Martin's Cove

We spent two days in Wyoming with nothing but

the wind,
the Sweetwater,
and some senior missionaries
to keep us company.

Maybe you recognize this.
It is a picture of devil's gate, one of the landmarks all westbound travelers watched for during the pre-railroad western colonization era.

Many Mormon pioneers traveled this path.
We have pioneer blood coursing through our veins.

One of Christian's ancestor's,
George Frederick Housley,
was in the Martin Handcart Company.
The Martin Handcart Company left Iowa City late in the summer.
They got caught in early winter storms with little provisions.
While waiting for help and better traveling weather,
they sought refuge from Wyoming wind in a cove.

We trekked to that cove.

We went a total of 5 miles.
That is 1/3 of what their daily travel distance.
It was tough.

This is the cove.
It really isn't much of a cove.
The wind still blew quite strong, but it was their best refuge from the storms.
There was a spirit in that cove I have never felt before...
...a very peaceful one.

We crossed the Sweetwater.
The Sweetwater is the river the pioneers had to cross 6 times...
...it was cold and icy for them.

Four rescuers carried most of the handcart company across the river.
They all passed away from the exposure.

The water was pretty warm for us.
My favorite pioneer story was about a widow with four kids.
When she got to her 6th crossing of the cold Sweetwater, she did not wait for the rescuers.
She took her little boy across first.
When she returned to get another child, the boy followed her.
She ran back to her boy, picked him up, took her apron off, and tied him to some brush before going back for the others.
She crossed a total of five times.

Our cargo

After trekking, we did
a little doce dou with these guys...

...and then stories by the fire.

Our Wyoming sunset.

I am so proud of our heritage.