Journal Entry: Day 32, Wednesday, June 30,1976 to Collingwood Park,Camden,NJ .... 19mi

Thunder and Breezy,ready to go, at Folwell School, all dressed up in their new bridles

        "Musical Horses" We try a few different hitches !

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Journal Entry:Day 32,  Wednesday June 30, 1976 to Collingwood Park,Camden,NJ...19mi

This morning Lee had heard Melissa’s filly had died – but I could see it, so I knew it hadn’t.  They got the vet in and he said the filly has pneumonia and so it will be brought to a farm along with it’s mother to recoup. 

We Left at 7:10 am using Breezy & Thunder.  Scott is riding Hy-Guy  with us and  Paul Cabot , NH Teamster is ponying Daffy for us and we will switch them in when we  feel the need. Others are stepping up and helping us out just in case we need to switch in a horse to give one of ours a break. It's best to give them a try and see how they will work together so as the day goes on today we will hook up Hy-Guy and then  Daffy with one of our horses.

We are going down Route537 and just saw a sign that said Moorestown,  9 kilometers (6 miles).  All wagons are traveling today, hoping that they will make it.  About 8 o’clock meet the NY riders and the old fire wagon.  

 8:40-9:05 we stop for water.  Tom & Cathy meet us there & will meet us at every stop in case we want to truck our horses.  Lee told them to meet us at the next stop.  We have been having to jog to keep up & so have those behind us.  So to save them, Ranny is riding in front of Breezy so as to slow us down & it seems to be working rather well.  At 10am we stop again and we  hook up HyGuy with Breezy.  I am riding Thunder.  They went fine together.

Lee and Scott hooking up Hy-Guy

Hy-Guy and Breezy on the pole

 Then at the lunch stop we decided to take Hy-Guy & Breezy off and hook up Thunder & Daffy (NH Palomino ).  

 Daffy was the mare who came across the NH/Mass line on her hind legs ! After a month on the "Train" she has settled in and traveling great !

 After we took Breezy’s harness off, she rolled on some glass in the grass and cut her right front leg up under her shoulder so I had to truck her in and wait for the vet.  (Poodle Vet!!!)  He came and did not have any anesthesia so he had to go get some for Breezy & another horse that also got cut at the same rest stop. He didn’t even have a stethoscope with him.  Later it rained and we had  an awards “party” in the rain .

After the rain there was a rainbow that has faded from these photos : 

Just after the rain people started coming

Stan Bashura's Journal:

CT Wagon Journal Entry for Wednesday, June 30th, 1976.

There is excitement in the air, we are getting ever closer to Valley Forge!  We are headed to Cooper River Road, Collingswood Park, Camden, NJ.  We woke up this morning to another humid day.  We have a 19 mile trip today to Camden, NJ.  We did all the usual routine things we do in the morning, got the horses hitched up, I was standing by Colonel, checking his bridle, Duke and Bev were up on the Wagon seat.  Geri came over to me with her horse Gretchen and was getting ready to mount up when she stopped and turned at looked at me.  I could see something was bothering her.  What's the matter? I asked her.  Geri said she just heard a rumor around camp that Melissa's filly had just died!  Oh, no, I thought, this can't be.  Not now! Not this close to Valley Forge!  The Wagon Train got under way and we headed out for Collingswood. Shortly after we started out, we saw Roger and we asked him about Melissa's filly and told him what we heard.  He said that it was not true, thank goodness for that. Yes, the filly was sick, but it and it's mother and Melissa were sent to a local farm for treatment by a vet and rest. Duke and I noticed that the Rhode Island Wagon was swapping out horses a couple times today.  We figured that they were trying to match up a team so they could give their horses a break if needed, like when they had their spare horse "G".  It looked like they were doing okay!   We were all happy about that!  We pulled into camp about 3:30 pm.  Everyone seems to have gotten back the wonderful "Wagon Train Spirit"!  Shortly after we made camp, it started to rain and then it kept raining for quite a while, but we were used to being rained on and it didn't bother us a much anymore.  We had our Wagon Train Party at night and it was great.  They gave out "Gag" awards to the Wagons and Drivers and riders.  Our wagon, (the CT WAGON), got the "Holey Award"  for the most "holes" on our pilgrimage.  I guess because 75% of the time, we lagged behind everyone else leaving a big gap between us and the Wagon in front, because our Belgian Draft horses were kinda slow!  But all things considered, we were okay with that and happy to still be here!  Tomorrow, July 1st, 1976, we will be going over the Benjamin Franklin Bridge into Pennsyvannia!  Another big day ahead. 

"On the Road Again", Day 31, Tuesday, June 29,1976, to Folwell School Mount Holly,NJ.....10mi

Alan Butler with Hanna and Gilbert Carey,Wagon Train Chaplin at Folwell School, Mt Holly

   "On the Road Again"

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Journal Entry:  Tuesday  June 29,1976,to Mt Holley, NJ....10mi

Left Adams Horse Farm at 7:10 am with all wagons & most riders.  Pat LeClerc and Ranny Tuchon are both "outriding" for us today !

 Cathy & Tom will shuttle the truck.  We are using Thunder & Breezy because it is a short day.  We are behind Lyle and so the pace should be steady.  Stan is behind us, and Paul is taking up the rear in front of the chuck wagon.  All others are in front:  Penn., NJ, NY, Mass, Vt.  Also the “Johnsonville Gang” are back from Moodus, Conn.with their carriages and they stay with us now and go all the way to Valley Forge.  

