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CONNELL When you're traveling cross-country at three miles an hour, you tend to look at the world differently.
"Your pace changes, your physiology changes; it slows down," said Lee "the Horselogger" Crafton. "You have the time to look at things."
For the past three years, the 48-year-old has been traveling in a covered wagon with his Great Pyrenees dog, Katie, by way of four Suffolk punch horses: Tom, Max, Fey and Baby.
Lee, who was in Connell on Friday, is expecting to arrive in the Tri-Cities sometime this weekend. He plans to stop at the Ranch & Home in Pasco.
"I've met three-quarters of a million people in the last three years," Lee said. "We meet a whole lot of interesting people."
After his family sold their farm in Montana, Lee decided the only way he could keep his horses and visit a childhood sweetheart in Massachusetts was to hitch them up to his wagon and set out on an adventure that has gained him plenty of attention.
Starting with $35 to his name on Aug. 9, 2006, Lee arrived in Massachusetts in July 2007. He's now heading to Portland and then ultimately Alaska.
"What's the most beautiful area? Wherever you're at," he said. "You don't really need to have an agenda in life, you just kind of let go and watch what's going on and connect what you're doing and life is pretty good."
Lee purchased a new wagon and added a trailer complete with a wooden stove and chimney. He said his wagon is comfortable but don't ask for a peek.
"The inside of the wagon is off limits because that's the only privacy I have in this entire trip," he said.
While Lee admitted he sells his own T-shirts, he doesn't ask for donations. However, that hasn't stopped people from helping out.
"We've never missed a meal; the animals have never missed a meal," he said. "You get out and do something, there's a lot of people who would like to have the guts to do the same thing. You just kind of wing it. That's what this whole thing's about; you just figure it out one day at a time. Long-term planning is where I know where I'm camping tonight."
Brad Bailie, owner of Lenwood Farms in Connell, got a knock on his door at 9 p.m. Thursday from police, asking if it would be OK for Lee to stay on his property overnight.
"I have a worker who stays out here, so he let him shower and eat a hot meal," Bailie said. "He's really interesting to talk to and has a refreshing view. He comes from an agricultural background too. I don't think I have what it takes to do what he's doing."
Cindy Harss of Pittsburgh, Pa., first met Lee in February two years ago. The two have grown close and Harss helps coordinate his lodging.
"He's amazing," Harss said. "I have friends all throughout the country because of him."
As much as Lee enjoys meeting new people, he begs drivers to not stop in the road to take photos of him. He said he's amazed that two-thirds of drivers don't see him on the road and come dangerously close to him and his horses.
The youngest horse, Baby, does not yet help pull the two trailers. When she is ready, Lee does not plan to run them four-wide, because he already is fearful of people hitting them. Still, Lee admits that "you can never have enough horsepower."
"This is not a vacation," he said. "This is not fun. This is to see the country and to visit and to learn, but it's still a job. It's a full-time job. I have horses, I'm responsible for them 24/7, 365."
Ultimately, Lee would like to find a place to settle down along his journey to Alaska and perhaps find someone to settle down with. He is working with a friend on a book about his travels, but does not expect it to be finished anytime soon. In the meantime, he is enjoying his trip through Washington, saying it has some of the most beautiful scenery he's ever seen.
"Time is not valuable, time is all you have," he said. "Just use your time. Sometimes it's just sitting, sometimes it's just visiting and visiting can be worth more than you could possibly imagine."
* On the net: www.leehorselogger.com
