Mules West
Hordville Hello
Greetings from Hordville, Nebraska. The mules and I arrived here this morning (July 17, 2019) and set up a welcome camp under the linden tree by the rail road tracks. A wonderful place to duck the heat before things heated up this afternoon.
Temperatures have been in the 90s all this week with higher temps forecast. This limits the amount of time the mules… Continue reading
Road Kill Fish
Catfish hung on stop signs. Catfish flung on the shoulder. A dead chub on the highway. Lately mules Brick and Cracker and I have come across dead fish where you wouldn’t expect them – along the side of the road. I put them in to a post card-like arrangement I though you’d enjoy.
Right now… Continue reading
Sunday Shadow
Good Sunday morning to you friend. Daytime temps here in western Nebraska have been in the mid-90s so we start early. I try to be on the road with the mules before the sun comes up. I hope your Sunday’s going well and you got done in the morning cool whatever it is you had planned.
This morning the mules and I are east of Ashland, Nebraska. We’re heading toward Valparaiso.
Safari Park Day Off
A bag of corn, a bucket of water and a salt block. Oh, and a herd of elk. The mules are chillin’ on their day off. We’re guests of the Lee G Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari.
The Lee G Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari features… Continue reading
“Mules West” Article in Herald-Whig Newspaper (Quincy, Illinois)
A man and his mules journey across America
By Ethan Colbert / Photo Katelyn Metzger / Jun. 13, 2019
(NOTE: The following is a re-publishing of an article that originally ran in the Herald-Whig (Quincy, Illionois) on June 13, 2019 / Bernie Harberts)
Turtle Crossing
They lumber heavy as tanks across the road in front of my mules: turtles. Snapping turtles, box turtles and sliders. This week, Cracker and Brick took a moment to admire a slider as it made its was leisurely across the road.
My blood pressure’s already pretty low but I felt it drop a few more points. Maybe I’ll look at… Continue reading
Joe’s Joke
The old blue tractor scared my mules when it passed me on the gravel road. Right behind it, the black and white dog in hot pursuit. The next hill over, the tractor was parked by the road and a man climbed out of the cab. He had a grin as big as a round bale and so did I. That’s how I met Joe Stoll and his dog.
He spoke first.
Joe: “I was… Continue reading
Stanberry, MO Independence Day
Sirens will blare and hats will cover hearts. Kids will grab candy off the street and dogs will barf Tootsie rolls on the sidewalk. This is why we got divorced from England. Happy 4th of July from Stanberry, Missouri.
The mules and I were there to soak up the action. And catch a Blow Pop and 3 Tootsie rolls. Here are some photos of… Continue reading
Stanberry, MO and a Bridge Detour
The sign on the bank said 100 degrees the day the mules and I arrived in Stanberry, MO. The welcome was warmer than that. The route I had in mind from here? Not so hot….
Bridge… Continue reading
Driveway Visit
I carry an old camera in my saddle bag and point it toward other people.
So it’s fun when folks I catch up with send photos of our visit. Here are a few sent to me Janet DeClerck. She took these the night I stayed with Rob and Brooke Wangen of Panwee, Illinois. They really capture the spirit of folks just… Continue reading