Doug and I started off on our annual journey to Blacks Fork on Wednesday the 10th of August, with a horse trailer full of camping gear and two horses. The back seat was filled up with Austin (13) and Wesley (12) who thankfully were with us to help load everything the night before.
Before this, these two had helped me spray out the trailer - a nasty job - certainly not for the faint of heart. The caked on cow "stuff" took hours to moisten down in order to shovel out the concrete-like bricks, and then the power washer kept it up until all was semi-clean looking and presentable for camping gear.
Once headed down the road the boys' first question was, of course, "When are we going to get there?" In between their favorite music stations and ours it was also their second, third and fourth questions. When the answer came back that it would take us about six hours with the horses, Austin's coping skill was to cover his head with a blanket and go to sleep. Wesley strummed the ukulele contentedly for hours on end until finally mine and Doug's coping skills took over and the ukulele came to rest at last in the front seat with us.
The weather was dry and warm as we fueled up in Mountain View, Wyoming. Once we were on the dirt roads, they were dusty enough to clue us in that recent days had been without rain. When we finally pulled into our favored camping area on the edge of the big meadow overlooking the Blacks Fork River, we spied a few mud puddles but nothing serious. Doug unloaded and hobbled the horses, and got to work putting up the giant tarp between trees, with Austin's help. This task wore him out, but next he helped me put up our new 10x14 Spring Bar tent, which Doug recalled as being "easy" to put up. But that was 20 years ago with the scouts.
Finally, we sprayed the new tent for waterproofing and collapsed in our camp chairs by the fire to watch the moon come up. This respite lasted approximately 2 minutes. Dark clouds moving fast covered up the moonshine and thunder rolled ominously around us. We were a little slow moving from our reverie, and then we were quick. Those clouds opened up with speed and furry in true "Blacks Fork tantrum" fashion. Hardly knowing where to run, Doug took to the tent and I stood under the tarp, too dumb founded to move. Finally, feeling fright from the constant flash of light and the booming around me, I ran for the cab of the truck. Within a minute I was joined by rattled Austin and Wesley. Together we experienced the storm's full rage, safe in the truck until it was nothing but a steady drip. The boys tent and sleeping bags were already wet, so I found them my spare blankets and coats for their night's accommodations in the front and back seats of the truck. Tired, and ready for my own sleeping bag, I slopped back to my tent, took off my boots and wet clothes and climbed into my warm bag next to Doug. In the same instant I heard the jingling sounds of Jacob's horse trailer being pulled into camp. Well, it had been a nice thought, but I couldn't play "possum" while his clan was making camp in the rain. I slid back into my wet pants and rubber boots, relit the lantern to hold it up while 15 year old Annie and Jacob watered and tied up their four horses and then looked around for a camping spot. My exhaustion caught up with me and finally I just left the lantern with them and headed back to the tent. I fell asleep to the rhythm of hammering tent pegs and rain on the tent. And Doug's soft snoring. Music to sleep by, which I did.
The next morning Jacob's family and the two of us started off after breakfast with all our horses, not really knowing where we would end up. We crossed the river and into the forest when it started to rain. Funny how you can start out with sunshine with the delusion it will be a nice day. But the rain began before we were prepared for it and our only option was to hide out under pine trees. Doug was for turning around, but after a little patience, the rain stopped and we continued in sunshine, to the "Second Crossing".
Jacob kept up a campaign for us all to ride up the "pole line trail". "It's really a quick ride; not all that strenuous." But I was just happy to be moving along like we were and felt lucky for the break in the weather. Our afternoon rest at the second crossing was just what we hoped for.
When we got back from our ride, others of the family had been trickling in, arriving in time for dinner: Megan and Alex, Jayni and Craig, Katherine and Tyrell and Livvy and Aaron. We were missing our Texas family, Sally and Bryan, as we always do when we go camping here.
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| Sally, Bryan, Bennett, Elise, Millie |
Friday evening we would be joined by nephew Joseph Beck with wife, Andrea and their children:
FRIDAY FOLLIES
Friday morning began sunny and pretty. Jacob orchestrated a "sibling" horse ride, with me included. We voted for the ride west of us to the "springs", a nostalgic destination ,
picture perfect and not too far.
