DE SOTO, Iowa (AP) – A Florida man who is riding a mule across the country to keep a promise to his granddaughter is getting help from an Iowa rancher. Randy Tucker, of Ocala, Florida, bought the mule for his 9-year-old granddaughter, but a truck taking it to her home in Dubois, Wyoming, broke down in Paducah, Kentucky, leaving the mule in a shelter. Tucker decided to take a bus to Paducah, then begin a slow mule ride to Wyoming.

The Des Moines Register reports police in suburban Des Moines received calls about a man riding a mule.
Officers sought help from a De Soto rancher who happened to be driving soon to South Dakota’s Black Hills. He’ll give Tucker and the mule a lift, cutting their ride to a more manageable 400 miles.