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Bernie Harberts and his mule, Polly, are hard to miss as they head down the highway in the “Lost Sea Expedition” wagon. The trailer boasts a solar panel providing Bernie electricity for his razor, toothbrush and nightlight. “It’s a whole lot better than sleeping in a teepee,” he laughs.
By ELLEN MORTENSEN
Chief Assistant Editor
Author/adventurer Bernie Harberts always seems to be either on an adventure or planning for his next one.
Harberts circumnavigated the globe alone from 1998 to 2003 on a steel sailboat. Then he walked across America, from east to west, with a mule and a pony from 2004 to 2005. His current adventure has him traveling in a hand-crafted wagon with his mule across America from north to south. And his travels landed him in Broken Bow, where he was so impressed with the people and the history of the area he decided to stay a few days.
When he isn’t living in a teepee, boat or mule wagon, Harberts resides in Souther Pines, N.C. The area is known as the Sandhills of North Carolina, prompting him to want to visit the Sandhills of Nebraska.
Harberts chronicles his adventures, sharing them with others in the form of books, CDs and public speaking engagements. He says he is documenting this trip, dubbed the “Lost Sea Expedition,” on video with the hopes of a history, discovery or adventure channel showing interest in the work.
On his Website, riverearth.com, Harberts says, “The focus of my Canada to Mexico mule wagon journey is the Lost Sea, or Western Interior Seaway as geologists call it. That’s the ancient sea that covered the Great Plains 75 million years ago. Along the way, I interview, photograph and film farmers, ranchers, Native Americans, churches and just plain whoever will talk to me about the great inland sea that submerged the North American continent.”
While traveling between Anselmo and Broken Bow, Harberts encountered a local rancher who shared with him the history of Solomon Butcher. That, Harberts says, peaked his interest. And once he arrived in the community, he knew he wanted to take a day or two from his journey to get to know a little bit more about the area.
While in Broken Bow, he visited the Custer County Historical Museum and other sites, and camped out at the fairgrounds. In meeting Harberts, the first thing he does is introduce himself and then his partner and friend, “Polly,” his 13-year-old mule.
“She’s the one that does all the work,” he says.
Harberts says Broken Bow marks right at 1,000 miles traveled on this journey from the border of Canada to the border of Mexico. His last expedition, completed in 2005, took him from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, with mule “Woody” and pony, “Maggie.”
He and Polly began their journey in Neptune, Saskatchewan, Canada seven months ago. He expects to reach his final destination, Chihuahua, Mexico, sometime next spring. He is not in a hurry, traveling at a speed of about two miles an hour.
“The whole point is to slow down and enjoy the incredible country we live in,” says Harberts. “The trick is to travel slow enough to become part of the community.”
His coast-to-coast expedition took 13 months and covered 3,500 miles. He rode Woody about 1/3 of that distance, and walked the other 2/3 - sleeping in a teepee along the way. He has written a children’s geography book about the trip, titled “Woody and Maggie . . . walk across America.”
Harberts’ world traveling adventures began in 1993, when he built an 18-foot sailboat and sailed from Canada, down the east coast to the Bahamas. In 1998, he purchased a sailboat, “The Sea Bird,” for $1 a pound and sailed it around the world - a journey that took five years to complete.
On that trip, Harberts spent 65 days at sea without touching land. That experience is recounted on a CD titled, “65 Days Alone at Sea.” He says he carried a small notebook in his pocket which he used to draw pictures when in foreign countries and unable to speak the language.
“Everyone understands pictures,” he laughs.
He still carries the notebook, proudly displaying some of the creative drawings he has collected on his adventures.
Harberts says he has never felt threatened or in danger on his trips. He just enjoys meeting the people.
“Traveling with a mule forces you to meet people,” Harberts explained. “She needs to eat and rest every day, so you’re going to meet someone.”
Meeting people does not seem to be a problem for him, as his bright red “Lost Sea Expedition” wagon is pretty hard to miss when it enters a community. He says inevitably kids are attracted to Polly, and that generally brings their parents.
Those encounters not only create opportunities to meet people and provide information for his documentary, but also give him the venue to offer his books and merchandise for sale. It is the profits from that merchandise and speaking engagements that he uses to fund his trip.
Besides the documentary, Harberts also plans to pen another children’s geography and history book from this trip.
Harberts plans to take two or three weeks off from his travels in early August. “Every year I go on a reunion trip with my parents in August, so I will take some time out for that,” he says.
He plans to board Polly with a friend in Loup City until he returns to rejoin his journey.
More about Bernie Harberts and his adventures, as well as information on his books and CD’s, can be found on his Website, www. riverearth.com. |
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