Friday, June 27, 2008 ... 10:10 a.m. CST

The Van Fleet Wagon Train is just an hour away from Winter Quarters, Omaha, Nebraska - the final hour of the 2008 ride - a bittersweet hour. I was so very sorry to hear that Paul and Jane Fuchs' horse did not make it. I could hear Danny's voice breaking as he talked about their loss and how Paul Fuchs came back to finish the ride. He's grown close to everyone on the ride. Telephone audio from Danny, Becky Ottesen, and Sharon Bogh is below. Click play or highlight a name to hear that person's comments.

Note about Danny's audio: At one point he is speaking about a little girl on his horse with him. He is speaking of Faith Stokes, 4-year-old daughter of Erin Stokes from Aloha, Oregon.

Note from Becky: She would like everyone to know that if you see her with the curly hair, it's a wig, not her real hair! :)

 

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Pam Dudley sent in her comments on the ride ....
"My name is Pam Dudley and I was on the wagon train with the Spanish Fork group. I was only able to attend for a 3 week time period due to work commitments, but I sure appreciated the opportunity to ride with the wagon train, and get to know so many great people. I would like to thank those who organized this ride, Danny Van Fleet, Leon Wilkinson, etc. This was a great experience for me and it will hold memories that I will never forget. As my husband Dave said, " we will have the pictures to look at and show the family, but they will not show the sights, the sounds, and the smells that you experience riding on the wagon." It was all so beautiful, and there are no words to express the feelings that you experience while on the trail. I learned a lot about me and others on this trip that will be valuable to me in life. I love reading my journal that I wrote in while on the trip. I also love reading the comments on the web site, I am living the rest of the journey thru the web site. I pray that all of you will be safe and all will be well for all of you, may God be with you until we meet again. This was a chance of a lifetime and I am glad that I had this opportunity to experience a little bit of what our forefather's did. I will never forget it, nor the people that I met, or the things that I learned. Thank you so much to all of you that organized this ride and carried it thru."

---

Friday, June 20, 2008

Notes from Danny .....Friday morning ....

 

We picked up a new passenger on the train ... his name is Murray ... he's a white/cream husky dog, a little bigger than a Blue Heeler. He's been with us on the trail for about 20 miles, since Murray, thus our name for him. He's become the wagon train mascot. So, anyone from Murray that lost a cream/white husky type dog, give Danny a call 309-337-1100 and let us know what color his collar is so we know you belong to him!

 

When we got to Murray, Charlie (Burns) loaded up one of the horses that got sick -- Paul and Jane Fuchs from West Virginia.... took the horse to Ottumwa to the vet .... horse is at the vet clinic being nursed back to health.

 

The storms went all around us yesterday. We got a little sprinkle, enough to settle the dust. We just left 3 Mile Lake heading toward Orient. We will travel 19 miles today. We had a great couple of days of rest. We spent a day at Mt. Pisgah and Bob Brown gave us a great tour on his farm ... lots of history ... saw a lot of ruts at Mt. Pisgah.

Anybody traveling across country wanting to learn something about the Mormon Trail should visit the Bob Brown farm at Mt. Pisgah.
It's a great little tour. He shows you where the cabins were, the blacksmith shop, and so much more.... it's definitely worth a visit. He does have a website. We'll try to get that address posted (Note: Danny has it in his hat, but couldn't get to it -- on the horse while talking on the phone - that's enough multitasking right there!)

 

We've got about 30 people left on the ride. Glen Nelson and three outriders will join us Monday.

Chuck Quillin is coming back this weekend to brand wagons. He'll brand the Iowa brand onto any wagons that want it. The branding iron has the state of Iowa and the trail marked across it.

We'll be camping on the railroad right-of- way -- it's a long narrow strip in the middle of town -- in Orient tonight. It's right next to the city park. We'll eat dinner under a covered pavilion there tonight.

Every time we have a birthday, the Spanish Fork group goes to town and gets a cake. We have a great celebration. We've had several birthdays. I've been teasing because the birthdays are so fun that people are just making them up so we can have another celebration with cake!

