Page 8
V~i J~ COMMtJNITV
- July 11,2012
's.tri
By Scott Swanson
Of The New Era
Wayne Beckwith is used to
turning heads, so when he drove
his rubber-tired road wagon
drawn by four mules into Sweet
Home Tuesday, July 3, he wasn't
surprised to see a reporter pull up
- alerted by several people that
Beckwith's wagon was passing
through.
Beckwith, 66, a retired school
teacher from Dayton, was on his
way to participate in at/eight-day
4H Wagon Train that will start
Saturday, July 14, at Tombstone
Pass and follow the Old Santiam
Wagon Road to Sisters.
He said he has participated
in such events for about 17 years,
last year in the Ochoco National
Forest, and previously in the
McKenzie River area and other
sections of the state. The pro-
gram, which celebrated its 30th
year last year, started in 1980;
some participants' ancestors actu-
ally traveled to Oregon via cov-
ered wagons, according to news
accounts about the event.
Beckwith said about 75 peo-
ple are involved in this trek. They
will do chores and take on neces-
sary responsibilities to make sure
the train reaches its destination,
though meals will be provided by
a camp cook and rolling restrooms
are part of the deal, according to
a calendar listing at oregonstate.
edu.
Beckwith said he usually
trucks his mules and wagon to the
trek starting point, but this year he
decided to drive from the McMin-
. nville area. Other than a couple
of unplanned days in Salem while
he recovered from a bout of the
flu, he said things have gone well
on the trip, which he started June
Wayne Beckwith drives his mules down Long Street last
25. He spent the night Monday at
Larry Sommers' house on Pleas-
ant Valley Road and planned to
spend a few days with another lo-
cal resident, Frank Stutzman, be-
fore heading into the mountains.
He built the rubber-tired
wagon especially for this trip, he
said. A solar panel charges a bat-
tery that keeps a warning flasher,
mounted on top of the wagon, go-
ing as he drives down the high-
way.
"The /battery also powers a
water Pik,'" he said. "And I can
charge my ,cell phone."
His seat folds into a bed and
Photo by Scott Swanson
week on his way to a w.agon train event
Isabelle Farthing, 2, and her mother Diane check out Beckwith 's team.
Beckwith's road wagon is hard to
miss, with various safety features,
a bike for emergency transporta-
tion and bales of weed-free hay in
the back.
A pair of hens, occupying a cage
attached to the underside of the
wagon, provide eggs for Beckwith
on the road.
he has two hens in a cage mount-
ed under the wagon "for eggs."
Beckwith said the response
from the public is generally very
positive.
"Most of the people are re-
ally nice," he said. "You see the
best side of humanity when you
do something like this."
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