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Telling a Lost Sea chanteyAt 6 p.m. on the evening of July 14, 2008, what some might have called an unidentified mobile object came walking up my driveway. Some have called this the greenest vehicle on the road today--a new old technology form of a hybrid vehicle. It runs on cellulosic ethanol, or biogas, and it has four-wheel-drive, although somewhat independent in nature. If you have not figured out what this new old technology is, it is a mule pulling a sea vessel across the prairie. No, I will not resort to calling it a prairie schooner because this thing is in a league all its own. The really funny thing is that this sea vessel on wheels has no seat and walking alongside the mule, Polly, is one well-conditioned Bernie Harberts from North Carolina. It brings to mind my first trip through the Flint Hills of Kansas in 1986 en route to a hog show in Texas. Bill Norman, a friend of mine from Illinois, and I were driving through the Flint Hills and there was just something special about the region. It was my first real experience in the Great Plains of America for this Illinois farm boy. Something seemed to grab me. I wanted to see the whole thing from the back of a horse. I even remember telling Bill that one day I would ride this whole country horseback. Twenty-two years have passed and all I have ever done is talk about what I want to do instead of actually doing it. One year ago in May, I heard tell of a man, a mule and wagon that were following the Lost Sea. I think most of us tend to forget that about 76 million years ago this land was covered with water. In fact, the cherished Ogallala Aquifer is a remnant of glacial water from that day. But Bernie Harberts, who at the age of 30 sailed around the entire world, later rode or led a saddle mule from North Carolina to San Diego and dumped a container of Atlantic Ocean water into the Pacific Ocean. In May of 2007, Bernie started in Neptune, Saskatchewan with the mule and wagon, headed for Mexico. Bernie is filming a documentary about his journey and, more importantly, the information he can gather about the marine fossils present in the Great Plains as he heads from Canada to Mexico. Obviously, there are many things I truly appreciate about Bernie's courage and follow through on his desire, but one of the best aspects of his plan (though little evidence exists of any actual planning) is that Bernie hits the towns you most likely have only heard of if you live in the area. His discovery of the otherwise unknown wonderful places in rural America is absolutely my favorite part of what he is accomplishing. I was surprised to learn, on my most recent trip to North Dakota, that ranchers regularly find fossils of clams and seashells in the Badlands of North Dakota. How many times do we talk about that romanticized "simpler time?" Sure, we all use technology and in no way, shape or form do I promote that our society go back to the way it was. But one thing I do believe we should all do is slow down from time to time and smell the roses. Even with my Loos Tales Foodlink Chuckwagon (that has been in nine states since May), the slower pace has generated many remarks from people who ride with me such as, "WOW! I drive through this town every day but I have seen more, riding with you in this wagon, than I ever noticed before." As we continue to find ways to make life easier in the best country in the world, there is a tremendous amount we can all learn by jumping in the wagon every now and then and seeing the same sights at a slower pace. Fortunately, we have people walk into our lives from time to time who remind us that we should live life, instead of just saying "I have always wanted to climb the tallest mountain" or whatever else your lifelong dream might be. You must just take the time to do it. Even though it may not seem like it, time passes at the same exact rate it did 10 years ago, even 100 years ago. Time does not change. We just seem to put ourselves in such a high gear that we miss a lot of the things, even in the towns we journey through, each and every day. The only person in the world who can fix that is the person you look at in the mirror every morning. In the meantime, if you happen to see a man leading a mule, pulling the most obnoxious yellow and green sea vessel on wheels that you have ever seen through the Great Plains of America, you will know that for some people, namely one Bernie Harberts, time passes at the same speed every day, approximately 2.5 miles per hour! By the way, you can follow Bernie on his travels at www.riverearth.com. Editor's note: Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at www.FacesOfAg.com, or e-mail Trent at trent@loostales.com. 7/21/08 Date: 7/17/08
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