The Oregon Trail Journal

A Pendleton day touring the underground saloons, bathhouse, ice cream parlor, meat market, gaming rooms, Stella Darby's brothel, wartime balloon-bomb history, and a good lunch downtown.

A deeply personal visit from Pendleton to Whitman Mission, honoring Keith's connection to Marcus and Narcissa Whitman while learning the story from Cayuse, Walla Walla, Umatilla, mission, and survivor perspectives.

A full month on the road, taking the long way from Baker City to Pendleton through forest, small towns, the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site, ranch country, Wildhorse RV Park, and an evening remembering the Whitmans.

A Baker City museum day with the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, realistic exhibits, wagon-packing lessons, walkable ruts, the Trail centennial obelisk, and the eclectic Nat Museum.

An alternate-route travel day toward Baker City with Oregon Trail ruts, back-road discoveries, Fort Boise history, Snake River crossings, Narcissa Whitman quotes, and a wildfire near Vale.

A Glenns Ferry day with shaded campsites, Three Island Crossing, Narcissa Whitman quotes, irrigation history, murals, fish fence art, a thoughtful museum, and Y Knot wine.

A travel day across Idaho with one last look at Lava Hot Springs, early coffee, Shelley on the Snake River, the Idaho Potato Museum, Fort Hall, trail ruts, Register Rock, and an astronomy talk.

A day trip from Lava Hot Springs to Chesterfield's historic townsite, a quiet reservoir for canoeing, bird watching, bison burgers, and gelato.

No historical sights today — just rest and relaxation in the mineral pools, a sunken garden, river tubing nearby, a pretty campground, and a Dutch oven cookout with food, fire, and friendships.

A travel day from Wyoming into Idaho: sunset moose, Eocene fossils near Kemmerer, shepherd wagons, Bear River Valley, Oregon Trail markers, bubbling springs, and the triumphant recovery of the trailer keys.

Our last stop in Wyoming: full hookups beside Fort Bridger, a tour through the old fort, Thornburgh the heroic dog, wagon details, enlisted quarters, a punishment horse, and dandelion wine.

Coffee and scones in Lander, then west across South Pass — Oregon Buttes, the Parting of the Ways, a Pony Express station on the Big Sandy, Simpson's Hollow, and a recreated ferry on the Green River.

Sinks Canyon's underground river, the Pioneer Museum in Lander, a tour of the Carissa Mine at South Pass City, and one of the best dinners of the trip at Cowfish.

A full travel day across central Wyoming: Independence Rock, Devil's Gate, a prairie walk through Mormon history, and the ghost town of Jeffrey City.

Red Butte, a surprise Pony Express reenactment, pronghorn calves, bronze statues in Casper, boots at Lou Taubert's, and gin at Backwards Distillery.

A museum day with the N4R group, films on westward migration and broken treaties, a bench debut at the visitor center, and wine at the Silver Fox.

The first day in Wyoming: Fort Laramie, the Grattan story, Register Cliff with pioneer carvings, actual wagon ruts in soft stone, and 40–50 MPH winds the whole way.

Oatmeal with ice cream, a windy 1.6-mile downhill walk through Scotts Bluff, fur trappers and bull boats, a taxidermied sheep who just wants to be sheared, and two very important quizzes.

Frog's Head Bluff, a muddy drive up to Courthouse Rock, a Pony Express mural in Bridgeport, Chimney Rock up close, pioneer disease treatments that made us go 😳, and ice cream with the landmark in the background.

Two weeks on the trail. Ash Hollow, Windlass Hill, an 18-year-old bride buried along the way, a corkscrew that hasn't changed in 150 years, and boots on fenceposts.

The world's largest rail yard from seven stories up, the Orphan Train story, Buffalo Bill's ranch and Wild West Show barn, actual bison living the good life, and a county sign that stopped us cold.

An eclectic Pioneer Village with uranium glass, a boat named Valhalla, and Grape Nuts in a display case — then Fort Kearney where emigrants grouped up before the trail got dangerous.

The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument spans actual Interstate 80 — 52 audio stories from wagon ruts to Lincoln Highway. Plus a soddy, Sandhill Crane habitat, a turtle, and a German nacho plate we weren't expecting.

Three-plus hours at Stuhr Museum: whooping crane photography, a lightning rod collection, a tractor with a sun shade, and a full replica Railroad Town with tinsmiths, milliners, and a telephone switchboard.

Lots of rain, a cancelled pancake breakfast, a stroll through a well-kept small town, a laundromat full of Airstreamers, a potluck, and a 1:12 scale chuckwagon that took 300 hours to build.

The longest drive of the trip — 250 miles from Kansas into Nebraska. A perfect campsite facing a golf course, black squirrels in Seneca, and the Homestead National Historical Park in Beatrice.

A short travel day with launch and advance crews, a wind power field up close, baby goats and goslings, the Pony Express Museum, the Missouri Riverfront — and Father's Day Stetson shopping.

The starting point of the Oregon Trail, the Santa Fe Trail, and Lewis & Clark. A group photo at the courthouse in bonnets and neckerchiefs, Clinton's ice cream, Harry Truman's hometown, and fly fishing lures that don't belong on a bamboo rod.

Laundry day, 44 quarters, a locked laundromat door, BBQ in Weston, a visit to Fort Leavenworth, and the first official caravan dinner — chicken fried steak, cinnamon biscuits, and a 2-inch-thick binder for the road ahead.

A driving day with Yacht Rock on Sirius XM, three Missouri River crossings, a Star Wars truck driver, arriving at Worlds of Fun — and finding out the trailer is 240 pounds UNDER the weight limit.

Metro to the Gateway Arch, Lewis & Clark, the Dred Scott story, Budweiser Clydesdales with stained glass stalls and a 650-pound chandelier, and Michelob Ultra at the end of the tour.

London yesterday, Athens today. Through the Horse Capital of the World, the Bourbon Trail, riverboats on the Mississippi, donkeys mid-transfer, Val drives two hours, and dinner at a casino with a color-changing margarita.

The trip begins on Memorial Day. North Carolina to Kentucky, with stops for breakfast, a missing phone found in an unusual spot, Virginia rain, and ginger beer at the end of the day.