Adam and Heather joined us at the hotel and Heather re-arranged children into the various vans. We were now up to 4. We have Becca, Ethan, Landon and Lydia with us. Stephen has all of his originals plus Gracie. Adam and Heather have (almost hit a prairie dog just now!! :D ) Jack, Emily and Spencer. Matt and Denise must just have Porter and Anna besides Richard and Shannon.
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| The day before we drove for a little more than 3 hours, little do these cheery kids know that today will be more like 8 hours in the car! |
Willie Handcart Company Historical Site
Stephen’s GPS said 10 more miles and he was leading, so we missed the entrance at first. It was settled back away from the road and looks very authentic at first sight to its Pioneer roots. Although they thankfully had plenty of modern plumbing! We started at the handcart “parking lot” and picked out 3 handcarts to take turns pulling and riding in. Of course, Becca came in her own handcart and we got to try out her brand spankin’ new sunshade that I finished minutes before we left. It worked great! Her own personal surrey with the fringe on the top!
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| Aunt Denise and Becca in her surrey. |
At the Blacksmith’s shop, we all got “Prairie Diamond” rings made out of nails. The Sun family, who is Catholic, donated the site and land to the Church because of its historical significance. They had preserved many artifacts and it was a very neat tribute to those Saints who literally dragged everything they owned across the plains by their own muscle power. Youth who go there to go on a Trek experience, start out at the visitor’s center and hike either 3 miles or 6 to the different camp sites. We saw a few ‘Trekkers’ from afar. I can imagine catching the pioneer spirit even more by doing some of the things the pioneers did and partaking of such hardship that begets spiritual strength.
The first little walk we did with the carts had plaques with journal excerpts. The sacrifice of the early Saints astounds me. One short excerpt in particular really spoke to me. A wife and mother was hauling her sick husband and a child in the cart and her other son that was walking collapsed. She slung him on her back and kept pulling. Finally, she put him in the cart with the others and just kept pulling. I feel that way sometimes! Maybe not to the physical extent that she did, but I do carry 50 lb. Becca around and emotionally I am constantly pulling other’s spirits up and trying to share the ‘we can do this together’ spirit that Heavenly Father sent me with. I definitely feel the weight of it all some days. But to be the only thing pulling your sick family through the snow step by step to safety is mind boggling. Humbling.
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| Sculpture accompanying the plaque with her story. |
After eating lunch on the road, we got separated in Casper, WY. Stephen and Geoff stopped at Walmart (looking for the ever elusive pocket knife, chux pads and pop tarts) and Denise went to meet Heather. Somehow 3 of us went south and Stephen went north. Apparently the GPSs had a falling out and weren’t speaking to each other. :D
We crossed the border into South Dakota at 6:15 p.m… we were supposed to meet at the campground at 5:00. Glen and Sharon had some hot dogs and super yummy brats cooked up and waiting when we got there.
Some random sights on our way to South Dakota:
- Looooooong trains full of coal.
- Lots of prong horned Antelope/Deer
- Lots and lots of really, really old abandoned cabins. (Geoff wishes he could get a grant to photograph them all!)
- Country flattened out. Much lower, flatter mountains.
- We’ve gone as much in one day as the pioneers took months to go.
- They round bale the weeds on the side of the road.
- Junkyards… one sprawled up the side of a hill.
- Gracie saw a moose!
- Milk = $4.69/gallon at the grocery store just before the campground!
- 2 ‘good ol’ boys’ dragging Main on four wheelers.
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