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| Jayni, Megan, Jacob, Mama, Livvy, Katherine |
The horses were gathered up and we all got back to the families in good time. Now the "horsie rides" began with the children as they took turns riding with an adult or being pulled around.
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| Sagie leading her favorite horse,"Wrench-head" , with Evie and Molly |
In the afternoon I ventured out on Scooter, who I call my ADHD horse. So far he had been minding his manners. Four year old Rosie came with me, sitting in the front of my sadde. My ever present horse companion, Sage, also came along on "Wrench" and we decided to cross the river and go a short ways up into the meadow beyond. There had been an ATV who was stopped and waiting for us to cross, but when we got into the middle of the river, a slight noise from the ATV caused Scooter to jump a mile. It happened so quickly, I don't even know if he tipped over with us, or if we just went flying, but either way, Rosie and I were toppled and baptized, utterly, in the river. Rosie was crying because she was cold, and I stood up, bewildered in the water, noting my water filled boots. The man in the ATV drove Rosie back to camp and I rode Scooter, the both of us a sorry, soggy, sight for sore eyes. Well, that ended Scooter's career of carrying children with Grandma. From that moment on he was off limits and he would prove to behave worse and worse. Back at camp I stood at the tent door and turned my boots upside down to drain the water and ring out my socks and other clothing while Doug sat giggling in his camp chair. I think I remember him saying the word, "priceless." When Rosie emerged from her tent-trailer, she was warm and dry and laughing about the two of us having gone for a swim together in the river.
A pattern began to develop of "rain off - rain on". We shivered and shook through at least one more teeth rattling thunderstorm, taking cover in tent trailers. In the afternoons we bundled up and played cards under the tarp while the rain poured down making big mud puddles out of little ones.
I would stand around and aim the tarp waterfalls into buckets and dishpans and later heated it up for washing dishes and hands. Around evening the rain would stop long enough to build a bonfire and we were lucky enough to enjoy some dry hours before the rain would come again in the night. Lucky? Ha, we were blessed. But being thusly blessed did not prevent all the children from running around, getting wet, changing clothes and getting wet again. On the last day their parents finally found ponchos for their little ones, but even the adults and teens had a hard time staying dry. Everyone went through their dry things quickly and then they went through mine. I tried hanging up clothing in the tent, but they never did dry out.
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| Tyrell, Wesley, Austin, Josh,(Joseph's) Tayson, Alex, Trey |
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| Winners of the Miss Black's Fork Swimsuit competition. Annie, Ella, Lucy, Sage |
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| Future Miss Blacks Fork competitors Jayni with Molly, Evie, Gwen |
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| 4 going on 5ers. Gwen and Rosie |
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| For serious fun, count on Lydia and Evie |
SULKY SATURDAY
We ate breakfast in cloudy weather and hoped for the best. Today was reserved for the big hike to the "Second Crossing" and beyond to "Sliding Rock" for some serious fishing. It is about 5 miles to this destination, but some of it can be driven in trucks; the rest of the way is wilderness area. After breakfast all the horses were loaded up with teenagers and me on Scooter. (He was being such a twit that no one else was allowed) Jacob drove the truck, and someone drove the suburban and everyone else piled in.
