Martin's Cove

We had a family reunion it started on June 17th, we drove to Martin's Cove in Wyoming. We chose that site because my parents are serving an LDS mission there. It was a long boring drive to get there. We took the Southern Route because Jake wanted to see Rawlins because that is where his brother is moving for a teaching job. We drove hours and hours just seeing this...

After Driving for so long we finally arrived at our destination. Thing 2 had cried for the last hour of the trip so we were very excited to get out of the car. From the backseat we also heard Thing 1 babbling or singing (we are never sure which) and we just imagined her covering her ears with her hands and saying I can't hear you (da da ba ba). Thing 1 gave Grammy a big hug and it was super cute. Thing 2 was just extremely glad to get out of the car.

Friday we hiked the trail to Martin's Cove. We could see Devil's Gate from the trail.

We started out hiking. My mom and Dad were our tour guides for the morning hike, then they had to take their shift in the afternoon being missionaries. They were in charge of the handcart distribution that afternoon. Charlynn and Ivan took their jogging stroller, it is very nice and takes the trail well. It kind of pulls you down the hill if you go down hill though.

Elder Stewart (my Dad) with his hiking stick. We were loading the handcarts and getting ready to get going.

We got some hiking backpacks for the kids to ride it. They seemed to enjoy riding in them. Their cousins also enjoyed riding in them while they took a turn in the stroller.

I packed Thing 2 for a while in the lighter pack.

By the time we got to the trail up to Martin's Cove 4 of the babies were asleep.

After Martin's Cove we saw an antelope with her baby. Very cute. There were a ton of Antelope everywhere around where we camped and drove, so soon it wasn't very exciting to see them anymore.

When the Martin company went to cross the Sweet Water River they were Tired and weak and had already gone through the Platt River when it was freezing cold. So the people sat down and cried. Some of the rescuers started to pick up people and carry them across. The men stayed in the water all day helping people cross the river. This is one of the statues showing the rescue that these men performed. If you look close you can see that he is carrying a baby and a small child.

One of the missionaries told a story of a woman who came from England by herself (her husband had passed away and made her promise she would go to settle with the Mormons). She had 2 young children. She didn't wait for the rescuers to take her across, she took one child and took him across and then started back for the second, and the first one followed her into the water afraid to be left by himself. She tied him to a tree with her apron and went back for the other child. I have a great deal of respect for the men and women who were in the Martin handcart company.