Today we made the decision to pick up camp and move to a new location. we decided a change of scenery was in order. after my father's boot hill incident there was mounting tension. we started bickering amongst ourselves and the kids have been having nightmares of people breaking into our home. after examinging our map, we decided to hike through the rockies into black hills forest in colorado. after we packed everything up, we filled our home in with the dirt we saved so we can come back if we want to. we only filled the entrance tunnel so it looks like no one has been here. in time the grass and things will grow back and any trace of us will be gone. we all walked but we put the kids on the horses, and started our journey. we walk everyday for about two hours at a time. the journey is nice and we havent gotten lost yet thanks to our navigational skills and good map planning. from time to time we come across other people. we have gotten funny looks but so far we have come across no violence. the dogs have become a close knit hunting/security unit. they play together, hunt together, and patrol our area together. we no longer need to leash them as they always stay near now. we do, however, keep the leashes because we may need to use them. we take turns riding the horses and walking so we dont get too worn out. after traveling for three days, we came to a meadow glen and have decided to spend a couple of days here. the men and dogs rode out a ways and scouted the area. the nearest sign of civilization has been estimated as about five miles away. we will keep camp tight. we used the tents for the first time in three months. if your wondering what happened to our cars, we sold them to that rancher for three cattle, some various electronic battery powered items, and a supply of batteries in various sizes. we gave a cd player to the kids. it had disney cds with it. the rancher said it belonged to his seven year old grandson. the grandson was taken away from him by the departement of children's services for failure to vaccinate him with a "vaccine" that came with a twist: one out of five people who took it are now paralized. after they took his grandson, the rancher fled from his home in phoenix, arizona out to this sprawling twenty acre spread he said he inherited from his father. we forged a trade relationship with rancher but we remain on guard. there isnt a water source near by in the meadow so we are relying on our bottled water reserve. we build a fire and cook out under the stars in our secluded little meadow surrounded by forest.the meadow is about 30 feet across and is just big enough for our camp. tonight we had home made chilli. we ground meat using a hand crank meat grinder. i must say it was the best chilli we have had in a while. its different to sleep above ground and i feel sort of exposed. the kids have passed out about an hour ago and we are all talking and entertaining eachother with stories and songs. if you told me a year ago i would be here without t.v., central heat and air and a ton of conveniences at my finger tips AND i would be happier for it, i would have called you crazy. but now, i dont miss my old life anymore. the kids have adjusted and are as skilled in some ares as we are. they will never get lost, they know which foliage is dangerous and are learning to track animals and identify them. we are closer than ever before and life is good.