Reunion VI: Chester Jr., the Buffalo

This week went so fast!  July 5, 2019 was our last morning together at the reunion.  Spencer and Naomi fixed breakfast—blueberry pancakes, Naomi’s buttermilk syrup, orange Julius (with Jonny's help, since it is his specialty), and hot chocolate.  It has been a treat to watch family members share their cooking expertise.

 Today is Sam's sixth birthday, and we celebrated it with him.  Jonny and Jenny bought Sam a cake, and we watched Sam open his presents.  Sam was born while the rest of the family was at a family reunion in the Berkshires of Massachusetts six years ago.  After breakfast and Sam's birthday, Jonny and Jenny headed for SLC.

 The buffalo farm tour was a highlight of the week.  Our tour guide was a rather eccentric man who loves the out of doors and used to spend time alone in the California desert, helping to save condors.  He talked softly about buffalos, including what makes a strong leader for a buffalo herd.  The prior leader of his herd, Chester, died at age 27, and our tour guide had to choose which of Chester’s calves would make another strong leader.  “One little calf had enormous presence.  He held his space and glared at me as soon as he could stand on his own legs.”  The owner named the calf Chester Jr., and he has been thrilled with the way Chester Jr. has grown into a strong leader of 27 females and calves.

 We then walked to the fence of the buffalo corral.  The owner waved his bucket and the buffalo herd came running across the grass.  It was an amazing sight—like seeing buffalo run across the plains.  Chester Jr. came right up to us to eat his oats, with his huge, shaggy head and dark eyes.  Mike took these photos of the buffalo farm.

 Our guide also showed us how to start a fire, using just branches, friction, and feathers.

Our next stop was the wolf refuge.  It wasn’t as dramatic as the buffalo farm, but we enjoyed hearing the ranger talk about wolves and how they live in packs and hunt.  Six wolves live in the refuge and are taken to schools to educate the children.  They are carefully trained and quite tame.

 During the afternoon, the Flindts and Dave and I hiked partway around Emerald Lake.  Naomi and Spencer, who had been there before with Mike, said that the lake is dreamy in the early morning, as the first light bounces off the water and makes it look very green.  After the wolf refuge, Camille’s family had a relaxing afternoon playing games and soaking in the hot tub.

 For dinner, Camille fixed tortilla soup, bean/corn salad, and tres leches cake.  Tres leches cake  is “making the rounds” in Camille’s ward.  As always, Camille’s food was delicious.  

 Dave was worried, all week, that we would spend several hours at the border crossing into the US.  There was a mile-long line trying to get into the US when we entered Canada last week.  We were thus off by 6 a.m. on July 6, 2019, with Spencer and Naomi, to beat the crowds.  As it turned out, we waited less than fifteen minutes at the border. 

 We saw a black SUV barreling ahead of us, as we drove south, and we realized that was the Eberts’ car.  We followed Steve and Camille all day, with a fun stop in Idaho Falls to eat supper with Michael Flindt and Rebecca at Texas Roadhouse.  We told Michael and Rebecca how much we missed them at the reunion, but we understood that this was the middle of their semester at BYU-I.