😊

[@lisahinkofer2085]

This man went out and saw America and it’s history all on foot. His story is amazing and I to am a walker and I always wanted to ramble and roam the world but being a woman it’s not safe. I long to do exactly what he did. I ordered the book and can’t wait to read it.

[@jjj1951]

Years ago I met an Australian women while I was traveling in Europe. She had traveled by herself through Asia and the Middle East to Europe mostly on foot

[@drpoundsign]

Stay away from the "Walkers!" -"The Living Dead" LOL

[@CathyS_Bx]

I hear you. Alas, it is still the case that women do not enjoy some freedoms that men do. I have male friends who mourn areas in Manhattan that now seem sanitized to them, when once they were louche (The Lower East Side, the Meatpacking District). As a woman, I welcome the changes because these areas are safer now . . . for me and for you.

[@lisahinkofer2085]

@@jjj1951 yes I know that and read many books on that subject and years ago it was a different world. Today when I do my walks in my area I sometimes get followed and I don’t always feel safe. I had one guy kept calling me over to his truck to get directions which I knew was not the case. He followed me for half a mile until I got to a more populated area. It’s not safe for a gal alone walking alone long distance

[@___beyondhorizon4664]

My llong walks were a little different. I walked a lot in Europe, Rome, Venice & Paris and avoided tour groups. It's safe at night because they're police everywhere especially in central Rome. Once, in a late evening,I walked from the Vatican to Rome Central station where my hostel was. It's about 4 or 5 metro station away. There were police cars in every block around the tourist attractions. I saw many unique places where tour groups cannot see. During Easter 2023, my phone apps indicated that I walked around 22,000+ steps. From a church west of the National zoo, took the metro to DC Mall, walked to Jefferson memorial, saw the perfect sunset as the backdrop of the Washington monument. My last stop was supposed to be the Lincoln memorial at 10pm with my GPS but it was dark and I was exhausted, so I took an Uber back 😅 There's a famous treck in the Turkish Rivera and in Jordan. The Jordan trail starts from the north side to the south, at Aqaba Jordan on the Red Sea, it's approx 35 days. The Turkish Rivera trecks has an option for checking into local guesthouse or inn. Both trecks are along ancient ruins. If I am younger+ healthier,I might consider it, I have knees pain now ( most likely from over active 😅) but I m glad I took those long walks in Europe.

[@Daniel-sh3os]

The part about N.J. was especially inspiring. The stop at the Middlesex County landfill had me choking back tears. All the beautiful spots in N.J. and CBS shows the Turnpike("the Heart of Darkness") and the Middlesex County landfill before the elation and rapture of NYC and Central Park. I swear, N.J. always gets dumped on, pun intended.

[@marytheresejacksonlutz2533]

How neat this story featured York, PA. We live 30 minutes from York. I learned so much from this author, reporter, etc.

[@peacenow4456]

CBS: This journey of Neil's and anyone else needs to be an ongoing segment or new reality show... bcz we need to get to know each other again... now.

[@hopehealthhappiness465]

Nice story. What an amazing trip he took.❤

[@garywoodward8460]

I haven't read King's book, but the video is really a hack job that strings together a lot of clichés. Yes, we know the Mall is impressive. And, indeed, Mennonites still manage to live in York, which is nearly overrun with new people moving in. What struck me was the back of the hand reference to New Jersey, relying on a visit to a dump as the only reference to the state. Somehow the video crew managed to cross the Delaware Valley without noticing it. Ditto for the rural landscape of Western New Jersey and its farms, and ditto again for missing perhaps the prettiest college town in the country (Princeton). The video's only offer of salvation was a far away look from the Bayonne Bridge near Port Newark. Oz apparently exists only on the east side of the Hudson. This is lazy filmmaking from producers who could afford to be a bit less New York-centric.

[@robscoggins]

Respectfully, what else could you expect from CBS? It's always about the agenda.

[@gardensofthegods]

Yes I agree they certainly could have shown something better about Jersey other than that depressing landfill , my God ... when no doubt he must have seen some more interesting , if not beautiful places in The Garden State . I agree it was kind of weird they spent so much time New York at the end when all they showed was what we've seen hundreds of thousands , if not millions of times before .

