Denny 5pm, Pueblo.
It's been a hectic few days trying to get ourselves out of town, on the road, and to Pueblo. Now we're here, the focus will be on Kevin's blog entries, but when I can I'll try to share a woman's view. We step off tomorrow at 9am and have appointments and RV tasks to do before we move Monday.
I kept wondering as we were driving out of the Salt Lake Valley and to Pueblo what it will be like to walk or bike through that terrain. Periodically Kevin would call me on the phone and tell me to look to the right or left. "Those mountains in the far distance is where we'll be. Or "The trail is over to the right at this spot"
Our "home away from home" felt much more like a hard-sided tent until yesterday morning when we finally de-winterized the trailer and had running water. Our campground is beautiful - and the view of the lake is gorgeous. There is a bird here that wakes us up so beautifully each morning. I need my friend Roberta Peless here to tell me what kind it is. I've been glad it has been consistent so we can hear it over and over again!
I wondered this morning how the pioneer/battalion women kept their wagons orderly. We were piling things in so fast right berfore we left, that we both have been asking each other, "Have you seen...?" "Yes, I have but I don't remember where." Today we got control of the chaos a bit and that has felt good.
My proud moment today was when I actually fed Kevin three healthy meals in a row. The past four days, eating has been an afterthought and I know I can't keep that up. We used our little outdoor kitchen - to sautee summer squash and zuchinni, and (gasp--don't think poorly of us) broil stakes in the air fryer. Yes, you heard me right. Kevin decided when we were plugged into electricity it would save on propane. We also have an induction plate for the same reason so, I'm not really pioneering it. Funny thing - I was committed to only bringing one frying pan, and a small stock pot but when I put the frying pan on the induction plate it was the wrong kind. Kevin mentioned the joys of RV ownership. We thought the fridge wasn't working then found it WAS but was freezing everything so we turned it down. Then we had trouble with the hot water heater, but Kevin resolved that today, so I think we have everything working as it should at this point.
Yesterday, I had a fun time with Kevin driving around looking at the conical hills he wrote about in his blog post. This morning I read Andrew Jackson Shupe's "Personal Ledger Daily Accounts and Mormon Battalion Diary" about his time here in Pueblo. The thing that struck me from our exploration yesterday was his descriptions of the cactus and dry soil. Everywhere we went yesterday felt like the "Cactus City" Levi Hancock wrote about in California. It was very similar to the Anza Borego Desert area we went through in 2009. I was glad this time I wasn't wearing a pioneer skirt and could step through them without getting "caught". I was able to record Kevin telling the story of Colonel Kearney's topographic engineers seeing the conical hills and writing about them. Chip, from the OCTA Association social media guru put me onto a great little audio recorder for my phone and it worked as advertised - no wind sound even though it was howling all around us. Now to work on my videography skills!
Andrew Jackson Shupe also wrote about the weather - that the snow didn't stay long but it was very cold. We had a warm day yesterday and then today it was cold and rainy. We've had a bit of a pioneer experience with the cold by not turning on the furnace of the RV. We've opted to bundle up instead. We thought our warm grits and hot chocolate hit the spot this morning for breakfast. I was surprised to read in the journals how quickly they worked at building homes for the battalion members and how "military-ish" things were managed. Lots of back and forth to Bents Fort for supplies/rations, Santa Fe for pay, and people had to get permission to go out and hunt for food. I guess I imagined after they were detached, they were more civilian-like but not so. They were awaiting orders from Santa Fe and had couriers going back and forth between Pueblo and there much more frequently than I would have thought. Those people got around!
I'm looking forward to church Sunday. Andrew Shupe also writes about their church meetings, who preached, and where they gathered.
In terms of clothing: I have to give a shout out. We decided we'd just wear t-shirts and pants this trek (except for tomorrow's step-off when we'll dress in our pioneer clothes) so ordered a bunch from Image Wear in Provo, Utah. When I told them what we were using them for, one of their employees who was an avid hiker suggested a type of fabric that was cool in hot weather. Wow has that been a blessing! Yesterday out in the heat, those shirts were fabulous. I wish I would have ordered more long sleeve - they were so light and airy.
It's great to be all snugged up in our little trailer with Kevin working away on his presentations for groups ahead of us. After our big push to get on the road, today's rain has been a nice chance to rest and gear up for what's ahead of us. I am sad though, that we didn't have time to ride all the gorgeous bike trails that are here at the park. Maybe next time.
It's been fun to hear from some of you and know that you are rooting for us. Being here has made me ask myself, "Denny, Why don't you spend more time outside in Nature? It does so much to lift the heart and cheer up the spirit!" We are so blessed to be able to be here and follow the Battalion's trail.
