Cave Crawling

Norm: There are not many caves in North America that we have not explored. Even have a good start on the ones in Europe. This one, Minnetonka Cave is one of the lesser known caves and is just over 100 miles from home, in the Cache National Forest by Bear Lake.

Although not the most spectacular that we've seen, it was enjoyable. Elevation from the entrance to the end is pretty much the same, however it does undulate several times requiring a lot of climbing. 888 steps for the in and out trip. Stairs were put in during the 1932 depression under President Roosevelts "New Deal" to supply work for the unemployed.

Temperature in the cave is a constant 40 degrees F. Cooler than most caves. Almost as cool as the ice caves of Austria. Luckily the Forest Service supplied jackets. Our guide took this photo of us in the "Wedding Room " at the end of the cave.

A Trip to Paris

Norm: Paris Idaho that is.....So many times we have driven by this historic old building but never stopped. Well this time we did and we were not disappointed. Early church members settled here in 1863 and desired to built their own Tabernacle. Timbers and stone were collected over a period of 20 years before they could even start. Construction began in 1884 using designs of Joseph Don Carlos Young, son of Brigham Young.

The builders were member craftsmen from Europe. They had the know how but not the fine materialswith which they were familiar. One was a ship builder who used his skill at ship building by creating a roof as an inverted hull.

The ceiling has the appearance of metal with steel support hardware. Not so...it is all wood.

Charles C Rich 1809-1883 Pioneer builder of the west. Founder and settler of Bear Lake Valley. Friend of the Indians, humanitarian, Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

High Meadows Adventure

Heather: Monday August 15 was a very memorable day! Corena, Kevin and Braden competed in a 25K and a 50K on Saturday. They ran up the Swift Creek Canyon and back for the 25K and Corena did it twice for the 50K. When we visited with them later, Corena told us about the beautiful high meadows they ran through. She said she wished I could see all the wild flowers blooming so profusely this year. I wished I could too so we decided to try hiking up on Monday morning. Our cabin is on the edge of thousands of acres of  National Forest  Recreation land. We have a short trail going up the small canyon beside us, but I have always wanted to hike up to the high meadows near us. This was my chance to fulfill that dream!

Bright and early Monday morning Sheryl and I drove to Swift Creek Park to meet Corena, Kevin, Hailey, and Becca. We hiked through forests and crossed several streams. Kevin was ever the gentleman helping us cross on this skinny log!

Corena of course needed no help! She had crossed this same stream 4 times on Saturday, but did not use the log. She just ran through the water! This time she showed off using my walking poles for balance.

The wild flowers were indeed spectacular! The high meadows were awash with vibrant color. After hiking for 3 hours, we still did not reach the highest meadow! There was so much to see and take pictures of that we were slow hiking. The scenery was so awe inspiring that we hated to leave. Sheryl, Corena, and I stopped to take pictures every few steps on our return trip -- just soaking up the beauty of this wonderful world we have been blessed with.

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Surviving Mother Natures Onslaught

Heather: We were taking our time hiking down from the meadows, when Sheryl looked ahead and saw some ominous clouds coming up the canyon. We could hear thunder down the valley so headed for the cover of a grove of spruce trees. Just as we were about to leave the trees the wind became ferocious. We dropped our metal poles and were headed back to the trees, when we heard the loud crack of a tree splitting. We could not tell which tree was falling as all the trees were twisting and bending in the wind. So we just started running back down the trail. We were going to run out of the trees when the hail hit! 

Suddenly we were being bombarded by the biggest hail stones I have ever seen! All we could do was stay huddled up to the closest tree trunks and try to keep the hail from hitting us too hard. I had a plastic poncho that Norm had put in my hiking vest which we tried to hold over our heads. Didn't help much, but was better than nothing!.

 The hike out after the storm was a messy affair! The trail was covered with icy marbles which made walking most difficult. Water was pouring down the trail and our feet were soaked and our shoes socks and legs were muddy. I was very grateful that I had those 2 walking poles to keep me upright!  

Kevin and the girls had gone ahead of us on the way back so they were at the trail head when the storm hit. They were a little worried and Kevin started to hike back to find us. We were almost down when he met us.  By then the sun was shining and all was well. I had a wonderful time -- I even loved the storm! I was so glad that Corena and Kevin took the time to show Sheryl and me that beautiful canyon -- what an adventure we had together together!  

Lincoln County Fair-DEMOLITION DERBY

Heather: This week is County Fair week in Lincoln County. The first night of the fair is devoted to all kinds of noisy machines. Even kids can participate in the fast noisy barrel race. This youngster is making his final turn before hitting the home stretch. Some of the kids in this event were only 4 and 5 -- where were their mother's!

Next was the Wyoming version of a balloon battle. The teams are on 4 wheelers and armed with sponge bats. The object is to break the opponents balloon and put them out of the race. Makes our balloon war in Pécs look tame! One of the 4x4's tipped over but no one was hurt. It was a team of girls that one this event!

The noisiest and most exciting event was the Demolition Derby. The object of this mayhem is to crash into and disable as many vehicles as possible with and extra $200 if you can make another car roll over! The green car in the middle was the eventual winner but the car was unrecognizable by the end of the Derby!

This car was driven by a mother several small children! I guess she figured that crashing into other cars was  just as easy as looking after kids! She was third overall in the competition. There was also a pickup truck event and that was won by another girl! Girls in Wyoming are tough drivers!   

