by Sharon O | Aug 5, 2016 | Uncategorized
The journey continued for those heading to better lands.
The people varied from camp sites. Each had their own agenda’s and goals.
The old and the young, all went together. Women worked as hard as the men.
It amazed me how they must have traveled. 
No roads, only un-travelled sage brush filled mountainous ranges.
They had some of their ‘possessions with them’, some treasured items.
I am not sure what the mom’s did with little babies as there was not fresh water to do daily care or even enough heat to keep them warm at night, if the temperatures lowered. They sacrificed so much to leave a land they knew to go to one they wished for. 
The journey was long and they endured many rough times as they faced each day I am not so sure I would have had that kind of determination. When we were there visiting at the museum it was hot, in the high 80’s and not anywhere near the discomfort they would have experienced.
by Sharon O | Aug 5, 2016 | Uncategorized
As we moved through the pictures and the replica’s they had inside of the museum one can imagine how hard the journey was for them. When some of their loved ones died.
They had to bury them and move on.
There was no time for intensive grief life was harsh and they had to meet the goal before the weather changed and the months worsen for them on the journey.
How did they have fresh food or even water is beyond my imagination because the land was so harsh and treacherous at times. I cannot even imagine… the emptiness they had in their hearts looking for a new ‘fresh place to live.’
The stories are interesting to read how they journeyed by day and perhaps night.
I cannot imagine every night going to sleep with the howling of wolves by my bed.
It must have been a bit ‘unnerving’ for them yet they moved forward every day with a goal in mind to find new land and a new life.
The journey was hot, and many got sick and some even died.
There was often discord among the travelers but there also had to be some in charge.
Then there were others who fought the tired travelers.
Families had to give up much to travel the journey.
Keepsakes, friends, family left behind who didn’t join them on the journey.
It was a great ‘afternoon’ spent learning about the history of the Oregon trail.
I will be sharing more in the next few ‘posts’… it was just so interesting.
I had a new appreciation for what it took for these people to travel so far.
by Sharon O | Aug 4, 2016 | Uncategorized
The experience in this place was not easy to forget.
First of all one has to drive out of Baker up to a high altitude to see the setting.
The journey through the Oregon trail for those who had to come by wagon trains and horse back had to have been intensely rough.
The roads are rugged, the landscape harsh. The water not easy to find.
The goal was to get to Oregon. It was a monumental task for all involved.
There was death, and loss and heavy intensive struggles and I couldn’t imagine going that far with no fresh food, no water, no bathrooms or showers.
We are spoiled in the sense of those thoughts. It was a journey for sure that took many months and many hardships for them.
There were two parts of the story. The white man’s part and the American Indians part. I was struck with the Indian history mostly because we met them on their lands.
It was a fiercely fought war and many died. It was hard for me to understand.
So much death and so much at stake and for so little, back then.
The landscape is so barren and so hot and full of sage brush and empty territory.
One had to have an imagination why, they traveled to come this way to the Oregon trail, from many states away ending up in Oregon City, Oregon.
The day was cooler for us and it gave me a ‘thought’ of how this must have been for the many who were traveling by wagon train and by foot.
The museum is well worth one’s time spent, we went in not knowing what to expect and came out close to 5 hours later fully aware of the hardships of the people.
So beautiful, so barren, so empty of life.
So much filled the hearts of those who were traveling for a better land and a better life, with so much hope, so much sadness all filled in one trip.
If you wish to read more on the topic, I am sure any local library or even online searching would tell you much more of the journey of the Oregon Trail.
by Sharon O | Aug 3, 2016 | Uncategorized
We stayed in Union Creek campground from Saturday the 16th of July to the 18th of July. We were able to see some fun ‘little critters’ and also journey around the area without our trailer with us. Larry got some really cute pictures of this little squirrel.
At night Sharon and I were sitting at the camp ground and we had a ‘osprey’ fly over our heads. He was actually a bit scary, he was so close to us.
We thought it was an owl or even maybe a bat but it was an osprey and it was hunting from the waters edge.
The next day we were planning on going to the Oregon trail interpretive center in Baker, Oregon. It is the kind of museum we all loved seeing and we were excited to spend some time in it before our trip actually began.
I didn’t know what to expect. Sometimes museums are a bit boring for me, I like history but it also has to have interesting scenes or pictures and a reality I can grab a hold of emotionally. I was hoping not to be disappointed.
by Sharon O | Aug 2, 2016 | Uncategorized
We had planned for many months and tried to think of the many ways we could go on this trip. My husband and his sister did most of the planning and we also wanted to leave a little bit of room for change or play. It ended up being a 2,840 mile trip.
We saw many lovely barren landscapes. Many points of interest and even a few mountain goats and cows in our road. It was a hot season, next time we might try for a cooler month, it was also buggy at times. Again a different season would help.
We began in Oregon and then moved forward to Idaho then even moved forward to Montana and then back to Idaho and then back to Oregon.
It was a lot of driving, some playing and some sleeping.
When we went down the ‘The gorge’ as they call it in Oregon.
We saw a lot of wind turbines, they are pretty awesome I think.
Large and not too obnoxious in looks.
Some people feel they ruin the beauty of the landscape but I can think of much worse things to look at.
Our first night we were heading to Union Creek campground in Baker, County.
It was the beginning of many long stays ahead of us.
We had our trailer, the other part of our team had a tent, and with both guys driving we managed to cover many miles.
The adventure continued for two more weeks.
Our trailer has a built in awning with a light inside. At night we would turn the soft light on and then have a campfire and it set up the rest of the ending of our day … till the next one began.
