Two Miles Per Hour: Arizona Through the Eyes of a Mule Rider
PublishedMarch 3, 2005
I, Bernie Harberts, did not use generative AI to write or illustrate this article. Spell check and grammar check, yes. AI, no.
The joy of mulespeed is the ease of stopping. At 2 miles per hour, the mind slows to the speed of the scenery. From there, it ain’t much of a leap to standing still.
Standing still is where my mind sees the day’s last photos.
I always keep a camera handy and the photos usually just compose themselves. I just have to press the shutter. The following are just a few Arizona mulespeed scenes.
Barbed wire balls – North of Three Points, AZ
I stopped at Jay and Jerry Woehlck’s for some water. There were three large barbed-wire balls in their front yard. “I bought them from some Amish guy” Jerry explained. The Woehlck’s put me up for the night. The next morning, Woody and Maggie slowed to a stop alongside the barbed wire balls. Maybe they reminded Woody of where he came from.
Maggie grazing next to a wrecked hang glider – Mobile, AZ
At the end of the day, I found myself at the Estrella Sailpark outside Mobile, AZ. It’s the largest sailport in the United States. Bruce Stephens, the owner, put me up in a cabin. After everyone went home, Woody and Maggie roamed the sailport grounds. Just on sun down, Maggie took particular interest in some Med grass growing next to an old sailplane. I snapped the photo.
(Thanks Bruce and Jason Stephens for putting us up overnight! For anyone interested in soaring visit azsoaring.com)
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