MCDONALD COUNTY — Last week, a family on a journey passed through Anderson and Pineville on their way to the east coast from California. That wouldn’t be anything unique or unusual except that this family is crossing the United States on horseback, and their journey began two years ago and will likely continue for another year or two.
Joshua and Terra White, with their sons Levi and Lucas, set out on this journey as a learning, high-school-homeschool-type experience for their sons, who were 16 and 15 years old when they set out from Susanville, California. The family members, all born and raised in Nevada, started their learning journey on the western side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains at Susanville in April 2022.
After riding the backroads from Oklahoma into Missouri, the Whites passed through Anderson and later through Pineville on horseback and leading pack horses carrying their food and camping gear. Having gotten soaked at their campsite the night before by heavy rains, the boys commented on their live videos about Missouri being a much wetter state than those they had traversed to the west. After passing through parts of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma, Missouri was the 10th state on their journey, and Arkansas was coming up.
Crossing the one-lane suspension bridge at Beaver, Ark., known as the little Golden Gate Bridge, was on their agenda after a three-day stopover in Pineville. After that, they plan to make their way eastward along the Arkansas-Missouri line headed for the Atlantic Ocean somewhere in Virginia or the Carolinas — far enough south that they don’t freeze but far enough north that they don’t get eaten by alligators, Levi and Lucas said.
All along the way, the boys met and interacted with local residents of various races and creeds and differing political views. They especially enjoyed their journey on the Navajo Indian Reservation and across northern Oklahoma, they said.
“When you’re thirsty and someone offers you water, you don’t worry about their race or political views,” Joshua White said.
The family lived off the land, eating what nature provided, from fish to crawdads to rattlesnakes. They stopped to work along the way when jobs were offered. They trained horses and even herded sheep to buy food and replenish needed supplies. Local residents and others following their journey on social media have also supported the family on its journey.
Joshua, formerly an agricultural consultant who also did some cowboying, said he realized that ownership of stuff had taken over his life and he couldn’t be the father he wanted to be for his boys or the husband he wished to be for his wife. He said his family was drifting apart, and he didn’t want to be the kind of dad who was so busy providing stuff for his family that he didn’t provide what was truly important and prepare them for life.
And what better way for the two boys to learn how to handle all the issues that life throws at them than to plan and manage a trip across the U.S. on horseback!
The family put aside four years for the venture, equivalent to the time needed for a high school education, and set out on their journey with a string of horses and donkeys, trusting God to watch over them, teach them life lessons along the way, and make them stronger in their Christian faith.
Joshua explained, “The things you own end up owning you … Mom’s at work, Dad’s at work, and the phone is raising the kids.”
He said that ownership can make one a non-Christian because he can let business decisions interfere with Christian virtues taught in the Bible.
“I should have never let characteristics like being kind, caring and forgiving be bad for business,” Joshua said. “I should have let business be bad for me.”
Now, the White family is “working together as a family, with one common goal,” Terra explained. “It’s made us strong,” she said. “The more you overcome, the stronger you get.”
The Whites said their journey has removed distractions and taught them to confront issues together.
Their journey across the western wilderness and deserts taught them to be thankful for what most of us take for granted — thankful for water to drink where it is scarce or nonexistent, thankful for a breeze when temperatures soar, and thankful for shelter from the elements during storms.
“Have you ever looked in the mirror and asked, ‘Where has my life taken me?'” Joshua White wrote on the family’s L&L Manquest website. “Have you ever thought, ‘I’m not the father I pictured myself being when I was 15?’ Have you ever asked, ‘What are my sons going to remember about me?’ Have you asked, ‘Where has the time gone?’ These questions led to L&L Man Quest.”
The L&L Man Quest website narrative says, “Hello, We are the White family, and we are on an adventure like no other! A home school journey across the United States, an epic adventure with perils and praise. Our vision is to cross the United States [in] four years, [on] horseback, a true depiction of our interpretation of our pioneering fathers. Our pioneering Fathers were made of iron. Men cut from a cloth that is no more. Our pioneering fathers displayed a code of honor and chivalry that we have on our list of becoming men.
“Lucus, 15, and Levi, 16, have embarked on a quest to endure all that comes their way. To endure all weather, freeze or burn; [to] ride and train their horses as they meet the world that they will be living in “head-on” at 3 to 30 miles a day. They will meet all creeds and colors of men in this world, furthering their right to be in it. They will manage all money, plan all travel, and they will endure and overcome all consequences and struggles. They will gain work ethics, they will learn bartering skills, and much, much more.
“Dire moments overcome with grace and significant moments overcome with humble acceptance is on our man quest list, Lord willing.
“This epic adventure is no sacrifice, only a parent’s duty; hopefully, this is the greatest gift we can give two of the world’s best boys. The goal is [that] everything will be easy after this. God’s Country is the greatest, most beautiful gift of all.”
What will they do when they reach the east coast? The family has offers from friends and followers to trailer their horses and take them back home, but they also have job offers picked up along the way. The answer remains in God’s hands.
The White family’s motto is: “Live, Don’t Just Exist!”
More on this family’s life lesson journey is available at https://www.llmanquest.com/. Regular posts and videos can be found at https://www.facebook.com/LLManquest/.
A video of Cheryl Masters Franklin interviewing the White family shortly after they crossed into Missouri can be watched on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fizDCxihpmE.
Much credit for this story goes to those who took the time to interview the White family along their journey and share podcasts and photos for all the family’s followers.
Cheryl Masters Franklin/Submitted photo The White Family from Nevada approaches Anderson on a life-learning homeschool journey across the U.S. by horse.
Submitted photo/llmanquest Facebook page Life along the trail.
Submitted photo/llmanquest Facebook page Life along the trail.
Submitted photo The White Family, Joshua and Terra, and sons Lucas and Levi.
