Erica and Dane hanging out in the morning,
Clint took Evan hunting-he got a ground squirrel,
In 1982 a bronze foundry opened in Joseph, they did such detailed work many artist came to the area for their sculptures to be cast. Fred had done a job for a bronze artist and received a large Indian statue in exchange. Fred loaned it to a bank in Portland, fortunately the artist called asking to buy it back and he was able to pick this smaller piece.
Fred, Erik, and Tanya took off this morning for a 22 mile run so Karen, Evan, Owen, Erica and I headed off on our own trip. Once out on the paved road we turned left (rt goes to Joseph) and started a very twisty turny trip south.
First stop was the Hells Canyon over look. Hells Canyon is a 10 mile wide canyon on the border of eastern Oregon and western Idaho. The Snake River runs through the gorge, the deepest point is 7,993' and was originally inhabited by the Nez Perce. This is a wilderness area with very few roads but over 360 miles of trails.
we are looking toward Idaho,
we continued driving south,
Grandma was a great mediator and then became a pillow,
We finally made it to the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center to learn about what life was like for people traveling the 2000 miles from the Missouri River to Oregon City. The trip took 4-6 months on foot. The Oregon Trail is the oldest of the trails west, originally discovered and used by fur trappers in 1811. The transcontinental railroad put an end to the use of the trail, it was able to cover the distance in 7 days and only cost $69. Over 400,000 people made the trip by wagon. Most left in April or May-as soon as there was enough grass for animals to graze. The trail followed various rivers and streams to meet the constant need for water. The trail was too long and difficult for the Conestoga wagon. The Prairie Schooner, about half the size of the Conestoga wagon, was used.
I decided to take the kids down to see the trail up close-with 2 water bottles and roughly 2 miles round trip I thought it would be quick and easy. Oh my gosh, it was close to 100 degrees. Evan finished 1 water bottle himself before we were even half way and started complaining he was dying.
The old wagon tracks,
down at the bottom of the hill, out of water, and temps nearing 100...what better way to get the full wagon trail experience! Owen was the first to decide he had better start walking, next was Evan but it took some time to convince him that all the yelling and complaining he was doing was wasting energy and drying his mouth out even more, Erica was next to stop whining and trudged on, Grandma saw the situation early on and turned back 1/4 of the way down, me...it was
really hot, dry, and miserable but not dire and getting pictures was my main quest...
until we started up the long, seemingly endless hill but we all overcame our discomforts and need for water and I think the Oregon Trail will be a lasting experience now rather than something viewed from the overlook.
the actual picture is below-so cool!
thirst quenched-even Owen drank an entire full water bottle when we got back to the car-luckily Erik sent me with a full gallon jug, cooled off-we can't even imagine what it was like before a/c, we start heading north to La Grande,
once past La Grande (it was awesome having Grandma along, she knew all the short cuts) we headed south east back to Joseph,
meanwhile...Fred, Erik, and Tanya started their 22 mile trek that morning--on foot,
are they at the top??
you think??
umm...nope, not yet...
made it! Almost 10,000',
destruction from the large carpenter ants,
made it!
a celebratory jump in the lake,
and cheese bread at Embers,
meanwhile...we were still driving but got to see the sunset as we headed up the dusty road to Fred's.
Another awesome day, Friday, August 26th.
Erica and Dane hanging out in the morning,
Clint took Evan hunting-he got a ground squirrel,
In 1982 a bronze foundry opened in Joseph, they did such detailed work many artist came to the area for their sculptures to be cast. Fred had done a job for a bronze artist and received a large Indian statue in exchange. Fred loaned it to a bank in Portland, fortunately the artist called asking to buy it back and he was able to pick this smaller piece. 
Fred, Erik, and Tanya took off this morning for a 22 mile run so Karen, Evan, Owen, Erica and I headed off on our own trip. Once out on the paved road we turned left (rt goes to Joseph) and started a very twisty turny trip south.
First stop was the Hells Canyon over look. Hells Canyon is a 10 mile wide canyon on the border of eastern Oregon and western Idaho. The Snake River runs through the gorge, the deepest point is 7,993' and was originally inhabited by the Nez Perce. This is a wilderness area with very few roads but over 360 miles of trails.
we are looking toward Idaho,
we continued driving south,
Grandma was a great mediator and then became a pillow,
We finally made it to the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center to learn about what life was like for people traveling the 2000 miles from the Missouri River to Oregon City. The trip took 4-6 months on foot. The Oregon Trail is the oldest of the trails west, originally discovered and used by fur trappers in 1811. The transcontinental railroad put an end to the use of the trail, it was able to cover the distance in 7 days and only cost $69. Over 400,000 people made the trip by wagon. Most left in April or May-as soon as there was enough grass for animals to graze. The trail followed various rivers and streams to meet the constant need for water. The trail was too long and difficult for the Conestoga wagon. The Prairie Schooner, about half the size of the Conestoga wagon, was used.
I decided to take the kids down to see the trail up close-with 2 water bottles and roughly 2 miles round trip I thought it would be quick and easy. Oh my gosh, it was close to 100 degrees. Evan finished 1 water bottle himself before we were even half way and started complaining he was dying.
The old wagon tracks,
down at the bottom of the hill, out of water, and temps nearing 100...what better way to get the full wagon trail experience! Owen was the first to decide he had better start walking, next was Evan but it took some time to convince him that all the yelling and complaining he was doing was wasting energy and drying his mouth out even more, Erica was next to stop whining and trudged on, Grandma saw the situation early on and turned back 1/4 of the way down, me...it was really hot, dry, and miserable but not dire and getting pictures was my main quest...
until we started up the long, seemingly endless hill but we all overcame our discomforts and need for water and I think the Oregon Trail will be a lasting experience now rather than something viewed from the overlook.
the actual picture is below-so cool!
thirst quenched-even Owen drank an entire full water bottle when we got back to the car-luckily Erik sent me with a full gallon jug, cooled off-we can't even imagine what it was like before a/c, we start heading north to La Grande,
once past La Grande (it was awesome having Grandma along, she knew all the short cuts) we headed south east back to Joseph,
meanwhile...Fred, Erik, and Tanya started their 22 mile trek that morning--on foot,
are they at the top??
you think??
umm...nope, not yet...
made it! Almost 10,000',
destruction from the large carpenter ants,
made it!
a celebratory jump in the lake,
and cheese bread at Embers,
meanwhile...we were still driving but got to see the sunset as we headed up the dusty road to Fred's.
Another awesome day, Friday, August 26th.
No comments:
Post a Comment