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| Jeannette Smart with Skeeter, Chino, & Gizmo |
I am proud to announce we have officially completed our second Highway 50 Wagon Train, and what an amazing time it was! I want to take the opportunity to thank my dear friend Steven Thompson for inviting me to be a part of all this fun and excitement. This year was even more special, since Scott joined the ranks of "Team Myers" and helped with harnessing. Jerry Myers did an amazing job. Thanks to Steven, and Jerry, and Jerry's wife Terry, his daughter Jeanette, and Rachel Anderson for allowing me to tag along. As always, I had a blast!
This year was the 63rd Annual Highway 50 Wagon Train. It kicked off in Zephyr Cove, Nevada with a rendezvous on Saturday, June 2, and it ended with an "End of the Trail Party" in Placerville, California on Saturday, June 9. In between was a fantastic week, filled with friends, food, fun, and memories that will last a lifetime! Chino, our 3 month old Chihuahua, made his first trip on a wagon train, and held up like a trooper. It was actually his dad Gizmo that had me worried, as he was sick for two days. Thanks so much to Sheryl, and Jeannette, and Terry, and Annette, and everyone on train for all your good advise and well wishes, and to Steven for the tip about the yogurt, which is what I think finally made Gizmo better.
I have already been asked to give a lecture and slide presentation on Wagon Train, and I wish I could have all the participants there with me when I do. Everyone in the audience is always so impressed with the journey, and they ask so many good questions. The organizer who asked me to do the presentation had a tough question; what was my favorite part? Wow! that's a really hard one. The animals. I am always amazed with how beautiful they are, how intelligent they are, and how hard they all work. And the people. Some of these great folks I get to see only a hand full of times a year, and really enjoy getting to see everyone. It is not just the social aspect of catching up on lives and swapping stories though. Especially this year, in the snow on Echo Summit, it was the way people came together to help out when someone needed a hand. It was fun for me personally to wrangle the dogs and to look for the photo opportunities that were just a little better. I loved the two days I spent on the wagon, getting close up details of drivers, horses, wranglers, outriders, and passengers. And I loved the afternoon I spent in "the box," seeing things from a completely different point of view. (Thanks Terry & Jerry for that!) But if I had to site just one single moment, I think it would be when everything clicked into place, and I realized the harmony of man and horse, working together, as one unit, just doing what needed to be done - no thought, just instinct. That is how our ancestors settled this land, accomplishing great tasks one simple step at a time.
If you have the chance, I strongly encourage you to get involved. Bring your horse and spend a week, or bring your kids and change their lives. For more information on this fantastic journey, visit their website at:
www.hwy50wagontrain.com/wagontrain
Photos from the week's events are on my gallery. Please stop by and have a look, and let me know what you think.
For participants wishing to order prints or specialty items, don't forget, find your image numbers, then call me directly to receive Special Event Discount Pricing.
www.projectionsphoto.printroom.com
Call Kitty at 775-315-3994
