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This is Page 2 of 4 of Bernie & Woody
Bernie
describes Woody: "He had all the scars in all the right
places. And still had a good attitude. What I was looking for
was not a fancy mule, a show mule. I wanted something that looked
like it had been around. so I know he’s been ridden hard
and held up to that. And despite all the blemishes and cosmetic
stuff he still had that really, optimistic, long-suffering Ben
Kingsley-kind-of-expression to him and I said, ‘We’re
gonna get on. I like this mule.’"
Woody is
a handsome creature with russet hair and those big ears and
soulful eyes and yes, some scars from earlier ill-fitting saddles.
We asked
Bernie how Woody and his old sailboat, “Seabird”
were similar. Bernie says "they both have a 4-foot draft."
That said, Bernie expects differences between this trip and
his circumnavigation.
For example, where the big challenge for a single handing sailor
was getting sleep, the focus on this land trip would be finding
a suitable place for Woody to sleep and graze.
Bernie’s hoping to find stables along the way but also
figures he’ll be setting up camp many a night, and tying
Woody to a line between trees that allows the mule to walk and
eat.
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On
his first night of the trip, Bernie and Woody set up camp
at Ben & Emmy Casey's place on Dawson's Creek. Note
the tipi-style tent, and smoke from the small (folding!)
wood burning stove inside.
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When he crossed oceans, Bernie says, he learned to live on a
diet of rice, tuna and dolphin jerky which he made by catching
the fish, and then setting strips of them on his boat lines
to dry for eating later. Tuna and dolphin are not options on
the road trip, but Bernie says he’s looking forward to
seeing what there is out there. He’s already found that
Woody likes dandelion flowers. And he himself prefers the greens.
“It’s a great time of year. Things are waking up
and I’m really intrigued by these spring greens like the
ones I grew up with on the farm." poke weed, dandelion
and creasy greens. I just want to cook those as I go along…
tuck ‘em in the saddle bag.”
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Bernie
is more enthused about the spray bottle of corn liquor
than Woody.
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As for
the saddlebags, Bernie is traveling light, with only about fifty
pounds of gear. There’s his tent, sleeping bag, 3-lb wood
burning stove and sheet metal chimney to warm the round tent,
one day’s change of clothes, and a few days worth of grain
to supplement Woody’s roadside diet. There’s also
a camera and something to write with and paper to record his
experiences.
Bernie’s also carrying two last minute items from Oriental:
one is an aluminum pump spray bottle that held a room spray
until Wednesday morning when the search was on for a small,
unbreakable bottle to hold some whisky. This makeshift flask
with its pump spray action provides a new delivery system for
liquor. (The mule however does not like the smell.)
>>>Click
here for Mule Woody Page 3
