San Mateo Police Encounter

On October 6, 2021, the Mules were trailered across the Golden Gate Bridge and dropped off at Ocean Beach. We spent the remainder of the day walking through San Francisco, then into South San Francisco with no police contact.

Little Girl and Little Ethel in South San Francisco with the Cow Palace behind us.

We spent two nights in South San Francisco where we had stopped many times before, got up in the morning, and started walking through Brisbane, San Bruno, then into San Mateo. The Mules’ goal was to stop in San Mateo for the night at a place we had previously stayed many times before, but when getting there found it to be under construction, so we continued on where we found another place to stop for the night.

Where we spent the night on October 8, 2021 and where the San Mateo Police woke us up at 11pm.

The monk put the mules on picket lines, fixed something to eat, then put his sleeping bag to the ground and went to sleep here in San Mateo.

At approximately 11:00 p.m. we were awoken by two police officers shining flashlights in our faces. They wanted to know what we were doing here. We asked them what were they doing here. They informed me they got a call of large animals in this area. They wanted to know who I was, where I was going, where I was coming from, what I was doing, so forth and so on.

I gave them my name, told them I was migrating South, and handed one of the officers my card.

They continued to ask me unnecessary and redundant questions at which time I stated I wasn’t going to answer any more questions. They then told me that I couldn’t be here because there were city codes against large animals in the city.

I told them we have been walking all day long and it was necessary to stop for the night. We could not walk in the dark as it would not be safe for we had no headlight or reflectors for that purpose.

The officer stated he had no previous experience with anybody walking through the city with a horse so he would call his supervisor and get her advice. So we waited for the supervisor to arrive on the scene and sort the whole thing out. She did and decided we could stay for the night. A total of six police vehicles showed up.

In regards to the officers claiming they did not know who we were I find that extremely hard to believe. We had been walking on the El Camino all day long with surveillance cameras on most intersections. At 4:20pm, one officer stopped, got out of his car, approached us, and started asking the usual question. We were certainly being surveilled and recorded. We stick out like a sore thumb needless to say with two mules.

October 8, 2021 4:20pm – officer who stopped, got out of his car, approached the Mules, and started asking the usual questions.

The mules have passed through San Mateo walking down the El Camino many times in previous years. We have our website name in large white block letters 3MULES.COM on the side of both of our pack boxes to be easily seen by any officer observing us walking down the El Camino.

Furthermore, on August 8, 2015, San Mateo Police Department posted on their social media page welcoming the Mules where we spent the night within city limits near where we stayed the other night. For them to say they didn’t know who we were was ridiculous. [Read our 2015 post about this here.]

San Mateo Police post welcoming the mules in 2015
San Mateo Police Department social media post welcoming the Mules to San Mateo in August 2015.

Anyway all the above being said, the Mules packed up in the morning and proceeded to walk through Belmont, San Carlos, in and thru Redwood City, Atherton, Menlo Park, then into Palo Alto, where we spent the night at the Cubberley Community Center in Palo Alto on Middlefield Road. Having no police contact and a quiet peaceful night, we then proceeded in the morning through Mountain View and into Sunnyvale where we are now as a guest of another supportive member of the Three Mules Nation.

The Mules resting at Cubberley Community Center, Palo Alto, CA on October 9, 2021
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Lady (1980-October 7, 2021)

Lady, the mule who I purchased in 1986 in Coarsegold, CA when she was about 6 years old, and then roamed and wandered all over the western United States for 26 years, and in California for the past 9 years, has laid her physical body to rest on this day, October 7, 2021, at age 41 in human years. In horse years, we calculate this to be 114 years old.

The Mules want to give a special thanks to Jane, her parents, and Tucky for the wonderful care and place to spend her last years.

Myself, the Monk, says to myself how best to honor this wonderful soul who became an essential part of my life. If you have taken a photo of or with Lady, please share with us in the comments with the location and date and we will add to a video that we are compiling to remember her. 

When I was saying goodbye to her for the last time [on 9/20/21], we both knew there was an understanding that we would come together once again to wander and roam over the face of this Earth practicing the ages old sacred ways of the nomads.

The body dies and returns to dust. The spirit is eternal. Lady will have many paths and choices to choose from. We hope she chooses to return with us and continue to contribute her energy to the Three Mules Journey in a way unique and peculiar to herself.

The Mules

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We are Equestrian Travelers

It’s ironic that across the street from us is a mural depicting the early travelers in this area who traveled by horse. Believe it or not, equestrian travel still exists today in the United States of America.

We the Mules are equestrian travelers. We are not criminals, nor a public nuisance, nor a drug addict, nor alcoholics. We pick up after ourselves, #LeaveNoTrace, eat Bob’s Red Mill organic, gluten-free old fashioned rolled oats, and volunteer our grass/weed abatement services along the public thoroughfare.