[@aguerra1381]

I felt the nearness of a higher power as a Mennonite family stood near me at the grocery store one evening. I could FEEL the goodness, peace and protection of God all around them. It was a true blessing. I'll never forget it. Blessed are those who are His!

[@lindagarland5223]

Beautiful and meaningful story. Thank you 😊

[@moejuggler6033]

Thanks CBS Sunday Morning

[@slimbeauharpo4687]

a wonderful story and I’m glad he’s survived cancer. One other thing, I wish they would have mentioned is that he went through our nations capital to the ORIGINAL CAPITAL

[@peterallen4663]

There are many great stories outside of NYC, Washington and LA

[@CathyS_Bx]

Then write them!

[@ericsierra-franco7802]

No there's not!

[@mialorenzen3538]

Wonderful journey, I think we should all take a long walk at some point in our lives, especially as we enter our third chapter! God bless and thank you for sharing! ❤🎉❤🎉😊😊😊

[@russellmacarthur2089]

There's much beauty & history in NJ that wasn't mentioned.

[@gardensofthegods]

You're not the only person in the threads complaining about that and it's a shame all they showed was that horrific landfill and then they wasted so much time with New York and Central Park showing us what we've all seen many times before

[@dennisprice8798]

Certainly a long walk, but there are those of us that have done similar feats with no interest in being recognized. We simply do it for fun, exercise and a good story. As a teacher with summers off I rode my bicycle on eighteen 1,000 mile plus trips around the western states including a 3,7000 mile coast to coast trip in 37 days. Along the way I'd meet other long distance bikers and we'd swap stories and then pedal on. It's not hard to do these adventures if you have two things, sufficient time and money. Try it!

[@jahimjauh-hey5653]

How much money do you need?

[@___beyondhorizon4664]

My llong walks were a little different. I walked a lot in Europe, Rome, Venice & Paris and avoided tour groups. It's safe at night because they're police everywhere especially in central Rome. Once, in a late evening,I walked from the Vatican to Rome Central station where my hostel was. It's about 4 or 5 metro station away. There were police cars in every block around the tourist attractions. I saw many unique places where tour groups cannot see. During Easter 2023, my phone apps indicated that I walked around 22,000+ steps. From a church west of the National zoo, took the metro to DC Mall, walked to Jefferson memorial, saw the perfect sunset as the backdrop of the Washington monument. My last stop was supposed to be the Lincoln memorial at 10pm with my GPS but it was dark and I was exhausted, so I took an Uber back 😅 There's a famous treck in the Turkish Rivera and in Jordan. The Jordan trail starts from the north side to the south, at Aqaba Jordan on the Red Sea, it's approx 35 days. The Turkish Rivera trecks has an option for checking into local guesthouse or inn. Both trecks are along ancient ruins. If I am younger+ healthier,I might consider it, I have knees pain now ( most likely from over active 😅) but I m glad I took those long walks in Europe.

[@rr7firefly]

What were Neil King's overnight accommodations like? Did he pack a tent or did he sleep with a real roof over his head?

[@gardensofthegods]

Yes it would have been nice if they had made this piece considerably longer ... maybe they could have answered some of those questions . Also some of us in the threads feel that they didn't need to spend so much time with New York and Central Park showing what we've seen many many times before . It would have been nice if they had not shown that horrible landfill and instead had shown us something beautiful he must have seen when he was in Jersey . Anyway my guess is he probably always stayed at motels , lodges ... maybe even some nice hotels and possibly with some of the nice people he met ?

[@chrismann6210]

He stayed at inns, rooms rented by homeowners (often he arrived late and didn’t meet them), bed & breakfasts

[@rr7firefly]

@@gardensofthegods Good to know all this. Thanks.

[@rr7firefly]

@@chrismann6210 Answers are always appreciated. Merci beaucoup.

[@gardensofthegods]

" ... the HEART OF DARKNESS , I-95 and the Jersey Turnpike " . Haha , Ya gotta love this guy !

