I’m into answers. On this mule journey, I’m learning more about the Lost Sea, the sea that, millions of years ago, stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Sea. I want to know why the baculite fossil has that funny tube at the top (It helped the critter regulate its buoyancy as it navigated the Lost Sea). I want to know why the Lost Sea Wagon squeaks so badly that, when it drops into a gopher hole, it… Continue reading →

Mule Polly and I are heading to Canada to begin the Lost Sea Expedition. Yes, we’re going by truck and trailer. Some would say that’s cheating. I say it’s the only way we’ll make the 2,200 miles from North Carolina to Canada before winter. Here’s what the land looks like.

Pilot Mountain
Winston Salem, NC

The first night’s encampment
Outside Portsmouth, Ohio

Lost Sea Sunset One
Bill Smith’s farm
Outside Portsmouth, Ohio

As of this posting, we’re 50 miles… Continue reading →

Think of it as a game. You’re traveling from Canada to Mexico in a mule wagon and you have to earn enough money to keep your mule in oats and your belly in, well, more oats. You’d sell books, right? If this sounds familiar, well, I thought it was a good idea too so that’s how I’m going to pay for my cross country mule wagon journey.

The book I’m selling from my wagon is “Woody and Maggie Walk Across… Continue reading →

Nothing gets the point of wealth across like being a billionaire. But who says it has to be measured in dollars? I mean really, it’s just a measure, right? Well, this week I met a billionaire – in a generally overlooked currency.

Meet Reverend Hans.

I spotted him pedaling North on US 1, outside Southern Pines, NC, and just had to pull over for a chat.

The Reverend’s rig
Southern Pines, NC

The first thing that struck me about him… Continue reading →

Welcome to my wagon world. It changes daily and here’s what it looked like this week.

In the photo below, we’re cruising down a Hoke Country dirt road. My front door’s open and I trust Polly to hold the course while I rummage around inside the wagon looking for an apple or a notebook or that ever-disappearing pair of worn-out gloves. My desk’s in the folded-down position and you can see my journal under the electrical panel. That dark blotch… Continue reading →

Now before you say “Awww man!” like I do when Woody sticks his leg through Maggie’s cart and busts the wheels, remember this – mule and boat travel is fraught with delay.

Your basic “Awwwwww man!” moment – Fairbank, AZ

When you count on wind and hooves for locomotion, as I often do, travel times get skewed. A few years ago, old man Neptune took a bashing to my boat and I spent a year and half in New Zealand… Continue reading →

As you know, I like to have themes when I travel. Lost Sea. 65 Days Alone. Litter by State. Budweiser vs. Keystone. Moonshine and Voodoo dolls…

Voodoo doll in anonymous hand – Slab City, CA

Ok, so I haven’t told you about the voodoo dolls. Let’s just say people show you the neatest things when you travel by mule.

But let’s get back to the theme for the next trip.

First and foremost, I’ll be investigating the Lost Sea, the… Continue reading →

So I drove my mule team from Oriental to Aurora and smack on the corner of Fourth and Main I found a shark tooth.

For real.

Ok, let me back up the plot a little. First let me explain how downtown Aurora is laid out.

Main Street runs down the middle of it. On one side of Main Street is the Aurora Fossil Musuem. On the other is what they call the fossil heap.

Debbie Richardson and Richard Olsen of… Continue reading →

“Where do we sleep tonight?”

That’s Question Number One every time I strike out on a mule or a boat.

From Oriental Jack and Bill and I struck off toward Bayboro. 22,696 steps later we pulled up in front of a massive anchor on the Bayboro waterfront.

Bill: “I don’t have another step in me.”
Jack: “I know. Feels like we’ve done our twenty-thousand for the day. Let’s anchor here tonight…” – Bayboro, NC

Norm Czuchra and Candace Young of… Continue reading →

Watch those fingers…

For months I’ve welded, glued, hummed and painted a wagon body into existence. This week, with a bit of good advice and horsepower, I mounted the wagon body on the chassis.

Now all that remained was the shake down. Once the brakes were adjusted and bled (this took three days, mind you) I hooked Jack and Bill up to my new creation.

Ok boys, “Up! Up!”

Then we hit the road for shakedown number one.

Off down… Continue reading →