On New Year’s Day, the Mules were in Pasadena to watch the Rose Parade. At one point, we entered the parade from a side street and walked in front of a float for one block for about 5 minutes or so. As we got to the end of the block, a police officer asked us to leave so we did and went about our way.
Yesterday, January 8, 2016, the Mules received the following e-mail from Pasadena Police Department Sergeant Paul Carpenter:
“Sir, my name is Paul Carpenter. I am Sergeant with the Pasadena Police Department and I work in our Event Planning Section which works to police special events in the city. I understand you inserted yourself and your mules in the Tournament of Roses Parade last week and that was not the first time. The Tournament of Roses carefully selects the participants that they allow in the parade and, as you can imagine, an unauthorized entry is a concern for me, from a security perspective. I am sure that you mean absolutely no harm to the parade or any of the parade goers, however we cannot have your, or any one else, inserting themselves into the parade.
If you have any questions or if you wish to discuss this any further please contact me at the email listed above.
Thank you.
Sgt. Paul Carpenter
The Mules do understand Sergeant Carpenter’s concern of the Mules inserting themselves into the Rose Parade. We respect the necessary job of police agencies. We will not insert ourselves again into the Rose Parade. That being said we feel it necessary to state the reason we did so.
The Megatropolis uses the Rose Parade to put its best side out for all to see and tell us all the great things its done and continues to do. However, there is two sides to every coin. The catastrophic consequences of what it is doing are not being shown.
The Megatropolis uses the parade to hide its tracks, the extreme destructive consequences of its activity on earth. Current examples of this destruction include the methane gas leak going on right now in Porter Ranch, California with 1800 people evacuated from their homes and the poisoned water supply in Flint, Michigan destroying lives of the future generations. Just the tip of the iceberg.
The Mules know they cannot just stand by and watch the destruction of life on earth. We are driven to do something, so we walk peacefully all day every day and carry and spread the message of the energy that surrounds us and envelopes us that the human race must create a new path and adjust its course if we are to live on this earth.
This is our fourth consecutive year attending the Tournement of Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.
If you have taken a photo of us at the Rose Parade, we ask if you would please share and post your photos using hashtag #3Mules #3MULES.COM #NomadicLife, so we can find them on Instagram, Twitter, Flickr, or please post or send your photo to us on 3 MulesFacebook page.
Sharing your photos helps spread our message that this beautiful earth, like no other, can only be protected by the way we live one day at a time. Happy New Year!
Little Girl, Babe, Monk and Lady [Photo Credit: Steve Hadley]
As I was making my oatmeal and the kids were eating their breakfast of alfalfa hay that Sofia brought to us last night, a whole lot of Whittier police showed up. They said that we couldn’t camp here. We said that we were having breakfast and will leave. The officers were all very friendly, asked the usual questions, took pictures and then left. We ate our breakfast, packed up and continued on our way to Pasadena.
Paramount, CA – November 17, 2015 Pictured is where we stopped yesterday afternoon at 4:30pm in the City of Paramount. After securing the kids to some trees and removing their packs, we prepared dinner. Upon completing our meal, it became dark so we put the kids on picket lines and stayed the night. Getting up in the morning, we fixed breakfast, ate, packed up the kids who were ready and rested for a new day to spread the seeds of magic and mystery that the Mules carry.
The Mules say thank you to the city of Paramount for the kindness and support they showed the Mules for allowing us to stop and rest for the night. The Mules also want to thank the City of Paramount for being a stellar example of how anybody traveling in transit going from one place to the next whether by horse, bicycle, on foot, etc., must be treated.
This independent self reliant means of moving yourself (how you choose, when you choose, where you choose) is the backbone to freedom in this country. A cherished freedom that many have given life and limb to preserve. Thank you to the people of the City of Paramount.
City of Lakewood’s City Hall staff presented with the Declaration of Emergency
Lakewood, CA – November 18, 2015 This afternoon, the Mules stopped by the City of Lakewood City Hall to deliver the Declaration of Emergency (DOE). When we arrived, the city hall staff came out to greet us and were very welcoming to the Mules. They kindly posed for a group photo. The gentleman holding the DOE said that he would hand deliver our important document, which declares the need for an interstate trail system, to the Mayor of Lakewood. Thank you to the people in the City of Lakewood for your kind heartedness.
San Clemente, CA – January 22, 2015 In contrast, early in January 2015, the Mules were traveling on the ages old trail now called the El Camino Real going through the City of San Clemente and were not treated with the same kindness and respect that we received from the people of Paramount last night and the city of Lakewood today.
On January 22, 2015 at 4am, the Mules were woken up by San Clemente police officer who told us that we could not sleeping in this vacant lot in which he found us. The City of San Clemente has strict no camping ordinances. He asked us when we would be leaving. We said we would leave when it was light and he said okay and left. About 8:30am, we continued our journey south on the El Camino Real when Little Girl started to show a light lameness in her front foot. As we continued, her limp became pronounced. To prevent further injury, we stopped at another vacant lot to inspect her foot, which was quite sensitive. We knew that we needed to seek help with someone with a horse trailer to bring her to an equine vet to get checked. Took the pack off the mules and started making phone calls, leaving messages to people I knew to seek help. None of our contacts were able to arrive that day (January 22) with a trailer.
About 9pm, San Clemente police officer arrived. We explained our circumstances as to why we were there and could not physically move due to Little Girl’s injury. The officer called animal control and we waited for quite a while before animal control showed up. Animal control officer took a very quick look at a distance, had Little Girl walk a few steps on soft dirt, and made a comment that Little Girl did not look lame to her, and then left. At that point the police officer decided to issue the citation based on her opinion.
