The 3 Mules: A Unique Sight in San Diego

By Eugene Bruno on March 29, 2026

If you happened to see a man walking through San Diego recently with a mule in tow, you weren’t imagining things. The unusual sight has been popping up in local photos and social media posts: a lone traveler moving slowly through the region alongside his pack animal. He’s part of a decades-long journey known as 3 Mules.

The man behind the journey calls himself “Mule” or “Monk.” For more than forty years, he has lived a nomadic life, traveling on foot with his mules throughout California. Together they walk from town to town, sometimes covering only a few miles in a day, following seasonal routes that often bring them south to San Diego during the winter before heading north again in warmer months.

The San Diego personal injury lawyers at Eugene Bruno & Associates offer this gentle reminder about the wisdom of moving slowly.

The Power of Moving Slowly: Mindfulness on the Road

Traveling at the pace of a mule, about two or three miles per hour, forces a kind of mindfulness that is almost impossible in modern life. When you move that slowly, you notice things most of us miss and walking day after day becomes a form of meditation, a reminder that movement doesn’t have to be rushed to be meaningful.

In many ways, their journey stands in quiet contrast to the pace of modern driving. Our roads are often places of impatience, where everyone is trying to get somewhere just a little faster than the next person.

But the presence of a traveler and his mules on a public road highlights something important: our streets are shared spaces.

California Law and Sharing the Road

California law recognizes that motorists are not the only people who have a right to use the roadway. Cyclists, pedestrians, construction workers, farm equipment, and even equestrians all share the same public infrastructure.

That can create tension in a car-centric world. A person walking with a mule moves far more slowly than traffic, which can be frustrating for drivers accustomed to speed. But legally and practically, drivers must slow down, pass safely, and respect slower travelers.

The law requires us to share the road, and this applies far beyond a man and his mule. Every day in San Diego County, drivers encounter cyclists on coastal highways, pedestrians crossing busy streets, and workers occupying traffic lanes. These situations require patience and awareness. It may feel inconvenient to slow down, but taking a few extra seconds can prevent collisions, serious injuries, and life-changing consequences.

Lessons from the 3 Mules: Patience, Mindfulness, and Safety

So the next time you see something unexpected on the road: a cyclist, a pedestrian, or even a mule, take it as a reminder: Sometimes the slowest traveler on the road is also the most mindful, and sometimes slowing down is exactly what we need.