A Old Fashioned Caravan ~ Labor Day Weekend

Blue Moon Setting on the morning 9-1-12

The New Moon set just as pretty as she was the night before. It was a special day. I got on my jeans and made little breakfast burritos for the boys and we all loaded up in the wagon to join our antique machinery club up on Main St.

Our entry in the antique tractor caravan Little Utah Farm

The thunder clouds over The Three Peaks were still sputtering. I was a bit worried about lightening. But the rising sun revealed perfect blue skies and a crown of white fluffy clouds over the ranges. The air was crisp and cool and the sunflowers and farms glistened under the morning rays.

The sunflower fields looking southeast in Cedar City,UT ~  Little Utah Farm 2012

Our caravan journey took off from Cedar City,UT with 19 antique tractors and old antique cars and one Conestoga Wagon holding a whole family of kids and adults. My friend Brooke was there and she rode in the old hay wagon with us throughout the caravan. Her husband Jimmy and her brother rode on their own tractors up ahead of us. Iron County Volunteer Sheriffs proved us with an escort.

The roar of the engines waffled through the breezes and the smell of exhaust blew out of the old tail pipes. 8 miles an hour we putted through the wide open country on Minerville Hwy 130. It was like I imagine they experienced a long time ago as they rode on their wagons and stage coaches. One could really take in the scenery and take lot's of pictures or reflect and dream.

Along our route we saw children standing out by their mail boxes and families waved from their porches and doorways. Cars stopped along the route to snap pictures of the tractors as we proudly streamed by with friendly waves. This is an annual event and people look forward to it.



It was 15 miles to The Gap. Here we gathered along Gap Road before parading through the Parowan Gap. Watch this very short video and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Once we were all lined up we headed out together through the Gap.

The Parowan Gap

There were club members waiting on the other side with refreshments and Iron County supplied portable restrooms. After a rest we headed to the City of Parowan to park all the tractors for a display as part of the festivites of the Iron County Fair.

Everyone Had beautiful American Flags waving in the breeze. Parowan Gap Utah

The scenery was like a John Wayne movie with high rocky red cliffs, white puffy clouds and green prairies. As the caravan came closer to town, there were green fields of alfalfa and farms with cows and horses which spooked and ran from the spectacle. We passed under the 15 Interstate Freeway and into Parowan . Some folks waved from their porches. It was 28 miles to Parowan and I felt like I could go 28 more. We had so much fun that day. We stayed home Sunday and on Labor Day headed up to Parowan to be in the parade. Again we loaded up into the wagon and took off down the parade route waving at all the people along the route. It was again so much fun.

Color Country Antique Machinery Club Parowan,UT Labor Day 2012

Thank you for visiting Little Utah Farm!
I got a another story brewing for next time,
We hope you come back again.
Until then, take care,
Deborah `MOON`

Autumn Bliss

The Rolling Hills Off Lund Hwy

How does it get any better than this? Our dream of living off the land continues to come true as we go out to cut our own wood in the wild for our stove.

Team work.

We made an efficient family team as we cut, sorted and stacked the wood in the truck.

Me Tossing The Wood Into The Truck

My Grandson is a great help. A  job well done.

This is the land where the antelope play and wild horses run.

The graded road to Lund is long and the perspective is amazing. Out here is where the cowboys still ride their horses into the sunset after a long days on the range. For miles as far as the eyes can see is the land as it was in the 1800's pure wild and free.

"I looked around me and felt the ranges, the land, and the sky embrace us and I knew then I was truly close to the earth and living the life I/we have dreamed off."

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freshly picked Oak Leaves

 I gathered the last of the Oak leaves while on a hike in the gullies and canyons of The Three Peaks. It seems like yesterday that the Oaks leaves were bursting out of the bare winter branches. I have lot's of ideas for these beauties. I will use 2 methods of preserving. One will be to soak in a solution of glycerin and water and the other I will iron between waxed paper. I have an online store that displays these creative projects on T-shirts, mugs, and greeting cards. I hope you all visit often to see what I have made. I have oodles of ideas, landscapes, flora and fauna and art to fill my store as time goes by.

End of Autumn Chores

I looked outside my kitchen door and heard the roar of our tractor plowing and tilling the land. After such a grand harvest of corn we move into the rhythm of the earth and prepare for the winter and an easy spring planting.

Our Fur and Feather Family Play

What a blessing that we all get along and respect each other's process and space. Our dogs and chickens commune beautifully together. They sing and play and run together in the yards. I will take my hens for a walk in the front gardens today before the snow comes later tonight. I will make a trail of bread to the gates and toss the rest into the grass. They will love scratchin' and digging in the dirt and clay.

Autumn Bliss: A walk in the high country promises exquisite color
and crisp cool weather. The meadows and trees are a delight as we walk on the trails.

Soon we will be riding our ATV's with our new club called the Trail Blazers and receiving visitors for the the holiday season. Life is so good. How does it get any better than this? Autumn Bliss !

St. George Wagon Co. 1861-2011

St. George Wagon Co. Sign at Old Iron Springs Road.

On the way home from cutting wood out near Lund Rd, I began gazing out of the truck window at the roads we had traveled in the past 3 years. They wound through canyons, old mines, railroads and  lot's of big sage brush and juniper trees. It was Paul's Birthday and I was getting ready to ask Paul if he would like to have a picnic out there along one of those scenic roadside stops.  Paul opted to go to Chile's for dinner. We had a wonderful dinner and even shared a brownie with fudge and whipped cream! Yum!


The next day we went for a walk at The Three Peaks where we discovered narrow gullies and washes that wound their way through towering boulders of granite. Black iron streaked filings in the watermarked sand shone like large diamonds in the sun. The sky was blue.

