Mountain Man Rendezvous - Part 2

Here are some pictures from our adventure at the big mountain man rendezvous in Ft. Bridger...and it was an adventure. And we had NO cell phone service. Poor Marcos didn't know what to do. Between the drive and our long day, we were gone for almost 11 hours. Let me just tell you...pushing a stroller with a baby and Preston (who refused to walk for the first half of the day) over bumpy terrain while attempting to avoid bumping into all sorts of people was more of a challenge than I expected. We were there for 6 1/2 hours and when we got back to the car, I felt like I'd walked 20 miles - my legs and forearms were feeling every bit of it! It was so worth it though. Seeing all the gear and hearing all sort of experts talk about what they love was so much fun for the boys. I loved watching the blacksmith at work and Dylan could have watched the Indian dances forever. He kept saying things like, "How do you say 'All-lay' in Spanish?" How the heck do I know! It was some word they kept chanting during their dances. It was cool to see all the people in their authentic gear, even if it meant a few scantily clad folk here and there and a couple of tipsy mountain men enjoying their "rendezvous recreation" way too much. :) Dylan is now really excited to learn more about the Indians, which I am making our next unit for school. Back to the library I go! All in all, it was an amazing day! Dylan even found a little friend who was probably around 10. That kid was so cool and knew EVERYTHING! He showed Dylan how to sharpen a knife (although Dylan used a piece of wood). He had made his very own knife and walked us through the process. Dylan could have listened to that kid forever! And the kid had a good time taking a turn using Dylan's new bow and arrow (don't worry, the arrow has a rubber tip - I'm not that crazy!) We came home with a bunch of wooden weapons (a sword, knife, two guns, a bow and three arrows). Those kids have gotten tons of use out of them already! Preston was pretty good too. He was tired at first, enjoyed most of it and got silly and mischievous at the end. Good thing I was ready to go by then. Marissa spent the day being lulled to sleep over bumpy roads and eating in the most unusual places. Overall it was a great day! Sometimes I can't believe I have three kids....and can handle them in a big public place by myself all day long. :)