January and February 2014 in Wyoming

The blue sky in this picture is misleading.  It is freezing cold, and the snow blows along the roads in sheets like this.  In places where it is really heavy it's often impossible to even see the road.  People ask how much snow we have and I really can't tell them.  We either have 1" or 4' depending on where the snow has drifted!


Last week we had another freezing cold day.
 Thank goodness there was NO wind!

After a huge snowstorm broke hundreds of branches off the trees at the Homestead last fall, we piled them up and waited for a cold and windless day to burn them all.  This was the day.   Sadly, some little rabbits had made their winter homes under the protection of the logs, and when the fire got started their homes were destroyed and they ran all over to escape the flames.

When the handcarts were brought back into the barn after our Christmas Party, 
the missionaries left a wide path all around the perimeter of the building 
so we could get our exercise by walking there in the early mornings.  

It has become a walking track for some of us.

We listen to audio books as we walk, and even though it is still cold inside the barn, 
we are protected from the wind.

Elder Hutchinson has been our technical expert over the winter.  He frequently has a phone in each ear as he talks to Global Support on one line and the Missionary Department on the other, trying to get our computers set up to work as they should.  It's a monumental challenge!!!

It's a miracle that the computer systems and their "creative" wiring work at all!

One bright, sunny day in January we all drove over to Sixth Crossing to walk up to Rocky Ridge. 

Right off the bat we got high-centered along the road to Sage Campground and had to be pulled out.  We would have walked all the way had it not been for the cold and raging wind, 

which hadn't been an issue when we started out.

We then drove around to see if we could make it into Rock Creek Hollow,

but we were blocked by massive snow drifts.

So we gave up and went into Lander to fill up with gas and have lunch.

While there we discovered a snowy handcart statue in the Amish store.

On our way back to the Homestead we visited our neighbor Polly
at Mad Dog and the Pilgrim Bookstore across the road from Sixth Crossing
and said hello to the wooly sheep who lives there.

The following week we took a little missionary field trip up to Cody, Wyoming 

to see the famous murals inside one of the chapels there. 

They tell the history of the church including the emigration to the west.
They even portrayed our area, although they incorrectly identified Devils' Gate as Split Rock.

 

The missionary couples who showed us through the building took a picture of all of us.

It was interesting to see this familiar song written to a different tune in an old hymn book.

While we were in Cody we also went to see the Buffalo Bill Center 

and were impressed with the wonderful exhibits and presentations there.  

They did a great job of telling his story and preserving artifacts from his life and times.

 We saw lots of interesting displays
 and even a "horse" for Elder Bushman and a sheep camp for Elder Moench!

We learned a lot about Buffalo Bill Cody.

There was a very creative hologram welcoming us to the museum and some beautiful artwork by Remington and others. There was even a replica of his studio showing the props and western equipment he used to create his paintings.

We almost felt like we were in the middle of a buffalo stampede . . .

It was good to have a little get-away for one day when the Whitlocks could cover the Visitors' Center,
and everyone had a wonderful time!

Elder Cherry got right back to work by removing the old linoleum floor 
in the bathroom of the Gathering Room and laying down new tile there 
with Sister Cherry, Elder Martin, Elder Bushman and Elder Thomas helping.   
They then did the same thing to the kitchen and bathroom floors of their own apartment and the Hutchinsons' apartment in the tri-plex as well as in both apartments in the duplex! 
Elder and Sister Cherry are amazing workers and know how to do everything!

One day last week we had a fun surprise on the way into Casper . . .

 . . . our favorite doctor, Dr. John Pickrell, is being featured on a billboard.  
He is a great "friend of the Cove" and truly goes the extra mile to take care of the missionaries.