Strike Two on the Red Iguana

Made two trips to the airport providing shuttle service, on the last one back, I took a wrong exit and found a shortcut to the hotel that would have saved me a lot of time had I known about it earlier—which delightfully had only one stoplight, which was green. Made plans to go to the Red Iguana for dinner. Make another run to the airport just before 9 p.m. and noted that the Red Iguana was still open with a line out front. Dropped Bob at the airport to pick up a rental car then Quackgrass and I zipped back over to the Red Iguana to get in line for a table. Arrived to find the place had closed. Strike Two. Bob said he will try again tomorrow so we had a dandy dinner at Denny’s where the high-on-caffeine salt and pepper crowned platter princess batted her eyes at Bob and said, “It’s okay, Honey, I didn’t charge you for that second orange juice,” as she rubbed her hand down his arm.”

As she took his credit card to the cash register, I said, “See, I told you she was flirting with you.” When she returned with the meal receipt she craftily told him she was just going off duty knowing he was going out the door soon, too. I told him, “It’s cold outside, she’s looking for somebody to keep her warm,” and Bob said, “She’s going to stay cold,” as he quickly put on his coat and exited the building with Quackgrass and I flanking him. (We always watch out for our friends!)

--Candy

First Bite of Elephant

In the meeting, ideas flying, the project begins to take on a new life with the synergy of creative people, diverse backgrounds, differing viewpoints. I’m seeing the job before me growing, becoming more complex. At times I’m near panic. I just have to make myself remember that I don’t have to eat the whole elephant at one sitting. I’ll just bite off a chunk and try to get it down before I take another bite. Later Quackgrass asked me which end of the elephant I intended to begin eating on first. Mid-morning I announced we would be going to the Red Iguana for dinner as I had made a reservation. At noon called to confirm the reservation at the Red Iguana…They didn’t get it written down and we can’t get in, so will have to eat somewhere else.

--Candy

We finally took a break after a full morning of discussing this project. I snuck over to the room and called my husband back on the ranch in Montana. I said “I think I’m out of my field of expertise. I feel like a wild oat in a field of alfalfa. I have a professor on one side, outstanding scholars and historians, and award-winning directors and teachers surrounding me in this room.” And he said, “Don’t worry, honey, you’re not wild oats, you’re just Quackgrass, you’ll do just fine.

--Quackgrass

Dave Vixie

Dave Vixie teaches middle school at Paradise Adventist Academy in Paradise, CA. He regularly takes a journey with his students to travel the trail to California across the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, and really was our inspiration for In Pursuit of a Dream. Dave is a member of the Board of Directors for the Oregon-California Trails Association.

Kim Merchant

Kim Merchant teaches elementary special education in Casper, Wyoming, and is an experienced trail traveler. He drove his wagon more than 600 miles on the Bozeman Trail in 2001 (traveling with Quackgrass and Candy), and has done many other wagon trains both before and after that time. Whenever you find Kim in camp, you're likely to hear some music. He plays guitar and banjo and his young daughter, Ana, plays fiddle. Youngest daughter, Rachel is just learning to play the fiddle. Kim's wife, Leah, tends the home place when he's out on the trail.

Janet Wragge

Janet Wragge teaches at Oregon Trail Elementary School in Casper, Wyoming. She is an experienced reenactor who does presentations at school and public events. She is one of the three teachers we have selected to help us with In Pursuit of a Dream. Knowing her attention to detail, desire to accurately represent the trail era, and enthusiasm for the Oregon Trail we know she is going to be a lot of fun to work with.

Salt Lake City Here We Come

Two days on the road already driving through whiteout conditions on I-80 from my rural home in Encampment to Salt Lake City for a creative meeting on the project. Arrived in town and had a call from Bob, so went to the airport and picked him up. I had a recommendation to have dinner at the Red Iguana and drove right past the place on the way to the airport. There was a line out the door. Stopped, picked up a menu, and asked about reservations for dinner tomorrow. Got Bob, drove back through the city to the hotel. When I stomped on the brakes because the light turned yellow, he said they don’t drive like that in Boston. And I told him the nearest stoplight to my home is more than 70 miles away. I’m not used to them. I continued through downtown Salt Lake City, and before we got to the hotel, six blocks—and six more stoplights away—he offered to do the driving. I handed him the keys when we headed to dinner.

