News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Randy Boehmer and his mule team rolled through Sisters last week.
Randy Boehmer has been on the road these past eight years, in a wagon that serves as both transportation and home, drawn by a team of mules. He's wandered across 26 states, "just wherever the Good Lord leads."
His mission, he says, is simply "to win souls for God." His manner of doing so requires no aggressive proselytising. His covered wagon is emblazoned with the words of Acts 18:31: " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." That - and curiosity toward what he's about - draws people to him to talk.
"Sometimes it's more people than I can talk to," he said as he watered his mules on the lot behind Space Age Gas in Sisters on Friday.
Formerly a taxidermist from Arizona, Boehmer was set on his current path after his parents and his wife died in the 1990s.
He says he "saw the futility of chasing the things of this world."
Boehmer and his mules sat out a heavy three-day snowstorm on Santiam Pass before rolling slowly down the road to Sisters last week. He says he has no idea how many daily miles he covers on average.
"Couldn't tell you," he says. "I don't keep track. When the mules get tired, I know it and I have to find a place to rest."
Much of the muleskinner's time is devoted to taking care of his team. In return, they willingly pull his home day in and day out.
"God made 'em to work, and they love it," Boehmer said.
Boehmer notes that he is frequently asked how he makes his living out on the road.
"People always want to know how I make a living," he said. "And I tell them - God provides."
The muleskinner headed east out of Sisters, down Highway 126, where he intended to turn north and head to Washington, then east again to Montana for the summer.
The mule-walk pace allows him to truly see the country.
"I don't miss anything," he said. "I even get to see the leaves bud out on the trees."
Follow Randy Boehmer's journey on Facebook. Search The Randy Boehmer Jesus Wagon And Mules.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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