Gate Duty

Monday July 24, Happy Pioneer Day to everyone. Because of this day we are here serving on this mission. They sure sacrificed so much to come to Zion, and settle with the Saints in the West.

We decided to go to Ogden to the Parade today. We sat right on the corner a few blocks from the start and had a great conversation with some people sitting by us about our mission. It was a small parade and not too crowded like the Salt Lake Parade. Just a fun relaxing morning to watch a parade for an hour.

Some pictures of the parade

Enjoying the parade on this 24th of July

We visited with President Edgington at his home in Fruit Heights. He is in the Stake Presidency of that Stake and was on Trek here last summer. He is the one who runs sheep on the Ranch. We had a wonderful visit with him and took him a picture of sheep. We have had such a great time with him earlier this spring when we helped him find and rescue lost sheep on our preparation day.

Elder Call on the Edgington's porch. It so fits him with the wagon wheel bench.

President Edgington and Elder Call

Had a nice visit with Sister Call's brother Dr. Gary Silver in Farmington. His ward had come on trek a few weeks earlier and we met a lot of people in his ward. He had just gotten off a 24 hour shift at the hospital and so we didn't stay too long, but fun to have a visit with him. (Forgot to get a picture)

A nice drive back to the ranch by way of Huntsville, we wanted to see the home of David O McKay. We had not been by Pineview Reservoir before or Huntsville. Then a drive over Monte Cristo Highway. This is one steep road over the mountains into Woodruff. We can tell why it is closed in the winter with it being over 10,000 feet in elevation.

David O McKay home in Huntsville, Utah, such a charming home.

At 6:00 we had dinner with the Singles 30+ for their family home evening at a park in Evanston. We were asked to all take a few minutes and talk about some of the experiences on trek these last two summers. The Thelers, Howards and us all talked. It was a nice evening with them.

Elder Howard speaking at the 30+ singles picnic

Tuesday July 25, the normal port-a-john cleaning, it had rained last night and so it was a nice to have a little bit of rain and cool things off, even with the rain it dries up so fast around here that it is back to lots of dust in a hurry. The cooler weather was nice to do our Tuesday chores. Sister Call was helping Elder Call take off a handcart wheel and replace it with a new one and we forgot to brace up the handcart when it is sitting up on it's end, you have to put something heavy inside it. The cart tipped over and caught Sister Call on the left arm. Luckily it wasn't any worse then it was as she dived and Elder Call pushed her and the cart out of the way. Just a bruised arm for many months to come. Bartons, and Elder Ekins heard the noise and all came running up from their trailers. Laying on the ground and seeing everyone looking down at you is quite a different experience. The Lord was watching over us. Finished the day with taking apart a handcart that the floor was rotted out. Elder Call is over the handcarts these last two summers.

The boards that we can us for replacement boards on other handcarts, this is after the handcart is taken apart.

Elder Call taking apart the pull bars on the handcarts.

Wed July 26, today we are on gate duty, what this means is we are by the railroad tracks and have to stop each vehicle before they cross the tracks and ask which Stake they are from and send all 5 Stakes to three different staging areas. This week is the busiest week of the season with 1,414 people planning to be here. We will have over 10,000 people here this summer. We started at 6:45 and the last people to come in, or to drop off and go out was about  11:30. While we were there 4 trains came by, 10 First Student buses, 2 Lewis Brother buses, 6 LeBus, A Penskee truck to fix the cell tower, 2 trucks to work on the fences on the ranch, 1 cowboy with horse trailer, Jeff Giddien, the pumper truck to pump a port-a-john called big Pee, one railroad guy who was changing the tracks on the railroad. Also one trail boss that had to go back to Morgan that forgot something. So it was a busy morning.

