6/28-29/10

A picture of Skinner! Im gonna miss him!

On the 28th we rode 15 miles on lots of dirt roads. On the 29th we rode about 17 miles to the end of the wagon train for this year. We rode down and up many steep hills and through ruts with the wagons and I partly took the day of to let my dad ride Maggie and also so I could ride in Skinners wagon! I listened to Skinners storys about mules and then when we got to camp we found out we would be ending the Wagon train 1 day earlier and not ride into Casper. Cassee and I stayed up late to hang out with the others and watched the stars in the sky. Oh yes! Also a rattle snake came into our camp and Skinner picked it up with his hand. (While he was in his kilt<--- I need a photo of that if someone has one!!) We watched for shooting stars and Skinner showed us the Big Dipper and the North Star. Oh yeah... What does TJ mean Skinner?? I still cant figure it out!

6/26-27/10

On the 26 we only rode 8 miles to Fort Fetterman then drove to casper and got new boots. On the 27 (Sunday) we went to church under a tent (still at Fort Fetterman) and after church Cassee and I rode around on the ponies bareback and walked around the museum there. Then we saw Natrual Bridge!

6/25/10

Well! What a fun day this was! Today was my parents Anniversary. We decided to give the horses a break and instead of riding, load them up onto the trailer and drive to the next campsite. Nothing went as planned. It took us 3 hours to try and load up Mags. Everyone was cussing and yelling and no one was happy with her or each other. Finally, we called our trainer Pete Dillingham and Debbie Jones and they talked us through it. When we got to the next camp site it was at Wyoming's Fairgrounds and the Wyoming High School Rodeo Finals were on. Cassee and I went to watch the rodeo that night with Cassidy, Kaden, Nolan, and Mich. We had fun:D

6/24/10

Today was just like yesterday. We rode to Stinson Ranch. We rode on pavement again all day for 13 ½ miles. It felt like more though. We rode along side a railroad and over lots of bridges passing trains and semis that could see us from the highway and would honk at us. When we got to the camp all 3 of our horses layed down and passed out. We got a photo of Mags. Every day when we get back from rides we all take a nap because we are so exhausted. All around us on the road it was flooded from the river. When we started out this morning it was 55 degrees. By the time it ended it was close to 90 degrees. But its dry here so its not too bad. There was a skeleton animal body on the side of the road. Haha exciting day huh? We are taking the day off tomorrow.

6/23/10

Today we left out of Cassa and rode to Glendo. All of which are very small towns. They are cute towns though! We rode 12 miles and passed many beautiful log cabins with lots of horses that are happy and or scared to see us. Some want to come with and others stay far away. We rode on pavement roads all day with cars and trailers passing us. Not much happened though.
Schedule for everyday by the way!!!
5:00 am Dad gets up and feeds the horses.
6:00 am Breakfast made by Lefty, Rich, Sue (camp cooks)
7:00 am Dad hauls trailer to next camp and rides back on the bus.
8:00 am Everyone rides out.
Then we get back which depeneds on how long we rode. Sometimes we ride 7 hours.
6:30 pm Dinner
7:00 pm Camp meeting.


This wagon train started in 2008 in Nauvoo, Illinois acrossed Iowa for 30 days.
Then 2009 they went from Iowa to Nebraska for 30 days.
Then 2010 is from Nebraska to Wyoming.
Next year they go to Casper Wyoming to Salt Lake city. (HUGE PARADE)

This is the 2nd time a wagon train party for the mormon pioneers in 160 years has went across the US for the pioneers.
Everyday is Extremly hot:)

6/22/10

Today we rode 24 miles through a gorgeous ranch. We started off by going through a small city called Guernsey or as my mom says “a one horse town”, that had a military base somewhere in it. We rode down all the main roads and up along the side of the highway to get to the ranch that had the pioneer trails on it. When we got to the ranch we took a dirt road for some miles then we got onto a small wagon road that the water van couldn’t come on. We road through beautiful valleys where cattle and horses stayed and went through some rough terrain for the wagons and up through the mountains. We didn’t always stay on the trail and sometimes took detours. Near the end I was walking Maggie over a little hill in front of the wagons when I heard a LOUD rattling about 3 feet in front of Mags and I. I screamed VERY loud. Both Mags and I jumped and I looked down seeing a rattle snake getting all coiled up to strike at us. I kicked Mags and both of us were out of there before my new horse would get bit by that sucker. I have never seen a rattler before. Besides the snake incident it was a fabulous site and a fun ride! We saw many antelope but unfortunately no elk! I was really hoping to see some! Dad got dehydrated during it and didn’t feel very good so we told him to get in a wagon and he said no. Susie stepped on a cactus and got mad at everyone and Uno likes to be in the front to lead the train. Once again Maggie doesn’t care about much…. But the snake.

The first day of the wagon train!

Today we rode 15 miles through the foothills of Wyoming. We saw gorgeous views of mountains and farmland. This was the first time our horses were around things like wagons and many many horses at once. At the beginning they were very excited and unsure of horses cantering up around them to pass the wagons. But by the end they were getting used to everything and were calm. Tonight we are staying in old Fair Grounds that are not used anymore. But they still keep it really nice for people who stay overnight. There are about 50 or more trailers and many mules and shires, drafts, and clydesdales. Also, there is a family from the circus here with there horse and miniature ponies that perform with them in the circus. One of the mini ponies has a baby thats always getting into everything. My dad thought it was a dog the first time he saw it and went to pet it then realized it wasnt a dog but a baby pony. Uno thinks hes a stallion on the trail and arches his neck like hes something and calls out for someone even though his 2 girls are there with him. Susie doesn't like a certain team of horses that look just like her and Maggie doesn't care about anything in the world but sleeping and eating. Today when we got in camp it rained a little bit. Here are some pictures of the ride today!