Mapping 1000 Hours of Mule Travel

“So where are you now?”

Folks have been asking me that a lot lately, as though, if I could point to a map and say, “Right here.”, they’d be satisfied. The answer promises to underwhelm. Remember, the Lost Sea disappeared over millions of years. In keeping with the theme of receding waters, Polly and I are living at the speed of ebb tide – or about five miles per day. This journey’s about rolling under the big sky and knocking… Continue reading

Ted's "Arrow Through the Bottle" Mystery

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

Hauling Mule and Wagon to Canada

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

How to Pay for a Mule Wagon Journey

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

Pedal Billionaire Reverend Hans

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

To the Post Office by Mule

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

Sail Around the World in an Eight-footer?

In early 2007, I plan to drive the mule-drawn “Captain Bernie’s Lost Sea Expedition” wagon from Mexico to Canada.


The Lost Sea Expedition wagon
Southern Pines, NC

Why? Because I want to explore the sea bed of a vanished ocean, the Great Interior Seaway, that covered the Great Plains 75 million years ago

Ok, I admit I’ve taken a bit of ribbing from my friends. They’re just not going for my “Well, that’s what I do for fun. What do… Continue reading

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