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 off early to check out the big belt buckles, skinny bellies, calf fries and branding.
Getting nowhere slowly
Polly fills her tank
Little Missouri Grasslands
North of Beach, ND
Beach, ND
This week we’re in Beach, ND, exploring the area for evidence of the Lost Sea. After ten days of climbing buttes and day trips in the Lost Sea wagon, we’ve come up with some pretty neat artifacts, including a chunk of fossilized sea bed (more on that in a later update). Still, you want to know how far we’ve come…. You want me to show you a long line.
Progress
So here you are. See the three lines?
The thick blue line that runs from East to West coast marks my last journey across America, a 3,500-mile journey with mule Woody and pony Maggie (you can read about it in the book “Woody and Maggie Walk Across America”). The yellow-ish line that runs from North Carolina to Canada shows you the route I took when hauling Polly and the Lost Sea wagon to Neptune Saskatchewan, the starting point for the Lost Sea Expediton.
And that stubby blue line that runs from eleven o’clock due south? Well, that’s how far we’ve rolled in the forty-something days we’ve been on the road – under 250 miles. Ah yes, progress. Lovely, beautiful, slow, progress…
It’s been 1000 hours of dung beetles, hail storms, rainbows, rope burn, chapped lips, hot tea, dead fish, oil wells, glowing brands, cold beer, dry lightening and a mummified cat found under a grain bin. I haven’t seen a BMW in a month.
Enjoy the pace
Bernie
Beach, ND
