Nancy
Daily Chore - Betty Vacuums Amigo - He Loves It! 
The Dutch Baby Before it Disappeared
This morning we didn't have much of a plan. The weather was still unpleasant. Nancy made the best "thing" called a Dutch Baby, a kind of big popover baked in the oven for our breakfast (I need the recipe, Nancy!)
I started a Swiss steak meal in the crock pot. After we got breakfast over we thought over for a while what we wanted to do. One of the things I had mentioned was that we COULD like take a ride around to some of the abandoned homesteads OR go down south and get some flagstones for a new flower bed I have planned, OR move the plants from back to front, OR work on hanging the Art Show in the Barn. They chose to help me hang the Art Show in the Barn. Its a little early, but its a wonderful thing to have some help with such a big job. So that's what we decided to do today. After getting the house straighted up some, we went into the storage shelves and started moving boxes of packed paintings out to the barn with the dolly. We got all the boxes moved and unpacked and started the hanging. By then it was 11:30 and time to fix lunch. What else is new. We came in and started some quick vegetable beef soup. After lunch Joe wanted me to call the doctor's office. We were supposed to report in a week after his doctor checkup last week. I had to leave a message. We went back to start working again and I realized there had to be yet another box of smaller artwork. I was rummaging in the shelves and found the box.When I came back Joe was out in the corral and said the nurse had called back and wanted him to come in for a checkup. By then it was after 1:30. We got ready fast and drove into town. Betty and Nancy didn't want to ride along so they said they would keep working in the barn. Joe had his checkup (where we sat mostly waiting for over 2 hours), I got him a new prescription and picked up some groceries so I didn't have to go back soon. It was nearly 7 p.m. when we got home. There had been some more snow squalls going through. Betty and Nancy had the whole art show hung, the house vacuumed and the horse fed. I haven't got words enough for how grateful I am to have all the paintings hung up. It's wonderful. I guess they had a good time doing it, so that worked out well. Almost like magic there was dinner all ready in the crock pot. I put some potatoes in the microwave and heated some rolls in the oven and we had a pretty tasty meal.
Thursday May 3 2007
Yesterday in Tee Shirts - Today in Down Coats
Betty Amigo and Nancy (Yes...he's sitting on the floor)
Today we woke up to snow on the ground and it came down lightly most of the morning. The snow soon quit but it was cold and windy so we didn't get out and around like I would have liked to. We edited some of yesterday's photos to send out to Betty's email list. That took most of the morning. I fixed the leftover spaghetti noodles (had made way too many last night) into a kind of 5 cheese casserole for lunch. We enjoyed our visiting. Today Nancy helped again by cooking her special delicious tacos for dinner. It was luxurious to eat someone else's cooking. Had I said that we were celebrating our 50th high school graduation? I know I've mentioned it somewhere back in the blog, but this is what we got together for at this time, since I missed going to Nevada for any kind of reunion. There is nothing officially planned by our class for a celebration and we decided to get together on our own. Nancy and Betty will see a few more people when they go back to Nevada.
Up early, with buttermilk yeast pancakes and ham for breakfast. We packed a picnic lunch and loaded up the SUV. Today we took a day trip to South Pass and Atlantic City - Nancy, Betty and I with the three dogs. Joe was probably glad to have some peace and quiet for the day. Nancy was particularly interested in seeing the Oregon Trail ruts and the Continental Divide. We headed down south of the ranch.
Betty, Nancy, Amigo, at Pioneer and Indian Grave Sites on the Oregon Trail First stop just about five miles down the road from home was on the bluff above the Big Sandy where there is a pioneer and Indian cemetery. We talked about the history of the area and stood on the Oregon Trail trail ruts there. Betty was intrigued by sagebrush on the hill that is taller than a person.
Tall Sagebrush!
Buckskin Crossing Big Sandy River
Next we stopped at Buckskin Crossing on the Big Sandy. The Oregon Trail comes down a steep bluff there and crossed the river. It would have been a very nice camping spot for early day travelers. There was also a stage stop there and the sites of many homesteads and old ranches in our area, none of which there is any trace left, just the stories. There is a nice historical marker there that mentions that this was the crossing the first fur trappers used when they made their trip through to Oregon country and how many pioneers and wagons passed by here each day. In fact, Wyoming used to be Oregon Territory in those days.
