Welcome to RiverEarth.com
Howdy. This is where I (Bernie Harberts) post about my travels by mule, boat and bike.
To join me for an authentic mule voyage, check out the Lost Sea Expedition, the Rocky Mountain PBS series about my 14 month mule voyage across America.
Stream the series on:
-Amazon
My wife Julia’s take on things at Considering Animals.com.
Happy Adventuring!
Bernie
Salt
Summer in western Nebraska. The mules are sweating and I’m sweating and we’re all craving salt. If I drank coffee in the morning I’d pour it in to that but I don’t so I douse my lentils and rice with the white stuff.
Email From the Sand Hills
“You never saw so many cowboys drinking so much beer in a hurry.” So writes my wife Julia to a friend of ours about attending a ranch rodeo in the Sand Hills of Nebraska.
Read Julia’s “Email From the Sand Hills” about the ranch rodeo, Sand Hills cowboying and how we almost got flattened by a… Continue reading
Mystery Equipment ID Thanks
I recently asked you guys to help me ID a mysterious piece of equipment. You sure came through. The contraption was parked in a Nebraska field south of Berea. It looked like a cross between a gravel sorter and shrimp boat.
Thanks to all the comments from folks who ID-ed it for me. I got especially excited when Andrea wrote in saying it was a “sugar beer piler”.
Sugar beer?
Cool! Nebraska was turning out… Continue reading
Big Dipper Tent Goodnight
I usually post in the mornings but tonight I’m making an exception for the Big Dipper. It was rising over my tent tonight and I thought you’d enjoy seeing it.
I know you’ve got a lot on your mind, decisions to make, voices to listen to and voices to silence. If you’re up late and reading this, I hope this starry night calms your mind and helps you sleep. If you’re reading this… Continue reading
Fort Robinson, Nebraska, Arrival
At one time, it housed 12,000 cavalry horses and 4,000 mules. The next two days, mules Brick and Cracker are calling it home. We have arrived at Fort Robinson, Nebraska.
Brick and Cracker have traveled 120-plus miles in the last 5 days so they’re ready for 2 days off. The folks at Fort Robinson have been super putting… Continue reading
The Land Around Here – Alliance to Hemingford, Nebraska
In a recent post, I introduced you to some of the folks the mules and I met between Alliance and the fairground in Hemigford. Here’s what the land looks like.
Faces on the Way to the Fairground – Alliance to Hemingford, Nebraska
Marguerite, Ted, Joe, Peggy, 2 kids, Carolyn and John. Plus a wood cowboy hugging a bull. In this post I’m going to introduce you to some of the people I met today, July 15, 2019.
It amazes me how many people I meet each day. I can’t photograph them all. Still, today I asked a few if I could take their picture. Just to share with folks that are following my journey with mules Brick and… Continue reading
Bridge and Another Man’s Horse
Recently I picked up a stray. Crossing an old wood bridge, I heard an extra pair of clip clops on the wood decking. I looked back. And saw a horse.
Turns out the horse had slipped through an open gate and fallen in to line behind us. I walked the mules back across the bridge, toward where the horse had come from, hoping to lure the horse back home.
The horse followed obediently.… Continue reading
Walking 31 Miles Beside the Mules
For reasons only a neurologist or shrink might understand, I woke up this morning and thought, “Hmmm. Today I’m going to walk 31 miles.” That’s how far it is from where I spent the night with the mules, Elsworth, Nebraska, to where I wanted to go, Alliance, Nebraska. Turns out walking is a great way to make new friends.
Here are some… Continue reading
Ranch Rodeo Saturday Night
Until last week, I’d never heard of a ranch rodeo. I’d been to plenty of regular rodeos. But what was a ranch rodeo?
Ranch rodeo is a team event based on skills a working cowboy would need. Each team has 4 members.… Continue reading