Lee Crafton, known as Lee the Horselogger, along with his Suffolk horse, Jessie, travel roughly 15 miles a day at a speed of 3 mph across the continental United States. 

This year marks the fifth trip from Montana to Boston, Mass. He does not always travel the same route each time. For the last few years he has been using just one horse, Jessie, but in the past he has had as many as five horses he traveled with. 

As of March 25, Crafton was making his way through Decatur, Ind., on U.S. 224 heading into Ohio. Catching sight of the rear of his unit which reads “Follow Us Online X America by Horse,” he will happily stop to talk if you are taking photos and want to learn more.

His continuous journey started in August 2006 after his parents sold their ranch in East Glacier, Mont. Crafton, now 63 years old, no longer has family and wanted to see what goes on in the world, along with the fact that traveling with his horse is his passion.

Crafton makes it a point to stop at nursing homes and elder-care facilities to talk about his adventures. In the past he would visit schools, but the changing times have made it hard to do. Over the years he has established a network of friends who help him with groceries or delivering feed for Jessie. 

He will look for places to stay that have a large parking lot and water available for Jessie. Crafton states, “without other people helping, this trip wouldn’t be possible.” He has been on the road for 18 years, which is just his way of life.

Crafton has been logging since he was 18 years old, and in the past would use his horse to log. To make ends meet, he will now drive others’ horses and take tourists for rides and transport goods. He has lived without modern amenities and has no intention of changing his ways.

Throughout Lee’s travels on the roadways, the major issue is other vehicles giving him enough space. There are a lot of impatient and distracted drivers out there, but for the most part everyone seems courteous.

Not all of Crafton’s on-road experiences have been delightful. On one occurrence, a driver struck the side of his unit, destroying it completely. Luckily, neither Crafton nor Jessie was injured. After a month off to obtain a replacement cart, when he found it necessary to establish a GoFundMe account and sold some of his own merchandise, he was on the road again. About 15 years ago, Crafton had a cancer scare, which served as a wake-up call. He commented that he will continue traveling until he is no longer around.

Crafton documents his revelations and posts them to his YouTube channel or Facebook page when he has time. The Horselogger enjoys learning from different people and places and likes to live in the moment. He does not see a reason to settle down. “This experience is one I will never forgo,” he said.

For more information on his journey, Google:  X America by Horse; Lee the Horselogger; or send an email to xamericabyhorse@gmail.com.