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Modern-day nomad crosses nation with Percheron team

By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

FLETCHER, Ohio — Make no mistake, Bob Skelding is a modern-day nomad. Having had enough of the everyday nine-to-five job and all the pressures of home life, Skelding and his four Percherons (Joyce, Dee Dee, Dollie and Doc) left Epsom, N.H., on Aug. 17 for a 3-mph trip across the country.

“I don’t have a home, all I have is the wagon,” said Skelding, divorced and father of two college students. “I was an instructor at a nuclear power plant, and just decided one day to quit my job and do this. If you don’t have any bills, you don’t need any money.”
Skelding has no destination. The purpose of his trip? “I wanted to combine all the things I like, but eliminate those I liked the least,” he said.

So, Skelding set out on this trip using a 7-by-16-foot RV wagon complete with radio, heaters, GPS, four-burner stove, oven, shower, bath tub, kitchen table and full size bed. It also has 12-volt and 120-volt power capability.

“It’s now my home,” said Skelding, 49. “It’s light enough to pull, yet strong enough to last.

“I’ve traveled across the country before, but not at three miles per hour. People always ask me if I have a plan, but I don’t. I’m heading south now, because it’s cold up here. I have to go west first, because the Appalachian foothills are in the way.”

From New Hampshire he passed through Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. He averages 15-20 miles each day. Two weeks ago he trekked on state Route 36 between Urbana and Piqua in Ohio, then on to Indiana last week. From there he’ll decide whether to head into Illinois or south into Kentucky.

“This venture costs me very little,” he said. “My health insurance is paid up two years in advance. My only bills are my cell phone and phone card, which runs about $100 each month.

I have some money tucked away in a bank if I ever need it.”
His journey garners lots of attention and many locals offer him help along the way, including room and board for a night. He receives such amenities as coffee, fudge, alfalfa, hay and even money. Often the locals hitch a ride from one end of their town to the other.

Skelding gets bombarded with questions, and most simply want to know why he’s doing this.

“Whatever I plan will turn out completely different, so why have a plan?” he said.

 “I’m not in any hurry because I’m not going anywhere. I tell folks that I had a chance to do it all over, so I got rid of all the things I didn’t like – things like bills, taxes and a regular job – and I kept the things I did, like horses, traveling and meeting people.
Right now I have no goals, no objectives and no
sponsors.”

The bitter weather that Skelding and his four Percherons are facing are no problem for his team.

“They’re in great shape and they can withstand winds up to 30 below,” Skelding said. “They only work six to eight hours each day, then get plenty of food and rest. I’ve traveled 1,000 miles so far and they don’t have a single sore on them.”

As he entered St. Paris, Ohio, two weeks ago, he was greeted by many locals, including Mayor Joe Braden. Skelding stopped his team long enough to get a cup of coffee at a local carryout. Before re-entering his wagon he was surrounded by the locals, who kept asking him about his future plans.

“I’m going south, then when it gets too warm I’ll head back up north,” he told the gathering. “Other than that I have no real plans. I’ll find out when I get there.”

The best part of the trip, Skelding says, is meeting all the nice people across the country.

“If you look at the news each day, that’s not America,” he said. “America is about backyard barbecues, having a good time and being generous. I’ve seen that on this trip. The generosity of people I’ve seen has been amazing.”

Anyone wanting to keep track of Skelding’s whereabouts on a daily basis can log onto www.wagonteamster.com

 

12/17/2008