Live your dream: Traveling the country with a message and a mule

Anyone who was wondering what that mule-driven wagon was doing in the Northwest Corner this past week should be prepared to hear an amazing story.

Bud Kenny, who is a writer, poet, actor, and cook among other things, and his wife, Patricia, also a poet as well as a former police officer and former executive at a Dallas trust company, came to the region last week with a mule and a message: live your dream.

That’s exactly what they have been doing since June 22, 2001, when they set out, on their honeymoon, in their wagon (with a mule named Della) from Hot Springs, Ark.

They have been traveling ever since, going all the way up the coast of Maine, a trip that took them about two-and-a-half years. Once they arrived they spent about three years living in Prospect Harbor and working at the Mermaid’s Purse Farm.

While there, Bud wrote a book about their journey.  He called it “Footloose in America — Dixie To New England†and the couple are now looking for a publisher.

Time spent in Maine was used to work the farm and to design a new wagon, which is an inventive masterpiece. Made from lightweight polycarbonate, the wagon has a solar panel on the roof that stores power to a go-cart battery during the daylight hours, and a generator inside the wagon that is powered by the turning of the wheels.

The wagon also houses sleeping and cooking facilities including an oven, range, refrigerated cooler and a queen size, memory foam bed.

Della, a 1,900-pound Belgian draft mule, is much more to the Kenny’s than a beast of burden. The lightweight design of the wagon was made with Della very much in mind, with whom they have a close, familial connection.

“To Della, Bud and I are her herd,†Patricia said.

To help Della with the load, Bud has built a tow bar so the wagon can be taken uphill by a truck if a grade is too steep for the mule. So far, they have encountered no problems as Della’s strength has never faltered. An impressive feat considering that they have passed over Jacob’s Ladder, a steep and difficult stretch of road in the Berkshires mountains.

From Maine, the Kennys traveled to Hingham, Mass., where they spent seven months working and resting and giving Della a chance to graze. Then they began on their way through Cape Cod and arrived this summer at the Massachusetts-Connecticut border, where they camped.

“It was great. While Bud and I were resting in Connecticut, Della was grazing in Massachusetts,†Patricia said.

The mule has to eat and so, of course, do the Kennys. They have found an enterprising way of making money along their way: Poetry sessions that include sound and light production powered by the energy stored in the solar panel. After the performance they pass a hat for donations, and they  sell collections of their poetry.

Currently, they are headed through Connecticut to the Bronx to take part in an inner-city agricultural program. The event will take place at “Children’s Park†and the couple will help teach inner-city youth about agriculture and outdoor activities.

 While there they also plan to visit the birthplace of Patricia, who is a New York native.

Bud also shared a modest wish he would like to see come to fruition while in New York:

“I want to walk up to Rockefeller Center and meet Al Roker. Maybe get on the “Today†show.â€

He laughed.

After they leave the city, they will head through New York state toward  Albany and expect to winter in either the Catskill Mountains or the Hudson Valley. They hope to get work on a farm with enough land to accommodate Della until next summer. Then they will embark on a trip to North Carolina, where they will plan to winter before departing on the most amazing part of an already extraordinary journey: The Kennys and Della plan to take the tour overseas. First they’ll go through the British Isles, then Europe, China and finally  Japan.

The Kennys will then make their way back to the United States and head, at long last, for home. They are six years in on an odyssey that they expect will take about 20.  

When asked what the inspiration for this journey is Bud answered simply and to the point.

“I had this dream for 25 years and one day I decided that I wasn’t going to just let my life pass me by. So we went for it, and now I am living my dream.â€

To find out more about the Footloose tour, visit the Web site usonfoot.com or e-mail the Kennys at budonfoot@yahoo.com.

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