Author: Mule

State Public Thoroughfare 395 (Lassen County)

On Tuesday June 6, 2017 while we the Mules of the 3 Mules Nation were moving north on Public Thoroughfare 395 towards Susanville, we met a number of people through the course of the day.

Trent – The Wild in Us – Riding the Pacific Coast Trail from Mexico to Canada on Horseback
We met Trent who stopped, introduced himself and asked what it was we were doing, what was our mission, purpose walking along state Public Thoroughfare 395. We told him we were nomadic wanderers moving north and south with the seasons, moving freely within the cloak of the Natural World when we choose and how we choose. We told him the Mules protected that most cherished, revered freedom in this country by using it all day every day and shining the light on those who work to reduce, eliminate the free movement of one’s own energy in this country.

As the conversation wound down, Trent mentioned he was a farrier (a very good one as it turned out) and he would be glad to shoe Little Girl. We accepted his offer. Trent told the Mules about his mustangs and the ride he was making from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Coast Trail. You can go to his website TheWildinUs.org to learn more.

Trent and The Mules said goodbye knowing the energy created from our meeting would at some time re-materialize in a most magical way.

Frank, Mario and John – Cycling from coast to coast across the U.S.A 
We later met Frank, Mario and John from New York on bicycle headed for Reno. They also asked us much the same questions and we gave them much the same answers. They were obviously enjoying their ride on the Public Thoroughfare as we were also enjoying our walk on the same.

We exchanged the positive energies that were harbored within us and were better off for it. We didn’t get a chance to hear about the purpose of their ride, but their website is on their t-shirts. (The photo doesn’t clearly show the website name…so Mario, Frank and John, if you see this or someone who knows them sees this, please share your website link in the comments for us.) The Mules say thank you to Mario, Frank and John for stopping and making a positive energy exchange on the Public Thoroughfare with the Mules.

The Importance of an open and free multi-use Public Thoroughfare
All of the above is a stellar example of citizens of a free country using an open and free public thoroughfare responsibly. The Public Thoroughfare when open and free engenders self-respect for oneself and all those who are met along the way. The huge amount of positive energy created by a multi-use, open and free public thoroughfare permeates and envelops the society, culture in which it weaves its way. A free country must have a strong, vibrant, open and free multi-use Public Thoroughfare in constant use by citizens that understand the Public Thoroughfare is their freedom.

The Megatropolis and its privateers have absolutely no place in the control or operation of the Public Thoroughfare. Any attempt to block and deny use of the Public Thoroughfare by those traveling by foot, bicycle, horseback or wheelchair under the guise or false pretext of safety, efficiency, comfort and ease, or other nonsense reason will not be accepted by the Mules. The Mules have been here for hundreds of thousands of years. It is the most beloved dimension to which we always return moving freely with reverence and respect for all those who inhabit this mysterious creation called Earth. We have no intention of ever doing anything else.

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The Mules and the State Park Public Resource

On May 22, 2017, the Mules crossed over Donner Pass, elevation 7135′, using Old Highway 40 and over the historic Rainbow Bridge. We went down the grade past Donner Lake. Having walked about 15 miles, we came upon Donner Memorial State Park. It was about 4pm. We decided to stop for the day and Donner Memorial State Park was the obvious place to rest for the night.

We entered the park, tied Little Girl to a lamp pole in the parking lot and went to the park’s visitor center. We approached the ranger behind the desk and asked if the Mules could spend the night. The ranger responded, “Absolutely not. Park regulations forbid any equestrian use inside this park.”

The Mules pay taxes. We pay between 9% to 10% sales tax on everything we buy. Everybody knows business doesn’t pay taxes, people do. When the Mules buy a product, they have paid most of the taxes that were levied by the State to get that product inside the store and onto the shelf.

The Mules ask only for the most bare bones use of the park. Simply put – enter the park, walk to the corner behind the maintenance yard, secure the mules to the fence, remove the packs, make the Mules comfortable for the night, put our bed roll on the ground, sleep, rise in the morning, clean up after ourselves and leave as we came living and walking with respect and reverence for the Natural World.