Help spread the word that 3 Mules are walking south thru the San Francisco Bay Area on our way to Southern California. We are currently in Richmond and will be in Marin County by Monday afternoon (Oct 4th) where we’ll continue our journey south towards San Francisco (then thru San Mateo and Santa Clara counties in the next couple of weeks).

We can make our journey south quicker if we are not stopped and questioned by law enforcement responding to frequent calls from “concerned citizens.”

if you see somebody that doesn’t look like the Monk/Mule leading Little Girl and Little Ethel, then that is a time to be concerned! Send us a private message where you see the mules if this is the case.

Three Mule Nation: help spread the word, share our post that we are heading south following the historic Juan Bautista de Anza historic route as we do each year. If you see us, take a photo, post and tag 3 Mules on Facebook or @3Mules on Instagram, so people are aware who we are and don’t call 911 to report equestrian travelers.

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Acorns

The Mules have been processing acorns. First gathering, then shelling, then pounding into a cornmeal type consistency, then leeching in water for about 5 days, then drying out, at which time they’ll be ready to eat.

After shelling the acorn and it’s still green and moist it’s pretty easy to pound them up into a cornmeal consistency. They leach a lot faster than if you were to leach them when the acorns are in a whole condition.

What do they taste like you ask and wonder? Well not good, not bad. The Mules suspect when the grocery stores are empty and you’ve been walking all day in search of something to eat, a bag of acorn flour in your pack that you can reach into and get some to eat, will taste pretty good. Of course at that point and beyond, taste is not really much of a concern. When the stomach wants food, it’ll take anything it can get without the slightest protest as to what it is or what it taste like.

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Bearsun

As the Mules follow Bearsun on his social media pages as he walks from Los Angeles to New York City, we the Mules find it to be quite interesting. His encounters with law enforcement seem to be rather frequent. They surely know who he is. A bear using the public thoroughfare the way it has always been used and the way it must be used. A public pathway where people move freely between cities and towns, slowing down, stopping, advising each other on various topics, helping each other, and enjoying the company and diversity of their fellow users of this public pathway. The life blood of a free country. The only and best way to protect it is to get out there and bring the energy of fellowship, goodwill and peace right to its very surface.

So the Mules commend Bearsun and all others whose journeys the Mules have followed, such as Davide Travelli and Chen Guan Ming, who willingly and freely go out and use their energy to make a unique contribution to build an open and free Public Thoroughfare.

The Mules

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Mule Advisory Board Directive 69-AB50

The Mule Advisory Board created by the 3 Mules to advise the Governor’s office, the State Legislature, and Caltrans on how to make California roads and highways safe and accessible to all legal users, which include equestrians, cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists.

The Mules have issued Advisory Board Directive 69-AB50 which instructs the Governor’s office to immediately place the state tax windfall of $262.6 billion into the 3 Mule Advisory Board account, which 3 Mules will manage and administer for the purpose of building an extensive trail/path system which will link together all California cities and towns like the world has never seen. It will bring people from all lover the nation and world wanting the experience of traveling on it.

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Mule Advisory Board

The Mules have been in California traveling, walking, and using the county, city, and state public thoroughfares for almost nine years living with respect and reverence for the Earth that supports us. Through this experience, we have come to the obvious observation that the California public thoroughfares, especially the rural thoroughfares, are dangerous and unsafe.  To deal with this condition, the Mules have created the Mule Advisory Board to advise the California Governor, State Legislatures, Caltrans and CHP. 

The rural county and state roads have been constructed to be very smooth allowing the modern automobile to travel them at extremely high and dangerous speeds. These roads are also very narrow allowing little or no room for automobiles and the other legal users such as equestrians, cyclists, and pedestrians to safely pass each other. Cyclists, pedestrians, and equestrians are being illegally removed from these public thoroughfares simply because there is no room by which to use them alongside motorists. 

For over eight years, the Mules have passed a huge amount of roadside memorials representing the many people who have needlessly lost their lives to the unsafe conditions of California’s public roads. The Mules are holding the State of California and Caltrans responsible for the deadly and dangerous road conditions which have been responsible for the bloody carnage which has been allowed to go on far too long.

The Mule Advisory Board has issued the following directives to be implemented immediately:

1) Mandatory speed limit reduction from 55 miles per hour (mph) to 30 mph on all county and state roads where a designated condition of extremely dangerous road has been established. The designated condition of an extremely dangerous road would be any section of a road that has blind curves and a narrow passage with little or no shoulder for all the legal users to pass each other safely. The 30 mph speed limit will be in effect until an alternate pathway for the other legal users (pedestrians, equestrians, and cyclists) is constructed not further than one mile from the line of travel from the road in question.

2) Rest Stops. On any newly constructed alternative pathways for non-motorized travelers, places to stop and rest for not less or more than a 24-hour period must be provided along the route every ten miles. 

3) Signage – signs must be posted every four miles on both sides of the road, stamping down and stamping into the public mind that sharing the road is the law. And for the well-being and safety of all legal users this law must be practiced and obeyed.  

