The Wagon Train

As promised! I told you guys last week about the covered wagons riding around our little town, and now I have a little better description--with pictures!

The event is put on every year by the Culbertson Saddle Club. The motto is "To keep the west alive for future generations" and this was the 46th year of the Wagon Train. They set a "night camp" which is like the home base. Everyone comes out Friday night and gets their camps set up. Saturday morning, breakfast is served from 6am-8am. After breakfast, everyone gets their teams and horses saddled up. Then then follow a 12 mile loop. Halfway through the loop, they stop for lunch. The traveling lunch truck drives to the lunch location, and when they're done serving lunch, they drive back to the night camp to get ready for dinner.

Dinner is served from 6:30-8pm. At night, they usually have live entertainment or a DJ playing country music. People dance, drink and have a good time!

This year, my FIL volunteered us to go serve breakfast...meaning we had to be out there at 5 am! I was a genius and pre-set my coffee to be done when I was just waking up :) We got dressed and headed out to the night camp to start cooking. We helped make a delish breakfast of biscuits and gravy!

Everyone is still moving a little slow..

Aaaaand Patrick isn't so impressed with my blog documenting at 5 am :)

Us and my in-laws...in our sweet aprons!

After our breakfast duties were over, that's when I really started getting good documentation of everything:

This was the nicest wagon on the trail ride this year.

They literally circle the wagons at night camp....

A beautiful team of white horses.

All of the teams getting lined up.

My FIL got to ride on a wagon and drive the team! Here's a little secret...he has a covered wagon! He used to have a team but they got too old. As soon as he came home, he decided that he's going to start looking for a team to buy so he can do this every year again. So next year, I might just have some pictures from a wagon!

It's Dr. Feelgood's Medicine Wagon

 Miniature horses for a miniature carriage! How cute!

Another beautiful team of horses.

Everybody heading out!

The Trail Ride has a program that goes with it, that also thanks the families whose land they cross and camp on (one of which is our family's this year), rules to live by on the trail, like "all riders must stay behind the lead wagon, no glass bottles on trail or in camp, and no firearms or fireworks," etc. They also have awards for Most Unique Unit, Judges Choice, and several others.

It was easy to be involved this year since night camp was only 1 mile from our house (hey, that's close!), and Patrick has already been "volun-told" that he was going to be head of the deep fryer next year! So more than likely...you'll see more of this next year.

Oh, and P.S. this post took me about an effing year to make since I uploaded the pictures from home. Gotta love long-range DSL.

Happy Tuesday! I think we should start every week on a Tuesday, don't you?