Time for Valleyfest!!

It's time for Valleyfest. This is always held in September. When the kids were in school, all of the activities were held at Terrace View Park following a parade down Mcdonald. Well, it has become a little bigger affair these days - probably because the Valley is now a City of it's own. Who knows! Now we have a parade that goes down Sprague (yea) from Pines to University. People sit on the sidewalks and even in the middle of the street because the parade only goes down one side of the street. Funny huh? On Saturday and Sunday all of the festivities are held at Mireabau Park - it's bigger and can hold more people I guess. This year they even had a hot air balloon takeoff. It's just a big get-together for the valley people and we all love it because it's kind of country like here anyway. Who cares what you wear and what you look like as long as you are having fun, right?

Bodee at the Valleyfest Parade

What a flag waver he is. It was fun sitting by Erin and the boys and to watch their reactions to the parade. This weekend is Valleyfest. It starts with the parade on Friday night. Saturday at Mirabeau Park they have things going on all day, starting with a hot air balloon send off and then a pancake breakfast. Anyway, the parade was bigger than last year and hopefully each year will get better than the last. Last year Mindy, Evan and Davis went with us and Davis had so much fun running after the candy.

It's Parade Time

Here's the family at the parade. We had fun and it was a good parade. Bodee did get out of the stroller and race for the candy being throwed. They really throw the candy at this parade and that makes it fun for the kids.It Started at 7 and was over by 8:30.

More Floats

Comparing last year's parade to this year's, I think it was bigger and better and there were more spectators too. There definitely were more floats and bands. However, Erin and i think that all Jr. High's and maybe High Schools should be required to march in the Valley parade. If for nothing more than to get a little experience under their belt. After all, it's the music of the band that makes a parade - - right?

Yea for the Valleyfest

What a Humdinger

Today Erin and I canned peaches. We bought 2 boxes last week and scalded, peeled and sliced them. We got 4 gallon bags - 2 for each of us. Wonderful frozen peaches for smoothies. Well, today this peach got put into a jar and canned. These were Hales and so beautiful. I almost hated to cut into them. Anyway, we're done. 28 quarts later.

Peach Day

Here's Erin pushing the peaches into the jar. With both of us working it wasn't a bad job at all. Many hands make light work they say. You see the grapes sitting by the peaches - - I picked those yesterday from the garden. There a lots of green eating grapes this year and they are very good. The Concords have a couple of weeks to go yet before juicing begins. That will be october fun probably!!

A Fun Evening at the Bar J Wrangler Show - Jackson Wyo

Here we are - finally we get to go to the Bar J Wrangler Dinner Show. It was a blast. We walked around the grounds, looked in at the souvenier shop, did a little swinging and then went inside the main building for dinner and show. This ranch is just outside of Jackson about 5 miles and so much fun. We ended up sitting by a group from Rexburg - teachers etc. One of you girls had Mr. Pierson for a teacher I think - - does that sound familiar??? He was kind of a short fellow. I think these were all teachers from BYU-I. We did a lot of visiting with them during our dinner. Hey, if you ever go to Jackson, be sure to see the Bar J.

The Outside area of Bar J

The picture of the wagon just kind of shows the area around the Bar J. It was fun just to roam around and look at things before the show actually started. Also, there was a guy with a dutch oven cooking biscuits and serving them with butter and honey. There was a long line for that treat.

The Big BBQ - r

This guy was in the outside area of the Bar J and he was real busy cooking all of the steaks for our dinner. You bet they sure smelled goooooood!

Her Footsteps Have Changed Me - Little Bodil

The Oregon Trail

If you look real close you can still see the Oregon trail toward the back of this sign. This was taken on our way to South Pass City. Dad decided to take a dirt, back road just after we saw this sign. I thought we would never get back to the main road. It just went for miles and miles. He was having fun seeing what was over the next hillside though and it finally led us back to the main highway. We did see some horseback riders and some antelope.

