2019:
930 Miles in a Covered Wagon by Yolonda Stroup, Lowndes, Mo.
Tennessee
Special Olympics, Missouri
Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyo. 32 • April 2020
In retrospect, 2019 was a fast moving year: travelling 930 miles in a wagon on 19 trips in 87 days. We drove in eight states (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming) with Jerry and Yolonda Stroup five mules (Dixie, Jake, Janet, Judy, and Roxie). Have you ever wondered about what you will do tomorrow? We have decided to live each day to the fullest. We are going to travel while we are physically able with the Lord’s blessings. We have a lot of friends who are no longer with us. We used to break and train, put in long days, and now we drive a wagon because of my knee surgery. He gave us friends, fellowship, and travel to serve Him. The word says if you put the Lord first, He will give you the desires of your heart. He has certainly been good to us. Our journey began on March 7, 2019, when we left our home in Missouri and hauled 525 miles in 10-1/2 hours to Centre, Ala. It was 19 degrees when we started, so we couldn’t fill our water tanks in our horse trailer for fear of water freezing. But Alabama was beautiful, and we travelled 170 miles through the Talladega Mountain Range, which covers close to 392,000 acres of the Appalachian Mountains. We had to work a four-up mule team for eight days using the pulley system heading to Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery, Ala. We were hosted by the Forney Trail-Blazers. Out of the 13 wagons, three finished: two from Missouri (ours, along with Terry and Janet White), and a third wagon from Alabama, the lead wagon pulled by 18-hand Belgian mules and driven by John and Dennis Coley. We had some trouble with our new truck’s rear end, however, we made it fine. We shared many hours in the wagon: coffee, snacks, meals, extra parts, coolers, covers, heaters, feed, water, hay, and buckets. On a mountain-top in Delta, Ala., we had a hot dog feast with all the trimmings. We drove several 24-1/2 mile days. The weather was very versatile (cold and coveralls, sunshine and light jackets) and we had some beautiful days. Jerry said, “I didn’t know there were mountains in Alabama.” Our next journey began near Jackson, Tenn. We travelled 140 miles in beautiful weather. We were greeted by Brian and Codi Austin on a beautiful, sunny day. We set up camp and enjoyed a potluck meal while meeting the other riders. When the ride began the next morning, a young man was bucked off his horse three times before we got started. One day our mule Dixie was resting and got her bridle hung Mules and More Magazine