To deny the Mules or any equestrian this most bare bones use – pennies on the dollar cost to the Park system is blatantly illegal.

The Mules will be bringing the creative, magical energy of the nation, the Three Mule Nation, to make this request for an equestrian to use a state park to stop and rest for a night to every park by which we pass on our endless journey through time and space.

The Mules

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Bear encounter in Truckee

Last night around 11:20pm, Little Girl woke me up as she was exhaling loudly out of her nose, stomping her foot and staring intently at one spot. I grabbed my flashlight, sat up in my sleeping bag and shined my flashlight toward the direction Little Girl was looking. Back shined the reflection of two eyes staring back at us. It was a bear about 40 feet away, which then turned and walked away.

After that, I went back to sleep. An hour later, Little Girl started blowing out of her nose again because the bear came back. This time I got out of my sleeping bag, stood up and raised my arms to make myself look big. The bear walked away and didn’t come back anymore, but it was difficult falling back to sleep.

Tonight, Little Girl and I are resting in a different location.

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Kolby’s Horseshoeing

Kolby saw the Mules when we were walking through Stockton. He saw our 3 Mules sign and started watching our Facebook page. When he saw our request for need of a horseshoer he messaged us that he would be glad to donate his energy to the endless journey of the 3 Mules Nation, living with respect and reverence for the natural world and all it’s inhabitants. Thank you Kolby and to his wife Cassye for coming to Colfax to shoe Little Girl.

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Sacramento Police Department’s Lieutenant Freeman

Yesterday as the Mules were walking in Sacramento, Lieutenant Freeman stopped to greet us and ask how we were doing. We met Lt. Freeman back in 2013 the first time we brought the energy of the nation, The 3 Mules Nation, into the confines of Sacramento.

The Mules had a good conversation with Lt. Freeman. The Mules talked about our ages old nomadic way of life and the positive effects of it being shown and practiced in Sacramento and all other cities throughout the state. Lt. Freeman agreed.

The 3 Mules Nation says thank you to the citizens of Sacramento, Lt. Freeman, and Sacramento Police Department for our safe and enjoyable passage through Sacramento, the capitol city of California.

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Sacramento, CA

While Little Girl and me were wondering which direction to go next, three Sacramento Police Officers came by, introduced themselves and expressed their curiosity as to what we were doing. So we said we were using our constitutional right to travel and move freely in anyone of all four directions, how we choose, when we choose. They said that’s cool.

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Sacramento Megatropolis

On May 1, 2017 the Mules entered the Elk Grove in Sacramento county.

Site of 22 train car derailment

On the outskirts of town near Dillard Road, we came across the remnants of a 22 train car derailment that occurred during the heavy winter rains that flooded the area in February. We haven’t seen a derailment like this in a long time.

We found an quiet spot to rest with lots of green grass and shade to give Little Girl some rest. Here, the birds were singing and the geese were flying overhead releasing their energy of magic and power spurring the Mules into a new day of the same.

After we arrived in Sacramento, we spent the night along an abandoned railroad line. In the morning, I released Little Girl from her picket line so she could graze while I fixed my oatmeal for breakfast. Upon finishing breakfast, I went to get Little Girl about 200 feet away then packed her up. Off we went for another spontaneous unplanned day in the 3 Mule Nation.

Got to a Starbucks, secured Little Girl to a tree, went in, and charged my phone. Thank you Starbucks.

After phone got charged, we proceeded north to Del Paso and turned east. It was getting hot so we decided to stop and rest Little Girl under a tree. We were there for an hour when police showed up in two patrol cars, two officers asking many questions.

The first question we were asked was why were we here. They said somebody called saying there was a horse tied to a tree. Didn’t mention me. I was six feet away. One officer said he had had two horses and he knew that a horses should not be out in the heat. I just dropped my jaw, asked if I was being detained, received no answer, untied Little Girl and left. End of our resting time.

We proceeded along the boulevard for a mile went into a parking lot, got under a small tree and stopped.

