by J. Dawg | Jul 11, 2017 | Oregon Trail 2017
It took me 18 days to travel the Oregon Trail from Independence, Mo to Pendleton, OR. Â The pioneers would have been very jealous. I did the 2,100 mile trail in a motorhome versus a wagon and didn’t have to walk the terrain. Â The pioneers biggest worry was fresh...
by J. Dawg | Jul 9, 2017 | Oregon, Oregon Trail 2017
Once the pioneers got well into Oregon, they kept going north to the Columbia River. Â Water sources were more reliable on this route and it was easier to cross the Cascades near the river. When they got near present day Portland, they proceeded south to settle in the...
by J. Dawg | Jul 5, 2017 | Oregon, Oregon Trail 2017
Once the Oregon Trail pioneers left the Snake River they were technically in the Oregon Territory. But this was the not the part of Oregon where they wanted to be. Â Western Oregon is a semi-arid high plains. Â The pioneers wanted to get over the Cascades and into the...
by J. Dawg | Jun 24, 2017 | Oregon Trail 2017, Wyoming
Kate Wolf wrote a great song called “Across the Great Divide”. Â And Nanci Griffith does a fine job singing it. Â I heard Nanci’s voice singing in my head as I looked at the map studying the next part of my route. Â I was going across the Great Divide...
by J. Dawg | Jun 20, 2017 | Oregon Trail 2017, Wyoming
For much of my journey, I’ve been referring the route as the Oregon Trail. Â In reality, there are three historic trails that follow much of the same route – The Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails. Â The California and Oregon Trails followed the same...
by J. Dawg | Jun 17, 2017 | Oregon Trail 2017, Wyoming
I chose the title of this post in deference to my traveling companion, Hondo. Â In 1930, Hondo (aka John Wayne) starred in The Big Trail. Â In the movie, a young trapper named Breck Coleman (played by a young John Wayne) leads a wagon train of pioneers along the Oregon...