Family reunion

This reunion we are having is actually a cousin's reunion. The cousins have not been together as a group since they were children. Our five fathers grew up on a cattle ranch outside of Sidney, Ne. Our grandfather, Milo Webster, was a pioneer that came out to Nebraska in 1887. He worked on a horse ranch, homesteaded some property and started his own ranch which later became a large agricultural farm. Today, the major crops are wheat and millet. My father and all of his brothers are passed away now. We are all here to reminisce about the old days and heritage that has been handed down to us. There were nearly 30 in attendance from all parts of the United States. We explored the old Webster family house and barns. The property was on the route of the Pony Express, the Oregon Trail and Sidney to Deadwood Trail. We went to old Fort Sidney which was an army fort to protect the early settlers from the Indians. The land in this part of the country is all flat rolling prairie with very few trees and very little rain.



We learned that the millet is sold for bird seed. And the winter wheat is planted around the first of September. It grows some and then lays dormant until spring and is harvested in the summer.

There were numerous activities planned for us including the Prairie Schooner Museum and several meals out, one of which included a covered wagon ride and cook out. The reunion began on Saturday and ended on Monday night. Tuesday we shopped at Cabelas, took care of some family business, said our last goodbyes and departed for Estes Park, Co.

We drove through a canyon and winding roads which was quite a climb. The truck pulled good and the trailer followed. We arrived Tuesday afternoon in Estes Park at the Manor RV Park. Allan's brothers, Paul and Don and Paul's wife, Mary had rented cabins at the same park. The beauty that is surrounding us is outstanding. There is a small river running along side the RV park. What a nice sound (the babbling brook). We can see snow covered mountains nearby.

Wednesday after a good nights sleep, we made breakfast for everyone at our trailer. We then took a drive through Rocky Mountain National Park on Trail Ridge Road. At the top we encountered snow and cold, blowing wind. The elevation was over 12,000 feet near the Continental Divide. We stopped at the Alpine Visitors Center and viewed a heard of elk grazing in the valley below us. We stopped on the way back down the mountain to get pictures of a 12 point bull elk. What a magnificent creature. They will be moving down to lower areas to winter out.

On return from the park we stopped at Safeway grocery store to purchase some bison burgers to cook out. They were delicious.

Thursday brother Don opted to tour the town of Estes Park while the rest of the group decided to take another drive in the park. We drove toward Bear Lake. We parked the car and road the shuttle bus to Bear Lake. We hiked around the lake which was almost a mile. The mountains were reflected in the lake. It was a beautiful view. We hopped on the shuttle bus for the trailhead of Alberta Falls. We hiked to the falls mostly up hill. The round trip was about 2 miles. The elevation makes it hard to breathe and you seem to lack energy. The squirrels were black and very small compared to ours. We also saw chipmunks, ground squirrels, and marmots. We stopped to photograph a herd of elk. The beauty is hard to capture in pictures. The night brought rain to us and snow in the mountains.

Friday, we packed up and said our goodbyes. We headed for Woodland Park, Co. Leaving Estes Park and heading toward Lyons, Co. we traveled downhill through a canyon. We pulled over one time to let traffic go by and had to wait there until our brakes cooled off. We caught I-25 south and drove through Denver and Colorado Springs. The traffic was pretty heavy for a week day. Fortunately we missed rush hour. From Colorado Springs to Woodland Park it was uphill. We passed Manitou Springs and the Garden of the Gods which we hoped to visit another day while we are here in the area. We are close to Pike's Peak, but do not plan to visit as we both have been there before. We are set up in Diamond Rv Park. They warned us not to leave food or grills outside because bears frequent this area. On our walk before dark, we saw three deer in the park. Since our schedule has been so busy since we left, we are planning to stay here several days to rest up before heading back east to our next job in Ky.