Pictured are some of the many people Little Girl and me met as we traveled through Redding. The Mules say thank you to the friendly and helpful people of Redding for making our journey through their town an enjoyable one.
The Mules mission is to walk freely in anyone of all four directions, how we choose when we choose and the right to rest/sleep on public space so we can arise and walk again with respect and reverence for this place called earth. We did that as we travelled through Redding. Thank you.
Yesterday sometime around dusk where we stopped to spend the night on what turned out to be land administered by the National Park Service, two rangers appeared informing us we were illegally camping and we could not spend the night here.
The Mules informed the rangers we were traveling across country and anybody doing so either by horseback, bicycle or foot has the right to stop and rest for the night on public space. We were not dragging in rugs, bedsprings, mattresses nor would be changing our oil or doing maintenance on our motorhome. Simply be here for the night, clean up after ourselves, be gone come morning.
The ranger got on his communication device, talked to headquarters, a decision was made to let the Mules spend the night.
The above event of yesterday is the National Park Service acknowledging and understanding the value and importance of a National Park Nomadic Lifestyle Pass. This Pass will be issued to all citizens who wish to travel throughout this country non-motorized either by horse, bicycle or foot.
Showing in a real way, one step at a time, a human being living outside responsibly with respect and reverence for the Natural World. Certainly condusive to the mission and purpose of our National Parks.
Due to the fact that I had my smartphone stolen the other night while sleeping on the side of Public Thoroughfare 273 a bit south of Clear Creek, the communication between myself and the 3 Mules Facebook administrator was hindered by not having use of my phone. An accounting of yesterday’s occurrences in Redding and WinCo were not completely accurate. We offer a revised accounting of yesterday’s events.
Upon awakening at 5:30am along Public Thoroughfare 273, I discovered that my smartphone had been stolen. I then proceeded to pack up Little Girl and head to Redding City Hall about 7 miles away to deliver the Declaration of Emergency. I grazed Little Girl for about an hour on the clover at City Hall when a Redding police officer approached us, introduced himself and told us he had mules and how much he enjoyed them. We had a nice conversation about that subject on the city hall steps. Afterwards, we proceeded to WinCo.
At approximately 2:30pm, we arrived at WinCo. I tied Little Girl in the shadiest spot I could find in the WinCo parking lot, then entered the store to buy oats, a can of pineapple, black beans, diced tomatoes, a small carton of yogurt, a bagel, and carrots for Little Girl. I paid for the items, placed them in grocery cart and went back to where Little Girl was tied. I then opened up my can of pineapple and yogurt which I bought for lunch.
Shortly thereafter the WinCo security guard approached us and said that he had been watching us and we had been there long enough and had to leave immediately. We said we certainly would be leaving but not immediately.
We had been walking in the heat since 6:30am. It was 110F. Myself and Little Girl walk using our own power. We are not machines. We do not move at the same rapid effortless pace as the automobile and its occupants.
The security guard said he had called animal control and the police and they were on their way. I requested him to get the store manager. He refused. I went into the store sought out the store manager. The manager came out shortly thereafter and informed me we were fine and that there was no problem. I went back to where Little Girl was tied, continued to eat my lunch then packed up the supplies, we then left. We never had any contact with animal control or the Redding Police Department.
The experience the Mules had in Redding at the WinCo grocery store (a good store, great variety, good prices, good food) is in our mind a perfect example of the challenge the Mules face as we live in stark contrast to this age of machines and to the way and pace of living which is being imposed on all of us.
When the WinCo security guard came over to the Mules and said we had been there too long and we would have to leave immediately, he was not being mean, he was simply doing what he was trained to do – keep everything everybody moving at a pace that is set by machines.
The Mules live in respect and reverence for the Natural World and all its inhabitants and in a pace which is in stark contrast to that of the machines. The Mules cannot, will not, ever conform to the will or pace of living which the machines are now demanding. There is an epic struggle in motion between these two now most powerful forces – the Natural World and the Man-made World – as to which will win and dominate the earth.
The Mules have thrown as always throughout history all their chips to the Natural World. The Mules know that the amount of hope and faith freely given to this epic struggle will materialize into the answers needed to win this struggle.
