Howdy folks! It’s been a while! We’ve got a lot of catching up to do & this is my chance since we seem to have internet in these parts! Now let’s go WAY back to Nebraska, where we began our exciting journey on the Oregon Trail. After leaving South Dakota, we headed south through the plains of Nebraska, stopping for a couple days in Scottsbluff. During that drive, we listened to another exciting audiobook, The Stout-Hearted Seven: Orphaned on the Oregon Trail, by Neta Lohnes Frazier. One of the most thrilling parts of all of our driving has been actually feeling the land around us come to life as we truly live out American History in our experiences. This book was heartbreaking, but gave us a look into how hard life was on the journey west and how easily life was lost during the journey…1 of every 6 died!!
In Scottsbluff, we visited the National Monument & actually walked in the ruts made by the wagons on the trail. What a feeling to have concluded the book & then the follwoing day, walk the same path!! The timing of these instances throughout our entire adventure is certainly not by chance, but just another example of how God abundantly blesses us in our travels. I continue to be in awe of such full & rich experiences in every part of our journey & we are so thankful!!
Imagine travelling hundreds of miles on foot, flat prairie lands as far as the eye can see & then, far off in the distance you see this immense sandstone formation. We can tell you first hand, it’s a sight to behold!
We’ve taken you back to Nebraska…& now we will jump forward to more excitement on The Trail…in Montpeilier, IDAHO!!!
The National Oregon-Caifornia Trail Center was our destination & let me tell you, it made it worth the trek. If you ever find yourself anywhere near Montpelier, do not miss this center! A small town, most likely more known for being home to Butch Cassidy’s bank robbery, is also home to a very important “rest stop” along the migration trail. Here in Montpelier, the emigrants rested, stocked up & prepared for the last 1/3 of their journey…the worst part of the journey…a 900-mile stretch through the mounatins!! The center itself sits on top of the very spot where they camped & we even walked & “camped” on that very same dirt. In building the center, they carefully excavated artifacts from the emigrant campsites & built the center over the same ground.
Entering the tour, we were told the seriousness of the journey lying ahead. Were we willing to risk even death for the promise of free land in Oregon??? YES, we were ready!! After making sure we had the staggering amount of required supplies to embark on the migration, we were wisked back to the 1850’s on a bumpy, crickety Studebaker wagon. From the wagon, we emerged into the evening camp. The experience gave us a chance to discuss, see & even touch “life on the trail”. Caden was especially excited to hold some of the fire’s “fuel”, part of the daily collection of buffalo chips…yes, dried POOP!! (On the trail, it would have been the young children’s responsibility to collect the daily supply of fuel as they walked next to the wagon.)
Overall, we rate our Oregon Trail Experience a perfect 10…but it’s not over yet, we hope! We would like to reach the trail’s end in Oregon City. So we wish you Happy Trails…until we write again!
Ring Tales...our great RV adventure! 