[@2012photograph]

One most interesting piece that CBS Sunday Morning!!

[@melaniamonicacraciun9900]

Minute 8:28, the mozaic technique, if you can imagine it, made to other pieces of 70cm x 100 cm, well, one American feet is something like 33 European cm, such compositions might decorate all empty walls of the world, anyone would love a giant selfie, we could recycle all wasted materials as best artcrafts achievements, any inmate in jail could earn his pension savings if ... that lucky to walk free ever. I would love inmates to have so many orders untill the whole Police department is independent, untill this becomes a incomes resource instead. Writers are the best ones to change our lives, when we become perfect victims of the other wrong political decisions such as managing toxic junk and dump grounds, do not ask Holy Father to get upset and punish us of being such lazy kind of sons. We all know by now, rain is melting the garbage which is flowing down under the ground and turn back to poison us all. If there are so many cancer cases, here's the answer. We can not live like back in the '60s anymore

[@Kevin-wj4ed]

I hope someday we will all be treated the same like the constitution guarantees us!!!!!!

[@carolinewolf565]

Beautiful story! RIP🙏

[@Bayotter]

I was really enjoying this, all the beautiful places and stories, until you stereotypically trashed New Jersey as nothing but a garbage dump. Funny to some, I know. But it saddened me that you ignored all of the history and beauty of the Garden State. Better to have not shown anything at all. I live in California now, but I grew up in NJ. and I can assure you that you insulted a great many people by doing that.

[@rr7firefly]

His path in New York City was left out as well. As we all know, Central Park would have been a short hike from whatever bridge or tunnel he used. I suppose the book covers the actual route on city streets.

[@Bayotter]

@@rr7firefly Agreed. To be clear, I was criticizing the video coverage, not the book. I do have the book on my list now.

[@maryj5245]

@Bayotter I ,too was enjoying the story until once again New Jersey was made out to be a trash dump. First of all we’re not the only state with a dump. Second, if he took a different route he would have seen a much more beautiful landscape than most Americans know about.

[@gardensofthegods]

Indeed CBS did insult people by showing just that depressing garbage dump . If you scroll through the comments you will find a number of us complaining about that and then they had the nerve to spend so much time showing something we've seen a million times about New York . They should have spent more time showing more of the beautiful places he encountered and that includes New Jersey

[@bucnner]

What an amazing story! Thank you CBS!

[@musicfanhawk4523]

Neat episode. May he rest in peace

[@dansunder7minutebeerreview271]

"Not all those who wander are lost." J.R.R. Tolkien

[@cynthiabustamante2884]

This makes me think of the beautiful book series. The Walk by Richard Paul Evans. I need to read this book as well.

[@josephprice4095]

If I had the money to be able to see to my needs, I would LOVE to have a walk-about.

[@inwoodliver]

Yay an optimistic ending! Bless his health

[@nogaroblu9321]

RIP

[@donniemoder1466]

Don't know what to say. Clearly a trip worth taking for both reporters.

[@maratford9873]

Did he have to walk back home?

[@melaniamonicacraciun9900]

Writers change our lives, helping us to discover facts, different realities, pieces of memories that now deserve to become touristic atractions, any project is welcomed... including the highways packaging, what if they become tunnels of air purification plants? We can not stay out of the world anymore, because burning petrol is the biggest human achievement. Zaha Hadid started to switch our vision about constructions if buildings become airplane structures, highways can become tunnels and eat the smog in order to be inverted on to oxygen, if we can create jobs and new welfare why not? Only walking, watching, exploring, revealing real facts we can understand what we can do about it. I do not agree on the new American rivalry on China, what about becoming partners in business instead? This is my ...way to see things, let's find things that unite us instead of starting new war disputes, can we? The best peace activism is having mutual interests to work on and let them Chinese investments in USA help up, these are such beautiful dreams l care about...yeah, try to guess how much l care guys

[@drpoundsign]

Friendly's is a misnomer. I've been to the one in Passaic Park, NJ and also the Conway/Myrtle Beach, SC area. The Employees generally Weren't.

