Finalizing "Flurry of Elbows"

Monday August 7, we had the great pleasure of having the Pay sisters for dinner and our fireside.  Doreen and Joann are the sisters of Margery Pay Hinckley and they have some great stories about Margery and Gord.  They are a hoot and were with us last year.  They sing a song that goes....I know just how ugly I are, my face ain't to bright shinning star, but I really don't mind it , because I'm behind it, it's you folks out front gets the jar!  They share the story of one of their ancestors who died in the Martin handcart company and how they came to have the grave marker in their possession.

Doreen and Joann Pay (sister)

Grave Marker for Edith Goble

We listed our trailer on KSL.com and had a buyer in 24 hours.  Definitely a blessing as we did not want to take it to Arizona.  A really nice couple from Salt Lake bought it and will pick it up on Aug 19.  It has been a wonderful home for us as we have served here at Deseret Land and Livestock Trek mission.

Our home for the past 2 Summers

Kitchen and Bathroom

dinette and sofa

Wednesday brother Ryan Richens, a seminary teacher from Evanston and a great church history buff, took us on an all day tour along the trail and Echo canyon.  We visited Big Mountain, Hennifer, Mormon Flats, Heart Break Hill, the Battlements, and Coleville.  It was a long and informative day.  We ran across a Diamondback rattlesnake as we climbed up to the battlements in Echo canyon.  They were built to stop Johnston army from running the saints out of Utah.  Nothing ever came of it because they discovered that the Mormons were not doing anything wrong.

Thursday Elder Raymond Cutler, our general authority over our mission, visited with us for our final interview before finishing our mission.  He gave both Bob and me beautiful blessings.  He is such an amazing, kind man.  We have enjoyed getting to know him.

Elder Raymond Cutler with 2017 DL&L Trek Missionaries

Friday we worked on our presentations for Trek Training next week and also did some packing.  Justin, Heather, Joshua, Liliana, Abigail, and Elizabeth Barton joined us for dinner at the R and R restaurant.  It is one of our favorite places to eat in Evanston.  They had been in Provo most of the day touring the MTC and Provo Temple.  They came to join us for family trek.
We met them at the gate Saturday morning and started trekking at 9:00.  It was a mini trek of about 2 miles but it was so fun to have them here with us.

At Bear River Park,  Antlers courtesy of Josh

Justins family with Elder and Sister Cutler

Family Trek with Justins family Liz, Josh, Abi, Bob Justin, Heather, Lili, Debra

Lili, Liz and Abi pulling and pushing handcart

Justin and Josh helping Elder and Sister Cutler pull their handcart

After we drove them around the ranch and gave them a taste of what we have been doing the last 2 summers.  We climbed up to the arches by the Dairy Bowl, and had a great time watching the prairie dogs, and antelopes.  We took out one of the rangers and a truck as there were 8 of us and we all could not fit in the side by side.  We took them to Squaw, and up a few womens pulls, Kristies kid killer, trail 14, trail 23.  They found it quite interesting and enjoyable.  They also had fun playing pickle ball, and trying to walk on stilts.

Justins family in the side by side ready to hit the DUSTY trail

Justins family at the arch August 12, 2017

Bartons playing pickle ball in the trek center

Antelope herd on McFarland road

They joined us for church in Randolph where we sang "To Those Who Came Before Me".  Our last time to sing as a group in Sacrament Meeting.  Kind of sad but good at the same time.  After church Geo Peart, a distant relative of our directors, fed all the missionaries brisket, salad, and home made raspberry ice cream.  We even got to hand crank it.  His place is filled with antiques.  The people here treat the missionaries so nice, and they are so helpful.
Tonight, Monday, we fed the cowboys and their families dinner.   We had a barbecue but had to move it inside the Trek Center because of wind and rain.  They had about 35 including lots of little kids and 2 brand new babies about 1 month old.

Cowboy dinner, the kids were outside playing on the port a jons...Moms said it was cleaner than the corals?

Bob and I walked up to the well this morning because we had not done that in two years.  Just checking of "things we want to do before we leave this beautiful land."

Bob up at the well looking back down to the trek center

The sage brush is taller than Debra!

Barn and corals from the well road