Video: Come Haul a Bushel of Oats with Mule Polly
This week mule Polly and I took a break from fossil hunting to get into the grain hauling business. Slide in here beside me on the Lost Sea wagon and let’s head for Lake Alma.
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
Preview Woody and Maggie Children’s Book
“Woody and Maggie Walk Across America” is a children’s book that features something unusual about each state I visited in my 12-month cross-country ride with my mule Woody and pony Maggie. I wrote half of it and Woody and Maggie handled the rest. If young readers don’t remember Arizona for the saguaro cactus, they’ll remember it for the naked green giants that can’t get their shoes back on.
Arizona: What I saw (Left) and what Woody and Maggie saw (Right)… Continue reading
How Big is Your Escape Pod?
Folks are curious about how big an “escape pod” they need – an escape pod being anything that’ll take them on their dream journey. They often ask me “How long a boat do you recommend for ocean sailing?” or “How big (or many) a horse(s) do I need to go on a long distance ride?”
The answer, these days, seems to be “REALY BIG”. The average length of a new cruising sailboat has stretched to 40-something feet, up… Continue reading
Mule(-less) Wagon Prepped for Croaker Parade – Oriental, NC
There may be no mules to pull it, but the Lost Sea Expedition wagon is set to appear in Saturday’s Croaker Festival Parade in Oriental, NC.
Keith Smith agreed to provide his Wizard lawn mower for locomotion.
Gee! (that means right in mulespeak)
For more pictures visit towndock.net.