It was a cooler morning today just perfect for trekking, some groups got rained on some and others didn't with 20,000 acres to trek on the rain can be hit and miss. We had work assignments to do. We took one port-a-john to the dairy barn and stored it for the winter, this is 10 miles away. Picked up another one and parked it in the shed here. Checked the well up on the hill behind our missionary village and our resident antelope Redick was hanging around. Put wheels on a handcart and put linseed oil on it. A busy day of gate and projects.

Sister Call waiting for the trekkers to start coming at the gate.

Elder Call ready to go when the trekkers start arriving

One bus waiting while the train goes by.

This was our antelope from last year that hung around the missionary village, he was up by the well today.

Elder Call packing the bearings for the handcart.

The handcart ready to put the wheels on and then ready for the linseed oil.

Thursday July 27, today is our 10th wedding anniversary. Where did the time fly by too? We worked on more projects, met with the "well people" checking on why we have to keep running on manual. They found the float was stuck. We had our walkie talkies they borrowed to work on it. More painting of our last handcart we are making this season. Started packing up handcarts on the trailer and unpacking them in the dairy barn, this usually takes two elders to do this, so Elder Call had a lot of work to do by himself.

Elder Call with a trailer of handcarts ready to go be stored for the winter.

We picked up a hoedown caller at the gate and a bishop that needed to go to trail 28, this was perfect because of a friend of ours who has a cabin in Mt Pleasant by ours told our son he wanted a cold Mt Dew. So we took him a case and surprised him, this was the Herriman Butterfield Stake.

Elder Call, Dave Kruckenberg. Sister Call

Since it was our anniversary we took the side-by-side and went to a place on the ranch that has some beautiful trees, Yes there is a place with trees here. We had a wonderful evening enjoying some different places on the ranch. We couldn't of had a more perfect peaceful evening for our 10th anniversary.

Tenth anniversary, enjoying a night out on this beautiful ranch, we found some trees.

Friday July 28, filling the ice bags and t-chlor for the water buffalo's early this morning and there was a bunny just outside the door that just stayed there for the longest time, one of those tender mercies, that just made my day, as I paused and thought how beautiful this world is and all the creations.

Love this beautiful world, the sun rays coming through the clouds.

Elder Call mowed the lawn and then watering all day of moving sprinklers. Finished up another coat of linseed oil on the cart. When these new carts are finished they are so beautiful. Packed up more handcarts and delivered to the dairy barn. More trips up to check on the well, such a great view from the top of the hill.

Elder Call finishing up mowing the lawn at the depot.

Looking down at the missionary village from the hill where the well is.

This is the well we have to go up and check on.

We had a fun visit with the Cowans. They were are trek directors from last year, they came in tonight and surprised us. We are the only ones here in the village and we visited with them for a long time. It was great to catch up with them.

The Cowans and Sister Peart at Saturday morning preparation meeting, they surprised everyone.

The Moretti's had a what are the chances? 100% moment today, they are with a Stake of over 500 and they were able to pick up a bishop at the gate that was on a mission in Russia with them in 1993. What a wonderful tender mercy for them to reconnect,

Saturday July 29, gate duty again today, we were there letting the buses in and the 1,414 people out. One bus stopped at the railroad crossing and we heard out the window, "water break." So many kids calling out the bus windows, "thank you," and waving good bye. One guy who talked to us on Wednesday came back to pick up kids and brought us a walking stick he had made this week. There are sure a lot of nice people in the world.

One of the trains going by while we were on gate duty.

The truck getting on the track to go check on things.

This little fuzzy caterpillar was crawling on the stop sign

What a great action picture as the caterpillar fell off the stop sign when Sister Call held it up.

We went into Evanston tonight for dinner to celebrate our anniversary. We arrived and got a text from Karilyn and Bob Hope. They are our good friends from our ward in Spanish Fork. What are the chances? They were passing by and wanted to see us, so we had dinner with them and then brought them to the ranch and showed them around. What a fantastic way to end the week with good friends.

The Hopes form our home ward in Spanish Fork. What a fun night seeing them in Evanston,
and then taking them on a tour of  the ranch.