Happy Memorial Day to you all!!!
Well, today, I planned to leave Pedleton, Oregon and head East. I had my route planned and my stops planned. I figured that if I could do this, then I would get into Baker City, Oregon in time to see a Museum before I checked into my RV Park. And guess what??? It almost worked the way I had planned.
First off, as I was driving out of the valley where Pendleton can be found, I came to a lookout on the hill over looking the valley. This is to the east so this is what the pioneers saw when they came over this hill. It is an impressive site, but to the pioneers, it was frightening. They had to take the wagons down these steep hills --- no easy task with the type of wagon and the type of brakes. Anyway, here is the view from the top of the valley ---
As I drove on, I started seeing signs that I was on the Oregon Trail --- no, not wagon tracks or broken wagons, but these signs ---
As it turns out, in Oregon the rest stops on the highway that follows The Oregon Trail has information centers in them that will give you little bits of information about the trail and the pioneers. Here's what those information centers look like ---
And here's what they have inside ---
I know you can't read what is written below the pictures, but I found myself driving from one rest stop to the next to hear more about The Oregon Trail and the pioneers travelling it. I took pictures of all the stories and you can read them if you increase their size. This way I can read them again later on.
At the first rest stop, called "Deadman's Pass", one of the employees there saw me and said that the Oregon Trail ran just a few feet away and then he told me how to get there. He said that it isn't really too visible, but that I could go take a look. So I did!!! And if you really use your imagination,you can see the wagon ruts, too!! ---
Or maybe you can't and I'm just wishing really hard that I could see them!!!
As I continued on, I found that some of the stops on my list were not identified on the highway and some thing identified on the highway were not on my list. I followed the sign for one that took me about five miles into the woods, but I never found the site. Then I went to one where the whole thing was removed and a little sign was left there saying "Monument under repair"!!!
Anyway, I just kept driving and looking - through La Grande, Oregon (where everything was closed) and on to Baker City, Oregon. I went to the visitor center (it was closed) so I went to the Oregon Trail Regional Museum and it was opened!!! BUT, it was really the Baker City Historical Museum and had very little to do with the Oregon Trail. I went through it anyway!!! And was I glad!! It had some really interesting exhibits. One was a really nice Rock Collection by two sisters who had amassed about 12 tons of rocks in their collection which they gave to Baker City for their museum. Here is a picture of their "radioactive" rocks --- that is they glow in the dark!! Very pretty ----
Here's a picture of a violin made by a man from Baker City who came across the Oregon Trail at age 15 in 1878. ---
And then there is the old car - a 1927 Wippet ---
Here's an old School Bus ??? ---
And, of course, an old stage coach ---
From here I drove to my RV Park at Mt. View RV Park and settled in for the night.
Tomorrow, I will see if the National Oregon Trail Museum is open, go through it and then head east.
Well, I need to plan tomorrow’s travels, 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
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