What a wonderful soul. I am under the impression that the grandson is an independent. A child. Which would also explain why his wife is not working. She is probably taking care of the child.

Walking 35 miles to work is a bit stupid I think. Especially for a janitor job. Kudos to him for being industrious though. Better than that worthless black person who was crowing about getting her "obamaphone" for free last election.

You've got it Herb. Some of these sacrificing stories are a bit much. The story even admits that he owns an automobile.

What puzzles me is the grandson.
Unless he's disabled or looks after grandma while grandpa's working (neither of which are mentioned), why doesn't he get off his able-bodied ass and take grandpa's place?

Yeah. Thanks for the insight. Revising...

So, he leaves the house at 3:30 PM, picks up a ride: He gets to work at 4-4:30 PM, gets a meal somewhere local to work, hangs out BSing with his buds for a while.

11PM he clocks in, does rounds, writes stuff up. Maybe has a sack lunch or gets stuff from vending machine. Takes a nap at around 2AM. Does more rounds. Eats early breakfast at work.

8AM he gets off work, walks a while, gets a ride back home. Gets home about 10AM, takes a shower and gets a 4 hour nap.

Repeat.

Not an ideal schedule, but you can work that way.

Jan

I am not saying there isn't an angle here. I'm skeptical. mostly-I'm skeptical because I grew up in Iowa. every single farmer pulls over and offers you a ride. don't get me started on a phone call, money, job opportunity...it's Iowa.

Woops. 22 hours. Sorry. (Did the math, then forgot the result...)

Jan, variously challenged

I cannot figure this out right. Zenpharmy points out that 14 hours walking plus an 8 hour shift = 24 hours. This means that he gets off work, walks home, and then turns around and walks back.

He may eat at work; graveyard shift may sleep some at work (even legit in some places). If he only works on alternate days or some such, then I can imagine this being feasible...but I suspect that we do not actually have the story.

And yes, a bicycle or moped or some such would turn an implausible situation into a realistic one.

Jan

I'm no math whiz (by a long shot) but any way you figure it, traveling at an average walking pace of 3 mph, and working an 8 hour shift, won't he run out of hours per day?

He must enjoy walking.

Awesome. Quite a different approach than "I can't find a job"!

Maybe the reason he doesn't do something as simple as taking a bicycle is he would rather be alone walking than with the wife!

My thoughts exactly, why would he not ride a bike? Maybe there are some roads not safe enough, it is hazardous around Portland.

Let's see, before 1910, we used Horses and our Feet, and for thousands of years before that.

All I can say is SEE, there is NO excuse for not finding work, "SOMEPLACE." CAR NOT NEEDED!!!

I can relate to his words about taking care of the family. I certainly think this guy is odd. However, I admire his gumption. I walked 16 in one day a few years ago. It was hard on the feet.

"Part of me wants to help him, and the logical part says why doesnt he move closer to his job?"
I think the same thing. I like that he's not (at least in the quotes) asking for any handouts. He's a weirdo living his life in his own weird way, without asking for a reaction of any sort from others.

How about a bicycle.. I've got one in storage he can have, if he doesn't mind riding a 'girls' bike. It's not pink or anything. It would cut his travel time in half!

Part of me wants to help him, and the logical part says why doesnt he move closer to his job?

Well, for a 61 yr old man, that must mean he's walking for at least 14 hours per day given an average of 3mph (which is optimal). That leaves him no time for sleep or meals, etc.

Big ?. If you've never tried to walk that far in one day-try it one Sat or Sun. I've done a 50 miler and I couldn't move for the next two days and I was 16 and averaged 4mph.

Yeah, too many today would rather sit at home and say they can't find a job than do whatever it takes to get or keep one.