Trek: Mormon Handcart Historic Sites in Wyoming

Norm: What better way to celebrate Pioneer Days than have the family enjoy the spirit of Martins Cove and Sixth Crossing. Both sites of the rescue of the Martin Handcart Company and the Willie Handcart Company.
Both companies where caught on the great plains of Wyoming in an early October snow storm in 1856.
Five of our grandchildren where able to participate with their respective Stakes. Pictured here is the Ricks family. Our daughter Corena with husband Kevin and our grandaughters Cassandra and Hailey.

Handcarts are lined up and ready to go. The Fort at Devils Gate can be seen in the background. The Reconstruction of the fort was our assignment with 3 other senior couples for our Mission to Martins Cove in 2002.

350 Young men and women attended from our Thayne Wyoming Stake. Grandaughter Alanna Deyholas (red skirt) set out with her assigned family for their Trek Adventure. A few days later, grandaughter Natashia Rollingson enjoyed her Trek with the Castle Rock Colorado Stake.

Grandson Taylor Deyholas gets in the swing of things with a prairre square dance.

Some 80,000 youth attend Treks each summer to Martins Cove.  Many saints died during the 1856 storm, yet their Legacy of  Hope lives on in the hearts of these young people. Pictured here, the youth reverently file through the Cove where the Martin Company sought shelter. Martins Cove is considered by many a sacred place........ Wyoming's Temple.
Heather: The purpose of the Treks is to help the youth and their leaders feel the Spirit that motivated the early pioneers to sacrifice everything they had for their testimony of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. Every person who went on the Trek walked for one of those pioneers in the Martin or Willy Handcart company. They read the journals they wrote and they learned their stories. They re-enacted the crossing of the Sweet Water River where the rescuers carried the suffering Saints across the water. They  walked silently through Martins Cove where many of those early pioneers died and were laid to rest in the snow. On their return, our family described the profound feelings of love and respect they gained for the strength and determination of those men, women, and children who loved the Gospel more than their lives. They testified that they felt that Spirit powerfully and that they are determined to "Keep the Faith!"   

Fun with the Family!

Heather: We are having fun with our family here in Star Valley! Our great grandsons Wyatt and Deizel think our fountain is their personal water toy. Just the place to cool off on a hot Sunday afternoon. 

Grandson Auston is playing king of the castle at Grandpa and Grandma Egan's home. Just after I took this picture he jumped down from those rocks which were taller than he is! Auston is 4 and moves a mile a minuet.

Today we visited the Ririe Ward to hear Tawnya and Natascha play a duet in Church. It was Natascha's first time playing in a Sacrament Meeting. She played "Come, Come Ye Saints" solo for the first few bars on her violin then Tawnya came in on her alto flute. Aunt Mary Ann accompanied them on the piano. Their performance was so well done and beautiful it brought tears to Grandpa and Grandma's eyes! After Church we were treated to a delicious family dinner in the back yard of Steve and Deon's home. Tawnya's brother , Erick and his family were also there. We had a delightful time exchanging stories and visiting after dinner.  

We could not take a picture of Tawnya and Nattie playing in Church but here they are making beautiful music in the shade of Grandpa Egan's garden! 

An Evening with the Bar J Wranglers.

Norm: We had the opportunity to spend some time with the Haslems. Karen and Bruce were fellow senior missionaries that we served with in Hungary. They were spending some time in Jackson Wyoming and we just could not pass on the chance to renew our acquaintance and have some fun together.  

                             
Our evening started with a visit to Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum. The Haslems daughter Emily joined us.

Then on to the Chuckwagon supper and show with the Bar J Wranglers. The Bar J boys were there usual great entertainment selves and were most enjoyable with some great laughs. But here is the surprise of the evening. Who should be seated across from us at the same table but the aunt, uncle and cousin of our Elder Murray who is serving in the Hungary Budapest Mission. Bret, Tammy and Joshua Stucki say hi Elder Murray.

God Bless America

Happy Birthday America and Happy Anniversary to us. It's pretty hard to forget an anniversary when you have fireworks to remind you. This anniversary marked 49 great years together. What an adventure it has been.

And what an excuse for a family Bar-B-Q. Steaks on the grille and a plethora of salads. What a chance it was to get re-aquainted with the grandchildren and share their latest quests and accomplishments and a chance too , to get out the video of our friends back in Hungary. Hey we miss you guys!!!

Son in law Kevin started the celebration with the dramatic story of the events of the battle at Fort Henry as told by Francis Scott Keys that led to the writing of our National Anthem,The Star Spangled Banner. And our flag was still there.

 The weather was great, the little ones were kept busy with the fireworks and us older folks sat around remminising, taking pictures and eating too much.

♬♪ The Star-Spangled Banner - Mormon Tabernacle Choir ♫♭

Meanwhile...back at the Ranch

Norm: With a heavy snow winter and a wet spring, everything is very green. The mountain behind our house is covered with Arrowleaf Balsamroot (yellow flowers). The town down in the valley is Etna Wyoming where we go to church. The steeple of the LDS chapel can be seen on close inspection.

Reclaiming the trails of debre is a regular job each spring. Living on a mountain at the edge of a forest has its benefits and its drawbacks. Mountain lion scat on your doorstep, squirells that chew holes in your siding, porquepine droppings in the flowerbeds and the inside of the house that smells like a skunk. Then there is the thumping of animal feet on your deck during the night. Yup... all is normal here in Wyoming.

View to the west. The hills in the foreground and the distant mountains are in Idaho.

You'd think the Stake put on a Ho-down just for us to celebrate our return. In actuallity it was an annual High Priest and their wives event with foot stompin live cowboy music.  

Interview with President Allred

We are no longer missionaries, a rather sad thought. Here we are with our Stake President after getting released. We will be presenting our homecoming address and Hungary Budapest Mission report during Sacrament Meeting on Sunday July 10th, 9:00 A.M. at the Etna Ward Chapel.