4) Enforce CA Vehicle Code 21759The driver of any vehicle that approaches a horse drawn vehicle, any ridden animal, or livestock must exercise proper control of his vehicle and shall reduce speed or stop as may appear necessary to avoid frightening the animal and to insure safety of the person in charge of the animal.  

CA Vehicle Code 21759

The above directives are to be implemented immediately, for the purpose of bringing a state of the art public thoroughfare and trail system to the people of California. 

The Mules will be delivering a copy of the Mules Advisory Board’s directives (shown below) one step at a time, all day every day, to the California Governor and State Legislatures, all CalTrans District Offices, and every CHP District Headquarters. As well, the Mules will be delivering and spreading throughout the State the ever mounting level of energy emanating from our lawsuit, Mules vs. State of California. The energy emanating from this lawsuit will show itself to have no bounds. It will blanket the State and relentlessly work to bring a state of the art public thoroughfare and trail system to the people of California. 

The Mules

MULE ADVISORY BOARD DIRECTIVE:

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3 Mules Legal Fund

The Mules have opened a 3 Mules Legal Fund to help pay for legal costs (excluding attorney fees) in our case against the State of California and its enforcement agency CHP. [Details about our case is posted here.]

The Mules will provide a complete and accurate ledger as to where, how, and when any funds that are raised for the 3 Mules Legal Fund using our GoFundMe page when our attorney advises us the appropriate time to do so.  The funds will be held in our attorney Todd T Cardiff ‘s Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Account (IOLT). Our initial fundraising goal for the legal fund is $2500. However, we will set a goal of $2600 to help cover GoFundMe fee of 2.9% + 30 cents per each donation. 

The 3 Mules Legal Fund GoFundMe will be turned off for further donations when we reach this initial goal and we will post here again when it has been turned off. 

The purpose in filing this lawsuit is not to seek revenge against the arresting officer or CHP, but to protect the Mules sovereign right and Constitutional right as well as everybody else’s right to move freely in America. For without this right the Mules ages old nomadic way of life dies dead in its tracks. 

The Mules have been given the spiritual energy of our ancestors which has been accumulated and harbored for thousands of years in the struggle to be and remain free in this earthly dimension. The Mules will use this energy peacefully in ways yet to be understood or foreseen. The lawsuit is only one of these ways.

3 Mules Legal Fund GoFund Me Link: 
https://www.gofundme.com/f/3-mules-legal-fund

If you are see a link to donate to the Mules that doesn’t look like the above and it is not listed here on our 3Mules.com website or official 3Mules Facebook page, it is not endorsed by us. Other than what we stated here, we do not have any other active GoFundMe, Kickstarter, PayPal or any other online sites requesting funds.

As of 2/3/2021 8pm: Our fundraising goal of $2600 has been reached and no further donations to this campaign will be accepted. The funds will be held in our attorney Todd T. Cardiff ‘s Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Account (IOLT). The Mules say thank you on behalf of ourselves, on behalf of the Nation, the Three Mules Nation, and all those who love and cherish the freedom to travel in this nation how you choose when you choose as the Mules practice and show all day every day one step at a time. ~The Mules

As of 5/10/2021:
CREDITS
2/3/2021: $2505 raised thru GoFundMe for 3 Mules Legal Fund
3/1/2021: $2505 Mule Legal Fund balance deposited in Lawyers’ Trust Account

EXPENSES
2/5/2021: $6.60 Cardiff postage for Mail Service of Complaint to mail summons/complaint to CHP HQ/CHP Templeton
3/28/2021: $35 Moe’s Processing Servers (CHP Sacramento)
3/19/2021: $95 United Process Servers (CHP Templeton)
4/1/2021: $0.55 Cardiff postage for meet and confer letter
4/1/2021: $5.00 Cardiff letterhead and envelop
4/15/2021: $331 Cardiff court fees for Attorney Admission into Federal Court, Central District

BALANCE as of 5/10/2021 $2,031.85

Cardiff-Invoice-p1

Image 1 of 6

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Defendants’ Answer to Complaint

On May 20, 2021, the California Attorney General attorney for California Highway Patrol (CHP) answered the Mules’ complaint with a long detailed diatribe trying to justify the Mules’ arrest on January 23, 2020.

The Mules under state law clearly have the right to travel/walk on all county, state roads in California. The Mules right to do so as well as all other legal users – cyclists, pedestrians was clearly violated.

This case, 3 Mules vs California/CHP is a gift that has been laid down on a table its one-inch thick and a foot square. It has been infused with glowing beautiful light sent from the nomadic way of life that has been practiced for thousands and thousands of years here on this earth. The effect this case will have will be far reaching and multi-dimensional.

The spiritual energy being accumulated in and around this case will never relent, protecting this sacred, nomadic way of life and all those who give their energy to it.

~The Mules

Read Defendents’ Answer to Complaint

Read The Mules Complaint against CHP

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