The Mules had an encounter with Alameda County Sheriffs yesterday afternoon. The following is an honest accounting of that encounter.
The Mules were walking along East Castro Valley Boulevard headed to where we were going to rest for a few days. The shoulder was very wide and we were well away from traffic. We were walking against traffic as we most often do because it is the safest most times. We can see the whites of the eyes of the high-speed motorist and anticipate his or her next move.
As well, the California Office of Traffic Safety and California Highway Patrol’s pedestrian guide states: “If there is no sidewalk and you have to walk on the road, walk facing traffic. Always walk as far from traffic as possible.”
Two sheriffs passed us in their cruisers going the opposite direction. Shortly thereafter, we heard a loud shout telling the Mules to stop. We didn’t stop right away because I needed a place to tie Rosie while I would be preoccupied talking to the Sheriff. After tying Rosie to the guardrail I reached into my pocket and extracted my phone. Rose my phone to approximately eye level and took a picture of the oncoming officers.
The officer then halted his forward progress at approximately 6 ft away from myself. He immediately started asking questions and we the monks did not give answers. The officer queried the monks as to where we were from and where we were going. The Mules response was immediate and measured. We don’t answer questions.
The officer then wanted to see some ID. We told him our name and date of birth. The officer told us that they got a call that we were walking in the middle of the road. We were not and they made no claim that they saw us doing so.
The officer then asked the Monk if he had any thoughts of hurting himself or hurting somebody else. The Mules were a bit shocked as that came out of left field. It seemed to us totally out of context of the situation that we the Mules found ourselves in. Well the Mules found it necessary to close the book on this curious encounter with the Alameda County Sheriff’s department. So we told the officer we had things to do, we weren’t breaking any laws, and we will be on our way, and bid the officers farewell and told them to be safe and have a nice day and then left.
We hope you enjoyed our little story. And accept it as an honest accounting with our encounter with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department yesterday.
Ironically, back in September 6, 2017 when the Mules were passing thru Alameda County, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page shared three photos of the Mules, and wrote in their caption:
“DUBLIN, CA – For the first time since 1875, a mule was seen parked outside of an Alameda County Courthouse. Today’s fast paced world is not very mule friendly but they are the original no emission vehicle. We apologize that our new Courthouse was not mule parking equipped. You may see Mr. John Sears and his mule traveling the roads of Alameda County. So John, if you ever need a place to rest, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office has plenty of delicious hay to share. To learn more about John Sears and his journey visit 3mules.com.”
The Alameda County Sheriffs that we encountered yesterday were not offering us hay.
