Emma’s Mule

We love getting hand written letters and sketches here at Lost Sea Expedition headquarters. We super-enjoy the pictures we get from young artists like Emma.

Mule Polly eyes her likeness.
Mule Polly eyes her likeness. The pencil sketch was recently sent to us by Emma, a young Arkansas artist. Emma’s mule won the staring contest.

This week, I drove 2 hours to show mule Polly, the mule I took on the Lost Sea Expedition, some artwork sent in by a brother and sister. Here’s how that went. Continue reading “Emma’s Mule”

The Lost Sea Expedition Program

The talk about the Lost Sea Expedition series has been presented from Canada to South Dakota to Kansas to Texas. The latest one was waayyyy closer to home. Big howdy and thanks to the 60-plus folks that came out for the latest Lost Sea Expedition program. Hosted by the Friends of the Caldwell County Library, it was a great chance for folks to learn more about the voyage behind the Public TV series.

A few of the folks that attended the recent "Lost Sea Expedition" program.
A few of the folks that attended the recent “Lost Sea Expedition” program. The illustration on the slide screen is one of the paintings folk artist Charlie Frye painted for the series.

Thanks, too, to all the folks (muchas gracias Keith, Mary, Ronnie and all the others) that followed up with an online donation.  You can see more photos from the voyage and event by clicking through. Continue reading “The Lost Sea Expedition Program”

Nov 19 Lost Sea Expedition Program

What’s life like on the road with a mule? Could you cross the country in a 21-square foot wagon? November 19th is your chance to find out.

lost_sea_expedition_program_flyer

Come join me for the “Lost Sea Expedition” program.  Think of it as 393 days on the road with a mule distilled in to a free one-hour program.
Where: Caldwell County Public Library, 120 Hospital Ave NW, Lenoir, NC 28645
When: 10a, November 19 / Meeting Room # 6
The Lost Sea Expedition wagon will be on display and open for tours. Could you fit inside the crazy-narrow rig? Come on over and find out. Continue reading “Nov 19 Lost Sea Expedition Program”

Have a Gnarly Halloween

Some folks I was staying with on my wagon voyage across America pulled down an old shed. This tumbled out of the wall. So THAT’S where the cat ended up…. Happy Halloween! (and if you dig mummified critter pics, have you seen this jerkyfied coyote?)

Critter mummy: this one tumbled out of a North Dakota shed wall.
Critter mummy: this one tumbled out of a North Dakota shed wall.

 

More Creatures of the Lost Sea Expedition

So I’m traveling along this ancient sea bed with my mule Polly. And I’m gathering up all these amazing interviews – folks telling me what they know about this vanished sea. Only one thing was missing.

The Prairie-eye-view of Polly taking a snack break on her voyage across America.
The Prairie-eye-view of Polly taking a snack break on her voyage across America.

What did these critters look like?  Sure, I heard that a plesiosaur looked, “like a snake drawn through the shell of a turtle.” But what the hell does that look like? Continue reading “More Creatures of the Lost Sea Expedition”

Meet Polly the Mule

Polly the mule eats a piece of melon
Polly the melon loving mule. She was my traveling companion on my 14 month wagon journey across America. (Black Hills, SD)

She loves melons and cheat grass but turns her muzzle up at plums. She pulled a 2000 pound wagon 2,500 miles across America. She’s the star and equine power (she considers the term “horse” power degrading) behind the Lost Sea Expedition TV series.

Meet mule Polly. Continue reading “Meet Polly the Mule”

Tiny Wagon Door

“Can you imagine traveling in this thing?” It’s the question parents most often ask their kids when they’re touring the Lost Sea Expedition wagon, the wagon I crossed America with.

THe Lost Sea Expedition in our desert camp. Hudspeth Flats, Texas.
The Lost Sea Expedition taking a desert break in Hudspeth Flats, Texas. In the background, an almost hundred-year old stone dugout. The image is a frame grab from the Lost Sea Expedition TV Series. Look closely, and you’ll see recording equipment on a tripod. This was just coming in to summer. That’s why Polly is hanging out under the awning. One of my favorite scenes.

The answer to my question fell along generational lines. Or was it size….? Continue reading “Tiny Wagon Door”

A Graphic Impact

Call it a case of a few contributed dollars making a big impact.

Main Map of the USA from the Lost Sea Expedition.
Main map of the USA from the Lost Sea Expedition series. I built it out of 3 pine boards and painted the map myself. It’s big – 4 feet wide and 3 feet tall.  But it would look better, though, if it showed the route across America. Oh, and maybe some state names…

Thanks to two $25 donations (thanks Scott and Wendy), the layout software Graphic was added to the tools used in the production of the Lost Sea Expedition series.  That’s been a huge help. I wanted to show you how. Continue reading “A Graphic Impact”

Grace and Newfoundland Donation

Amazing how folks from all over are stepping up to see the Lost Sea Expedition series make its way to public television. Recently, we received a donation from someone in a remote Newfoundland community.

Day 1: Polly gets the grand send off from the folks at the heritage site outside St Anthony. It would take Polly and I half a year to make our way to St John's, the capital
Day 1: Polly gets the grand send off from the folks at the heritage site outside St Anthony. It would take Polly and I half a year to make our way to St John’s, the capital

I’m honored Newfoundlanders remembered the half year Polly and I spent rambling their rocky island. Continue reading “Grace and Newfoundland Donation”