Shortly afterwards, a reporter for the Sacramento Bee showed up, said he was curious as to what we were about and asked if he could interview us. We said sure, so he did for about 30 minutes asking questions and taking video. We explained our ages old nomadic way of life and the reason why we continue to live the way we do to preserve and exercise everybody’s right to travel by foot in the public thoroughfare and rest for the night. We saw the article and video that the Sacramento Bee posted online.

We were displeased of what the Bee published, focusing on the trivial and had no mention of our purpose of what we do all day every day. Following the Bee post, reporters from CBS13 and ABC10 have reached out and requested an interview with the Mules. We have not called them back as we found from past experience, local news stations cannot adequately report who The Mules are in the thirty seconds that they have to air a story, and most often the story is edited down to fluff. We find that the only three writers who have every captured the Mules true essence are Rick Paulas for The Kernel/The Daily Dot, Mark Luckach for The Atlantic, and Sarah Christie’s column for Mules and More.

Later that night, we found a place to rest for the evening/sleep.

The next day, as we were traveling through the Sacramento megatropolis, temperatures was in the 90s. It was time to obtain Little Girl a drink of water. We stopped at a business, asked if we could get water from the faucet on his building and person said no. He said that if we did try to get any water from the faucet, he would call the police.

This response to our request prompted the Mules to bring forth and into view Mule Proclamation 2645-B passed by the legislature of common sense and decency. This Proclamation states as follows: “Any corporation, business or private party who refuses any person traveling with or without an animal companion water for said personnel survival has committed an act of extreme inhumanity. A penalty of not less than 10 years in a not so nice place plus a $50,000.00 fine which will be placed in a multi-use state trail system fund, which will be assessed against the convicted.

The Mules will be in the Sacramento area showing how we live and the challenges we meet on a day to day basis and gathering people’s thoughts and energy as we walk along. In the past few days, Little Girl and I have enjoyed meeting and talking to many of the Three Mule Nation followers that live in the Sacramento Megatropolis.

The Mules are pleased to say that for every negative encounter the Mules may experience as we walk north, south, east, west, when we choose, how we choose, we have ten times more positive experiences with people that we meet while walking and living responsibly outside all day every day.

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City of Ripon’s unconstitutional law

Ripon, CA

Upon arriving here last night within the city limits of Ripon, we the Mules were informed by the Ripon City Police that the Ripon City Council had recently passed a no camping law forbidding anybody traveling by foot, bicycle or horseback from stopping anywhere within city limits of Ripon on public space to sleep for the night.

Ripon City Hall

The above being understood, we the Mules have taken it upon ourselves to deliver this day 4/24/2017 Mule Proclamation number 2645-A to the Ripon City Council.

PROCLAMATION #2645-A states:

Anybody traveling by foot, bicycle, horseback, crutches or wheelchair using their own physical resources to do said within the constitutional boundaries of the United States is doing so under the constitutional guarantees to move freely in anyone of all four directions, how you choose, when you choose. Stopping to sleep for the night is a necessary component for our right to move freely. For if the necessary function of sleep is denied, all other human activity and living experience is also being denied. To put it short and sweet without sleep, you die.

The Mules have come to the inevitable conclusion we cannot obey this law for to do so will be our death.

For any municipality and its city officials within the constitutional boundaries of the United States to spring forward and declare this most necessary function to life itself sleeping to be illegal and subject to heavy fines and jail time is a slap in the face in blatant disregard to all those who have given life and limb throughout this country’s history to protect and preserve humanity’s God given right to move freely.

The Mules will not give up this right. We’ve been here for hundreds of thousands of years. We haven’t given it up then nor will we now. The Mules invite the mayors and city council members of the many towns which the Mules will be traveling through to send their explanations and justifications as to why they have passed the no camping law in their town. The Three Mule Nation will be interested to hear the rational for enactment of such laws to be used against people traveling via non-motorized vehicles by foot, bicycle, horse. The Mules will gladly post their response in its entirety on our website 3Mules.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.

The Mules

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