Day 29: Alternate Roads to Baker City — The Oregon Trail Journal

We are almost there! Three more stops to go and it will be the end of our first caravan.

Still learning things about the adventures of those brave people.

Here we go… this is the trail that Keith proposed we go on.

Keith's proposed alternate route toward Baker City

He decided to follow the “alternate route” to get to our next destination, seeing things which were a bit out of the way. While towing a 25 ft. long trailer. And trusting the two navigational screens we have in the truck.

First stop: ruts! I know, haven’t we seen enough of them? Well, it still amazes me that they are there from so long ago. Some of the roads took us to free range areas, looked for but didn’t see any cattle.

Oregon Trail ruts along the alternate route in Idaho

Back road through free range country in Idaho

Waaaay out in the middle of nowhere we found a ranch which has a field of solar panels. Keith’s guess is that they could be off grid.

Taking no chances about going without power.

Ranch with solar panels along a back road in Idaho

Every once in a while we would see a familiar sign = we are on the right track!

Ingenious ways to use rocks — I saw a lot of these along the back roads.

Oregon Trail route sign along the back roads

Rock marking along the Oregon Trail back roads

Mountain View

Once we got to Mountain View, I got a treat… 🥰

Treat in Mountain View

Keith got a trip to Best Buy and Cabelas and Wal Mart. I decided that I might like to have a little fun thing to put out at the campgrounds and later, give to Sloane 😉.

Campground decoration found near Mountain View

Fort Boise

In Parma, Idaho, we found some more historical markers. They built a replica of Fort Boise here. It was built for fur traders and Indian traders. Settlers could stock up on supplies before attempting to cross the Snake River.

Only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday so we walked the grounds a bit.

Historical marker at Fort Boise in Parma

We came to this area where a miserable task awaited the emigrants. Crossing yet another river. Indians sometimes had to help the horses and wagons across when they got stranded.

The missive on the right had more quotes from Narcissa. It’s always a surprise when we see them and I think it touches Keith. This was his ancestor doing this remarkable thing.

Snake River crossing area near Fort Boise

Interpretive sign about river crossings near Fort Boise

Narcissa Whitman quote near the Snake River crossing

A Day in the Life

At this pullout around 1430, we found an explanation about what a “day in the life” was.

One of the paragraphs starts out:

“Sniff the fragrance as wagon wheels roll over the sagebrush and send its pungent aroma into the air. Inhale the scent of sweat on people and livestock. Smell the stench of the dead cattle, rotting in the heat.”

What we smelled was burnt grasses and sagebrush. Little did we know…

Day in the life interpretive sign along the Oregon Trail

Pullout with Oregon Trail day in the life sign

At 1346, a grass fire was reported near Vale, Oregon. As we followed our trail, we guessed the fire had advanced from the pullout.

Smoke from grass fire near Vale Oregon

Smoke along the Oregon Trail route near Vale

As of this hour, the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office says that a “wildfire alert is prompting Level 3 evacuations from Cow Hollow and Mitchell Butte areas near Vale, Oregon. So far this fire has burned approximately 2,000 acres.”

Close to Baker City, this image came up. Richland, WA is where Shelley and Bryce and Sloane live. Who knew there was a Richland, OR? Not me.

Richland Oregon shown near Baker City

“Roads were made for journeys, not destinations.”

— Confucius