So, Three Mules Walk Into Los Al

This was an odd one. 

It was the day after authorities captured the last of three African wildcats on the streets of Los Alamitos, and I didn't expect to see any other out-of-place animals. 

I was wrong. 

I was heading for dinner about 10 p.m. Dec. 17 after covering a particularly interesting Los Alamitos council meeting when I saw it: Someone was leading three mules, each covered with what looked like supplies, westward on Katella Avenue.

I caught up with the man, who looked to be in his 50s or 60s, as he walked past the Katella Deli in Los Alamitos. I told him I was a reporter and, curiosity blazing, asked what he was doing.

He shined a flashlight in my eyes and didn't say anything. 

Then I asked him for his name, and he said something but I couldn't hear, and he kept walking. I was, needless to say, baffled. 

However, one of the mules had a saddle on it with the words "3mules.com."

And checking the website, I got more questions than answers.

"To answer the most asked questions: Who are we? Where are we from? And where are we going," the website read. "We are mules. We are from the outside. We live outside all day, every day. Where are we going? Nowhere, we're here - the outside, the web of life - the beautiful earth, a place like no other. We have come to this place - a place of golden sparkling light, a place for anybody and everybody.”

You can read the rest of it on the site.

Apparently, the man has been walking for a while. He was reported in San Luis Obispo in September and Los Angeles in October. 

If you’ve seen a critter stranger than an African serval, or a mule pack train in Los Al, I’d like to hear about it in the comments … or, better yet, upload your photos to this story.

Download the movie