That changed this last Monday, Memorial Day (May 29th).
My wife had the day off, and since I am currently unemployed, I insisted that we take a trip to Randolph, after first making our visit to my father's grave in Bountiful, Utah. We had our youngest son and his children with us, and also our oldest son. After our children and grand-children left to return home, my wife, Roxana, and I began the long drive to Randolph. We felt a definite need to head right out, only stopping to fill our gas tank.
We realized later why we felt moved to be on our way.
This trip proved to be a very inspiring adventure!
It normally takes just under 2-hours to reach Randolph, Utah, from our home in West Valley City, but we had a few delays. We stopped for a "pit-stop" in Evanston, Wyoming, then headed out again. As we approached Randolph, we were delayed by the highway construction just south of Randolph. Finally, we arrived in front of my Old Home In Randolph.
As soon as I pulled up in front, I noted a few things, 1) a new security fence (about 6-feet tall) surrounded the property, 2) a man and woman were on the property, and 3) two more women were waiting in a car. The two on the property were looking it over and appeared to be searching for something. I pointed them out to my wife, and within 5-minutes they had abandoned their search, and got into their car, and began to leave.
Had we gotten there very much later, they would have been gone, or if we had arrived even 30-minutes sooner, we might have left before they arrived. I determined I must speak with them. I walked onto the road East of the property, approached them, as they we driving toward me, and waved them to a stop.
The man in the front seat lowered his window, and I said, "I am sorry to delay you, but I saw you looking over the property, and felt I had to introduce myself. My name is Robert Brent McKinnon, and I used to live in that house."
The man, a Mr. Spencer, shook my hand through the window and introduced himself, and said, with some excitement, "I, too, used to live in that house!" He explained they had heard that the new owner of the property was planning to demolish the house, so a new one could be built on the property.
Concerned, they had come up to speak with the new owner. He gave them access to the property, and that's how they had been there when we arrived. Mr. Spencer said they had hoped to find something that might be preserved from the property, and asked me if I knew where the old WATER-PUMP had been. I pointed to where it used to be located (more on this later).
I mentioned that one reason I had come, repeatedly, to visit the sight was that I wanted to meet the new owner, and find out his plans, and see if I could persuade him to allow a Commemorative Monument to be built at the front of the property. Mr. Spencer and the three ladies with him had the same idea.
I was so excited that I had forgotten I had left my wife in the car, but she saw how excited I was and came over to chat with them too. We, learned they live in Salt Lake City, Utah, and we replied that we live in West Valley City. They gave me a number, and I put it in my cell-phone, and I gave them both of our cell-phone numbers and my email address.
After about 15-minutes of getting to know each other, they guided me to the new owner's home, just a block or so away. It is a very nice white home. As they drove off, I knocked on the front door, but there was no response. After several tries, I gave up, and my wife and I headed home.
We were both very excited about this event, and we spoke of it for most of our return home!