[@joannejohnson7006]

A fine and beautiful person who must have been a treasure to have known him. My condolences to the family and friends and may his soul rest peacefully 🪴

[@teachercharlesamericanengl2098]

Did he bring only a backpack? Where did he sleep? Was he sponsored?

[@weston.weston]

I enjoy CBS Sunday Morning very much.

[@TheresaPowers]

it is full of liberal propaganda. They hate america

[@cherylcarlson3315]

Hope my library has it. Wishing him restored health.

[@melaniamonicacraciun9900]

Once...two centuries ago, farmers never made the mistake to ignore the weather crucial importance, having artificial lakes for animals, having ditches, reservoirs saving the rain water once an year when it's coming like a devastating flood, if we trully believe, we have a spiritual relationship with our planet, if we start environmental projects, if we do what our planet wants us to do, if we show that we care, do you want to see, she is capable to calm down and have mercy? If the grass on the ground is not enough to neutralize pollution, it means, we need to build up vertical gardens and oxygen factories, I switched diet due to the breast cancer symptoms l had to deal with...Amish communities have the same diet of the last two centuries, instead of veggies salad, they need to eat fresh bread every single day, is this correct? What if we try to live like turtles hundred years more? No, that's not Amish, that's very Amish to die of heart seisures once they turn 50 years old, yeah, very smart. Sorry guys, we do not share the same vision about humankind... God had other plans for us...even about what FAITH should have to mean

[@49lucky]

How glorious 😊

[@sie4431]

So a walk in the woods but nicer?

[@shirleyashanti3031]

Rest easy, great man.

[@sha9543]

rename to "northeast american ramble"

[@maxlinder5262]

Ethereal..........😊

[@decadedamaddimperial]

Wild animals ? Dogs ?

[@steveconn]

Awfully muggy but most beautiful, tree-filled section to walk through on the east coast, despite the polluted areas. I envy his journey!

[@namastemcl]

What a great story 🙏🙏

[@fredcoles6013]

4:55 why is he barefoot?

[@JoeHarkinsHimself]

It's amazing how he got from Bayonne to Manhattan without passing though or even mentioning Jersey City, the most diverse mid-sized city in America, home of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. He missed seeing a closeup picture of the country's future demographic engine.

[@angellas.1314]

Maybe he mentions it in his book?

[@wadedixon6595]

Great story.

[@donaldbayer7296]

the Marshall Tucker band coined the phrase " Ramblin Man "

[@gardensofthegods]

You're probably thinking of the Allman Brothers but way before then there was a popular song in the 60s called Ramblin Man but I can't recall who sang it ... that might not be the title of it but the course they were singing about it and it was kind of a funky song

[@doxie7428]

@@gardensofthegods You are correct. The Allman Brothers Band recorded “Ramblin’ Man” in 1973. It was on the Album: “Brothers and Sisters”. The song was written by Dickey Betts. Great song! I was born in 1968 and was a child when it came out, but remember it well and still listen to it today.

[@gardensofthegods]

@@doxie7428 Yeah i'm 10 years older than you -- born in '58 and i remember their songs especially WHIPPIN POST and DREAMS I'LL NEVER SEE being on the radio all the time in the Philadelphia area back when those songs first came out ... great memories and i do regret all the times i had SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES to SEE THEM in CONCERT with FRIENDS and COULDN'T MAKE IT .

[@aguerra1381]

ONLY God can rescue the stories of our lives; and He MUST do it while we're still ALIVE!!!

[@USA50_]

America is more than Washington DC or New York City. America is a great, big country and citizens in every place matter. Thanks 👍 🇺🇸 ❤️

[@ericsierra-franco7802]

He didn't just go to DC and NYC. He went to a lot of places in between.

[@gardensofthegods]

They spent too much time showing New York and didn't bother to show any of the beauty in New Jersey that this guy must have encountered ,but instead showed CBS showed that hideous landfill .

[@bkbland1626]

So he couldn't find the Appalachian trail?

[@ericsierra-franco7802]

He didn't intend on hiking the Appalachian Trail.

