Probably my favorite vantage point is from the back of a horse.  Somewhere in a box is a picture of my grandpa holding me on Powder.  Powder was my grandma’s horse.  So from before I could walk to now I have enjoyed the view from horseback.  Wherever my family went when I was a kid, if there was a horse, I asked to ride it.  Finally, when I was in my 30’s and married I lived where I could have horses of my own.  Thirteen horses came and went as I bought horses to be trained and sold to families.  The two I kept made the move with us from Minnesota to Texas.  Coco and Stormy have passed now, but my love for them remains.  I still ask to ride when I go someplace that has horses.  This picture is from the last time I rode with a friend in Texas in May 2017.

Landmarks along the Oregon Trail include Chimney Rock, Courthouse Rock and Jail Rock in western Nebraska.  The North Platte River runs near these landmarks, which is the route of the Oregon Trail.  My husband and I visited the area in July 2017.  I was born and raised in Nebraska, but had never seen this part of the state before.  I was enthralled with the beauty and history of the area.  I could visualize people like RJ and her family as they passed these landmarks almost 200 years ago.

Texas is beautiful! 

My husband has had a construction job that has taken us to Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado in the past three and a half years.  When he was working in Del Rio, Texas we saw many beautiful sites in the desert landscape.

We are on an adventure!

I used to say, “We are on an adventure,” almost every time I got in the car with my daughter.  Now she is grown with four babies of her own and we are still going on adventures.  My motto as a young person was “Faith leads to adventure.”  As I have journeyed along in life there have been many adventures with the underlying constant of faith in God.

My adventures have been with family and friends.  They have taken me far and near.  They have been adventures of travel, adventures of relationships and adventures in serving others.  I thank God for the people and places and critters that have been part of the adventures of my life.

Six years ago I started a new adventure.  The adventure of writing.  I have written 10 Devotional-Journals (which will be offered on the website in the near future).  Most recently I had my first historical novel for pre-teens published.  RJ’s Journey is being enjoyed by all ages.  I invite you to order a copy and read it for yourself if you enjoy stories about the Oregon Trail and pioneers.                                                                        Ardie