Here's an interesting tidbit ...

It took us 18 days to get to Mt. Pisgah from Nauvoo, IL. It took Brigham Young's first company 102 days to get to Mt. Pisgah -- they averaged 2 miles a day; we're averaging about 15 miles a day, traveling at an average speed of 3.9 mph.

The group has gotten close -- everyone is pitching in and helping each other. And again, Rich and Sue Newhall have just been absolutely fantastic!

Yesterday, on our day off, Holly Christensen dressed up in my ole' cowboy duds ... we took a photo of her holding Lynn Bogh's horse .... we'll get that photo sent in!

 

Monday morning, June 16, 2008

The train is leaving the vicinity of New Virginia today and getting back on the original trail led by Brigham Young. They will be in downtown Murray, Iowa, at the Saddle Club grounds tonight.

 

More Iowa 2008 photos added this morning ...

Album 3 updated - photos by Donna Smithson added. Donna writes:

"We fell in with the trucks and took my car to the getting off place. Leon vanned us back, we jumped into a wagon, and the rest was history. Wonderful history. Altogether we rode in three different wagons. It was very good for my sense of pride to hear the various people brag on the beauty of our state. Yes, I love Iowa, but the positive affirmation was really encouraging. Our state flower, the wild rose, was in bloom so I took advantage of that sort of thing to give them some history ... I felt a really close binding with all of the people. They tried really hard to learn our names and truly made us feel welcome. As the back of the necks became a bit redder, I'm not sure if they were calling us the "Red-necked Iowans" or the "Red-necked Methodists."

Album 4 added - photos by Jennie Peterson
Jennie, part of the Spanish Fork group, traveled with the train for two weeks before she had to return home for work. We thank Jennie for sending in photos and telling us a little about them!
 

Sunday, June 15, 2008
Conversations of Saturday, June 14th

I finally had the opportunity to speak with Danny over the phone late yesterday afternoon. Click the play button on the audio player below to hear that conversation with Danny.

 

I also spoke with Leon Wilkinson, President of the Iowa Mormon Trail Association. Click the play button on the audio player below to listen.

 

 

Thank you to all who are sending in your comments and photos. Keep an eye on the web this week as more are coming. I am currently working on Album 3 which will include photos from Ann Meyer, Donna Smithson, and Colene Greubel.
Colene wrote in ....
"We live in Newbern, Iowa but our post office is Lacona, Iowa. I was just going out to get my mail and saw them coming. What a sight to see them coming up the road. I left my 95 year old Dad in Lacona, where they spent the night...he knew that they were coming, he just had to go visit with them. What a thrill for him. Hope they have a safe trip."

 

Friday, June 13, 2008 -- 2:18 pm CST

I have not spoken with Danny yet to receive an update. I hope to speak with him later this afternoon. I am anxious to know how all weathered the storms that blasted through the states of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin the last 24 hours.

I have posted Janice Hinderer's photos and will be posting photos from Ann Meyer soon. So, as of right now, we have two photo albums for 2008 and will soon have three. The menu on the website has been updated. To view any of the new albums, choose PHOTOS --> IOWA 2008 ALBUMS --> and click an album (or click on a link below or in the right Photo menu!) -- Thanks, Toni

Iowa 2008 Album 1 - Photos by Marvin Westercamp & Jana Johnston. This page has been updated - captions have been added as well as comments from Jana about her day on the trail.

Iowa 2008 Album 2 - This album is now up for viewing. Janice Hinderer snapped over 800 photos during her time on the trail. We have a sampling of over 70 for you.

Iowa 2008 Album 3 - This page is not yet ready. I just received photos in the mail from Ann Meyer. I will scan them and start this album soon.
 

