Busy Week continued (Friday-Sunday)

Friday, July 3, 2009

Ed, Roni and I left Green River in the morning to drive back to Riverton. On the way back we made a stop in South Pass City. This is a historical site that is viewed by over 14,000 people a year. It is Wyoming’s second oldest incorporated town. It was founded in the summer of 1868 when the gold rush was at its peak. This town was based upon mining and panning for gold. The area is still full of different claims where people are panning and digging for gold. Even Ed used to have two claims in this area where he searched for gold.

At one time South Pass City was up for being named the state capital. It's big bust came when the mine was closed forcing many move away. Today some still live in the town and the historical portion that was privately run for 20 years as a tourist attraction. It finally closed when it became too expensive to maintain the 24 century-old buildings. At its centennial in 1968 a group of South Pass Citizens banded together and bought the old structures and donated them to the public. Now these buildings and the land around them make up the South Pass City State Park. Here are some pictures of the site that I took while we wandered around.

The day didn’t end there though. That night we went to the big firework celebration in Lander where a one of the dentists in town puts on a big firework display for the town’s citizens every 3rd of July. (We thought this was going to be cancelled this year because that dentist and another were arrested in June for disturbing hydrocodone, a drug that is highly addictive. One was using the substance too. In the paper they said that the other doctor could be sentenced for 295 years in prison. The one that is putting on the firework show has been put on probation and he gets to keep his dentistry license so he’ll be in staying in society, just well watched.) This show was great because we had a truck that had great speakers in it. We tuned into the radio station where the dentist was Emcee'ing the event. They played a recording that described the U.S. history during the revolution when our country was just getting started, and the firework displays went along with the music and the storyline. The majority of the time the fireworks were shot in a way that made it look like a battle was going on, with lots of fireballs shot up into the air that made it very smoky.

July 4, 2009, Saturday

This was a great day filled with lots of activities. Ed’s sister Cynthia came with us to the parade in Lander. This was just like every other parade with lots of people dressed in 4th of July colors. We got there early so I had time to walk around,see the people, and take tons of pictures.

Lander has a very different atmosphere than Riverton. It is in a sense "more hippie", with more people riding their bikes, and a city park where people can camp for free (and it is well used). The city is designed so that water can flow under streets and it runs through ditches in some front and back yards, and a lot of people dress in loose fitting, flowing outfits. This is really hard for me to explain so I guess you will just have to experience it yourself.

The best part about the parade was the end when all of the different fire trucks came through. Fremont County is made up one of department with lots of divisions. So when the divisions come together what do you think happens?? There was a HUGE water fight. I mean the King of Water Fights. There were two trucks positioned on two side streets with one having its ladder extended and a hose ran up it so that it extended over the main street. They were both shooting water from their hoses that sprayed softly down on everyone and it was quite refreshing. Quite an ending. Here are pictures of the scene. Mom we have got to try this with our fire dept. at a parade!

Our next stop was a BBQ put on by the Rotary club. Roni's new boss is amazing. He is a Rotary Club member and he gave us tickets to the BBQ. We ate brats, beans, and potato salad. Luckily, we had finished eating by the time the rain started so we drove back to Riverton and stopped at the house just long enough for Cynthia to grab her car to meet a friend and the rest of us drove out to the 1838 Rendezvous site.

At the Rendezvous there was a lot that was happening, and I am sorry I left the camera because Jake was hilarious wearing a woven basket his daughter had bought on his head. He really did look Russian. We walked around the exhibits and took in the different events. We watched kids throw axes into raised stumps. I had Jake Korell - the 95 year old mountain man I spoke about earlier, serenade me in Spanish, German, English, and then with a harmonica. Roni and I even learned how to make rope. One man at the rope making class kept asking me to let him cut off a patch of my hair so he could make a beautiful rope. Actually, many were commenting on how beautiful my hair was and how nice a rope would be! While I was not inclined to donate my hair, I am aching to get some material to try out my rope making skills.

That night ended with weather warnings every 10-20 minutes about how there was going to be a hailstorm in Riverton. The weatherman predicted hail the size of softballs, half dollars, quarters. Well it did hit and even though the hail was only the size of peas, it had the wind backing it up and it made for a very rough storm. The street was filled with water and the hail made it look like winter. Here are some pictures that I took during the storm.