The idea was to leave early for Spring Mountain to sprinkle some of the Hawley ashes at the ancestral cow camp. Six 4-wheel drive vehicles lined up by the locker plant waiting on Bryan and Marc who were delivering Jackie’s kayak to our porch so they would have room for extra passengers.
Only 30-45 minutes late, our caravan headed up Horse Creek road. First, on a new paved surface, then on improved gravel, then on definitely rutted 4-wheel-drive-only paths.
Over an hour later, we reached the cow camp and cabin where cattle from the Rocking Chair Ranch, the picture-perfect place dating back to Francis Welty, Gladys’ father, have spent spring and summer for 80+ years getting fat on the high altitude grass.
The relatives wandered down to a ridge near the cabin with the two urns containing Paul and Gladys’ ashes. Soon, Mary and Fred had mixed a small portion of each of their ashes and Fred let the wind carry them over the ridge. Jackie had climbed the much taller ridge behind us with her dog Sierra and photographed gathering of relatives following the Hawley’s after-death directives.
After a sandwich and a quick rest back in town, most of the family headed up to the little town cemetery overlooking the city of Dubois. We were met by a lady named George who is the caretaker and the local VFW honor guard who did a brief ceremony. Jeff Milton, the family real estate agent blew Taps.
The two poems that Mary and Cathy read up on Spring Mountain were enclosed with the ashes before being interred.
Later we gathered at the Longhorn Pavilion, where most of the family are staying, for a monster picnic. Chuck and Nancy stopped at Costco in Idaho Falls to stock us up on beer.
An enormous quantity of food and drink were consumed, and there were still leftovers to use for our 4th of July picnic up at Chuck’s place.
