With all the work projects being done in town, preparations have to be made for the trip to the ranch. I was Ed's 'go-fer' and the the general maintenance guy. Got the new air-compressor up and going, and greased and did the inspections on vehicles going to the ranch. There is no way to explain the extreme road conditions endured on the 45 miles to the ranch....new paved hi-way for starts, then rough, rocky, dirty, dusty (powder dust), narrow, curvy, crazy drivers, lumber trucks, fast trucks, broken down vehicles, steep mountain roads, more rocks and rough road, along with cramped riding conditions (Five vehicles packed to the max).....all taking around 3 hours. I was on one trip a few years ago when it took us 17 hours to get there, after spending a few hours sleeping on the side of the mountain.....the entire group of us!
The road is so much better now......it used to be a 5-51/2hr trip.
The group stays at the church, so each day all the men have to 'stow away' their sleeping bags and gear, for the use of the building during the day. Of course on Sunday everything had to be moved for Church service. Food and supplies were sorted and readied for the Monday morning departure to the ranch. Only the bare necessities of each person are allowed, as it is quite an undertaking to transport and deliver everything to the 'Canyon Ranch' location. I will have more on that later!
I forgot to mention we even attended the funeral of an elderly lady from the Church. It was very much appreciated by the family to have our entire group there....Pastor Antonio and Joel both spoke and the group sang during the service....such as it was.