--Candy


It’s Friday night and we’re in a Salt Lake Bistro. It’s not all that late but we’re the only ones in here. We order and I ordered chicken. Candy ordered salmon, Paul had pork chops, Bob had some kind of tuna and gave very specific detail on how he wanted it cooked, not cold but not hot, and Edna had a steak. When the tall, perky waitress brought out the food she placed it before us and Bob said, “Nice presentation.” I looked at the plate of chicken in front of me and my reaction was what the hell is this spaghetti sticking up out of the top of my mashed potatoes. Am I supposed to light this on fire? It’s not my birthday.

Then the waitress placed Candy’s salmon in front of her. It also had a spaghetti sticking out of her mashed potatoes. I looked at her plate and said, “Is that salmon?” because it looked exactly looked like the chicken on my plate. Candy said, “No, this is not salmon.”

When the waitress noticed the looks on both of our faces, she said “Is there a problem?” Candy said, “I had ordered salmon and this is chicken,” and the waitress said, “Oh, I thought you said saaame one.” And I thought Candy doesn’t have an accent. It’s Salmon not saaam on.” And Candy said, “It’s okay, I like chicken.” And the waitress responded, “We were out of salmon.”

Later, after hearing some of the conversation at our table a gentleman came over and began removing the painting from the wall that was nearest to our table. He even took a piece from farther away telling us how expensive they were. Meantime Edna suddenly piped up with, “Please tell me there’s a set of stairs behind the booth where you are sitting because that man just disappeared into the floor.” Later, back at the hotel pub, we told the bartender who had recommended the restaurant and even made a personal call to tell them we coming over and asked them to give us special service, that we thought the meal was excellent, but that Candy had ordered salmon and gotten chicken because they were out of salmon. And he told us that he had just restocked the cooler with salmon that morning and knew they could not have served that much salmon during the day.
--Quackgrass

Quackgrass Sally

Quackgrass Sally makes her home near Bridger, Montana, where she ranches with her husband, Larry. She is active in both the Oregon-California Trails Association and the National Pony Express Association. (She was one of the first women ever allowed to ride with the Pony Express riders in recreating the historic era of 1860-61.)

Quackgrass got her name during the Montana Centennial celebration. She's been involved in several film productions including FAR AND AWAY, "Stagecoach" for the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, WY; and "Ten Days That Changed America: Gold Rush" for PBS. She has her own horse and wagon and has traveled on the Bozeman, Overland, and Cherokee Trails as outrider and wagon driver.

For In Pursuit of a Dream she is the associate producer, props manager, and Candy's right hand.

Candy Moulton

Candy Moulton is writing and producing In Pursuit of a Dream. She was reared on her grandparent's homestead ranch and is married to a rancher. Candy co-wrote "Footsteps to the West," "River Crossing," "Stagecoach" and "Handcart Experience" and helped produce all of those media programs for the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, WY. She has also worked on other documentaries including "Investigating History Series: Mountain Massacre" for Kurtis Productions/The History Channel, " and "Ten Days that Changed America: Gold Rush." She is the author of a dozen Western history books including Wagon Wheels: A Contemporary Journey on the Oregon Trail, Chief Joseph: Guardian of the People, Everyday Life in the Wild West from 1840-1900, Everyday Life of American Indians from 1800-1900, and Roadside Histories of Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska. She edits News from the Plains for the Oregon-California Trails Association, and Roundup Magazine for Western Writers of America. Candy has traveled hundreds of miles by wagon train on the Bridger, Bozeman, Oregon, California, Mormon, Cherokee, and Overland Trails. She makes her home near Encampment, Wyoming.

Bob Noll

Bob Noll and Boston Productions Inc., the company hired to create "In Pursuit of a Deam," are inseparable. He is the creative director and cameraman for the company and has worked on many trail-related programs including films for the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, WY. Besides film making, one of Bob's passions is helping others, which is why he participates in Habitat for Humanity programs each year.