For John McComsey, a muleskinner from Tennessee, it was "Phoenix or bust!" when he embarked on a cross-country trip in a covered wagon that was pulled by two mules, Mack and Jack.
After three months on the road and an estimated 1,763 miles behind the reins of the 4-year-old draft mules, McComsey finally arrived last week at his intended destination in the West Valley.
"I lived my dream," McComsey said when contacted at a ranch near Wildlife World Zoo, 16501 W. Northern Ave. "I don't regret a thing about this trip."
McComsey, 62, who hails from Henry, a small town about 125 miles west of Nashville, said he will wait a few weeks before deciding how to return home and what to do with the two mules.
"It was a great trip," he said. "I met a lot of very nice people along the way."
Aside from an adventure, McComsey said the odyssey also served a serious purpose in assisting a niece, Demelsa Cameron, who lives near 99th Avenue and Indian School Road in west Phoenix.
Cameron, 26, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in June 2006 and the trip was intended to raise money for her future medical needs, McComsey said.
"So, in a nutshell, I was driving my mules to Phoenix to help her," he said.
He said people wishing to offer assistance may do so through a link on http://site.twomulesandawagon.com, the Web site for his cross-country trip.
In the meantime, McComsey said the trip had a few tense and dangerous moments, including close calls with semi-trucks in Arkansas and New Mexico.
The covered wagon offered a number of comforts, including an 80-gallon water tank, hot water heater, running lights, a satellite radio, laptop computer and room for hay and feed for the mules, he said.
McComsey described Mack and Jack as Percheron draft mules that are half-brothers, sired by the same father.
"The two mules were very easy to handle along the way," he said.
A brother-in-law, Roger Cameron, 65, the father of Demelsa Cameron, said the mules have forged such a close bond that they do not want to be separated.
He also said that McComsey met a lot of generous people on his trip.
"People fed him," Cameron said. "They donated hay to him. One lady even washed his clothes for him."
McComsey, a home handyman who does carpentry, plumbing and electrical work, said the trip was three years in planning but he declined to discuss the cost of the three-month adventure.
"I really don't know," he said. "I don't get worked up about that."
McComsey also offered a word of advice for people who may be thinking of embarking upon a lifelong dream, but never get around to doing so.
"Well, you've got to live your life and do what you want to do," he said. "All you have to do is slow down a little bit, enjoy life and make things happen."
Brent Whiting can be reached by e-mail
at bwhiting@westvalleyview.com.
