Listen to “A Long Walk Home” on Atlas Obscura

Click here to listen to A Long Walk Home

I recently sat down (via Zoom) with Johanna Mayer of the Atlas Obscura Podcast (#1 Apple travel podcast / 17 million listeners) to talk about riding my mules Brick and Cracker from North Carolina to Idaho. We talked about saddle travel and the loneliness of solo travel. I also described what it’s like to ride a mule across the Ohio River, the… Continue reading

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 this link.

As you may know, I don’t shoe our mules or horses with steel shoes. When their feet need extra protection, like when… Continue reading

Traveling Through America With Mules Brick and Cracker on “Horses in the Morning”

Good Saturday morning. I hope you had a great week. I ended my week with an interview on the Horses in the Morning podcast, America’s largest equine podcast and one of the longest daily podcasts in the world.

Host Glenn the Geek and I discussed the adventures my mules and I encountered riding from North Carolina to Idaho. We cover everything from hoof boots to having your head inside your helmet when it hits the ground and cracks into three… Continue reading

Download a FREE Copy of my New Photo Book “19 Million Mule Steps”

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.

19 Million Mule Steps is the award-winning new photo book about riding my mules Brick and Cracker 2,300 miles from North Carolina to Idaho.

About 19 Million Mule… Continue reading

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.”

Adeline Hallot
Adeline begins her journey. Her dog Aiyana is walking beside… Continue reading

Ezer Way 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 Way (who also goes by Ezer Vavala) and her husband Brian.

The rig Brad was referring to as I found it in some guy’s back yard in Hickory… Continue reading

How I Broke my Vow to Never Feed Bees Sugar Water

This June, I caught a swarm of wild bees in a swarm box, put them into a horizontal hive that I built in my shed, and they settled into their new lives behind our cabin. I never imagined they might not get enough honey stored away before winter. Click on the video below to hear them buzz (more on what they’re drinking shortly).

A close-up of the bees after I installed them in the hive. The queen’s in there… Continue reading

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.

Me, sitting on Brick, pondering what bees would look… 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 Myors (Southern Pines, North Carolina)

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.

Mule Polly and the Creston dinosaur (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

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