When rancher Bill Inman decided to show there's more to America than the gloom-and-doom on the nightly news, he hopped on his horse and started riding.

Some 1,700 miles later, he's burning through his family's life savings as he collects stories of hardworking, honest everyday people

Inman soaks it all in atop Blackie, a 16-year-old thoroughbred-quarter horse mix who's averaging 20-25 miles a day

They estimate the journey will cost them $45,000. They want to make a documentary film and write a book, and a filmmaker and Web site operator are tagging along.

Bill began his trek after growing weary of the daily media drumbeat he thinks is too focused on war, crime, poverty and assorted social ills.