benson mule days

well this was the trip i had been waiting for all year.i arrived at ronalds house on wendesday about 3 pm and unloaded my wagon and mules and headed to the barn where ronald and billy were ,said movie crew will be here shortly we are cooking pork roast ,cabbage beans and fat back well eat when the movie people get here.in a couple of hours they rolled up we said get a plate and help your self ,they looked at the fat back and didnt know what it was .al asked whats that i said just try it . when we got up from the table i told ronald we were among city people because country would never leave fat back .then out side to show them around ,in loving to play around i decided to get al .in north carolina we have a tree called a pressimon and it produces fruit that is good to eat if ripe ,if it is just i little green it is very bitter.i pulled a couple of ripe ones and ate them then gave al one a little green what a face.then it was time to put shoes on ronalds mules so we showed them how to do that.the next day we headed out for erect (population center of north carolina)with just two wagons we wound our way down to erect and set up camp ,that night several people came by to visit then off to bed .the next day we started cooking breakfast and the movie people had never seen double yoked eggs ,i guess being from the country is a little different .double yoked eggs arnt sold in the store ,they have two yokes when you break them in the pan .so off we were to high falls to a chicken farm that belonged to a friend where three more wagons met us .that night the film crew noticed a jar getting passed around one asked whats that i said north carolina spring water or some people call it corn in a jar (moonshine) so every body just took a little taste.the next day we headed out through the the country side headed for an old church back in the woods .we had stayed here several times before .when we pulled up we told the movie crew go check it out al said whos got the key ,i said there is no locks on the door they couldnt believe it ,its almost 200 years old and never been locked not even a lock on the door.the next day we headed out toward sanford and saw a copper head that a car had run over i was still moving so off with it head and skin it to make a hat band.late that afternoon we arrived at lemon springs .the movie crew found a lot of thing there they had never seen .the farm we stayed on was a working mule farm so a lot of mule drawn equipment was in the barn.there the only lady to drive a wagon met us .the next day we headed for lillington about half way there we stoped to take a break and a guy came out and asked need anything no we replied .as we pulled into lillington a guy stoped us and said come stay at my place ,we said ok.i think thiw was about the best place we had stayed great big field and a lake with a dock so a few of us went swiming.the next day would be the last day of travel so off we went toword benson mule days,.about lunch time we took a break and just as we started to leave i hit a hole in the deep grass and bent the tie rod end so it took about thirty miniutes to fix it.well off on the last leg of the journey.we got to benson about five pm set up camp and the next couple of days just relaxed.then it was time to compete in the events .we finished second it the obstacle drivine and first in pleasure driving.then it was time for what i had been waiting for the wagon race well we won it and the wagon drag race to .well then it was of to home pack up and drive 70 miles in an hour and a half what a differents.

labor day week long ride

well its back off to ride again,weather here in north carolina has started to cool off now.my friend don king came down with his two pony mules and wagon , he came down tuesday about 9 am ,i was ready to get going.so i decided to hook three mules this time (my two older mules mary and jane and a young mule named birdie) three abreast .off we went down toward the state land i love so much,we walked along at a brisk pace down accross the river bridge on to turn pike road ,not having any trouble all the way to the hunter camp at hoffman north carolina.we set up camp and as we cooked supper a visitor showed up .he had just stoped by to tell us about a military manovers in the area ,we said we were familar with them being in the woods.just as we had gone to bed a helicopter landed in the field just around the corner ,the mules had seen this before so it didnt seam to bother them. the next day ronald hudson and billy steveson arrived with a big mule and a little mule and a little yellow wagon .we then hooked up and headed out for laurel hill to listen to blue grass at the pickin shed .danny pate and mcfarland road bluegrass put on a good show.well the next morning we headed back to the hunter camp arriving in the afternoon we noticed people had started to show up for the nite ride we had planed.after eating supper ronald hudson and bernie harberts had decided to hook there two mules to the little wagon ronald had brought.we were off to a good start down the sand road ,as we arrived at a drop zone a c 130 airplane started droping paratropers ,well guess what you never know what will bugger a mule .as we watched the paratropers fall from the sky in the moon light jane and poly took off in a dead run away down the road some how they stoped them and headed back ,then all over again the mules were in a dead run again as they came by all of us the mules jumped off a bank all at once the little wagon was air born it came down on the front axle breaking it o my when the wagon stoped it launched ronald and birnie(river earth.com)out of the wagon about 30 feet then the mules left running down the dirt road full blast with the tounge and front axle .we ran over to see if they were hurt and all i heard was birnie laughing so i knew one was ok .ronald then responded by saying i dont know,but after sitting there he was fine just skent up a little .well we decided to leave the wagon there till morning .well we still had to find the mules well there one was they had centered a big pine tree and jane was standing there but no poly .we made our way back to camp and decided to wait til daylight to look for her but the next morning she had found us .well off to a day of rest and another nite ride was coming up. this time we had a good ride covering 18 miles with saddle riders and wagons with no problems .then the next day was departure time birnie had decided to drive poly on over to my house with me .we had a good day no prpblems at all untill we got about 100 yards from the drive way as i hit the brakes something broke in the wheel locking it up .after checking it out we just drug it on home .