This Road goes forever

This is our truck and you can see the motorhome in the distance. The road across the prairie was dirt, rock and bumpy. We got a flat tire - a sharp rock just cut itself through the tire - and got it fixed over in Atlantic City at a little "sort of" type of garage. That was pure luck. Elenore set up lunch in their motorhome for us and it was quite cozy in there. While we ate they told us more stories of the Second Rescue work and Rock Creek Hollow.

Sixth Crossing Center

We met up with Elenore and Dan and his sister and husband on Saturday. We are to travel over the plains to Rock Creek Hollow. Inside the Vistors Center they have some displays and a couple of movies on the Martin/Willie Handcart story. The Brother that talked to us was very teary-eyed several times and so humble. It really set the tone for the rest of our day. On the grounds were a few handcarts and also a small school that they are trying to establish with furnishings. It's looking pretty good already I think. Anyway, from here we drove several miles until reaching Rock Creek Hollow where they Saints stopped to reorganize and be rescued. The missionaries here were just getting ready to go back home. They had two couples arriving for the winter and spring session. Two is all they leave here during the winter. They usually do tasks that can be done inside during the winter because it does get a little harsh here in Wyoming. The Sisters do quilts etc. and the brothers usually do a little work on the handcarts. I am sure there are other things too.

Handcarts and Sacrifices

Handcarts at Sixth Crossing Center

Inside the Sixth Crossing Center

This shows how much flour they could use and also how much a woman could put into her handcart. These were on display inside the Vistor's Center

School Slates

These are little slates like pioneer children would have used to do their lessons on. They were in the little school house.

A Little School House

This is a little school building they are redoing on the Sixth Crossing site. It was fun to walk inside and see what it might be like with the benches and little slates for writing your lessons on. There's a wood stove for heat and a teacher's desk and blackboard. Kind of like Little School on the Prairie.

A Special Place for Trekkers

This is on the trail from Rocky Ridge to Rock Creek Hollow. These are bathrooms provided for the kids that do the trek. You might be able to see the trail if you look really close.

Dan telling us stories

Uncle Dan telling us the story of Rock Creek Hollow. "Brethren and Sisters you have a great inheritance. We have a tremendous responsibility to live up to it. God bless us to be faithful, to be true to that which meant so much to those who died here and their associates who died along this long and wearisome trail." (Gordon B Hinckley, Rock Creek Dedication, July 23, 1994)

Entering Rock Creek Hollow on Handcart Trail

This is such a peaceful, beautiful and serene area. I am sure that in the middle of the summer when it's 100 degees it's probably not as beautiful. Elenore and Dan told us what their duties are at Rock Creek Hollow and some stories about the pioneers. I especially loved the one about little Bodil Mortensen. Bodil was 10 and was traveling with another family from Denmark. She was exhausted from the trek over Rocky Ridge and taking care of the family's 6 year old boy. When they arrived at camp (Rock Creek) she was sent out to gather some firewood. Using the last of her strength, she shakes the snow from a sagebrush and pulls off some small branches. When she arrives back in camp, she sits down and leans against the wheel of a handcart to rest. It is her final rest. She is soon found frozen to death, sagebrush still in her little hands. She is one of 13 buried in this mass grave. What a tender story.

Rock Creek Hollow Grave Marker

This marker tells the names of those pioneers who were buried in the circular grave.

Rock Creek Hollow

This is Rock Creek Hollow. Elenore and Dan took us to this point on the Handcart trail. It is where they serve as hosts during the summer to the handcart treks. The Riverton Stake began a rescue effort for the Willie Handcart pioneers. This rescue was a spiritual rescue and has become known as the "Second Rescue". There is a circular mass grave that is fenced off with a plaque telling the story and the names of the pioneers that were frozen to death and are buried here. With this "Second Rescue" the Riverton Stake did over 4000 ordinances in the Ogden Temple - traveling six hours each way to complete this temple work.