Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
One man. One mission. One homemade dwelling that's seen more of the nation than most people have.
Lawrence Scible, 59, better known as Ras Ible, is aiming to take his mission to the doorstep of the White House.
After being released from parole about 14 months ago, Ible flew from West Virginia to Spokane, Washington, and gave up everything he owned to embark on his journey.
Ible says he was convicted on a charge related to marijuana possession, and now his mission is to promote nationwide legalization of medical marijuana. He says he suffers from PTSD, bipolar disorder and a digestive disorder and that cannabis helps all of it. He started his travels in April 2015, pulling a home that he likens to a rickshaw.
Two thousand miles later, the Navy veteran stopped Tuesday in Sauk Rapids, where he spent the night in a Holiday gas station parking lot to take cover from possible storms.
But stormy skies are the least of the hardships Ible has had to overcome. After he got out of prison, he struggled to find a job, food, a home.
"So I started protesting. I went on city streets with signs, went in front of the federal courthouse ... and basically said, 'Please, I need this medicine. I'm doing this to help end prohibition," Ible said of his war to support medical marijuana.
The man behind the mission
While incarcerated in West Virginia, Ible says he studied the law and worked out religiously.
"The last three years I wore paths around the perimeter of the fence. They would laugh at me and I was like, 'I'm going to walk the United States. You never know.' And here I am. It's amazing."
Ible noted that "22 veterans commit suicide every day," and believes cannabis could help.
"Cannabis is not the problem," he said. "It's the meth, it's the narcotics, it's the alcohol."
Suit and tie. Ible's mother Rose Scible was pretty strict when it came to when it came to church and Sunday school at Weems Creek Baptist Church in Annapolis, Maryland.
"I was raised a Baptist," Ible said. "Southern Baptist, just as hard as they come. But my mom taught me to be an equal person. She worked in a hospital. She cared for whites, blacks, Asians, it didn't matter.
"We're all one, and that's how I was raised by her."
Rose was a combat veteran, a registered nurse, a commander of the American Legion in the 1960s, according to Ible.
When Rose was 40 years old, she died from cancer.
Ible was 10.
"Our world kind of turns upside-down when momma's gone," Ible said. "She was a beautiful woman and I'm doing this in hers and Jesus' honor."
When Ible built his farm, he and his wife split and she stayed in the city. And when he was incarcerated, he said he lost his 5-year-old daughter, whom he hopes to reconnect with after reaching the White House.
"I'm going to go look for her, find her and tell her 'I'm sorry,' " Ible said fighting tears. "I built it to be a family farm, so I could raise her ... it's hard."
The journey so far
Ible says he's pretty sure he's the first person to pull a rickshaw through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and, now, Minnesota.
His route, he estimates, is around 3,000 miles. Ible says he averages about 20 miles a day, and when conditions are right, that number can go up.
Along the way, Ible has dealt with law enforcement stopping him for concerns of his safety along major interstates and highways, and reminding and informing him of regulations on obstructing traffic. Patrol officers blocked his entrance to California on a major highway, and Washington patrols redirected him to a secondary road.
Speeding vehicles are Ible's main concern when it comes to safety.
"I've had cars collide right next to me; trying to take pictures and looking at this thing when they should be driving," Ible said. "I'm getting hit by shrapnel and all sorts of stuff when those accidents happen."
Acts of kindness aren't foreign to Ible, as his Facebook reach continues to grow.Strangers across the country donate food, money and shelter.
While driving home Tuesday, Tammy Willenbring, 49, of St. Cloud, saw Ible along Highway 10. She was curious.
"He's a vet, and I have several vets and military members in my family," Willenbring said. "Some friends that I've had died in the military. I have family that's been injured in the military.
"It's important to me. It hits home."
Willenbring, a special education paraprofessional in Royalton, offered food, a place to stay and donations to Ible, in an effort to support the journey.
Ible has found time to make charitable donations to others as well.
In Salem, Oregon, Ible built and gave a home like his to a homeless, 60-year-old, one-eyed man, he said.
"I used my (Supplemental Security Income) money and built him one on the side of the highway and then in a Lowe's parking lot when they kicked me off," Ible said. "It was a beautiful thing to see the tears in his eyes and the love and the joy of this man finally owning his own home."
Homemade, Earth-powered
Ible's portable home is 4 feet wide, 10 feet long and 7 feet tall. It's 500 pounds of canvas and wood, and it balances in a way that keeps it moving without much assistance.
Ible, a wrestler in high school, stands 5-foot-6 and weighs a "solid" 125 pounds. When he's pulling his home, he takes advantage of gravity and wind power to help lighten his load.
