Route 66 Odyssey Raises Funds For Diabetes Research

Peter Woodman (l) and Ron Miles (r) are driving Route 66 to raise money for Diabetes UK. The two have been conversing with Winslow Councilman Tom McCauley (center) about their trip and cause for the past six months.

Historic Route 66 is a 2,449 mile long highway crossing eight states and three time zones. It actually begins in Chicago and ends in Santa Monica just west of Los Angeles.

Peter Woodman from Saltdean, England, which is located in East Sussex near Brighton and Ron Miles, from Poole, England, which is in Dorset located in Southern England, arrived in Winslow on Monday, August 20 after leaving Chicago on August 5th, Woodman’s 66th birthday.

The two men are traveling across the USA in a Fiat Panda Parade, a very small English made vehicle. The car belonged to Woodman’s wife who was diagnosed with Diabetes in 1966 and since then has lost most of her vision and is unable to drive any longer.

While still in England, Woodman and Miles gathered pledges of 66 pence, roughly equivalent to one American dollar per mile, for every mile they would be traveling on the Mother Road. They raised a total of $2,400 American dollars for Diabetes UK, the Diabetes Foundation of England.

McCauley added that many people may not see the amount as a large donation, but every little bit helps. He said that it didn’t matter to him where in the world the cure for Diabetes was found, as long as it was discovered.

McCauley said he originally began talking to Woodman because he thought the trip westward on Route 66 would be interesting for him and Miles, but he kept the conversation going because of the cause.

Before the two men set off on Route 66, they ran into a series of problems with their car, all stemming from purchasing a car-adapted cigarette lighter to use to charge their cellular phone. With the vehicle being a foreign car, a very small number of US mechanics knew how to properly repair the problem. With every mechanic’s effort, the two expected to pay bundles of money for the work, but each mechanic denied the cash and quoted the “good cause” as payment enough for their services. After three attempts, the problem was finally solved and the two were on their way.

While in the Winslow area, they visited the Standin’ On The Corner Park and then nearby Meteor Crater. McCauley suggested they stay at La Posada and the two men took his advice.

“It’s always nice to meet new people and greet them in our fine city,” McCauley said. “They are taking information about their trip back to England, which contains a lot about Winslow, and doing TV and radio spots which will continue to raise money for Diabetes UK, but will also promote the Standin’ On The Corner Park, La Posada and Winslow, itself,” McCauley added.

The pair continued westward toward their next stop in Flagstaff and will end their trip on Route 66 when they reach Los Angeles sometime this week.

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