Day 9 started with a little more cousin time while we packed up the camper and got ready to hit the road again. Before leaving, the kids got a tour of Grandma Douglas’ quilting room and fabric storage. If you’ve never seen a lifetime of quilting supplies gathered in one place, it’s impressive. Bolts of fabric lined the shelves in every color and pattern imaginable. Each of the kids picked out a favorite fabric that will someday become a quilt of their own. It was a simple moment, but one that connected generations. Long after this trip is over, they’ll have something handmade to remind them of where they came from.
After fabric selections were complete, we headed to Blackfoot, Idaho, to meet up with Stacy and help load handcarts. We arrived a little early, which gave us time for an unexpected bonus adventure. We toured M-M Cattle LLC, a former dairy farm that has been transformed into a museum celebrating homesteading and rural life. The kids wandered through rooms filled with antique school desks, old stoves, baby carriages, ranch equipment, saddles, tools, and everyday items that once formed the backbone of life in the West.
The visit became one of those reminders that history isn’t always found in museums with admission tickets. Sometimes it’s preserved by families who understand the value of remembering where they came from.
The kids especially enjoyed petting the horses and exploring the property while we learned about the generations who built lives from hard work, faith, and perseverance.
Once Stacy arrived, it was time to get to work loading handcarts. For those unfamiliar with them, handcarts were the simple wagons pulled by Mormon pioneers crossing the plains in the mid-1800s. Families loaded their belongings into the carts and pulled them hundreds of miles from Iowa to Utah in search of a place where they could worship freely. Every four years, Stacy and Elaine help organize a Trek experience where youth and adults spend several days pulling handcarts and experiencing a small piece of what those pioneers endured.
We helped load the handcarts along with the kids’ suitcases before saying, “See you later.”
That goodbye was a little harder than some of the others.
The kids climbed into Stacy’s truck and headed toward Pocatello to pick up additional handcarts for Trek. It will be a few months before the herd is fully reunited. The kids are headed to the ranch in Oregon for a few weeks while we continue to Alaska and get settled into our new home. Shortly after arriving, Zed will leave for E-3 requalification training in Oklahoma. The kids will then make their way north for hockey tryouts and the start of the school year, and Zed will return to Alaska and the herd will finally be together again.
Before leaving Idaho, the van gave us one final moment of concern when the check engine light reappeared. After a little troubleshooting and tinkering by Zed, the light turned off and stayed off for the remainder of the drive. We considered that a victory and kept heading north.
As we pointed the truck north toward Montana, the drive itself became part of the adventure. We followed portions of the Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea Trail, tracing paths traveled by explorers more than two centuries ago. Between the mountains, rivers, and wide-open spaces, we quickly agreed that this corner of Montana deserves a return trip someday.
We also drove past the filming location for Yellowstone. The show has become one of our go-to reference points when describing where Zed grew up. We do feel obligated to add that his family is considerably less dramatic. His mom is still alive, the ranch disputes are minimal, and nobody has been taken to the train station.
We ended the day in Missoula, Montana, one step closer to Alaska and one step farther from the familiar.
Today’s theme seemed to be heritage in all its forms. Quilts that haven’t been sewn yet. Handcarts that tell stories of faith and sacrifice. A homestead museum preserving the lives of those who came before us. And kids learning that family history isn’t just something you read about. It’s something you live.
Herd Stats
Miles Driven: 3,858
States Traveled: 11
Check Engine Lights: 3
Animal Sightings: too many to count
Running Stats
Hotel/Campgrounds Count: 17
Herd Morale: Bittersweet but strong
Sanity Level: Running on faith, snacks, and group texts
The Davies Herd 
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