Since 2009, Lee Crafton, or Lee Horselogger as he prefers to be called, has been traveling around the country in a horse-drawn carriage and is now on his fifth trip.
His journey began in 2006 when he lost his ranch in East Glacier, Montana, after 27 years and abandoned his Ph.D. program. Lee took his life savings of $75 and a couple of horses and decided to explore the nation, traveling just three miles per hour.
Needless to say, Lee is not your typical 63-year-old.
But a year before his career change, Lee was diagnosed with lymphoma at age 48 and had a tumor growing in his neck. Tired of chemotherapy, he opted for more naturopathic herbal treatments. Believe it or not, his tumor began to shrink and his cancer disappeared.
His cancer diagnosis ultimately served as a wake-up call, reminding him of his humanity and what he wanted to do with the time he had left.
Since 2009, Lee Crafton, or Lee Horselogger (pictured) as he prefers to be called, has been traveling around the country in a horse-drawn carriage and is now on his fifth trip.
His journey began in 2006 when he lost his ranch in East Glacier, Montana, after 27 years and abandoned his Ph.D. program
Lee took his life savings of $75 and a couple of horses and decided to explore the nation.
“If you’re not happy and you’re under stress, you’re not going to get better,” he told the Seattle Times in 2009. “What cancer did was kick me in the butt,” he says. ‘All I can say is that it woke me up. It led me to do things I should have done years ago.”
In 2009, Lee had a team of horses and a 50-foot-long wagon. Today she has a horse named Jessie, who travels at 3 mph.
But what motivates this rider? As he told local ABC affiliate WPBF, why not?
I’m 63 and I don’t have a family, so I thought why the hell not? See what’s happening in the world,’ she said.
Despite being alone on the road (besides his horse, Jessie), he seeks human connections in all walks of life.
But a year before his career change, Lee was diagnosed with lymphoma at age 48 and had a tumor growing in his neck. His cancer diagnosis ultimately served as a wake-up call, reminding her of his humanity and what he wanted to do with the time he had left.
In 2009, Lee had a team of horses and a 50-foot-long wagon. Today she has a horse named Jessie, who travels at 3 mph.
Despite being alone on the road (besides his horse, Jessie), he seeks human connections in all walks of life.
‘I travel to see nursing homes to meet people, I go to schools, I do my show and I say, this is a horse. You know, a lot of people have never seen a horse,” Lee told WPBF.
Lee hit a bump in the road, literally and figuratively, last year when a car driving recklessly over the speed limit with a state trooper behind hit his carriage and sent Lee and his traveling companion, Baron, 10 feet in the air and 25 feet in a ditch.
Despite having no money and only enough food for his horse, Lee was not discouraged and instead raised money for the materials to make a new carriage with the help of a GoFundMe and selling their own merchandise.
He has also picked up a few side jobs over the years, such as pulling logs with his horses and transporting other goods (which is exactly the job of a horseback logger).
Lee has lived without electricity, running water or a motorized vehicle for the past 18 years and has no intention of slowing down now that he is on his fifth cross-country road trip.
“This experience is one I will never forget,” Lee said, appreciating his time on the road.
You appreciate the little things in life, especially when other vehicles give you room on the road.
“That’s the biggest problem, just give me enough space, I’m driving but I’m like anyone who drives,” Lee said.
Lee hit a bump in the road, literally and figuratively, last year when a car driving recklessly over the speed limit with a state trooper behind hit his carriage and sent Lee and his traveling companion, Baron, 10 feet in the air and 25 feet sunk in a ditch (Pictured: Lee’s carriage after the accident)
Despite having no money and only enough food for his horse, Lee was not discouraged and instead raised money for materials to make a new carriage with the help of GoFundMe and selling his own merchandise.
He has also picked up some side jobs over the years, such as pulling logs with his horses and hauling other goods.
Lee, who is currently in Cheyenne, Wyoming, is on his way to Boston, Massachusetts, and has no plans to slow down.
But he is also a deep thinker, documenting his revelations and posting them on his YouTube channel or Facebook page.
‘The secret to the meaning of life is to be so immersed in something that there is no ‘you’ to separate yourself from what is happening, so you are not even aware of it.
“That’s travel for me… that’s what this is all about,” Lee said in a recent Facebook post. video.
Lee, who is currently in Cheyenne, Wyoming, is on his way to Boston, Massachusetts.