Museum Hunting in Boise, Idaho

Hello Fellow Wayward Travelers!!!!

As you might have known, I stayed in Boise, Idaho to see some museums! And, I found some really good ones! One was the Idaho State Historical Museum and the other was the Warhawk Air museum.

The Idaho State Historical Museum was full of Idaho's history, of course. And that included some exhibits about the Oregon Trail (since it passes through Southern Idaho). It showed things that I had not seen before. Like all the different routes the pioneers took through Idaho ---

And things carried in the wagons, just like in our cars when we travel, like water casks ---

 Like wagon wheel nut wrench (lug wrench) ---

And, a jack!!! ----

And then there were the house hold items --- cast iron pots ---

 Bottles in baskets (to prevent breakage) ---

Irons??? ---

Dishware and kitchenware ---

and a rocking chair ---

All those items were either found on the Oregon Trail or donated by relative of those pioneers who traveled the trail.

Now, something that amazes me is that numerous pioneers kept journals (yes, like me - only in books, not on a computer).  Here are a few of the comments from those journals (I hope you can read the small pictures I took!!) ---

At the museum, I was told of a few sights in town parks where I might be able to see the trail itself, so off I went. Yes, I did see where the trail looked to be --- you be the judge!!

From there I went to a place called Whitman Overlook (there was no explanation that I could see for the name) and this is the view of the Boise Valley ---
 

 While I was walking back, this bird ---

and this long snake crossing my pathway - who I let continue on since he was three to four feet long!!!

From here I went to the air museum and saw some really nice airplanes and cars.

A Boeing Steerman Kaydet Trainer ---

A Fokker Triplane ---

A P-51 Mustang ---

A MIG-21 ---

A F-86F Sabre ---

And many others. There were also old cars. Here is a 1940 Desoto Deluxe ---

A 1936 Dodge Coupe (which I remember my Dad borrowing and my Mom driving four of us kids to town in) (note, it only has a front bench seat - like a sports car)

Then it was time to go home. So that was my day! I enjoyed it - I hope you did too!!

So, with that, I will go for now, but I will see you all again tomorrow. Again, to quote that great comedian, Red Skelton, "Good Night and May God Bless!"


Happy Trails ---- Jon

Drove from Baker City, Oregon to Boise, Idaho

Hello Fellow Wayward Travelers!!!


Well, as the POST Title says, I drove from Baker City, Oregon to Boise, Idaho and I am in the HI Valley RV Park with the trailer all set up for living!!! Of course, I didn't just drive straight here!! What the fun is that!!! Nope, I took the crooked roads and stopped where I could to see the sights. And I mainly followed The Oregon Trail Route (only backwards!).

So, here's my trip ---

I left Baker City on Interstate 84 and drove to a place called Farewell Bend. It's a state park on the Snake River in Oregon. This is where the Snake River "bends" north toward Washington and where the pioneers stopped following the Snake River. This was where they said "Farewell" to the river!! Here's a sign and a panoramic photo of that spot ---

From here, I drove to Ontario, Oregon which connected me with the roads to get to a town named Vale, Oregon --- another small town on the Oregon Trail. While going there, I came across a view point that talked about the valley I was driving through. It told a story about a volcano that had erupted millions of years ago and over the years, the soft soil had eroded away to expose the cone of the volcano. So, here is a photo of the story board and a photo of the actual volcano cone ---

When I got into Vale, the museum I wanted to see was closed, so off I went to the next stop of Parma, Idaho. I have to mention that as I drove to Parma, the time changed because I crossed into the Mountain Time Zone! So, what was 2:00 PM was really 3:00 PM!! That meant that I had better hurry to get to an RV Park.

Anyway, in Parma, there is a statue of a lady named Maria Dorian who escaped a massacre and trudged with her children 500 miles to Fort Walla Walla. The town thought it was significant and put up this statue ---

The town also built a replica of Fort Boise which was located about five miles from this spot. I guess it wasn't located where the town of Boise, Idaho now stands!!! The fort is open only on weekends, so I didn't get to go in - story of my life!!!! Here's a few photos of the fort ---

 

With that and the fact that I had lost an hour of time, I hurried into Boise to get into an RV Park. I will be staying here tomorrow and tomorrow night (because I saw a sign for a World War II Air Museum - I have to check it out!!!) and will be leaving Friday to once again head East!!


So, with that, I will go for now, but I will see you all again tomorrow. Again, to quote that great comedian, Red Skelton, "Good Night and May God Bless!"


Happy Trails ---- Jon

The Oregon Trail Museum --- in Oregon!

Hello Fellow Wayward Travelers!!!

I have been looking forward to going to my first Oregon Trail Museum since I started my journey and I finally got to go today!!!

I was so impressed and thirsty for knowledge that I ended up staying at this museum from about 10:00 AM until about 2:00 PM!!?? And now, I feel my journey can continue east as I back track these pioneers on a journey that was fraught with danger, death, and hardship in anticipation of a new life, in a new part of the country.

Today, I packed up my trailer and drove to the museum (I expected to be there a few hours and then head east). It is located on a hill overlooking a portion of the Oregon Trail. Here is a photo ---

Inside, the self guided tour starts with a full size replica of wagons on a trail ---

It shows the people walking (few rode for any length of time) ---

It shows the wagon master ---

It shows the danger of wildlife ---

It shows the Native Americans and their wonder of why these people are taking this journey ---

And it shows the anguish of a Mother at the grave of her child, who died in an accident ---

From here, the exhibits got into descriptions of various parts of the journey, such as the different wagons and teams available, lists of what should be taken on this journey, the route to take, joining a wagon train, and choosing a leader.

The manner of splitting the chores or tasks fell on everyone ---

Along the route, the pioneers would run out of supplies. What is interesting is that the Native Americans were the ones who stepped up to the plate and helped. They would trade different types of food for small items like a used shirt, fish hooks, or such ---

When some of the "professional" white traders came upon the scene, the prices became obscene!!!

The museum then went on to show how the areas grew as people settled in the Oregon Territories.

After going through the museum, there were some displays outside, so I went to look. One was a reproduction of some circled wagons that the kids could climb on ---

Another was a walk to the old Oregon Trail wagon ruts. I wanted to see this, so off I went!!! Here is what I saw ---

Now, you may have as much trouble seeing the ruts as I did, but remember, its been over 100 years since the last wagon train!!!

I did find a sign identifying wagon ruts from car/truck ruts ---

Now that you have this new information, what are these???

Ya, I can't tell either - but the sign says wagon ruts!!!???

Well with that, I called it a day and went to find an RV Park. And, son of a gun, I ended up where I stayed last night. I didn't go far, but I did enjoy myself!!!

Well, I need to plan tomorrow’s travels (probably, a lot of driving?), so I will go for now, but I will see you all again tomorrow. Again, to quote that great comedian, Red Skelton, "Good Night and May God Bless!"


Happy Trails ---- Jon