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Albertville mounted upon horses, mules and mule-drawn wagons headed
toward Cullman where, on May 5, the Mule Days celebration was held. But
for these cowboys and cowgirls the real delight was in the journey and
not necessarily in the destination.
Curry,
the wagon train coordinator, said his interest in mule trains first
started almost 20 years ago when he and his children attended the
Southeastern Livestock Exposition Rodeo in Montgomery and he was able to
see the wagons pulling into town for the event. He began helping with
the train that traveled from Boaz to Montgomery for the festivities and
he decided it was time to start a mule train that traveled east to west.
The Mule Days festival in Cullman seemed like an excellent destination
and Sand Mountain was a logical East Alabama starting point.
In
2005, Curry’s vision became a reality and now, three years later, his
mule train is well established and providing its participants with an
opportunity to experience a reminiscent mode of travel while making new
friends and enjoying extraordinary scenery.
Curry
said the landscape along the trail is a highlight of the event. The back
roads between Sand Mountain and Cullman provide the participants with a
breathtaking landscape that is untainted by the hectic metropolitan
lifestyle.
"The
Mule Train allows the participants to see scenery you can’t see in a
car," Curry said. "You can see some of the most beautiful
sights in Alabama on horseback."
Moving
at approximately four miles per hour, Curry said the group can only
travel 15-20 miles a day. Thus the drive from Albertville to Cullman
that takes about one hour by automobile, takes the riders about three
and a half days. But Curry said his posse doesn’t seem to mind the
snail’s pace journey.
"They
[the riders] seem to enjoy the laid-back, easy going mode of
travel," he said. "It’s nostalgic and it doesn’t cost gas
to ride a horse."
This
year’s voyage boasted 50 participants, which was a considerable
increase from about 30 riders three years ago.
Participants,
ranging in age from five to eighty years old, traveled from across
Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and even Illinois to ride in this year’s
Mule Train.
Along
the west-bound trek, the group had special activities like campfires, a
band performance, a parade, a mule show and cookouts that were welcome
entertainment after blazing trails along back-country roads under the
scorching sun. Curry said they seem to enjoy the relaxation of the
evening campsites more than any other activity along the trail. "I
think they enjoy the leisure, laid-back atmosphere of the campsites
after they get in from the ride most of all."
Curry,
who is retired, said coordinating wagon trains is by no means a source
of income, but simply a hobby he’s grown to love. He puts much thought
and effort into the logistics and details of this trail ride, and he
understands sponsorship is a necessity in making an event like this a
reality.
"It
always helps to have sponsors like Alabama Farmers Cooperative to help
get it off the ground," he said. "There are a lot of
expenses."
Curry
said there’s only one bad thing about riding in the wagon train and
that’s having to say goodbye at the end of the trail. But with the
friendships made along the way, all of the riders are sure to come back
next year. Until then the words of Roy Rodgers and Dale Evans are
certain to resound in their minds…"Happy trails to you, until we
meet again. Happy trails to you, keep smilin’ until then…"
Grace
Smith is an associate editor for AFC Cooperative Farming News. |
