“Me and my family thought he was nice so we gave him a donation,” she said.įinally, with the sun getting low, Harp mounted his horse and made his way to the river bottom. Seven-year-old Socorro Lopez walked up and handed a dollar bill to the cowboy. “The more I tried to keep people away, the more they came around.”Ī grocery store clerk ran out and fed the horse carrots and greens. “The first time he came in here I was completely thrown,” French said. Security guard Tera Gay French ambled over and set a shopping cart in the parking stall in front of Blackfoot so the horse wouldn’t be disturbed. He tied the horse to a tree and the dog to a fire hydrant. Late in the afternoon one day, Harp walked Blackfoot and Pudge down Main Street, past City Hall and the San Buenaventura Mission, to a shopping center near Ventura Avenue. He also earns a few bucks now and then by allowing tourists or the locals to snap his photo. He roams Ventura’s downtown district during the day, posting a crudely written cardboard sign on the back of his horse advertising his need for work. He also carries extra horseshoes, which need to be replaced about every three weeks. He has three pairs of pants, three shirts and a ton of socks. “I’ve got all that I need right here,” he said, patting a hand-made saddle weighed down with a tent, a bedroll and a couple of sacks of feed. He spent a lot of time in the Bay Area, following a path laid down by the coastal highways.Īnd now the highway has led back to Ventura, where he will bunk down until it’s time to move on. He first rode into Ventura three years ago, on his way to San Francisco. And when he ran out of money he stopped and found work, doing construction or breaking horses. When he got tired, he tied Blackfoot to a tree and camped beneath the stars. It took six months to get from Oklahoma to California, but he got to see plenty of countryside along the way. And eventually, it got to the point where he just couldn’t take it anymore.ĭrawing on past experience working horses, he bought Blackfoot for $500 five years ago and set out on a great adventure. And at night he would sleep in his truck or flop at a motel. By day he would speed across the countryside, hauling whatever needed to be hauled. ![]() He long ago rejected the idea that four walls and indoor plumbing are standard issue for the American dream.Įven in his other life as a truck driver, he didn’t have a steady home. Besides, what need does he have for a bed and shower? He doesn’t go anywhere where Blackfoot can’t go. Harp thanked her for the offer but politely declined. “We’ve got a spare bed and a hot shower if you want,” said Louise Lampara, 26. Last week, a couple walked up and after chatting a few minutes offered Harp a place to stay while he was in town. People run up and push dollar bills into his hand, wishing him luck on his journey. ![]() Merchants poke their heads out of their shops to see what all the fuss is about. Motorists slow and crane their necks, doing double takes at the site of the tall stranger and his horse. ![]() Sidling down Main Street leading Blackfoot by the reins, he draws plenty of attention.
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