We started out bright and early in Pinedale and headed down to Rock Springs. We stopped along the way in Farson where school children came out to see the Tree and wish us well. One of our team members, Josh Sorenson, is a local celebrity in Farson and had to greet dozens of his fans before we could head on to Rock Springs.
When we arrived in Rock Springs, hundreds of children and residents were already lined up to see the Tree! Despite the frigid temperatures, everyone was happy to be there and were thrilled that Wyoming was going to be represented in Washington, DC with such a perfect Tree. Check out these photos of children and residents of Rock Springs lined up to see the Tree.
Next it was onto Wamsutter where the students at Desert Elementary School presented us with special posters welcoming us to Wamsutter and handmade ornaments to adorn the Tree. The ornaments were made from wood and had beautiful paintings of Wyoming scenes on them. Great job Desert Elementary!
Our last stop of the day was in Rawlins where the community put on a huge celebration downtown. Over 1,000 people showed up to see the Tree, sign the banner and enjoy the festivities which included singing by the childrens choir and plenty of hot chocolate! It was an awesome site to see the Tree parked on Cedar Street in the evening with lights on the surrounding buildings.
Beauty and the Tree
Today was particularly special as the Tree was greeted by Miss Wyoming in Rock Springs and Mrs. Wyoming in Rawlins. Miss Wyoming 2010 Alicia Grove helped welcome the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree to her hometown and in true Wyoming fashion got behind the wheel of the 105-foot long truck hauling the Capitol Christmas Tree. Later in the day, Mrs. Wyoming, Lauren Sowerwine, came to wish us well at the community celebration in Rawlins.
Despite the frigid temperatures, the men of the Capitol Christmas Tree team were all smiles posing with Miss Wyoming.
Here's Mrs. Wyoming, Lauren Sowerwine, in front of the truck carrying the Tree at the community celebration in Rawlins.
Fueling Up!
While we have been filling up our SUV's and vehicles daily, today was the first day we needed to fuel up our two semis, one carrying the Tree and one carrying the ornaments. We stopped at Travel America in Rawlins to refuel our trucks. Below, Mark Fortner, the driver of our ornaments and soon to be 80 companion Trees also going to the Capitol complex, fuels up!
Thank You to Our Law Enforcement Team!If you ever find yourself traveling with a 67-foot Christmas Tree, doing it with some of the best law enforcement officers in the state is the way to do it. We are lucky to have four law enforcement officers with us as well as the cooperation of local police and highway patrol throughout the state. With such large crowds at every stop and a caravan that includes two semis, a trailer and three vehicles on the road, our law enforcement team is their to keep the people of Wyoming safe and ensure the Tree makes it to Washington, DC smoothly. A special thank you to our team - Rick Anderson, Phelan Whitehair, Adam Dale and Dennis Cease! Below is a photo of our team working with police in Rock Springs today.
Shout Out of the Day
Stopping in Rock Springs, we wanted to give a special thank you to Hemphill Speedy and its employees for all that they did to help remove the Capitol Christmas Tree last week. Hemphill Speedy provided and operated the cranes used to remove the Tree safely from Bridger-Teton National Forest. Watching them cut and suspend the Tree and then place it smoothly on the truck was one amazing site. Thank you to Hemphill Speedy for all that they did to make this possible!
Can't wait to see the folks in Lander, Dubois and Riverton Saturday!
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