View of New Hampshire

As we are going through the Town of Medford, Lyle took off & passed the NY wagon which had fallen back so now we are in back of NY.  It is a new driver & a new set of Belgians fresh out of pasture.  They seem to be very steady.  We are going down Rte 541.  There are many yards along the way with trees that have palm like leaves and pink flowers.  We like them very much & asked a little boy what they were and people called them Mimosa Trees.

I would like to plant one or two where G is buried,if we ever are able to come back here.t

Roger just rode by to ask how the horses are.  He is riding Sandy Monroe’s horse.  8:10-8:25 we stopped for a 10 minute break, then got going again.  We are going by many wheat fields that are ready for harvest and corn fields which are coming good.  Seems we have left blueberry country which is down by Batsto.  Thousands & thousands of blueberry bushes – and the peaches are ripe already.  We are on a back road now but the traffic is still bad.  At 8:45 they decide to stop for water.  

9:15 we start again after losing some time because Barbra’s (NJ outrider) horse cut it’s leg & it took a long time to stop the bleeding.  Now the sun is getting hot – it will probably be close to 100 today.  The heat wave has still not broken.

About 10:30 we stop in Mt Holly for a water break (10:30-10:45) and we are told that we are only a mile or two from camp.  As we are going through town, the Mayor was upset because we are early.  (We were not scheduled until 1:30 so I guess they will come to the camp for a ceremony at 1:30.  Mt Holly is a very old historic appearing town.  

We are getting into camp at 11am,at the Folwell School in Mount Holly. 
Dinner will be from the "CookBus" tonight !

Some really great meals came out of this little bus , Stan Bashura on left

Sometimes the seating wasn't so great

 Lee & Cathy went to Pennsylvania to pick up the harnesses. She has never been to Penn Dutch country. We thought it would do her good to get away from the "Train" for a little while.  Tom & I staid and took care of the store.  They got back about 8pm. The harnesses were not totally finished  and Lee had to do most of the work on the harnesses himself.  Then Lee, Cathy, Pat & I went on a wild goose chase trying to find some Pizza.

We had to settle for grinders.

      Stan Bashura's Connecticut Journal : 
 

     We were told we have a 19 mile trip tomorrow to Coopers River Park in CollingswoodHere is the CT Wagon Journal entry for Tuesday, June 29th, 1976. 

We broke camp at 7:00 am.  Another hot and humid day on tap.  We are leaving Adam's Horse Farm in Medford, NJ and headed for Folwell School in MT. Holly, NJ.  This is looking like a great day!  All of the Bicentennial Wagons are being horse drawn and riders are all on the road for the first time in 3 days!!  We are supposed to have a ten mile day.  A nice easy run after a rough few days.  We fell in with the CT Wagon behind the Rhode Island Wagon, mostly because that's were I wanted to be, but also because the Rhode Island Wagon is a good one to be behind.  They move well.  We had no problems today ad the horses went very well.  Looks like they are feeling a lot better.  Around 10 or 11 am we stopped for a water break in Mt. Holly, NJ, only about a mile or 2 from camp.  There are many farms in the area and quite residential as well.  We pulled into camp about 2 1/2 hours earlier than expected.  A very enjoyable trip today.  Being so early, after we got the horses settled and had a quick lunch, we got to work on the harnesses.  Bev, Geri, Duke and I pulled out our "harness kit" and got to it!  It was a good thing we decided to clean because I found a tear in the leather on the nigh horses' tug.  Fixed up the tear and checked the rest of the leather, all good to go!  We had a good reception and a nice crowd in the afternoon.  The good thing was that the Camp Spirit overall seems to be improving a lot, NJ.  It was a great day after all!

"Trucking Today", Day 30, Monday, June 28,1976, Adams Horse Farm, Medford, NJ....28.9mi

There were Wild Day Lilies lining the road sides as we were traveling I would pick a few when we were at water stops and put them on both sides of the wagon. I always remember "G"  and the Wagon Train when the lilies are in bloom.
This was G's last day pulling the wagon.

"Trucking Today"

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Journal Entry : Day 30,  Monday June 28,1976, Adams Horse Farm, Medford, N.J...28.9mi

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 Today we are not on the 'Train"
               Most wagons will be towed and and horses trucked today.

  We are trucking Breezy & Thunder after going to where "G" was buried and setting up a small cross.  We also put a small cross of horse shoe nails on the tree at the road side.

Then we loaded the horses and we took off – On the way we had a blowout on the trailer.  Frank Howard towed the RI wagon for us.

                               Stan Bashura's Journal Entry:

CT Wagon Train Journal entry for Monday, June 28th, 1976.

We woke up rather late this morning.  Everyone is exhausted and stressed out from all the recent events.  It is another hot and humid morning like so many other's in the past 2 weeks.  Geri, Bev, Duke and I fed, watered and groomed Jack and Colonel.  They are looking much better today after a good days rest.  Geri's horse, Gretchen, is doing better too. As we headed for breakfast we talked about all the issues the past couple days and whether or not we were going to do the "Train" today, or truck the horses to the next encampment.  We were still very upset and concerned about the Rhode Island Wagon losing their spare team horse yesterday, and wondered how soon all the other sick horses would be getting better.  We agreed that the Bicentennial Wagon Train had to continue on, but we also knew that the Wagon Train probably could not hold up to another devastating blow like that.  We talked with many of the other Wagoneers and riders at breakfast, and many felt the same way we did.  We already knew the R.I Wagon was going to truck today as we expected after what happened. So, after breakfast, we decided to be on the safe side and truck our horses and Wagon to the next encampment which is Adam's Horse Farm in Medford, NJ.  A distance of 29 miles.  Most of the other Wagons decided to truck as well.  We are all hoping for a much better day tomorrow!