That afternoon I got a call from Paul. he told me to get ready for a drive. He doesn't tell me where and I know it is a surprise of some kind from the sound of his voice. I had my camera and the dogs ready to go. He pulled his truck into the driveway and we loaded up. While on the road to, I do not know where, he hands me a paper called The Independent which is folded to an article that has pioneers on it. He asks me to read it while we are driving. I read the history of the Dixie Cotton Mission in 1861 and an adjoining article on the Sesquicentennial (150 year) Celebration of St. George, Utah. A reenactment of that period was going on right where we were headed!!! I could feel my emotions rising in my throat with such excitement. I had always dreamed of seeing the wagon trains crossing out on the land and hear the horses snort and the chains rattle and the groaning of the wheels and wood.

The Wagon Co. arrives as far as we could see.

He drove way out in the distance and we spotted signs on Old Iron Springs Road. They said St. George Wagon Co. in thick red paint with an arrow leading up a road to the west. I felt myself unable to sit still. Paul just then spotted the white cloth of the wagons making their way through the brush out of The Three Peaks. We parked and I got out with my camera. My heart was beating so fast I could barely get my footing on the ground. One deep breath and I gathered myself and began snapping pictures and video.

 

The costumes and the wagons and hand carts were beautiful and I felt like I was a pioneer myself standing out on the range back in the 1800's. The contrast of telephone poles and microwave stations made the whole experience timeless. Have you ever had a time when your dreams or imaginative thoughts were materializing right before your eyes? Another deep breath and I was sure footed and able to smile and wave and say hello as they passed.

They had traveled from the City of Parowan and were traveling to St. George on an eight day journey 100 miles away. Here they are on their way to Desert Mound.  We have seen their support vehicles, water, fire, toilets and equipment and supples. They even wrote a daily journal posted on http://www.sgcity.org/wagontrain/journal11.php  here is one of their entries in their journal.

St. George Wagon Co. Dixie Cotton Mission Tues Oct 11th

Tuesday Journal Entry
For some reason I thought our colder days were behind us but this morning proved me wrong. A crisp morning with hot cakes and eggs set the stage for the push toward Page Ranch today. I think they named the area Desert Mound due to the fact that you can't take more than five steps without walking through an ant mound. Anyway, we hitched up and left camp on time around 9:30 this morning.

We traveled 14 miles today, mostly uphill. The handcarts started out ahead but the wagon teams and riders caught up quickly. The temperature quickly warmed up as we marched our way out of the Iron Springs Valley. We must have had a faster team leading today because the pace seemed to be much improved from yesterday.

"While at lunch one of the teams took off unattended. In no time the wagon tipped on it's side and the tongue broke-off leaving it inoperable. The driver stayed behind and waited for parts to arrive before fixing the wagon and resuming the journey. Neither man nor beast was injured. On Pinto Road freshly graded dirt and gravel made it easier on the teams but tougher on the handcarts. It was almost as if we were pulling the carts through sand."

Lunch time for all. St. George Wagon Company

That night we felt the cold and thought of the Wagon Company out there on Desert Mound. The next day we decided to see them again on their way to Page Ranch. We arrived again to see them traveling down the road. Again we greeted them as they went by and they stopped a short distance down the road for lunch. They commented on our dogs, how pretty they were, and two young boys from the wagon train came to greet them. Their mother came with a Ziploc bag of dried apples and offered us some. They were delicious! 

Windy get some lovin'

I created a short documentary film about this experience and posted it on You Tube.com as
  St. George Wagon Co. 1861-2011

or you may watch the video below. 

Are you a pioneer? You do not need to ride in a wagon across miles of wind blown trails to be a pioneer.

I really feel we are modern pioneers and visionaries who have the qualities of commitment, courage and creativity. We venture into unknown lands with faith, hope and charity to make a better world for ourselves and others.

My Bike Ride Around Cedar City, Utah

I took off riding down the country road.

I took off riding down the country road. It was a beautiful day in Cedar City.

The wind blew the grain making each stalk gracefully bow.







The sun cast western bound shadows off the bales of hay, making it appear to be a giant alfalfa chessboard.

Alfalfa Chessboard

The Crow Tree

Here is the Crow Tree. Lot's of loud cawing and ruffling of wings.









My favorite rural road has been newly paved and I must adnit it is easier to peddle on.

My favorite rural road.

No dust to swallow today, only sunflowers and blue sky to absorb.

The expanse of land is breathtaking

I can see forever along this northbound road to Lund...Green and deep brown & red earth and fields, bordered by Willows, Russian Olive Trees and Elm.There are barns and silos, cows, sheep and many mountains ranges as far as you can see, in all directions. the expanse of land is breathtaking.

My kind of place!

I turn right into a muddy bog which spread under  a stuck irrigation sprinkler. 

I can not pass, I thought.

I saw a detour through the willows in a wash, so I ventured carefully off the beaten path.

The small sandy bank caught my pedals and the rabbit bush grabbed at my spokes. But once down I had planty of room to weave in and out of the willows in the wash.
40-50 yards I traveled while the barbed wire fences screamed in the wind. I turned my head from  the hard spray of water shooting out across the wash.

I approached the dry road. I pushed my bike up the sandy clay bank.


I peddle eastward, facing the rising edge of the Colorado Plateau.




A silver grey horse comes out to greet me.



A silver grey horse trots out to greet me, snorting, head bobbing, mane blowing in the wind.
I smiled at his startled face and stance as I passed.



I turned towards home,

The highway stretched before me,

Lined with tall yellowed grasses, silver green sage and the deep dark purple alfalfa flowers.

Facing south, I think of the red cathedral cliffs at Kolob Canyon and the wild lifted rocks at 

Virgin Gorge.




The Yellow Farm House



Here is the big yellow farmhouse, where I turn for home.




My neighborhood. Cedar City, Utah .