The Gates Family: Road Trip!

I set out on a very long road trip with my 4 kids to see Patrick in Illinois. I thought it would be "fun" to see some sites along the way. But it wasn't as fun as I had imagined when you add up all the hours and extra miles we did to see the sites. It was a long journey but well worth it to see Patrick. Our first stop was just outside of Vernal, Utah at Dinosaur National Monument. It is rock wall with fossils exposed for you to see. Most of the fossils have all been removed from the quarry.

Rock wall with fossils

Kayla touching a thigh bone

Dillan

Kayla comparing her leg bone to the dinosaur bone which is as long as her whole body.

Young Stegosaurus...see description below

Tristan and the Allosaurus skull

Dillan, Mariah, Melissa and Tristan at the Dinosaur National Park!

After leaving Vernal, Utah, getting lost plus having to stop to eat lunch and being horribly behind schedule, we headed toward Wyoming and got to see these lovely mountains and Flaming Gorge.

Flaming Gorge....wow what a view.

Kayla at Flaming Gorge Dam

Dillan at the Dam

After leaving this short stop to see the Dam (these two kids were the only two awake) we pressed on toward Wyoming on the "scenic route"....which means lots of mountains and slow driving. Late in the day I was driving along in Wyoming and I saw a sign that said Martin's Cove ahead...I didn't know it was even on our route so we stopped. Unfortunately it was closed for the night but the kind LDS missionaries opened it back up for us to visit.

Here is a short synopsis of what happened at Martin's Cove:

In November 1856, about 500 Mormon emigrants in the Martin Handcart Company were halted for five days in the Cove by snow and cold while on their way to Salt Lake City.^[1] The Martin Handcart company had begun its journey on July 28, 1856 which was dangerously late in the season and would ultimately lead to the disaster. Although the number who died in the Cove is unknown, more than 145 members of the Martin Company died before reaching Salt Lake City. A few days prior to their arrival at Martin's Cove, the company was met by a small rescue party with food, supplies, and wagons that LDS Church President Brigham Young had sent from Salt Lake City, Utah. On November 4 the company and rescuers forded the bitterly cold Sweetwater River and sought shelter in the cove. That evening a powerful north wind blew the tents to the ground. The tents were set up again, but a blizzard brought heavy snow. The company remained in the camp for five days, unable to proceed due to the snow and cold. When the weather warmed, on November 9, the company was able to move on toward Utah. With assistance from the original rescue party and from additional rescue parties that met them along the way, the survivors finally reached Salt Lake City on November 30.[

The kids were able to pull a handcart around a small circle and they loved it. It had facts and figures about hand cart companies as you went around the small circle.