FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions (and a few statements too)

Okay, I have to ask, what's the story? (seriously, it's this question verbatim, day in day out)
We're travelling America on horseback and bicycle with our instruments and our dog.

Where are you going?
New Orleans, Austin, Colorado... if it's groovy or weird, we want to be there.

How long will it take?
We have no set timetable.  It's been months so far and we're anticipating years.  Recently, we've set a summer date to be married in Asheville, NC! Afterwords we'll no doubt hit the road again (hopefully via gypsy wagon).

Where did you start?
Asheville, NC.  We miss our beloved mountain home almost as much as we love the open road.

Where did you go to school?
Hannah graduated Warren Wilson College in 2012 with a degree in Biology, Harvey from UNCA in 2010 with Music Technology.

Where did ya'll grow up?
(First off, "ya'll" should be in the dictionary.)  Hannah is from New England, her parents' farm is near Binghamton, NY.  Harvey was raised in Raleigh, NC.

How many miles do you make per day?
We average 10 miles.  Sometimes we stay put for days, sometimes we crank out 25 miles before dusk.

Where do you sleep at night?
We have gear to camp but folks invite us inside for the night frequently.

It's winter, how do you stay warm and dry?
Our camping gear includes extra-warm sleeping bags and we have a large rainfly.  We travel in light rain but try to stay under shelter in a downpour.

What does the horse eat?
The grass along the way (99% of the time).  The Florida coast has been sparse enough, in these winter months, to warrant carrying supplementary condensed alfalfa hay and grain with us.

How does the dog travel?
The puppy runs/walks beside the bike, 5 to 20 feet off the roadway, generally in the grass.  Even with her doggy-saddlebags laden with oranges, she reaches "the pack's" destinations fresher and more ready to play than the rest of us.

What does your family think of this?
Hannah's sister Cara has traveled the world, so it's old hat for her mom/family.  Harvey's folks weren't that surprised, either.  Everyone's really grown accustomed to the idea that we're North American troubadours, including us.

Do you have a cause and what is it?
Currently we're not raising money for anything.  As far as dreams, we'd like to see more bare horse hooves and more well-behaved dogs...

We believe natural horsemanship (in particular, natural hoof care) is the healthiest and most economical way to keep horses, from the pasture pet to the performance animal.  We are also convinced that lots and lots of exercise followed by fair discipline for your canine pal is the surest path to a happy, healthy dog.  Exercise, good diet, etc... the same for canine, equine, homo sapien... right?

What kind of horse is Meadow?
She's a pony mix.  Probably draft, maybe some Mustang!?

How long have you had your horse?
Hannah got Meadow 9 years ago... love at first sight, til death do 'em part.

Is it legal to ride a horse in this town?... down this street?
In America, a horse is still considered a legal vehicle.  Some cities and towns have ordinances that go against that rule but they are rare.  Only once in 4 months, we were asked to move along and it was by a very courteous officer.

Have the cops messed with you?
We can honestly say that we've had nothing but positive interactions with law enforcement.  We've even been escorted across long bridges in FL.

There are lots of weirdos out there...
We have been told this and we are cautious but people of every sort consistently smile when they see a beautiful horse, a cute puppy and a singing duo on the street.

What roads do you take?
It's ideal for the roadway to have a large area right of the white line for Harvey to ride on, and a large grassy shoulder for Meadow/Hannah and Olive to run on.  It's not legal to travel on interstates but they don't go anywhere cool anyways.

What is that instrument?!?
Hannah plays a Swedish key fiddle called a Nyckelharpa... 4 playing strings, 12 resonating strings, bowed like a fiddle, the keys bring the frets (tangents) to the strings. It's Sweden's national instrument though there aren't a lot in the states.  She started on cello when she was young so the jump was natural.

Harvey plays an octave mandolin with a resonator... tuned in fifths, 2 unison strings per course, just like a mandolin but one octave down (deeper/lower pitch), body contains a metallic resonator like a Dobro.  It's the only f-style one that we know of.

Your mule is so beautiful...
Meadow is a HORSE.  And thanks, she is beautiful and fit and barefoot, too.  She was always a calm horse but 20 miles per day, passing every noise/object imaginable makes for one rock solid, un-spookable riding lawn mower.  (Care to save on landscaping this spring? Come find us)

Do you ever switch rides?
No, Harvey has ridden the horse, and Hannah has ridden the bike for a couple miles but we like our respective rides.

This is such a well-behaved dog...
Olive was "un-adoptable" 15 months ago; not trainable, fear-aggressive with lots of pent-up energy.  Since then, through exercise, discipline, good diet and lots of affection (in that order), she has transformed into what she was always capable of being... a calm, confident, loving, indefatigable bad-A.

How did he get stuck riding the bike?
Actually, Harvey loves riding the bike and truth be told, Hannah works way harder to sit atop a bouncy pony 20 miles a day.


Where's the money coming from?
We play music on the streets and make some dollars that way.  Also, we may or may not have ties to the lesser known wing of the TLPIWNC (that's Troubadours' Libertarian Party in Western North Carolina)