Kevin – Thursday. So we changed our minds somewhat this morning over breakfast. We’re still going ‘home’ for the 4th and a family funeral, but we decided to put some more miles in this morning so we don’t have to do them later. We will also move the RV to our next center of operations, Fort Bridger.
Accordingly, we blasted back out to where we stopped last night and managed to put in another ten miles before the head winds kicked up strong. How strong, you may ask. Strong enough to initiate saltation, where wind blows small sand particles from the ground and sends them skipping along and knocking other sand particles into the air. Think of someone gently sandblasting into your face. Yeah, it’s uncomfortable and I didn’t have protective glasses. Ouch!
We crossed under I-80 northeast of the small town of Lyman and took advantage of the underpass windbreak to discuss. Denny wanted to ‘go a little further.’ Men really are the weaker sex. I was done after the hill coming up to the underpass facing directly into a 20 mph wind.
In all fairness, we did see some pretties this morning. Church Butte.
A small herd of wild horses.
Black’s Fork had some wonderful grazing areas.
At 9:00 AM, we ended about 4 miles east of Lyman and 10 miles from Ft Bridger. We hightailed it back to the RV, pulled out and had the unit set at the new campsite about 11. A little more packing for the long weekend and we left for Salt Lake at noon.
What possible connection to 1847 does our day today have?
Well, you may recall that at the ferry at Casper, a group of the detachment men were selected to be an express to catch up to Brigham Young’s pioneer company. They rode hard for a week and caught Brother Brigham at the Green River. Our start/stop sites for today are different, but those guys had to leave with almost no preparation. They left immediately when given their assignment. I’ve always been highly impressed with the quick response when the call came to enlist the Battalion. Within days, nearly 500 men had assembled and were prepared to leave – for a year or more. That’s called ‘rapid response.’
It would be nice if I were more inclined to respond quickly when I’m called upon to do something.