Todd "Toddzilla" Gouge, left, along with his son, Colin Gouge and a four-legged friend, walked into Meridian Wednesday morning on their way to San Diego, California on a quest to both lose weight and to find out if the American Dream still exists.

    Todd Gouge, otherwise known as Toddzilla, is on a journey of sorts to try and find out things about himself and the people of America.

    Gouge’s vision is to walk across America from the east coast to the west coast. His goals are to lose weight. Gouge, 41, is 6’3″, and at the time he began this trek on Jan. 16, weighed 425 lbs. He wants to also see for himself if the American Dream is alive or dead.

    “It seemed that everything I tried to do in my life up until now turned out to be a failure,” said Gouge. “I felt powerless and not in control of my life. I believe many people feel that way and that is one reason why I’m doing this, to find out just what America is like now. What do the people think of their lives and their nation. I think a lot of people are asking the same questions as I am and searching for the answers.”

    Gouge said walking across Georgia and Alabama from his home in Monroe, Georgia has been an adventure. Along the way he met wonderful people who have done a great deal to restore his belief in Americana. But there is still a long way to go.

    “I’m proud of the both of them,” said Tom Gouge, Todd Gouge’s father who is driving the support van for the walk. “I’ve seen Todd and Colin bond like never before. They have laughed more in these last few months than they did in a year before.”

    Toddzilla said when he had finally gotten fed up with laying around the house, gaining weight and feeling depressed, he asked his son if he wanted to take a trip. Toddzilla said Colin Gouge, 22, jumped at the idea to tackle this adventure, one step at a time.

    On January 16, the two set off from Tybee Island, Georgia. Tom Gouge said the path across the nation will take them winding along Highway 80. So far the duo have gone about 575 miles.

    “These two have been an inspiration to many they have met,” Tom Gouge said. “If a 425 lb man can walk all this way, he can do anything. That is one of the main points of this journey.”

    The trip is expected to take about seven months and cover 3,000 miles. Asked what he intends to do when he reaches San Diego, Toddzilla thought for a moment and replied, “Stick my toes in the sand on the beach for about a week and contemplate what we have accomplished.”

    And on a personal, physical note, Toddzilla hopes that he and his son will have lost close to 300 pounds between them.

    “He is a big man anyway so he will be able to carry 275 pounds very well,” Tom Gouge said. “That will be a lot better than where he started on this trip.”

    As for the housing and other accommodations on the trip, Tom Gouge said it is purely done from donations and the kindness of those they meet.

    “We don’t have a big budget for this so we rely on those very same people, those Americans, we are searching for to help us out,” Tom Gouge said. “I guess that is part of the quest. To see if America has changed from what we believe. So far we have met some wonderful people who were more than happy to help Todd and Colin in their journey.”

    For more information, or to follow the journey, visit: ToddZilla Walks on Facebook, or the Web site: www.toddzillawalks.com.