Doug elected to be ensconced in camp for the day, also Katherine and Livvy, both expecting and not feeling well enough for the rigors. The vehicles were to unload their cargo at the "Buck Pasture" fence for the hike and those of us on horses would ride ride ride. We had just got on our way into the trees when the rain began. This was no drippy drizzle. Heavens fountains opened up. I was with Sage, who was riding Wrench again, and we were just taking cover under pine boughs when a galloping commotion of teens (Annie, Ella and Julia) on horses came crashing through the rain on sodden ground, dumping Ella off with a thud in front of us. All the horses were in a dither. Annie took their reigns and Ella came running over to throw her arms around me to cry and blurt out, "I'm okay! I just need a hug!" When I asked how the horses had got so spooked, Ella admitted that she had tried to get her poncho out of her pack and put it on while riding the horse. Two things: don't divert your attention from the task at hand while on a horse, and (2) don't ever try to put a poncho on while on a horse. Most horses hate ponchos anyway. We all got back on our way in the steady rain. ( I wish I had pictures of this afternoon, but my hands were full with the tasks at hand.) Scooter was ticked. It didn't help that the Mackey family was camped in the trees with their innumerable ATVs. They also were not making concessions because of the rain. But Scooter took great exception to every motion from any Mackey. We passed the parked vehicles at the "Buck Pasture" parking area and continued on. Up ahead of us would be little families with young ones in carriers on their backs and tikes slogging through the mud. When I caught up with Jayni I asked her if she'd had enough. Poor thing was just waiting for someone to suggest something sensible. We turned back. Katherine's Lydia was with her, and she climbed on behind Sage. In a little while we traded and put Evie behind Sage. Rain notwithstanding, a horse ride is a horse ride and popular with the little girls. We passed many back-packing hikers just getting a good start in the rain on their way to "Dead Horse Lake " or beyond. They smiled at us and we smiled at them. "Enjoy your day", I said in passing, because it was apparent they already were. On the way back we had to pass the Mackey clan again and Scooter had a melt down. I kept turning him in circles to keep his head clear and to keep me in the saddle. But this wasn't anything compared to the herd of sheep we spied wending their way straight at us on the muddy road ahead. Sage's horse, Wrench, was blowing heavily through his nostrils but with her talking quietly to him and keeping a tight hold of his reins, he managed the crisis. Scooter, however, decided this was too much and he employed every trick he could think of to bolt or unload me or both. He didn't do it, but by the time we got back to camp, I was exhausted with this animal. He had never bucked before, but today was a first.
The bunch who hiked the distance to "Sliding Rock" for a day of fishing, actually experienced sunshine further up the canyon and enjoyed a memorable afternoon.
The last stragglers came back into camp after we had started our dinner. These were Jacob, Tayson and Trey sporting triumphant smiles with their fish catch.
The fish were cleaned and thrown on the grill to go with our hamburgers and potatoes. Mouth watering, lemon peppered fish fried in butter, just superior to anything, after this soggy day.
The rain stopped on cue right after dinner so we could gather around the fire for an evening of skits and stories about our ancestors. We talked about Grandpa and Grandma Hamblin, (Jacob) MaryAnn Corbridge Hamblin, (Jayni) Maria Bangerter Bangerter (Megan), then Austin and Wesley brought the house down with their skit depicting George and his mother Ann Fall Freestone.
We sang some funny "old favorites" courtesy of our grandparents and great-grandparents: Little Red Schoolhouse, Suzanna's a Funny Old Man, Blind Pig, Everybody Knows It's There, Her Bathing Suit Never Got Wet, Little Sir Echo, and Springtime in the Rockies.
SUNDAY SHOWERS AND HOME
That night the rain fell steadily and persisted in the morning. Jacob valiantly got out the Dutch ovens to cook a cowboy breakfast, a demoralizing experience in the damp cold, but he and Sofia conquered so we could all enjoy a hot breakfast. Our Sunday school plans were scrapped and replaced by "pack up in the rain" crews and most of us were on our way by noon. It was a pretty quiet trip home for Doug and I. We stopped briefly to get a sandwich at Subways in Mountain View and drove home through a couple more thunderstorms, which washed most of the mud off the truck and trailer. We arrived home in sunshine around 6 with our load of wet gear and horses. After all our preparations for this trip, the travel back and forth, the inconvenience of pulling and caring for the horses and our rainy, muddy days in the mountains, were we happy we we did it? How can you not be happy with a smashing success? And everyone home safe and sound.
About Tuesday I went looking for my wallet. It was nowhere to be found. I called Subways in Mountain View and sure enough, they had it. The very good employee took it straight to the post office and mailed it to me. I had it by the end of the week! Miraculous. We rather know who is looking out for us. And thank you.
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| George with mother, Ann Fall Freestone, practicing for the skit, at the ranch (Austin and Wesley) |
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| Eliza and Sage with Scooter, friendly and curious as a kitten |
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Scooter's comfort zone |
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