September 10th, 2009

Big Sandy River, WY
 

16 Miles

I was frozen last night!  Man is it getting cold during the night now that I am getting into the mountains, so I got absolutely no sleep last night.

I have a liver and gall bladder issue that has become a real concern.  My liver is making an excessive amount of bile and dumping it into my intestinal system.  At this point I’m not exactly sure what is wrong or how to correct it, only that I have a serious issue and will continue to monitor it until I get an answer.  If I were a pioneer in 1856 I wouldn’t have any options, no one to confer with and no options except to keep on walking or lay there and die.  We’ll keep you informed.  Update: I just got a phone call from Joe Jeter, the Physician’s Assistant who cared for me in Scottsbluff, NE.  I told him of my condition and long story short; he said that I needed to start eating protein.  My liver was having problems from not having any protein to speak of in a long time, so I will buy some peanut butter and start adding about 20 grams of protein to my diet each day.  I hate to do this because of my commitment to the pioneer diet, but I have to make sure that my body stays intact and out of the hospital.

 

I had a great visit by some people who stopped me on the road about 5 miles from Farson.  Sisters Donna and Lois get together each year and go on a historical journey together and when they saw me pulling the handcart they were very excited to be able to meet someone that is living history.  I had a special moment with Lois’s husband Mike in the car that I will have to tell you about when I write the book.

I then got a visit from Andre’ who was from Canada and had been riding for about 4000 miles so far, he drove by and then came back to introduce himself and take photos.  He pulled the handcart and I was on his new BMW motorcycle.  It was very comfortable and I told him that I may not get off and just keep on driving… so he took the key.

Visited Simpsons Hollow which was the site where the Mormon Militia bushwhacked the U.S. Cavalry to keep them from invading the Salt Lake Valley and replacing Brigham Young as the Governor.  It’s interesting reading if you do a Google search for Simpsons Hollow.