Just one more: Pioneer Trails- DAY 1

Ok so I know that I haven't updated since April and there is a lot that has happened in the last 4 months but I just have to jump forward and blog our awesome experience on the Pioneer Trail before I forget it. Hopefully I will get some time to go back and fill in all the gaps between now and last April.

Back at the end of last year Shad applied for the chance for us to go on a Pioneer Trails workshop with S&I (Seminaries and Institute). We have applied a few years and never gotten in. I'm not sure exactly how they decide. But I think it is based on how long you have been in the system etc... We weren't really expecting to get in, but we did this year and I was super excited because our kids are at a great age for us to leave them since we don't have any little babies and I am not pregnant. My mom was a trooper and played mommy for me all week. We couldn't have gone on this without her. I am one lucky girl to have such a great mom to take care of my kids. I didn't worry one bit while we were gone.

This is such an amazing thing that we have the opportunity to do as employees of the church. For a VERY minimal cost we are able to go right along the trail from Nebraska to Utah that the pioneers traveled on. However, we have a much more comfortable ride, in brand new SUV's that are donated by Larry H. Miller, Shad doesn't have to take time off work, and we get to spend an entire week together where all of the food and accommodations are taken care of for us. They have a tent crew that puts up the tents before we get to each location and takes them down after we leave, a cooking crew that cooks every meal in a full working trailer kitchen, and a potty crew that pulls a trailer full of port-a-potties that are ready to use whenever we needed them (more on the potties later). Everything is taken care of for us so that we could focus on learning about the heritage of our pioneer ancestors. Unfortunately, I do wish that I would have taken better notes and been more alert during discussions. Waking up at 5:00 am every morning and going to bed late each night got the best of me by the end of the week.

Back in April when our money was due Shad was wondering if we should pull out and not do it this year because of all of the things we had going on in our life right now. I told him "NO WAY!" I really needed this. We haven't been on a trip with just the two of us since Haken was a little baby. I was so looking forward to not only learning about the pioneers but also being with my honey for a solid week without any kid interruptions. He admits now that he is so glad that I pushed for us to go.

It was a long week full of lots of information and there is no way I could get to it all, but here are some of the highlights of our experience that I really want to remember. WARNING: This will be long since it was an entire WEEK of endless information and pictures.

SUNDAY, JULY 21ST
We met at the chapel in the Joseph Smith building for an introduction fireside. Because Shad was assigned to be a vehicle steward we had to go a little early to get instructions and pick up the keys to the SUV.
The fireside was well done with a combined choir from young adults all over the Salt Lake valley. They sang some amazing songs about pioneers with some very talented solo vocalists, cello, and violinist. Although it was a spiritual fireside it wasn't nearly the experience that I would have in the next few days on the trail. It is one thing to talk about the pioneers and where they went, but when you are actually there, the experience is so much more.
We left the fireside with me driving the van home and Shad in a brand new Chevy Suburban that we would bring back with us to Salt Lake the following morning all filled up and ready to go. This thing only had 1200 miles on it.

MONDAY, JULY 22ND
We met up with everyone at the Plaza hotel at 4:00 in the morning. We got instruction, loaded up into 13 vehicles (2 couples per car) and started driving. We drove the first day with the Lamberts from Mesa, AZ. Come to find out they knew some of our family that live down there. We found a LOT of connections with those that we went on the trail with. It is such a small world when you are employed by the church. We switched passengers every two days on the trail so that we could get to know people. I almost wish they would have switched daily so we could get to know even more. Traveling all day in the car you got to know them pretty well and I loved listening to experiences in parenting, career, and where they live.
The first day was a long day. We drove from Salt Lake City to Scotts Bluff Nebraska with a few rest stops in between. We caravaned the whole way and had radios so that we could have conversations and they could point out important markers along the way. We all quickly developed a great relationship with one another over the radio. I learned SO much from these people! I loved that we could have such awesome spiritual conversations over the radio while driving and feel the spirit. Our guides, Joel and Jeff, were so great! They knew everything about the trail and were such great guides.

William H. Kimball's pony express stage station

Lincoln memorial highway- one of the first
highways with pavement. This statue is huge!
It is located at a rest stop just outside of Laramie.
We stopped for lunch here.

Our first major stop was at Scottsbluff. It has quite the sad story attached to the name. Scott's Bluff owes its name to an incident from early fur-trapping days. A group of trappers, one of whom was named Hiram Scott, were on their way back to the states from the mountains. They were trying to overtake another party and, in order to make speed, the leader of Scott's group went ahead with his men when Scott fell ill or was injured (depending on which version is used), leaving two others to bring Scott down the North Platte in a bullboat. It was agreed to meet at this distinctive bluff.

The boat wrecked and Scott was seriously injured (or too ill) to continue. With no easy way to take Scott along, the two men deserted him, assuming he would die quietly where they left him. When they caught up with the rest of the party, they reported that he had died. Thus the entire company left the bluff and returned to civilizaton. When they returned to the bluff the following spring, to their surprise, they found a skeleton at the rendezvous point. Personal effects identified the bones as being those of Hiram Scott. Since he had been too badly injured to walk, the assumption was that he had crawled most of the way to the rendezvous- a distance of about sixty miles- where he realized that his partners were not coming back for him!

In front of Scottsbluff

Our drive up to the top of Scottsbluff

On top of Scott's bluff

Our guides told us that in an effort to condense the trail workshop they considered taking out the portion in Nebraska, but then realized what a great insight it gives to us of what the pioneers saw when they came across this portion of the trail. As we stood at the top of the bluff it is amazing to see the plains that seem to go on and on without an end in sight. It must have been frightening and exciting at the same time to finally see bluffs and mountains pop up out of nowhere. They still had a long way to go at this point but I bet they were ready for a change in terrain and in their lives.

Our next stop was Chimney Rock the landmark that received more pioneer diary space than any other. It could be seen a day or two in advance of actually arriving there. I had imagined it to be much taller than it actually was. There are some rumors that it might have been struck by lightning and the top fell off and someone got it on video, but we could never find the video on youtube to confirm. However, based on early sketches and descriptions, it was likely 40-50 feet higher than it is today.

Chimney Rock

Across from Chimney rock there is an enclosed cemetery. It is not really an immigrant burial sight but there is a memorial there to a pioneer named Mary Murray Murdock or "Wee Granny" as they called her. She was a member of the Martin handcart company and had traveled all the way from Scotland. She was called "Wee Granny" because she was only 4' 7" tall and weighed 90 lbs. Her son John had migrated to Utah with his family in 1852 and was eager to have his mother join him. By 1856 he had enough funds to bring her to the valley. On approaching chimney rock Wee Granny had contracted cholera. Wee Granny's dying words, directed to her son John in Utah, were, "Tell John I died with my face toward Zion." That family anthem is etched in the headstone by chimney rock.