"I grew up in Annapolis, Maryland, so I'm kind of familiar with sailboats," Ible said. "You try to always follow the river, whenever you can, or the train trestles ... because our ancestors always tried to take the flattest route."
Sometimes flat is not possible.
"It was quite a travel coming across the Continental Divide with this thing, because the shoulder was only like a foot wide and this thing is 4-foot wide," Ible said. "It was difficult trying to get traffic to share the road.
"Now I've got all kinds of special lights on this thing, and a few times I've had to shake my fists."
Stocked with food, a cooler, an electric cooktop, maps, cards, tools, a citizens band radio, clothes, bedding and bathroom and hygiene essentials, Ible "doesn't need to stop for much."
He was able to build the home because a preacher helped him develop his carpentry skills, "just like Jesus."
Its walls are covered with painted designs, quotes from historical figures such as Henry Ford and current activists such as the group Anonymous. There are trinkets, souvenirs, signatures and, of course, his message.
He saves items found along the road. A BMW car decal. Tools for emergencies.
"I left all my other ones behind ... because I wasn't expecting to come on a journey like this," Ible said. "I've found wrenches, screwdrivers ... you'd be surprised what you can find on the side of the road."
While the VA considers him a homeless veteran, Ible sees things differently.
"I have this shelter. I'm not underneath a bridge or anything," Ible said.
"It keeps me sheltered from the rain. I can lay fully out, lay down, sit down and it's totally human- and Earth-powered."
Next stop?
Ible plans to continue down U.S. Highway 10 and cut through Minneapolis.
He plans to go through Madison, Wisconsin, and then Chicago, Illinois.
Ible hopes to go to the Great Lakes where he went to boot camp, but says he doubts they'll let him on the base while he's towing the home.
From there he says it's a straight shot on U.S. Highway 30 toward Washington, D.C.
That route crosses Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland off of his list.
While he's shot videos during his trip, Ible plans on making a documentary of his mission.
"I'll have as many miles as Lewis and Clark by the time I'm done," Ible said. "And I've actually walked most of their trails."
Ible says once he gets to D.C. he'll decide how long he needs to stay there, because:
"I don't totally want live with the president."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: One Man's Coast-To-Coast Mission - Legalize Cannabis
Author: Jeremiah Graves
Contact: 320-255-8700
Photo Credit: Jeremiah Graves
Website: SCTimes
Lawrence Scible, 59, better known as Ras Ible, is aiming to take his mission to the doorstep of the White House.
After being released from parole about 14 months ago, Ible flew from West Virginia to Spokane, Washington, and gave up everything he owned to embark on his journey.
Ible says he was convicted on a charge related to marijuana possession, and now his mission is to promote nationwide legalization of medical marijuana. He says he suffers from PTSD, bipolar disorder and a digestive disorder and that cannabis helps all of it. He started his travels in April 2015, pulling a home that he likens to a rickshaw.
Two thousand miles later, the Navy veteran stopped Tuesday in Sauk Rapids, where he spent the night in a Holiday gas station parking lot to take cover from possible storms.
But stormy skies are the least of the hardships Ible has had to overcome. After he got out of prison, he struggled to find a job, food, a home.
"So I started protesting. I went on city streets with signs, went in front of the federal courthouse ... and basically said, 'Please, I need this medicine. I'm doing this to help end prohibition," Ible said of his war to support medical marijuana.
The man behind the mission
While incarcerated in West Virginia, Ible says he studied the law and worked out religiously.
"The last three years I wore paths around the perimeter of the fence. They would laugh at me and I was like, 'I'm going to walk the United States. You never know.' And here I am. It's amazing."
Ible noted that "22 veterans commit suicide every day," and believes cannabis could help.
"Cannabis is not the problem," he said. "It's the meth, it's the narcotics, it's the alcohol."
Suit and tie. Ible's mother Rose Scible was pretty strict when it came to when it came to church and Sunday school at Weems Creek Baptist Church in Annapolis, Maryland.
"I was raised a Baptist," Ible said. "Southern Baptist, just as hard as they come. But my mom taught me to be an equal person. She worked in a hospital. She cared for whites, blacks, Asians, it didn't matter.
"We're all one, and that's how I was raised by her."
Rose was a combat veteran, a registered nurse, a commander of the American Legion in the 1960s, according to Ible.
When Rose was 40 years old, she died from cancer.
Ible was 10.
"Our world kind of turns upside-down when momma's gone," Ible said. "She was a beautiful woman and I'm doing this in hers and Jesus' honor."
When Ible built his farm, he and his wife split and she stayed in the city. And when he was incarcerated, he said he lost his 5-year-old daughter, whom he hopes to reconnect with after reaching the White House.
