Lynn's Lines

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Friday September 5 2008

Antelope on Hill Near Home

Taken Yesterday

The bucks are gathering up their does this time of year.

We've sure had a lot near the house this summer.

Joe went to town early this morning for his blood test and stayed for lunch. He said he went to the Boulder Store and it's all remodeled. He had a burger and it was good. I supposed he saw friends there to visit with some. And probably saw Tom in town - just guessing. A group of guys is usually sitting in Ridley's deli having doughnuts and coffee too. He brought home more paint and log oil. It's the time of year he paints all the outside wood trim on the buildings.

He woke me up to say he was going, and boy was I woozy. I don't know what from and can't even guess with all that's going on. It took me all day to get anywhere close to "normal". I did 3 loads of laundry and changed sheets though. Fixed us a pork chop for dinner and that's about it. Have still been watching movie videos. While I was sitting I worked with some of the photos from South Pass and got those posted so that was a good thing to do. Be sure and look back down the blog and keep scrolling if you haven't checked it for a while because there's lots more there that caught up the last week.

It sure been cooler and I've been wearing sweats for a couple of weeks now or at least a warm long sleeved shirt. Seems too cool for t-shirts. Sandra wrote she got home from the cabin later today. She said it rained down there after we left so we lucked out and missed that. We're going fishing sometime later next week and that is something to look forward to. Anybody know where the fish are biting that's easy to get to - I can't walk too much.

Thursday September 4 2008

Is This Cute or What??

Cattle Drive on the Way to Boulder

This morning I went to Pinedale to get a haircut. I called Sheral and asked if she would like to go along and have lunch in town and she agreed. They are leaving tomorrow and will go to Texas to visit the kids for several weeks and come back later in October. So I went by to pick her up and retrieve my new sweatshirt I left over there the other night.

We stopped by Bonnie's house and saw the new gate (mentioned before in the "other" Thursday entry - this is an update for Thursday.) I really like it and Craig has done a nice job on it. When it is finished and installed I'll put in some pictures. We met their daughter in law Amy, and saw the little boys. The cutest thing was Amy and Jacob riding over to the folks on their ATVs. He has his own little ATV.

Then went on toward town, slowing down momentarily for a cattle drive. We had lunch at the chinese restaurant. I wasn't careful ordering and it didn't sit well at all. I hadn't been feeling as well today anyhow and along with this it seemed to just take away my energy. Then over to the Senion Center to get my hair cut. Lynn, (the beautician's name is Lynn too) cut it so I could wear it spiky - maybe 1 3/4" like a crew cut - and I really like it. She and Sheral liked it too. It's so thin from chemo now and I was surprised that it looks thicker this way than the way I've been wearing it. But I can do it both ways. I'll try to get a picture of it to show you.

Afterwards we walked the dogs, bought the groceries, and stopped at Bear Trading to do a little shopping and then came on home. Sheral and Dick were going to White Pine for dinner with their neighbors for their 50th wedding anniversary. She will have her fill of riding back and forth to town. Put away the groceries and fixed us some bbq ribs from Ridley's deli with hash browns - Joe had the ribs and I had an egg with some of the potatoes. I pretty well crashed after that.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Trip to South Pass on Wednesday 9-3-08

Oregon Buttes

West of South Pass

When the pioneers saw this prominent landmark

they knew their wagon train had

arrived in Oregon Territory

On Wednesday Bonnie and I drove down the back way on the Lander Cutoff to South Pass. It was a cloudy morning, enough that I thought the day would get worse and maybe rain by afternoon. The breeze had quite a chill to it. There was a lot of road equipment working, and it was in many sections. We'd just get around one road grader and go a ways and there would be another. There were about 6 graders, several dump trucks and rollers (which I don't know the name of them). So for a while it was slow going. They are really getting the road into the best shape it has ever been. Not like the old days for sure - when it was narrow, dirt, rutted with pot holes and boulders. You didn't go there when it rained. We walked the dogs at Little Sandy Creek and there was a quite large camp of half a dozen trailers with horse trailers and more stuff around. We saw a girl riding her horse bareback with her dog alongside.

We got to the Atlantic Merc to meet Sandra just on time about noon. Took some photos both inside and out. We ordered burgers. Afterwards we followed Sandra out to her new cabin off the Ft. Stambaugh road. We stopped first at the small guest cabin. It was potentially really cute, but had been neglected by the former owners and mice were living in the oven etc. They are going to add on to it and fix it up next summer so it will be livable. It sits in a nice aspen grove. Then on up the hill to the main cabin. I'm so sorry I spaced out taking some photos of it, because it is so nice, lots of big windows for the view. It also sits in the aspens and has a deck on the back. Sandra has it fixed really cute too, with red curtains. The kitchen is perfect sized. We visited there for a while then thought we should start back, since we wanted to find the Willie Hand Cart Site and go to South Pass City Historic Site.

So back down to the gate, Sandra gave us the combination to get out - she kidded us that it was a gated community. We found that the signage to the Hand Cart Site which used to be there was non existent, but I knew we had to go to Rock Creek and that was on the sign. Driving through the landscape was beautiful, so remote feeling expansive and immense. It was beginning to clear off and my weather prediction of rain wasn't very accurate after all, the wind was still cold.

We came to Rock Creek where the LDS church has set memorials and monuments to the members of the Willie Hand Cart Company who died there in an early winter storm - 77 out of over 400, so about a quarter of them perished there. We walked around. Then decided to try and find two more nearby sites, Rocky Ridge and The Rescue Site. We drove toward them but could see no evidence of markers or signs. On the way back Bonnie spotted a tall monument over on a hill, but we couldn't see a way up, so didn't try to get there - maybe next time since it was getting late.

We drove back out and went over to the South Pass City Historic Site. Shopped a little at the gift shop, and when I went out to get my purse from the car Bonnie did a very nice thing and made me of gift of the things I picked out by paying for them for taking her around today and getting our lunch. Thank you for being so thoughtful Bonnie. And then went in to the South Pass City Historic Site Museum being restored by the State. It is really nicely done, but I'm not sure which way I like it better - all restored, or the way I first saw it in its more weathered state. We sort of hurried since it was already nearly 6 p.m. and we had the drive home. So we headed on home in the evening light, back across the Cutoff. All the roadwork was finished for the day, and the road was terrific. It was a wonderful special day, I really enjoyed it very much and especially was grateful to spend time with Bonnie and getting to know her better

Willie Handcart Memorial Site 9-3-08

Remember Monument for the Second Rescue

Which President Gordon B. Hinkley dedicated in 1997

History Plaque - Click to read

History Plaque Monument for the Mass Grave
It may be that they are buried in the
open grassy space which is fenced in
at the foreground - it didn't say for sure

People Buried in the Circular Grave

This note is from Beverly:

Oh my gosh!!! Did you see the Willie Handcart plaque of the mass grave. That's the great, great, great, greatgrandfather, Thomas Girdlestone! I didn't know he was in that grave. I knew he died on South Pass in the snow storm. His wife, Mary (I think), died at the Green River crossing and she is buried there. When we were in Nauvoo I showed you their names.

Its so exciting to see that.