[@gardensofthegods]

No he wanted to do something that was not a regularly traveled route and that's why they called it a ramble . He wouldn't have encountered these interesting places if he had stayed on the Appalachian Trail and he would have had to carry a lot more on his back than that

[@TheQuietStorm630]

Hey Sunday Morning, How come you took down the video on the fake meat? I really think you should stop trying to censor yourselves just to prevent people from having honest discussions about what we give our consent to. And for the record, nobody in their right mind would be ok with eating meat grown in a lab! 👎🤮💯 That is all. Thank you for your time.✌️

[@Sj27m]

I'll second that ! 🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮☠️

[@jepleas9159]

Check again. I just watched it.

[@jayizzett]

330. Miles. Ha

[@melaniamonicacraciun9900]

The Amish communities are so beautiful on sharing the most beautiful American spirit, of being a nice united large community like a family, helping each other and sharing important projects for the community, free to build up remarcable infrastructures. The soil is exploited by intensive agriculture for the last two centuries, what they made some farmers in the Israeli desert, that must change life all agriculture companies by now, at least for those vegetals such as tomatoes or beans, growing up in pipelines systems using water drops dispenser. Humankind evolve, it's going even against FAITH living like Amish stucked two centuries ago, progress is in the human DNA and using religion to torture poor people is not nice, sorry guys

[@SamMcKinley]

The comments on this page are always open minded and inspiring. The intellect of these viewers in higher than most Americans.

[@johnkeith2450]

Ignorant enough to suck down the Jan 6th crap.

[@gardensofthegods]

Often but not always .

[@MichelleCarithersAuthor]

love love love

[@melaniamonicacraciun9900]

Therefore you can start right away everybody, boycott the tin cans use for beverages, they can sit happily in thin plastic bottles like water, saving metals for further environmental infrastructures, if anyone have doubts about using Artificial intelligence, well, here are all the projects to work on friends, Chinese partnerships are still the most convenient and the most strategic ones. I love about Chinese being so fast, within six months we can have all projects ready, just willing to get inspired, yeah, what a wonderful world this could be if we could... refuse horrible things nearby, if we could get scandalized and react, do something about it

[@SamSung-ww3rp]

Why is it you think people want to ban the teaching of American history? Without knowing your history you are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. Without knowing your history you have no reference point as to how far you have come or if you have grown at all.

[@robertplant2059]

Regarding the blk migration north, I have questioned what effect all the immigrants coming to america at the time did to stifle blk integration. Without all the immigrants, there would have been jobs and opportunities for blks, which spurred the american middle class.

[@sarahm9937]

It wasn't the immigrants who stifled blk integration, but the elite class and people in power who pitted working class peoples from different backgrounds against each other so they could profit over their cheap labor

[@gardensofthegods]

Interesting because I thought about that years ago also and wondered about it

[@Jsd8675]

Avoided Baltimore!!! lmao

[@chrisstengren8995]

A so-called writer doing a self indulgent overplayed premise self identified as brilliant ……but really is boring and not in anyway worthy of a national segment on dying CBS Sunday Morning

[@spencerdawson6536]

Instead of spending 26 days walking adjacent to the Jersey Turnpike, why didn’t you rent a car from Hertz and arrive in 4 1/2 hours, 5 with traffic - Is your license suspended? Seems a grand waste of time. Next time walk across America as Forest Gump did. That should give you something to write about.

[@rr7firefly]

Z Z Z Z boring.

[@dennisprice8798]

Spencer, you are never going to be an interesting person. What is in your life that makes you interesting? I'm guessing not much. If we had more people like you, adventures and personal physical challenges would never happen.

[@TKOin2life]

Let us know when you start your journey of Route 66.

[@Daniel-sh3os]

@@TKOin2life He is waiting for the invention of the time machine.

[@ProvocateuAstrology2]

We, the people of the United States, are tired of every d*** story. We see having to be about black people enough is enough

[@ProvocateuAstrology2]

January six was not an attack on the capital, it was citizens of the united states visiting their capital

[@ebybeehoney]

Please go back to your conspiracy theories.

[@elliemenzel7939]

How goofy can you get?