Thursday, June 12, 2008

I was not able to speak with Danny today. I know the train has been in the midst of a powerful string of storms. I hope to catch up with Danny during lunch break tomorrow, June 13th. The photos came in from Janice Hinderer today. I will be posting those in the Iowa 2008 photo album tomorrow, June 13th. -- Thanks, Toni

 

Trail Update: Wednesday, June 11, 2008

A text and audio update will be here tomorrow. For now, ENJOY THE PHOTOS! 2008 Iowa photos are now coming in. Thanks to Marvin Westercamp, Jana Johnston, and Janice Hinderer. Janice's photos are not in yet, but as soon as they are they will be added to the photo album along with any others that find their way to my desk. CLICK HERE to view the new 2008 album (this album has also been added under the Photos button in the main menu).

 

If you were a part of the wagon train and have photos you would like to share, send them to danny@vanfleetwagontrain.com. I will post them as soon as I can.

--  Toni

 

Trail Update: Wednesday night, June 4, 2008

Click play on the audio player below to listen to Danny as he talks over the phone from Bentonsport.

He was sitting under an open pavilion at the park that had about 9 or 10 picnic tables and a fireplace. He states everyone is having a good time. The Dutch Oven cooks, Rich and Sue Newhall, have been spoiling them with wonderful meals. Tonight's menu included roast beef, baked potato, gravy, carrots, and Jell-o salad (okay, not only am I jealous, but I'm hungry now!)

 

Although it has rained quite a bit, it has not rained on them while traveling the trail. The rain arrived in the evening during camp hours -- again no dampening of the spirits on this train! There are 12 wagons in the train right now.

 

Danny mentions a boy that took a spill from a pony and hurt his arm -- but it's just a sprain; he's okay. He also mentions KMEM FM Radio from Memphis, Mo., came out and did an interview and ran it on the air a few times throughout the day.

 

The train will be leaving early in the morning to beat the heat. So, to ensure the next campsite would be ready for them, Danny and his long-time friend Charlie Burns rode ahead to Douds (Charlie is also a valuable member of the coordinating team.) Upon arrival in Douds, to their surprise, there is a circus in town and they've got camels, miniature ponies, and donkeys staying at the camp! So I guess our brood will be sharing camp with more than they anticipated!

 

During our phone conversation Danny was seeing fish jump out of the river and back in. At first glance, he thought it was a deer jumping in the water. You'll hear the surprise in his voice.

 

Update: Wednesday afternoon, June 4, 2008

I've received many questions about the itinerary, how to join up while the train is traveling, and so on. I would like to address those questions here in case you are reading this and have a similar question. I will be speaking with Danny today to provide an update on the train. Please check back this evening for that update.

 

Question: When looking at the itinerary, does it mean they are leaving that town or arriving in that town on that date?

Answer: If you look at the itinerary, you will see a date and a town name. This means the train will be in that town to camp that night on that date. So that day they are traveling from the prior town.

For instance, today is June 4th. The town on the itinerary for today is Bentonsport. This means they left Farmington this morning and will arrive in Bentonsport tonight to camp. All towns on the itinerary are camps at night.

 

Question: How do I join up while they are traveling?

Answer: You may join the train anytime you wish. How do you know where and when to join? Give Danny a call on his cell phone: 309-337-1100, tell him where or when you would like to join and he'll be able to give you a good estimate on where they'll be and when. You can register on site. Danny does have forms with him if you would like to fill them out when you meet him. However, registration on site will go much faster if you download the forms from this website, fill them out, sign them, and bring them with you along with your fees to the site.

 

Question: How much will it cost for me and two children if I ride my own horse, they ride in a wagon, and we purchase meals, for a week?

Answer: It is best to download the worksheet from the registration page and fill it out to get your totals. If you have Microsoft Excel, download the one specifically for Excel HERE. It will calculate the totals for you. Please note the discounts no longer apply.

 

Hope this helps. Don't forget to check back for the update coming this evening. ~ Toni

 

NOTE: You may still join! Registrations and payments can no longer be accepted through postal mail since the ride has begun. However, if you wish to join, bring your forms and payments with you to the ride and sign up with Danny on the trail. If you cannot download the forms, don't worry, Danny has some with him. If you are unsure if a horse or wagon is available for you, call Danny 309-337-1100. He'll let you know what is available.