Day Five...

Oops - it's a late night and we accidentally posted the pictures in reverse order again... apologies!

Day 5…

July 10, 2010

We decided to start off our day with a good hearty breakfast since we would be camping the next two days, so we headed to the main street in Cody to fill up at “Irma’s” – at Buffalo Bill’s Original Hotel. The hotel had its tourists, but definitely had its share of local flavor as well – many cowboy hats and friendly bikers. Our next stop was “Old Trail Town” which was made up of original restored frontier homes, furnishings, and home goods. Original frontier wagons lined the streets and we got the feel of what it would actually be like living in a frontier town out west. There was even a restored schoolhouse complete with desks and classroom supplies from frontier days. On our way west toward Yellowstone we stopped by Buffalo Bill Dam Historic Site. Just as we go to the dam site, it started to drip huge drops of rain and we sprinted back to the car (albeit feeling the altitude as we ran!)) The rest of our drive through Buffalo Bill National Forest was beautiful. Wyoming is just amazing – the incredible rock cliffs, winding rivers, and the contrast between the brilliant blue skies, green trees, and yellow-flower-spotted countryside is just stunning. Yellowstone proved to be another natural wonder. We barely made it a few miles into the park before we saw our first buffalo! On the way to our campsite we spotted some deer and got some great photos of a huge elk (with the help of Jenn’s great new telephoto lens!). We set up camp to reserve ourselves a site (Yellowstone is quite busy on weekends in the summer we found out!). We heard Old Faithful was due to put on her show within the next 40 minutes, so we hopped in the car and headed back up. While waiting patiently for the famous geyser to erupt, we saw more wildlife – a chipmunk munching and an osprey circling above. Old Faithful turned out to be a bit late, but the show was worth the wait. We then headed back to the campsite to make dinner and get some sleep. We are continually amazed by how tired we are after our days of travel, and we are reminded that the pioneers walked alongside their wagons, slept on the earth beneath them, and got up at sunrise to do it again. Our comfort is knowing that we have a bed and shower awaiting us at the end our journey, whereas the pioneers had the duty of building a home when they arrived. What an amazing fete they all accomplished in reaching Oregon.

FYI for Days 5 & 6

If you're following along, we'll be headed into Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, Craters of the Moon and other sites in Idaho for the next two days. We'll be camping both nights, so posting will be unlikely for a few days. Stay tuned!

Day Four...

July 9, 2010

We packed up our campsite and were surprised to find the site had wi-fi, but alas we had no power outlets, hence our delayed posts. We drove the quick hour to Fort Laramie in Wyoming and were pleasantly surprised at the efforts that were put in to restore the site to its original state. Hosts walked the grounds in pioneer and soldier apparel and filled us in on the details of what Fort Laramie was like during its heyday. We toured the cavalry barracks, the store room where pioneers stocked up on goods, the soldier saloon (where we enjoyed some sarsaparilla), “Old Bedlam” the building where the bachelor officers stayed (sort of like a more primitive frat house was our impression!), the captain’s quarters, the jailhouse, a garden where a laundress demonstrated washing soldiers’ uniforms as well as tending crops and lastly the visitors center. We popped in the center to watch a quick video about the fort and acquired more teaching supplies (and they even gave us a teachers’ discount!). Our next stop was Guernsey, WY where we saw preserved wagon ruts and imagined the thousands of wagons that traveled through. On our way to Cody, WY we stumbled upon Hell’s Half Acre. This stunningly beautiful canyon is where the Sioux used to herd buffalo toward in order to capture the animals once they had fallen over the cliffs. After soaking in the grand beauty of it, we got back on the road to head to our destination for the night.

Day Three...

July 8, 2010

We got an early start this morning leaving Kansas City heading toward Nebraska and our first stop, Fort Kearny. However, things went south when our GPS decided to betray us and lead us to Fort Kearney Road (note the extra “e”?) instead of the actual fort. So we ended up on a nice Nebraskan man’s farm, and we think he enjoyed a chuckle at the expense of “those darn Yankees”. We did manage to find Fort Kearny Historical Site and explored the replica sod house complete with a blacksmith shop inside featuring a pioneer handcart, wagon wheels, oxen harnesses, and old tools. A restored fence marked the outline of where Fort Kearny’s earth walls once stood. Wooden markers represented where old fort buildings lay. We drove for what felt like days, as Nebraska is mostly fields, hay bales, and lots of flat country. We were greeted at Jail Rock and Courthouse Rock by many locusts and small crickets, but there was not doubt in our minds as to why these rocks became trail markers for the pioneers as we could see them from miles away. The tricky part was finding the correct unmarked roads to get us to the rocks. We then spotted Chimney Rock in the distance and managed to take in the site just before sunset. After crossing the Platte River for the zillionth time (not sure why the pioneers made such a fuss! ;) we snapped a shot of the river at sunset. It really is beautiful country out here. After taking in Scottsbluff as well, we were all “rocked out” and found our campsite “conveniently located” behind a zoo. Now we know why the campsite price was such a bargain - $8 to sleep with the chimps and apparently very active railroad tracks. Our backyard view of Scottsbluff made the stay worth it, and we eagerly crawled into the tent to rest up for the next leg of our trek.

Day Two...

July 7, 2010

...It turns out wi-fi and power outlets can be tough to find when you're staying at campsites in the middle of nowhere. We apologize for being a bit behind, but aim to catch you up soon! No worries...there hasn't been any trouble - just trouble finding current technology! :)

We began day two with a fond farewell to Terre Haute, IN and the Wabash River and set out for our next stop in St. Louis. The St. Louis Arch, known as the “Gateway to the West” seemed a great first stopping point. It turned out to be an even better stop when we stumbled upon the Basilica of St. Louis, The King, and went in for a quick prayer to St. Christopher for continued safe travels. We weathered a storm crossing through Missouri but made it to Independence without too much delay and enjoyed the National Historic Trails Museum. We viewed a short film, and explored the exhibits. Our favorite exhibits being the “virtual wagon” where you loaded up supplies as a pioneer would, only to find you of course tried to bring too much for the journey, and the “oxen vs. mules” polling site where after a few hours of oxen training, we decided to stick with our Jeep instead. We left the museum with a bag full of Oregon Trail artifacts including replicas of popular pioneer children’s games, maps, books, brochures and postcards. From Independence we made it into downtown Kansas City to explore the nightlife of Light and Power District and enjoy a cold drink after a long days journey; a stop we’re sure the pioneers would have enjoyed had they had he luxury. We made our way to the hotel early, as tomorrow’s destinations of Ft. Kearney and Chimney Rock are quite far out in Nebraska.

Day One...

July 6, 2010

After an early morning departure from the Budget rental car location at JFK, we hopped in our car and tried to beat early NYC traffic. It turns out we won and were in New Jersey before we knew it. Jersey quickly became Pennsylvania… and before we knew it, we were still in PA. It turns out Pennsylvania is quite long. It does however have lovely rest stops. Our first day goal was to get as far west as possible so that we arrive at Independence, MO on the earlier side on our second day so we can visit the National Trails Frontier Museum before they close at 4:30. Then we realized that time is on our side as we head west… and we gain an hour when we pass through St. Louis. So it all looks like good news so far. We are currently resting up in Terra Haute, Indiana after completing the first 819 miles of our journey. Ahhh... sleep and back on the road tomorrow morning.