Wyoming 2016

August was a really important month for the Andersens. It started by driving to Dayton, WY to drop the kids off at my parent's home. A day later, Neil and I put our thrift store Pioneer Clothing on, equipped with a tent and a 5-gallon bucket of supplies, and drove to Martin's Cove. We were "Ma and Pa" to eight youth on a re-enactment of the Mormon Pioneer Trek. It was the most strenuous, inspirational, fun, and spiritual experience we have ever had. The struggles of the Pioneers became very real to us as we pushed handcarts across the Wyoming plains. We were well-fed, and had plenty of supplies to keep us much more comfortable than the pioneers ever were. But to walk where they walked and see where they huddled for shelter from blizzards, and visit the mass burial cites was humbling and enlightening. We want to take our family back again someday!

Neil caught a ride back to Utah with the Youth while I drove Dad's truck back to Dayton where we spent two weeks playing in the Mountains. The funnest hike we went on was the Tie Flume Trail. It was a real treasure hunt to find remnants of the flume used by loggers to transport timber.

Grandma and Grandpa Reichert tagged along and we had a blast skipping rocks and bouncing on logs. True to form, Grandpa took us on a bit of a wild goose chase as we tried to find the last part of the Tie Flume trail. That brought back memories of hiking all over the mountain trying to find hidden lakes and other gems when Dad couldn't quite remember the path.

 As is tradition when hiking with me, we had to do some rock jumping on the boulders of the river. The kids thought it was the funnest game to skip from rock to rock without getting wet. Kade and Grace only fell in once!

On another adventure, we left Christopher with Grandma and met Uncle Guy, Aunt Cindy, Emily and Travis at Sibley Lake for some Kayaking. We were all amazed at how quickly Kade hopped in the Kayak and paddled all the way across the lake. Grace followed suit, and Kathryn had a good time riding with Uncle Guy and chasing ducks.

On another hike near Arrowhead Lodge, we went hunting for edible berries. We found tons of wild strawberries. 

The evening ended with dinner at Bear Lodge. As we walked into the restaurant, Kathryn quipped, "We are going to drink al-cohol!" I have no idea where in her 3-and-a-half-year-old brain that statement came from, but she must have seen some of the drinks being served at the bar and it jogged her memory of a Primary lesson at Church about the Word of Wisdom. That girl...

This lengthy stay in Wyoming did have a purpose. It made sense to stay an extra week in order to attend Emily and Travis Washut's wedding. Neil flew into the Sheridan airport so he could come with us. They picked a spot on the mountain to exhange vows. We have never been to a wedding quite like this one before, but we sure had fun dancing and seeing family and friends.