Yearly Archives: 2023
Long Distance Barefoot Travel on The Humble Hoof Podcast
How far can a horse or mule walk in hoof boots? This week, I was a guest on Alicia Harlov’s podcast The Humble Hoof. The episode is called “Riding Mules Cross Country”. We discussed what it’s like to travel long distances (thousands of miles) with hoof boots on a horse or mule. Just click on the link below for a listen. The link is:https://thehumblehoof.com/2023/09/22/riding-mules-cross-country/
As you may know, I don’t shoe our mules or horses with steel shoes. When… Continue reading
Introducing my new Photo Book “19 Million Mule Steps” (And How to Get a FREE Copy)
I’m excited to announce that I’ve published a new photo book called 19 Million Mule Steps. Read on to see how you can score a free copy.
About 19 Million Mule Steps
19 Million Mule Steps is 134 pages of photos, sketches, letters, musings and short essays that didn’t fit into my upcoming memoir Two Mules To Triumph, about riding my… Continue reading
The Hoof Boot Review: 3 Hoof Boots, 32 Days on the Trail
What’s the best kind of hoof boot for your horse or mule? My wife Julia and I rode from North Carolina to Virginia and back with three brands of hoof boots. This hoof boot review is what we… Continue reading
Ezer Vavala Wants to Pull Her Wagon by Hand 800 Miles to Missouri
My buddy Brad Saunders called me this week and said there were some “traveling homesteaders” camping in nearby Hickory (North Carolina). He said they needed a better place to stay, so I hooked up the horse trailer and drove to Hickory to see how I could help. That’s how I met Ezer Vavala and her husband Brian.
How Adeline Hallot Went From Cart Traveler to Horse Traveler: Part 2/2
What’s it like to spend 3 years traveling from France to Spain with two dogs, two horses, a mule, a cat and a chicken? Adeline Hallot did exactly that. My wife Julia and I recently spent two days visiting with Adeline. This is Part 2 of the two-part series I’m writing about her.
Dogged: How Adeline Hallot Crossed the Pyrenees With Two Dogs, a Cart and a Cat: Part 1/2
Adeline Hallot lives in France. She owned two dogs, a cat, an old van and had always wanted to go to Spain. Then her van broke down. “I could have fixed my van but it was going to be too expensive,” she said. “So I sold everything I had, loaded my cart and started walking. I only got two kilometers the first day and couldn’t walk any farther.”
Dreaming of Wild Bees in Trees
My last thought before I fall asleep is of how I’d catch a swarm of wild bees, install them in the crook of an old tree and let them live up there, just like they were living in a hollow old tree. I wouldn’t medicate them, bother them or even take their honey. I just want to watch them come and go with tiny balls of orange pollen on their feet.
Filipe Masetti Leiti Rode a Horse 16,000 Miles. This is What he Learned.
“I’d never ridden more than 3 kilometers.” That’s what author, filmmaker, and Long Rider Filipe Masetti told me after riding 16,000 miles across North and South America. That quote will give you hope you can do whatever you’re dreaming of doing.
Interview With Filipe… Continue reading
Crankin’: Long Distance Bicyclists Talk About Their Bike Journeys
Though I take most of my trips on the back of a mule, I always enjoy meeting long-distance bikers in my rambles. Here are the stories of three people taking long bicycle trips I thought you’d enjoy. They are Johannes “Hans” Myors, Sven Eckhard, and Ji Liong.
Johannes “Hans” Myors
Reverend Hans’ story is one of stick-to-it-ness. As of the day I met him on the side of the road, he’d pedaled 168,000… Continue reading
Listen to the Creston Dinosaur on Atlas Obscura
In 2008, my mule Polly and I traveled from Canada to the Mexican border in a homemade mule wagon. I interviewed folks along the way, and one of the favorite characters I met wasn’t a person. It was a giant green cement dinosaur outside Creston, South Dakota.
Flash forward to now. Recently Atlas Obscura, the website dedicated to obscure Americana, contacted me about doing a story about the Creston dinosaur. I… Continue reading