The next day, friends arrived with a trailer to pick us up to bring us to San Juan Capistrano. We could not meet the vet immediately and rested Little Girl while we waited for our appointment on January 26. On January 26, San Juan Capistrano equine veterinarian Dr. Mark Secor gave Little Girl an exam, including x-rays. Dr. Secor wrote in his examination report: “Exam: mild LF lameness noted at walk, certain steps – tight circle to left more exaggerated, mild high lateral hoof well, mild ups DP’s, les palpates WNL. Moderate sensitivity to hoof testers… Suspect cause of lameness – resolving abscess.
Vet diagnosis for Little Girl
The Monk followed the instructions on the citation, submitted a check by the payment deadline and requested to contest citation via mail (submitting our letter and vet expert diagnosis with payment) instead of having an Administrative Hearing in person which would require mules to walk back to San Clemente. The Mules made several phone calls to request in regards to an appeal while we were nearby and was told that they were backlogged in processing citations. On March 2, we received a certified letter that stated “THIS IS THE SECOND HEARING DATE – IT CANNOT BE RESCHEDULED”. The Mules never received a letter informing us about a date for a first hearing. Also, we sent Dr. Secor’s exam as evidence that Little Girl was lame.
The Mules found it unreasonable for San Clemente to cite us and retain our $100 citation fee as we had a valid reason for why we could not PHYSICALLY leave town by walking due to Little Girl’s lameness in her foot. We were waiting for friends to come with a horse trailer to pick us up, which wasn’t available to arrive until the next day. We submitted written letter of appeal with veterinarian diagnosis confirming Little Girl’s lameness due to abscess in hoof. San Clemente rejected our written request for appeal and required us to appear in person back in San Clemente even though we had indicated that we would not be able to walk back in time due to our distance. As well, after explaining how we live a nomadic life in our initial letter to San Clemente, it is unreasonable for the city to wait more than two months for an administrative hearing date when we called to inquire multiple times while we were within walking distance to appeal.
Mule’s letter sent to City of San Clemente
The Mules are returning to San Clemente, CA In a few days, the Mules will be once again traveling this ages old trail now called the El Camino Real. Through the City of San Clemente once again we will be stopping there to rest for the night.
The Mules will be sending San Clemente Mayor Chris Hamm and San Clemente City Council members a letter informing them of our return to the City of San Clemente and we hope the treatment we received earlier this year will not be repeated. For the Mules to be treated in the public nuisance type categories as drunkards, drug abusers, leaving large amounts of trash behind, engaging in irresponsible type living with no regard or respect for anyone or anything is a complete turnaround from the truth.
We have a Facebook page and our 3Mules.com website where the way we live is well documented. For anybody traveling in this country by horse, by foot or by bicycle going from one place to the next in transit exercising that most cherished right of personal freedom to be treated as we were in the City of San Clemente shows a blatant disregard for those who choose another means of transportation other than the dangerous and destructive automobile.
Yesterday we spent most of the day going south on San Fernando Road which got us to Martinez Arena in Griffith Park where we spent the night. The Mules always enjoy walking, traveling through the Los Angeles Megatropolis. There is a huge amount of energy harbored here. As we travel through this huge Megatropolis called Los Angeles meeting, talking and experiencing all the many people who have come from all over the world to live here, we marvel at the mysterious ways in which they find to live and work together. This creates a tremendous amount of energy. The Mules tap into it and use it to move freely along our way.
Little Girl, Lady and Babe walking on Old Ridge Route Road
Pictures we took while walking the Old Ridge Route Road between Gorman and Castaic. It was the main road out of Los Angeles into the Central Valley.
Its construction was accomplished with the help of hundreds of our longtime friends and partners in life, the Mule.
As the mule demonstrated its extreme worth in the days of yesteryear, they have now mysteriously created a new role for themselves as the carriers of a message to necessitate and spread the absolute need for balance between the Natural World and the man made world.
The Mules have been setting posts of energy as they travel through the state. We’ve set a post at the Golden Gate Bridge, a post in Mendocino County, a post in Imperial Beach, the southern most destination of our migratory journey, and a post in Griffith Park where the mountain lion presides. As these posts continue to be set, the energy created by hope, faith and energy freely given will flow to these between and around them. That energy will beam out and permeate every square inch of this state.
It is all about energy – your energy. Learning that then accumulating and acquiring it by giving your hope and faith that energy will materialize into what you need. As the message the Mules carry continues to intensify with an understanding that a strong, healthy Natural World is essential to the wellbeing and happiness of the human race. People will give their personal energy for that end. Change will come – real change. Out of that energy will come the answers of how to. It’s all about energy materializing into what we need.
Follow-up email that 3 Mules received on 12/6. “Mule, I am the police officer in the blue truck that stopped the other night on Sierra Highway to just say hi. Just wanted to let you know I really enjoyed talking to you and I really enjoyed learning about your journey. Thanks, Adam”
Mules getting some rest enjoying themselves in the background the United States Court House where they will go to on the morning of November 6, 2014 to answer the charge levied upon them by the National Park Service of illegal camping (stopping to sleep for the night).
Do we have a lawyer, a well prepared case? No.
What we have is the energy of this place of one human being and his or her animal companions wandering this beautiful plant through history going back thousands of years. The Mules will bring this energy to and into the courthouse. This energy and our connection to it is truly our defense. It is our wealth. It is the reason we live one step at a time, all day, every day.
