Heading Home on The Oregon Trail

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A stark contrast to the Cascade mountains are the flat hot and barren plains of Oregon and Idaho. To give the members of our expedition a feel for the rigours of the Oregon Trail everyone has a copy of James Michener's book "Centennial" on tape. Two days riding across these flat plains the temperature reached 103 degrees.
The Snake River, winding back and forth across our path, providing life giving water to the pioneers on the Oregon Trail.

We stopped in Jackson Hole, WY, to enjoy the cool mountain air and a bit of the old west.
Fran stops at the cowboy bar for a cool lemonaid.

The enterance to the city park welcoms the visitor through an arch of elk antlers.
The majestic Grand Tetons make a wonderful backdrop for any photo.

We stopped overnight in Dubois, WY, and then drove along the scenic Wind River Mountians. We stopped to look for suveniers at Fort Washakie, a Shoshone indian reservation.
We are about to leave when I discover a brass plate on a stone telling us that Sacagawea's grave is located only two miles to the west. Before we leave, our good luck gold Sacagawea coins, which had been blessed in Bismarck, ND, are placed on the grave.

You can imagine our excitement at this treasured find. Our pre-ride history studied Lewis and Clark extensively but and said little about what happened to this young girl who was so instrumental at the success of the Corps of Discovery.
Schlumpie and Charli are photographed with their bike in front of a teepee.

Mile after mile after mile of empty prairie had to be crossed at a pace of only eight miles a day.
Independance rock, Wy, like Split Rock, and Chiminey Rock, NE, was a natural landmark which could be seen across the open prairie for days and served as compass on the open prairie.

A lonely grave reminds us of the rigours of the trail.
Charli tries to rest and seeks some small amount of shade under a newly planted tree.

In Nebraska we once again see mile after mile of harvested wheat fields; the perfect background for Jerry & Charli's Goldwing.
Nebraska ranch homes lie far from the highway and only a lone gate suggests their presence.

We have started traveling early in the morning to beat the heat of the day. This was a welcome sight after 18 days on the road.
We return home happy and with memories to last a lifetime.