Belgian native takes the long road to Sisters

Laurent Vermeulen was born and raised in Belgium. As a small child, he watched gypsy caravans come and go and quickly became captivated by their nomadic lifestyle.

He recently followed a gypsy's path to Sisters for the Small Farmer's Journal auction at the Sisters Rodeo Grounds.

In 1996, Laurent began to build a gypsy wagon of his own. Vermeulen's custom-made wagon was greatly superior to the gypsy wagons he'd seen in his youth--his only weighed 3,550 pounds, had hydraulic brakes and good insulation. He even installed a small kitchen and bathroom.

Vermeulen had always wanted to see America, so he shipped his wagon to Virginia. He followed by plane and purchased a team of Belgian draft horses -- Rugby and Ralleye -- shortly after his arrival. On May 10, 1997, Laurent and Romany, his Australian shepherd puppy, began a journey that would eventually lead to Sisters.

According to Vermeulen, large trucks were the biggest obstacle he and his team faced on the trip. The caravan averaged about three miles per hour and usually traveled ten miles a day. Nights were usually spent on private property and many new friends were made along the way.

Vermeulen traveled for five months, then spent the winter in Florida. The following spring he sold his horses, which had traveled 875 miles in all.

"I bought a team of mules then," he said.

Their names were Millie and Maude.

"They were great workers," Vermeulen said. "When I had the horses, they'd always be at the far end of the pasture when it was time to get them hitched up. The mules loved to work, though. They'd always be standing right by the wagon when it was time to go. And they ate and drank only half of what my horses did."

Vermeulen and his mules headed for Canada in August of '98. Trucks didn't bother the team at all, but he discovered that the mules could be spooked by pigs, goats and sheep.

"One day, we came across some ostriches and we nearly had a wreck," he said.

For many days after that encounter, Millie and Maude kept a lookout for the strange birds.

The mules didn't need as much rest as the horses and easily walked 16 miles a day. As winter blanketed the country in an endless white blanket, travel became increasingly difficult. Even for mules.

"My water and food supply under the wagon would freeze," Vermeulen said. "Doing laundry was hard, too. The weather didn't seem to bother the mules much, though. Except they didn't like snowmobiles at all."

During the winter, Vermeulen had to depend even more on the kindness of strangers to keep his team rested and fed. Sometimes adults and children would ride a few miles along with the caravan. Finally, in April, Laurent crossed the Canadian border.

Laurent eventually sold his mules and bought a tractor to pull his gypsy wagon.

"We encountered cattle guards as we drove through the Rockies," he explained. "That was not good for the mules."

He drove back to the States, traveling through Montana and Idaho, never going over eight with his new rig.

"I had only been one week back in the U.S. when someone gave me a copy of the Small Farmer's Journal," said Vermeulen. "After that, I just managed to make my way from one Small Farmer's Journal subscriber to the next, until I ended up here in Sisters at the auction."

Vermeulen had his brightly painted caravan for sale at the Draft Horse Auction, but still had hopes of traveling through more of the southern states and into Mexico.

"I don't want to go alone, though," he emphasized. "I would really like a companion to travel through Mexico with me."

Preferably a female companion, Vermeulen added.

Vermeulen hopes to encourage others to take the leap and try something different.

"Everyone is so scared to leave what they know," he said. "But I'm here to encourage other to leave what they have been doing and try something new."