Fascinating Facts and Figures

This is the first cross to be carried around the world on foot and the longest journey in the history of the world. 
Length - 12 feet
Width - 6 feet
Thickness - 4" x 4"
Weight - 45 pounds
Tire - 12" inflatable
Average tire life - 2,000 miles
Miles carried the cross on foot - (Actual) 40,195 miles (64,686 Km.) 
Cross taken by boat - Estimated 20,000 miles
Air miles cross flown - Estimated 2,170,000
Miles cross carried on automobile(s) - Estimated 395,000 miles
Number of continents cross carried - Seven (North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, Australia and Antarctica)
Average shoe life - 500 miles
Longest walk in a day - 72 miles in 24 hours (with help); 47 miles (alone)
Longest walk (time wise) - Africa west to east; Mexico to Colombia (almost two years each) 
Number of different countries, island groups and territories cross carried -319
Times arrested or in jail - 24
Most apt country to be arrested in - USA
Most apt city to be arrested in - Hollywood, CA
Most beautiful countries - Norway, Switzerland, Greenland, Antarctica
Most peaceful places - American Samoa and Manos Island (both in the Pacific), Maldives
Most modern city - Perth, Australia and Hiroshima, Japan
Worst traffic - Lagos, Nigeria; Istanbul, Turkey; India and Bangkok, Thailand
Most angry toward the cross - Amsterdam, Holland and Tetouan, Morocco
Greatest welcome to the cross - Papua New Guinea, Poland, Spain, India, Lithuania, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Guatemala & West Africa
Friendliest Armies - Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Army
Coldest city (reception) to the cross - New York, USA; Montreal, Canada and Sydney, Australia
Hardest road to walk - Pan-American Highway. Mexico City to Panama
Toughest jungle to walk - The Darien Jungle, Panama to Columbia
Best road to walk - Holland
Worst auto accident - Turkey, Guam
Worst poverty - Chad; Mozambique, Djibouti, Ethiopia, India and Bangladesh
Worst war - Lebanon and Mozambique
Murder Capital of the World in 2010- Juarez, Mexico 
Most beautiful views - Mount Kilimanjaro, Kenya/Tanzania; Mount Cameroon, Africa; Mount of Olives facing Jerusalem; Sea of Galilee, looking toward Mount Hermon; Mount Sinai; Norwegian Coastline; Antigua; Guatemala; a Swiss valley with lake and mountains beyond Tierra del Fuego (Chile); Penguins nesting in Antarctica; Icebergs in Greenland, and Bronzal Pass in the Hindu Kush - Pakistan-Afghanistan.
Most beautiful City - The city of Jerusalem
Smallest country (in size) cross carried - The Vatican City in Rome and Sovereign Knights of Malta
First step with cross - Hollywood, California early 1968
A few historical places and moments with the cross - Washington, D.C. 1970, 1980; Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany; the Coliseum in Rome; The Pantheon in Athens, Greece; the pyramids of Egypt; Cebu City in the Philippines at Magellan's Cross; carrying the cross across the Panama and Suez Canals; the cross at the top of the world's biggest pyramid in Cholula, Mexico; October 31, 1987 Hollywood, CA completed the distance around the world at the equator 24,901.55 miles; China Wall and Red Square, Moscow; Cross above the walls of Babylon; North Korea; Completed every nation and major island group June 13, 2008 Zanzibar in Indian Ocean; Cross carried back to Hollywood to Grauman's Chinese Theatre for the premiere of the movie "The Cross"; Lifting the cross up at second base at Yankee Stadium, New York in front of 40,000 people. Crossed 40,000 miles on foot at Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, June 25, 2012.
Highest mountain climbed with the cross - Mount Fuji, Japan (12,388 ft) Bronzal Pass, Pakistan-Afghanistan border (18,200 ft - 5,547 M.)
Deepest into the earth cross carried - Carlsbad New Mexico (850 feet)
Lowest point below sea level cross carried - Dead Sea (1,200 feet)
Worst cold weather - Golan Heights, Syria-Israel; Rome to Assisi, Italy; Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Antarctica and Baltic Republics
Hottest temperature - Jordan Valley; Chad; Yemen, Iraq & Djibouti (135 degrees plus)
Coldest temperature - 20 degrees below in Nova Scotia, Canada
World's largest tree cross-carried to – 3,000 year old tree in Mexico (163' high, 163' around)
Worst food - Squid in ink in Spain, monkey leg in Africa, Rat Soup in Belize and Pork Soup for breakfast in USSR
Best food - Freshwater shrimp in El Salvador and fresh salmon in Finland
Longest fast - 40 days Washington D.C. 1970
Worst dog - Israeli Army dog in the Sinai Desert
Worst mosquitoes - The Amazon River and Greenland
Worst fast food - McDonald's, Yellowknife, N.W. Territories, while we ate, manager ran out front, grabbed my cross & rushed to the garbage container to throw it away as trash! July 3, 2012. No happy meal if you brought your cross :)
Best beds - St. James Club, London England; Livingstonia Beach Hotel, Malawi
Friendliest airline to the cross - Swiss Air
Highest cross has ever been - 60,000' on Concorde
Fastest the cross has ever flown - Mach II (1240 mph - twice the speed of sound on Concorde)
Longest time cross lost - one month (Alitalia Airlines)
Cross stolen - Christmas Day 1979, Assisi, Italy
Cross wheel stolen - Bordeaux, France
Cross overboard ship - Philippines
Cross in Space- A small cross cut from my cross was launched into space August 2, 2008 from the Marshall Islands reaching 134 miles (217km) into the heavens! It also had with it a tiny Bible.
Cross broken - Joplin, Missouri; Nigeria; Guam, Turkey
Worst storm at sea - Philippines and Papua New Guinea and The Drake Passage to Antarctica
Best road pets - El Salvador del Mundo (parrot), Central America; Basco (rabbit), Spain; Belfast (dog), Northern Ireland; Loretta (parrot) South Africa - USA; HRH Windsor (dog) U.S.
Biggest animal scares - Green Mamba snake in Ghana; baboon attack in Kenya; elephant chase in Tanzania; crocodile attack in Zimbabwe
Number of people prayed for, blessed or saved at the Cross - Many Millions but only God knows
Worst jail - Concord, New Hampshire
My Wife- Denise has been with the cross and me in 294 nations, island groups and territories 
A few memorable scares - Firing squad in Nicaragua: stoning and beating in Morocco; Civil Guardia attack in Spain; LAPD choking, Hollywood, California; pistol attack, Orlando, Florida; "to burn the cross," Birdseye, Indiana; man broke the cross, Nigeria; War in Lebanon crossing minefield, Belfast, Northern Ireland bomb blast.
Worst bed - The "Pig Hilton" (a pigpen in Columbia); a single narrow board at a blown up bus stop in the Golan Heights, Syria- Israel border area.
Biggest crowd preached to - Half a million, Atlanta Rock Festival, 1970; Washington for Jesus Rally, half a million-1980
Wars - Carried the cross in 54 countries at war
The cross has been turned away from being left overnight at more than half the churches requested, but has never been turned away from spending the night at a bar or nightclub in 44 years around the world.

We still carry the cross on special crosswalks in the U. S. and around the world. I am now 72 years old and still, no problems with my feet, legs or back and have not pain anywhere. Glory to God! Jesus did it. I often preach and do TV around the world. I have seven children and 11 grandchildren. All my children have shared in the crosswalks in many nations.

Pilgrim followers of Jesus,

Arthur and Denise Blessitt

Luke 18:1