Wow. I wanted to read this book all day long. I love true stories about people who are a little different that overcome obstacles. Yep, this one did it all.
Annie Wilkins was a poor farmer in the 1950’s in Minot Maine in her 50’s, decided to ride a horse to California. She knew it was a long way but she was really “off the grid” on her farm, no TV, no running water, no plumbing, and no money. She had no plan other than to head south to warmer weather so she could get to California because she decided to start in November from Maine.
Little did she know that even Tennesee can be cold in the winter. She assumed people would be nice to her and let her put her horse in a stable or barn most evenings…and she was right.
Local newspapers began doing articles on her and people were often looking to put her and her animals up. She started with one horse and her dog, Depeche Toi (French for “hurry up”), and then picked up another horse on the way to share the load.
I didn’t know that many local sheriffs would put people up in jail cells so they had a place to sleep and a meal. Annie stayed in a number of them plus many many homes were open to her. Some towns were so excited to see her that they put her up in their best hotels…free of charge. One person in Maine had a bunch of postcards made up of Annie, her horse, and dog, and told Annie to sell them along them way to make money.
This is a feel-good book that is worth the read.
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