August 29, 2015

Today we went for a ride over to the Francis Ranch.

It sits right next to the DL &L.  We were given permission

from one of the owners to go for a ride down into their ranch.

It was fun and really pretty.  We took this picture with

on the Francis side of the gate.

Look who came to visit today.  My brother Norman and

his wife Kay and their daughter Robin.

We took them for a drive on the ranch and then we 

all ate lunch together.  I felt bad all the

pictures were put away so they didn't see

how great the place can look.

They had a fun time and were really interested in what

we do here.  We, of course, loved showing the place

to them.  We love our "PlayGround"

After they left we were all alone on the ranch.  All the

other missionaries are now gone, the last two pulled 

away today.  We are staying to attend a Post Trek Fireside

in Riverton tomorrow night.  So we went on a adventure

to look for some of the sheds Elder Kennedy has

hidden on the Ranch.

Thick brush, steep climbs, we found several of his bounty.

We left them there for someone else to find, or not!

August 28, 2015

Last night we went the Hillyard to eat with Pres. Lester and

his family and Presidency.  The best part of the night was the

cannon.   Look at the size of it.

And, YES, they shot it off!  In goes the black powder.

Then down goes the BOWLING BALL. 

Now you have to pull it back down to aim it at the distant 

hill side.

Now you light the fuse and wait.

Then it explodes!. Wow, it was so fun.  They did

a smaller load of black powder.  You cannot believe

how high and how far the ball went.

What a beautiful place they have in the trees.

One last picture with most of the Sister Missionaries.

Here are the Platts.   They are related to the Platts we

have in Cedar City.  We like them a lot.

Today we drove up to Alpine Wyoming and then on to

the Gray River Road.  What a beautiful drive it was.

We went with the Brinkerhoff's and we left at 5:00 am.

We met up with the Kennedy's.  They are there camping

for a few days.  They wanted us to see the great mountains

where they love to spend time.

We had a great day with them and got to see some really

steep mountains and lots and lots of trees.

And the most amazing river.

We got home at 8:30 pm.  A long day but a great memory.

We are going to miss the Kennedy's next year.

August 22, 2016

Well today was a big day.  Our trek training for Treks coming

in 2016!  We had a great turn out and they said

they learned a lot.

Look at the engrossed audience!

Elder Cowan had them speechless, or asleep?

Check out Elder Cowan dancing to the music

YMCA, only it was a TREK version that Mindy Taylor

wrote for Trek.  

We had everyone dancing but I had to get a photo of

Cowan!  It is amazing what I've seen him do.

After the main training we had a mini trek for those

who wanted to have a handcart experience.  We had only

three carts go, but it was worth it for them.  They all said

how fun it was and what they felt as they pushed and

pulled a real cart.  We had several opportunities to

tell them stories and teach them what things they

could do with their own treks.

New Missionaries, the Calls from Spanish Fork.

The Howards from Emmett Idaho.   They came to be

part of the training and had a great time helping out.

Sister Howard loved telling the Trekkers that the

restrooms were the Porta Johns parked by the building.

Then she added, when you come trekking you get

to clean them also!  We think she is pretty funny.

Tonight Cowan and I are relaxing and enjoying the

end of a great season.  We have all the chairs put away

and the building is now filled with handcarts!

The end is near.

August 21, 2015

Last night we went on an adventure here on the property.

We learned we have our own fortification left from the

year 1857 when Johnsons Army was threatening to come 

invade the Saints.  So some of us headed off to see it

for ourselves.  It was, of course, up on a scary cliff

that overlooks the road below.  It was so STEEP.

We were on slippery gravel rocks and big cliffs, the

trail was not even wide enough for barely one of your feet.

At this point Sister Peart, who is in front of me is saying,

"Why exactly are we doing this?????"

After getting to the top we saw we had to drop down to 

get to the fortification, it was steep and scarier than what

we had been doing for a long time.  Four of them went down,

five of us stayed where we were.  Glad to know we didn't

have to do extra, getting back to the road was enough for

us.  At least we were hoping to get back to the road,

and not slide down and SPLAT ON THE ROAD.

