Route Review Week

Sunday dinner was a wonderful prime rib, smoked by Elder McDowell. No one can say that we don't eat well as missionaries.

Elder McDowell makes wonderful prime ribs.

Monday May 1, on our P-day we went to Park City and took Tonya Call Buhler, Spencer's daughter to lunch at Cafe Rio. She is working at Skullcandy. We of course had to send the pictures to Shawn Call in Orlando, because they miss Cafe Rio there. We also went to the museum in Coalville to get information on Echo Canyon where the pioneers came through and where Anson Call, (Spencer's great-great grandfather built the fortifications against Johnstons Army). There was a lady there that knew Spencer's uncle that lived there and also my sister Carolyn that lived there. We had a meeting with Mike Meek the ranch manager and Scott McFarland the wildlife specialist on the ranch. Had a fun walk to see all the water that had been here this spring.

Lunch at Cafe Rio, with Tonya in Park Cit

Tonya's work in Park City, at Skullcandy

Mission of the Ranch, by President Hinckley

Mike Meek, Ranch Manager

Elder Call by the waterfall by the missionary village. Lot's of water this Spring.

Sister and Elder Call, by our missionary village. Sign says to Home Ranch, but it is to our home this summer.

Coalville Museum

Tuesday May 2, an early morning to go see the Sage Grouse mating ritual in their Leks. The male sage grouse strut around and try and attract the females. It is describes as Jr High School, and very appropriate. It was a little windy and rainy so not a good of show as last year.

Sage Grouse, (out window of truck)

It was a long preparation meeting as we have to learn everything to teach our trek leaders the information to help them have a successful trek. The key people on each trek come for about a four hour rote review.

Then work projects for the day. Changing oil in the farm trucks, fixing water buffalo's and port-a-johns, fixing handcarts that need repaired and organizing all the tools and finishing sheet-rocking the upstairs furnace room. This was Gaylene's first official work day and it felt good to be back working in the trek center.

Elder Call and Elder Theler fixing handcart wheels

Elder Moretti (always lying down on the job)

Elder Howard our chief mechanic

Sister Anderson our organizing pro

Sister Ekins and Sister McDowell taking apart a handcart

May 3-4 Wed-Thurs
Unloading 3 trailers of handcarts to a staging area. Then mock route reviews with the new missionaries. We went in the side-by-sides and rode route 14 with the Wilson's a new missionary couple. This took about 3 hours.

Some of the missionaries went to the Bear River Fire Station and helped fill sand bags for a few hours. It was a great service to the community.

Sister Call filling sand bags at the fire station

Sister Theler and Sister call filling sand bags

Some of the missionaries by the piles of finished sand bags

Since it was so nice weather the next two days we are taking advantage of going on the support roads and learning the trails. Some trails are still really soft and some of the trucks are getting stuck and have to be pulled out. So we are praying for some nice warm weather to dry out our roads and trails. It has been a very wet winter.
Each time we go on one trail it takes about 3 to 4 hours

                                                         Some of the water on our roads

Beautiful Uintah Mountains

Moose Track

Coyote Track

Elder Call, Elder Peart, Elder and Sister Anderson learning how to do route reviews

F.riday May 5, We took 4 farm trucks and 20 missionaries and taught route 29 to them. Since we had done this route 2 times last year and it was only used 3 times we were the ones to teach them all about it. This route is the furthest one from the trailers so it took most of the day. We then did work projects for the rest of the day. We were fixing some handcarts at staging area where the cows are brought in from Promontory Point, Utah for the summer. Sister Call got the giggles listening to all the different kinds of mooing sounds they make. It so reminded her of growing up in Heber with the cows next to our house.

Saturday May 6, the first of our official route reviews. We are the lead couple of Spanish Fork South Stake. They are our second trek of the season and we are on trail 23. Alan & Debbie Stevens, and Todd and Jamie Skiba are the ones that are leading this trek. It is amazing once you start talking to them the connections you have with them and how excited you are to help them finalize their agenda and help them in any way you can so they will have a successful trek, and help their youth to have a spiritual experience. Once they come on trek, in just four days you have made life long friends with a lot of these people.

Route Review at camp site

Todd and Jamie Skiba, Debbie and Alan Stevens. Spanish Fork South Stake

That afternoon another missionary couple, the Clark's, needed to learn trail 14 so we took them out on that trail. When we returned 12 of us went into Evanston for dinner. A lot of this is last minute planning and is so fun.

Sister and Elder Theler and Elder and Sister Call at dinner in Evanston

Sunday May 7, A very early morning as we traveled to West Jordan, Utah for Tonya and Jason Buhler baby blessing. This is their second child and named her Liv Elsa Buhler. She is named after her great-grandmother Elsa Lindsay. Elsa is 93 and is the most wonderful, spiritual, compassionate women. We had a delightful day of visiting and helping with family. It's always nice to be with family, but knowing that we are serving this mission it's like home to get back to the ranch and the serenity and peace we feel here. We know this is where we are suppose to be, to serve the trekkers who come here this summer, and help them have spiritual experiences, that will change their lives forever as they take what they learn here as they return to the real world once more.

Liv and Tonya Buhler

Sister Call, Tonya Buhler, Elsa Lindsay, Elder Call