Cross-country trip brings man on horseback through Tuscumbia
Sometimes life can be full of surprises. A person never really knows exactly what will happen from one day to the next.
For example, if you are a resident of or visitor to Tuscumbia on June 4, you might have run into a man taking a cross-country journey on horseback.
That man is Danny Candella, and he is working his way from St. Augustine, Florida, to Tacoma, Washington, a trip of over 3,000 miles.
His companion is Dakota, a 15-year-old mare.
“I got her in Madison, Georgia,” Candella said. “She is a beautiful painted quarter horse. I couldn’t have asked for a better companion to take me across the country.”
Candella said he made a similar journey in 1999 with two other men, a 1,600-mile trek on horseback from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada, where he is originally from.
“Between then and now I became a teacher, middle school science,” he said. “I worked for a defense contractor, Collins Aerospace. I retired about a year ago, and it’s always been on my heart to repeat the trip, but this time east to west.”
The only thing for certain about Candella and his trip is nothing is for certain. Life is full of twists and turns, which fits right in with Candella’s various paths in life.
“When I was 18, I went west in Canada to work on the railroad,” he said. “In my life I’ve lived in Chicago, lived in a hippy community with my hair down to my knees, lived and worked in Chicago and the east coast.
“Every day when I wake up, I don’t know what town I’ll be in. But God has always been faithful to me, provided people for me to talk to and places for me to stay.”
According to 2nd Corinthians 5:17, we walk by faith, not by sight. Candella said this journey is one of faith, where getting to meet and talk with people is more important than the mileage.
“I don’t just want to be a hearer of God’s word, but a doer,” he said. “I don’t want to cheat God after everything he has invested into my life. I wanted to be out there spreading the word. It’s a journey of faith.”
It took Candella about 60 days and 670 miles to reach Tuscumbia. He keeps track of his adventures with a blog and explains his story on a website, www.cornertocornerwithcandella.com/.
“Many times, we are so connected to our devices, we fail to see the beauty all around us,” Candella said on the site. “At night, I gaze up at the stars and feel privileged to be out here in the wide-open spaces. It’s not always easy taking care of a horse. It’s a lot of work but the dividends are worth it.
“We pull into town in my truck and trailer, and I get as much riding done as I can before I set up camp. (Dakota) has about 10 miles of riding in her per day. There are no rules, no expectations and no records to set. It’s all about what God wants, and I’m fine with that.”
