We have completed the 2,400 mile trip to Albany, OR in nine days. We spent two nights in Baker City, OR to visit the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center and to visit Hells Canyon.
It has been an interesting trip so far and we have seen the varied geology and geography of the western states. As we entered Nebraska we basically followed the Oregon Trail all the way here. We were awe struck by what we learned about the waves of immigrants who followed the Oregon Trail in the mid nineteenth century. We can't imagine the hardships of the austere conditions the immigrants faced traveling 15 miles a day in ox drawn wagons.
A high point for George was our visit to the Golden Spike NHS. Here we saw the last tie laid connecting the Central Pacific route and the Union Pacific route at Promontory point, UT. Amazingly the two RR's built in opposite directions side-by-side for quite a distance because each thought they would win the competition for the business plus they were getting paid by the US government for each mile of tack laid. Finally Congress declared a meeting point at Promontory, UT. We drove our truck on actual roadbed and observed the side-by-side excavations of the two rail roads. Today the Union Pacific uses a shortcut that crosses the Geat Salt Lake.
Unfortunately, we were not able to see Hells Canyon in Oregon because the Forest Service had closed the observation platform due to fire in the area. That's after we drove about 80 miles to get there!
The trip through the Comumbia River Gorge was good. As always George enjoyed observing the trains at work on both sides of the river. We saw one wind surfer and a forest fire on the canyon wall. It was very windy in the Gorge and George had to fight to keep the coach under control.
Taffic in Portland was horrible, but we finally arrived in Albany finding cool, clear weather. We are at a campground across from the fair ground where we will move tomorrow to attend the Country Coach Rally. Day after tomorrow on Sunday we will attend the Country Coach rally.
4 comments:
these views are really gorgeous, and i love the arch.
love you guys, kate.
Enjoyed seeing your photos and reading your comments. Especially hope you enjoyed your trip through Nebraska. Was one picture of Irene standing in front of Scotts Bluff? Would it be possible to label the photos so we would know what they are?
Hope this gets through to you as it is the first time to use a blog.
Ann and Dick
Oi, achei teu blog pelo google tá bem interessante gostei desse post. Quando der dá uma passada pelo meu blog, é sobre camisetas personalizadas, mostra passo a passo como criar uma camiseta personalizada bem maneira.(If you speak English can see the version in English of the Camiseta Personalizada. Thanks for the attention, bye). Até mais.
Hi guys - enjoyed seeing your pics and reading your blog.
Jamie and Michelle
Post a Comment