This is what the area is like near the Midland Ranch, my neighbors about 15 miles to the south of us, and there is only one other place on the Big Sandy between us. They raise sheep and cattle.
Antelope - Wind River Mountains
Elkhorn Stage Stop at Little Sandy Creek
On past Midland we turned east and crossed Little Sandy Creek. At Elkhorn is an old stage stop and store. The big horse barns and some of the other buildings are still standing but pretty much in ruins. After crossing the creek we climbed up the bluff and turned south onto Williams Road. Soon we dipped down into a large draw named Mitchell Slough and crossed the nearly dry small creek.
Sheep Camps
As we drove on through desert type country and rocky mesas the soil turned more red. All along our route we saw many herds of antelope speeding across the sage. The snowy Wind Rivers always gave us a spectacular view to the north. We then took another road back north to the Paddy McCann Ranch which has been there since the late 1800's. It is headquarters for another large sheep outfit. Very interesting there are two original stone buildings. Its one of the neatest ranches you ever saw.
A Wyoming View (Sheep Camp in the Distance)
After Paddy McCann we backtracked to Williams Road again. On the way in and out we passed through a large herd of sheep at a reservoir with at least 7 Great Pyrenees guard dogs. The dogs were wonderful at their jobs. With the wolves we have in the area now, hopefully they are a good deterrent to attacks on the sheep, and that's probably the reason for so many dogs instead of a few. Wolves also kill the dogs if they can. The sheep wagon and the herder with his horses were some distance away on a hill. 
Great Pyrenees Dog Guarding Sheep - Wind Rivers
Sheep Shearing Shed
After turning back south we soon came to the sheep shearing sheds and cabins that are down there in the middle of nowhere. There was another herd of sheep with a sheep camp. We went into the sheep sheds to look around, taking the dogs on their leashes so they didn't get rambunctious around the nearby sheep. Betty had been there a few years ago when she and her Aunt Ann visited, but it was new to Nancy. We checked out some of the graffiti artwork on the shed, which Judi and I had spent several days recording a year or so ago.
Cabins
Sheep Camp on the Desert
Next we stopped at Dry Sandy, which is the vicinity of another stage stop, although there is no evidence left of that one to see. It is perfectly named. The dogs enjoyed another investigative run, and there is another stand of very tall sagebrush there we marveled over. Back on the road we soon came to Highway 28, our first pavement and turned east. We began the ascent to South Pass and several more historical markers for the Oregon, California and Mormon Trails.
Oregon Trail Marker on South Pass
Picnic on the Sweetwater River
We stopped at the Sweetwater rest stop, and then turned up the river on a rugged two track to find a spot to have our picnic. By this time it had begun to cloud up, but was still comfortable enough to get out the lawn chairs and have our lunch close to the river. The sandwiches Nancy had made were delicious and welcome by then with oranges and Hello Dolly cookies. The dogs made themselves very available for their part of the meal.
Look! It's a Moose!!
Back on the highway after our lunch break, and we soon came on up to the South Pass area and into more pines and rocky outcrops with a few creek crossings - Rock Creek and Willow Creek. Soon we turned off the highway to head toward South Pass City, a state historical area. This was where gold was discovered in about the 1860s and there are also a couple of old army fort sites. We drove into South Pass City, but the restored historical buildings were still closed for the winter. There was a store just opening up where we went in and each bought a tee shirt and looked at their merchandise. They were working just opening up for the season. Back in the SUV and past the old Carissa Mine and Mill. Didn't get a photo of that one. We turned toward Atlantic City and that's where Nancy spotted her first ever moose, a yearling that had probably just been chased off by its mom before she has her next calf. It looked a little forlorn.
Yearling Moose
Gold Mill at Atlantic City
We slowly drove through the Atlantic City area (sorry no photos) and back up to Highway 28 and turned toward home. Crossing the Sweetwater again and to the top of the hill we took the Lander Cutoff of the Oregon Trail toward home. It was a beautiful drive along the base of the Wind Rivers. We saw a herd of deer. Nancy was interested in the odd way the road follows the crest of a split in the Continental Divide which forms the Great Divide Basin. It has also always intrigued me. The weather was closing in and started spitting snow and sleet.
Approaching Little Sandy
Stormy Skies at Grass Creek
We stopped at Squaw Creek for the dogs to run again and then came on home past Leicki's and north again across the Big Sandy, making a big loop.