"I'm going to go look for her, find her and tell her 'I'm sorry,' " Ible said fighting tears. "I built it to be a family farm, so I could raise her ... it's hard."
The journey so far
Ible says he's pretty sure he's the first person to pull a rickshaw through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and, now, Minnesota.
His route, he estimates, is around 3,000 miles. Ible says he averages about 20 miles a day, and when conditions are right, that number can go up.
Along the way, Ible has dealt with law enforcement stopping him for concerns of his safety along major interstates and highways, and reminding and informing him of regulations on obstructing traffic. Patrol officers blocked his entrance to California on a major highway, and Washington patrols redirected him to a secondary road.
Speeding vehicles are Ible's main concern when it comes to safety.
"I've had cars collide right next to me; trying to take pictures and looking at this thing when they should be driving," Ible said. "I'm getting hit by shrapnel and all sorts of stuff when those accidents happen."
Acts of kindness aren't foreign to Ible, as his Facebook reach continues to grow.Strangers across the country donate food, money and shelter.
While driving home Tuesday, Tammy Willenbring, 49, of St. Cloud, saw Ible along Highway 10. She was curious.
"He's a vet, and I have several vets and military members in my family," Willenbring said. "Some friends that I've had died in the military. I have family that's been injured in the military.
"It's important to me. It hits home."
Willenbring, a special education paraprofessional in Royalton, offered food, a place to stay and donations to Ible, in an effort to support the journey.
Ible has found time to make charitable donations to others as well.
In Salem, Oregon, Ible built and gave a home like his to a homeless, 60-year-old, one-eyed man, he said.
"I used my (Supplemental Security Income) money and built him one on the side of the highway and then in a Lowe's parking lot when they kicked me off," Ible said. "It was a beautiful thing to see the tears in his eyes and the love and the joy of this man finally owning his own home."
Homemade, Earth-powered
Ible's portable home is 4 feet wide, 10 feet long and 7 feet tall. It's 500 pounds of canvas and wood, and it balances in a way that keeps it moving without much assistance.
Ible, a wrestler in high school, stands 5-foot-6 and weighs a "solid" 125 pounds. When he's pulling his home, he takes advantage of gravity and wind power to help lighten his load.
"I grew up in Annapolis, Maryland, so I'm kind of familiar with sailboats," Ible said. "You try to always follow the river, whenever you can, or the train trestles ... because our ancestors always tried to take the flattest route."
Sometimes flat is not possible.
"It was quite a travel coming across the Continental Divide with this thing, because the shoulder was only like a foot wide and this thing is 4-foot wide," Ible said. "It was difficult trying to get traffic to share the road.
"Now I've got all kinds of special lights on this thing, and a few times I've had to shake my fists."
Stocked with food, a cooler, an electric cooktop, maps, cards, tools, a citizens band radio, clothes, bedding and bathroom and hygiene essentials, Ible "doesn't need to stop for much."
He was able to build the home because a preacher helped him develop his carpentry skills, "just like Jesus."
Its walls are covered with painted designs, quotes from historical figures such as Henry Ford and current activists such as the group Anonymous. There are trinkets, souvenirs, signatures and, of course, his message.
He saves items found along the road. A BMW car decal. Tools for emergencies.
"I left all my other ones behind ... because I wasn't expecting to come on a journey like this," Ible said. "I've found wrenches, screwdrivers ... you'd be surprised what you can find on the side of the road."
While the VA considers him a homeless veteran, Ible sees things differently.
"I have this shelter. I'm not underneath a bridge or anything," Ible said.
"It keeps me sheltered from the rain. I can lay fully out, lay down, sit down and it's totally human- and Earth-powered."
Next stop?
Ible plans to continue down U.S. Highway 10 and cut through Minneapolis.
He plans to go through Madison, Wisconsin, and then Chicago, Illinois.
Ible hopes to go to the Great Lakes where he went to boot camp, but says he doubts they'll let him on the base while he's towing the home.
From there he says it's a straight shot on U.S. Highway 30 toward Washington, D.C.
That route crosses Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland off of his list.
While he's shot videos during his trip, Ible plans on making a documentary of his mission.
"I'll have as many miles as Lewis and Clark by the time I'm done," Ible said. "And I've actually walked most of their trails."
Ible says once he gets to D.C. he'll decide how long he needs to stay there, because:
"I don't totally want live with the president."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: One Man's Coast-To-Coast Mission - Legalize Cannabis
Author: Jeremiah Graves
Contact: 320-255-8700
Photo Credit: Jeremiah Graves
Website: SCTimes