After settling Kevin and Megan into their new digs, we left the next morning for a quick jaunt up to South Dakota. We left our trailer behind at one of Megan's cousin's homes in Idaho Falls and off we went on Monday, May 28.
This trip was the culmination of a couple of years of seeing many of our fellow travelers be registered as residents in South Dakota. After much discussion with many of them, we were convinced of the financial benefits of us too renouncing our long time Oregon residency (Wayne; 42 years and Ann; 38 years). Then after a month of doing the paper work, making the arrangements, notifying those that need to know and setting up the necessary items to make it so, we took the advantage of being up north at Kevin and Megan's to make the 1,400 mile round trip drive up to South Dakota to take the final steps by getting our drivers licenses and register our cars.
We drove up hwy 20, across the continental divide (We figured that this was about our 15 or 16th crossing of this great backbone of North America in the last 6 years.).
Due to the high elevations and the storm that had come through the few days before, we enjoyed a beautiful snow filled drive through the Yosemite National Park area.
The mountains, roads and forests reminded us so much of our trip to Alaska a few years back.
The tundra type bogs that the Gallatin River flowed north through also made us think of the rugged province of northern Brithish Columbia, Canada. Beautiful!!
Gallatin River.
We then crossed over into Montana.
For a short time we continued to enjoy the forested portion of Southern Montana....
...and then we opened up into "Big Sky Country"!!
More beautiful country! As we drove through Northern Idaho and Montana, we each exclaimed at different points, "This is so beautiful! I would love to live in this beautiful wild country!"
Then for a short bit we crossed over into Wyoming. Open range desert. Home of some of Ann's cousins who operate a big ranch there. Unfortunately, due to the rush of the trip, we were not able to stop and visit. next time!
This state with fenced ranches so large that it feels like open range is also the home to many, many antelope, of which we delighted each time we saw so many of them during our drive.
Majestic and powerfully swift footed!
Finally after many hours of driving, we crossed into South Dakota! We then drove on to Box Elder, where we checked into a motel for the night, got some Chinese take-Out and settled in to watch the History Channel for the evening.
Well, to make a long and struggle filled night of sleepless deliberation and prayer on Wayne's part a short story. And then an amazing event the next morning while attempting to push beyond the previous night's counsel.....Wayne decided to walk away from all the plans to become South Dakota residents. Bottom dollar? It was just not meant for Wayne And Ann to give up their Oregon residency and become South Dakotans. Acknowledging Heavenly Father's counsel, though not knowing completely why, we got back in our truck, after spending one night in South Dakota and headed back. Some day, I hope to find out the answer as to why. But until then, it is sufficient to know that we were told and we obeyed. it is wonderful to be married to a special wife that is so faithfully obedient too!!!!
Back past the Tetons and the beautiful trek of the day before, we both continued to marvel at the wonderment of such an amazing country in which we are blessed to live and have had through the last several years to travel and visit. This country is amazing!!!
We saw a moose that made us miss the Yukon Territory.......
...and then were blessed to see her brand new wobbly legged calf!!!
Later on as evening approached we saw an elk cow out grazing and.......
...as we sat still and looked further, we saw a huge bull standing at the meadow's edge. Powerful!
We stopped at Kevin and Megan's new home on the way to our trailer and Wayne asked Kevin for a blessing. It is times like these that Wayne wishes he could call upon his father for a blessing of comfort, counsel and support. But, as that is not possible, he has at times called upon one ore more of his sons to use the authority given them as worthy holders of the Melchizedek Priesthood to lay their hands on his head and bless him. It was what was needed. It was releasing of stress and sustaining of love. Good!!!
And thus we drew to a close of our adventure of moving our son and his family further north to begin his career as a 5th grade teacher in a small, rural community.....and the adventure of trying to move further north ourselves. All experiences from which we can learn and all opportunities for growth and increase of faith. Powerful Times!!!
We spent May 29th in our trailer in the driveway of Megan's cousin and then we hitched up and headed out towards our next son to visit and our next adventure on the road. Out of Idaho through the templed hills of Twin Falls we headed south into Nevada, spending the night in Camp Wal-Mart of
Winnemucca, NV.
The next day, May 31, Thursday, we drove to Lake of the Springs Thousand Trails Preserve near Oregon House, CA where we caught up on laundry and bill paying before heading to Russian River Thousand Trails Preserve near Cloverdale, CA on Saturday, June 2, to attend our granddaughter, Bananas', baptism and a week of grandkid sleepovers as well as attempting to get in a little visit time with our #2 son, Jared and his wife, Angi. We also tried to sneak in
a little R & R for ourselves. Blessings galore!!!
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