He says his trek will continue until he is dead or too old to travel the two-lane highways with his canine companions - Shep and Proverbs. Boehmer's mission is to spread the word about Jesus and salvation. Across the side of his lead wagon is written, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved and thy house. Act 16:31."
Boehmer took to the road in April last year after spending seven months learning to shoe horses in preparation for his trek. But the seed of his current lifestyle was planted in the early 1990s when he met another sojourner, Lee Young, traveling the countryside by mule team. When asked what was the most difficult part of his travels, Young told Boehmer it was finding spots for his mules to drink.
"Here I was working 15 hours a day and he was only worrying about watering his animals," Boehmer related.
His doubts about his own busy life in Arizona as a taxidermist continued when his parents died and he was cleaning out their garage.
"My sister said to keep what I wanted and take the rest to the dump - things my father had worked so hard for," said Boehmer. "I was working 15 hours a day and thought there's gotta be finer things in life."
His feelings of futility only increased with the death of his wife from cancer in 1998. Boehmer admits questioning God's actions until he finally began reading the Bible and ultimately asked for Jesus to save him. This took him to studying two years in a nondenominational Bible college in Arizona.
He continued his profession as a taxidermist, but began laying the groundwork for his planned pilgrimage. The conversion of the two farm wagons took a half a year. The back covered-wagon is used for hauling supplies and water and grain for the mules.
The lead wagon is Boehmer's living quarters, modeled after Southwestern sheepherder wagons- much like an unadorned gypsy wagon. Along with his bunk, wood stove and small gas grill is a solar panel that provides power for his radio, cell phone and the electric fence he puts up every night for the mules.
Thursday morning of last week found him camping in a ditch several miles west of Riverside. His picturesque wagons slowed cars and turned heads as they took in his calmly grazing mules.
Boehmer said he seldom has run-ins with the law. It usually occurs at night when a passing motorist phones the police to report mysterious lights in a ditch. His tone of voice doesn't hide his irritation with the callers and not the responding officers.
"They apologize for disturbing me," he says of the police.
And though he spends a lot of time talking with visitors who are drawn to his wagons and mules, he doesn't use the time to evangelize.
"That says it all,' he nods to the Bible quote. He adds that his mules spend more time standing along side the road as he chats with the locals than actually pulling the wagons.
Last winter was spent in the southeastern states and he is heading north for the summer. Boehmer has no specific travel plans, but says he will probably now head for Minnesota and then into the Dakotas before again turning south for the winter.
He is closed mouth about both how old he is and how he survives with no visible means of support. "Old enough" and "the Lord will provide," he tersely answers whn asked.
When pressed on how he finances his travelings, he notes that it is usually the nonChristians who find it difficult to believe that God will see to his needs.
As if in answer to the questioning, a farmer and son pull over while Boehmer is being interviewed. The farmer tells Boehmer that he has oats for the mules and gives directions to his farm a couple miles down the highway.
As the farmer drives away, Boehmer turns and says, "See? The Lord will provide."
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