A wandering man who insists he is not living under the delusion that these are biblical times has covered large swathes of America with his three mules, a journey that's in the past been profiled by the Atlantic. Everywhere he goes, he stops at town and city halls to spread a prophetic, but actually sort of realistic message about humankind and its dangerous relationship with the earth.

Mule, as he likes to be known, purportedly hopes to leave a "blueprint" for others who might wish to take journeys such as his. And Mule's website, 3mules.com, documents his many run-ins — far too many to count — with law enforcement. Most recently, Mule writes that from Marin County he was denied entry to San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge.

The filmmaker John McDonald, who apparently taught Mule to use the Internet, has said that "He has the build of Ghandi, but he sure doesn't have the personality of Ghandi."

Of the most recent episode in California, Mule wrote to Facebook the following, presented in full.

The Mules and all venues have an equal right to use the public thoroughfare. It is public. It is open to all comers. It is the tool we use to move freely in this country. Highway 101 was built and now maintained at huge expense with taxpayer money. The bridge authority was given the right to charge tolls to those that use the 101 public thoroughfare crossing the Golden Gate, but should not given the right to exclude any segment of the public that needs to cross the bridge. Mules being one of those segments.

The justification provided by Bridge manager is for safety. Any common sense mind agrees that there is no safety issue at all. The eastern sidewalk of the bridge is closed to pedestrians at night, but open to cyclists. We requested an exception to walk across the bridge at 2AM when there is little bridge traffic and no pedestrians on the bridge. The sidewalk is still wide enough for a bicycle to pass at 2am. So this is not a safety issue.

Last year the mules walked through the San Francisco Financial District, Market Street, and the Embarcadero where it is crowded with people and cars. We had no safety issues. We have walked throughout California without safety issues.

We did not accept a trailer ride offered by the supportive lady from Sonoma simply because the energy of our life (journey) in large part is the right to equal use of the public thoroughfare. It is the lifeblood of this ages old nomadic life which we still practice and enjoy. If the bridge authority can successfully put forth a common sense argument in the public court of common sense and deny the Mules their right to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, it then must take full responsibility to arrange for a trailer assisted crossing.

The Mules are creating a blueprint by which anybody traveling with their mule, horse, llama, donkey, etc. can cross the Golden Gate Bridge.

In the past, Mule has said, "We don't attempt to stay anywhere for more than a few days to rest.. We don't set up camp structures or anything permanent. We don't collect garbage. We’re not homeless. Our home is the Earth."

Generally, Mules message is this: "The Natural World that resides on this earth with all its inhabitants is being destroyed by a spreading, sprawling Megatropolis (man-made world) that shows no bounds and cares not for the consequences of its behavior."

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/09/there-is-a-man-wandering-around-california-with-3-mules/279495/