Our own selfie at the top.  Could be our obituary

photo?

See their tiny figures out on the edge!!  It was absolutely

beautiful up there on top.  And look, real trees not just

sage brush.

This would be Sister Peart and I glad to be alive.  Sister

Kennedy is in the background.  What an adventure, one

we won't have to do again.

Now Jeff didn't do as well. What a dork!

We sat my camera on the top of the 4x4 and I pushed

the timed camera button, started to head for the group and

the camera was wobbling and shaking, almost to

tip over.  This is the photo I got of them laughing

at the shaking camera.

This is the final product.  We continued on to see Lost Creek and

then on the way back to our homes we were able to see

lots of deer.  We had fun spotting them and trying to

see the really BIG DADDY one, we saw a couple 

of those.

Look at the rock, it has a hole in it.  On the left of that

it has another hole but it is hidden by the bush that

is growing there.

That dark spot is the back end of a fat porcupine.

We actually saw two of them during our trip.  This one was

right next to the 4x4 and I wish my camera had been quicker.

We saw a great view of his tail spread out and the quills ready

to fire at us.

This was a fun night spent at the Ranch.

Extra Photos

I forgot to add pictures from our last trek, I am a bit behind.

Check out the little fellow between the slats.

I loved this picture.  What a classic Trek Photo.

It always pays to have a contractor on Trek with you.

A cart was coming apart and we were going to head into 

the Trek Center to get screws, Bishop had all his tools with

him and he did the job.  I think we will have to hire

him to help us out more often.

When we parked the carts for the women's pull to separate the 

boys from the girls a badger ran down into his hole.

The bad part is he kept coming back up and hissing

at the Trekkers, not Good.  So we put rocks into the 

hole and then I stood on the rocks to keep him from coming

back up.  I need to go back and look and see if

he got out or if he dug a way out or, if???????

At the end of the pull the brethren were following behind

singing hymns to them as they finished.  It was touching

as usual.  Always a special moment.

ON Friday night, the last night of Trek we had a terrible

wind storm and rain, thunder, lightening, the whole works.

We had a couple of groups get into some trouble and we

had to put them up in the Trek Center and Depot for the night.

Our group had about 1/3 of their group come in

for shelter, the others stayed out in their camp.

Another Stake brought their entire group in, about 160 of

them.  They actually left from the trek center the next morning.

Their buses picked them up and were gone by 9:00 am.

Our group went back out to camp, had breakfast, a testimony

meeting and then trekked out to staging.  We were pretty

excited they wanted to finish.

The last thing they did before trekking on Saturday morning was 

to have a Hukka dance by the Samoan Branch.

It was so great and invigorating.

Notice Elder Cowan is out there, (he is the one in the red 

ball cap), they invited him to be part of the dance because

they knew he had been to New Zealand on his mission.

We loved the Samoan's, they were the best.

Two of them actually knew several friends of our that

serve with us in the St. George Temple on Saturday mornings.

The world is a small place indeed.  What are the chances?

100 % Gary Johnson.

Not only that, this man was once a young ten year old

who played on Jeff's little league team!

What are the chances?  100%

This guy is a Gubler, related to the Gubler's we know.

He was so fun, you can tell that, right?

Check out this cute family, The tall one is 16 years old.

I look like a midget next to them.

This cute guy is leaving for a mission to Mexico, he was playing

the ukulele while trekking, a new experience for me.

I have to tell you it was so soothing to hear him playing while

we walked.  Trek is always entertaining.

Check out these two.  One is a counselor in the Stake Presidency.

Can you pick out which one it is?  Hay seed and all.  Actually, the

other brother has Parkinson's and he was amazing to watch.

He was so helpful and kind.  He had a hard time doing things. He

would say, "Don't worry, I'm just slow"  People with great courage

and love teach us to be better.  That is what I learned on trek.