Kemp's Birthday

Kemp and his friend Ethan went to the Flowrider for his birthday. It is a wave simulator in Ogden, and it is way cool. Curt and I went for my 30th birthday, but we didn't get any pictures(they all would have been of me biffing it anyway!). They boys boogie boarded, you can also stand up and ride a board, pretty amazing!

Sweetwater River

This was one of the more emotional moments of our tour. When the pioneers came to this river it was nearly frozen (see the ice chunks in our picture). They were so exhausted from pulling their carts, that they sat at the edge of the water and started to sob. There was a rescue company that came with wagons and supplies and three young men ( like around age 18) from that company stepped forward and carried nearly every person across the river. This monument is made in their honor and this one shows one of the boys carrying a toddler and a little baby tucked in his coat across the river. It was such a humbling experience to be by that freezing river and to think of crossing it back and forth several times, talk about courage!

Independence Rock, Wyoming

Just a few miles down from Martin's Cove there is this site called Independence Rock. We hiked all the way up around the rock, it has names carved and dates of when people traveled through this area. Some from the Oregon Trail and others were Pioneers. Curt and the kids are standing in front of some of the earliest names carved in the rock, dating back to 1841.

Martin's Cove, Wyoming

We were able to take a work trip with Curt after Thanksgiving to Wyoming. We stayed in a hotel for the weekend and the kids got to swim and veg out in the hotel. There is a historical pioneer site in Wyoming called Martin's Cove. Handcart pioneers got caught in a terrible storm passing through this same area and several died. We were there at the same time of year as they were and it was FREEZING! We were all bundled up and had blankets while riding on an all terrain vehicle with a tour guide. We heard some neat stories, some very funny and others made us cry. I will never be able to comprehend the strength of those pioneers, women losing husbands and new babies; we are so BLESSED!!! The names listed in the background of the picture are all the pioneers in the company, the names highlighted in yellow are the ones that died.