Across the country-Day 9 off to Salt Lake

Day 9

We are off to Salt Lake City  going through the Teton Bridger Wilderness and following the Snake River.  The river is about 1783 miles that will travel to the Columbia which goes all the way to the Pacific.  On the Snake River, hydro power was  started  in 1890.  In the particular area we are traveling through there is apt to be 600 inches of snow.  (And we complain when we get a foot!).

Going through Freedom.The Town is in both states of Wyoming and Utah.  Started by Mormons and where they were able to escape polygamy charges because they could walk to the other side of town. It is also known for its Freedom Rifle factory.

Facts about Wyoming..528,000 population 96,000 square miles. It has lots of dinosaur fossils  It became a a state in 1890 and was the 44th state. The Indians came west in the 1600s. Fun facts:  It is illegal to take a picture of a rabbit - J C Penny stores started here. It is illegal to wear a hat that obstructs a person's view in a public place.


On to Utah which is 84,000 sq miles, we are traveling the Logan trail Byway. We stop at Bear Lake which is 18 x7 miles

 We passed into the town of Afton WY where they had an arch that crossed 4 lanes of traffic on US 89. There are 3,011 antlers that weigh 15 tons. Here is our first stop and it is a chocolate store.  The kids were delighted and couldn't wait to get off the bus!

 We are now on the OREGON TRAIL- presented by the National Oregon/ California Trail center in  Bear lake valley, Idaho. This is a wonderful exhibit. We start by having lunch in our covered wagon.

In 1860 the covered wagons moved West where one out of every 6 died  traveling 10 to 15 miles a day for 6 months. . They counted the miles by tying a rag on the wheel and a young lad had to count the times it went around on the wheel: 404 revolutions equals a mile.  In later years the road meter was invented and cost $5.   It was usually put on the last wagon that typically belonged to the blacksmith.

The wagons [prairie schooners] were made by Studebaker called the Pierce Schooner.  The factory produced one every 7 minutes. They also didn't allow for a rider so everyone had to walk. A man named Stewart had discovered the best route to go through the  mountains called South Pass which was about 12 miles wide; but no one gave him credit for about 30 years.
Before we leave Idaho, a fun fact is the Sears used to sell the houses here and bring them in on the trains with everything included in the kit down to the screws that would be needed!

In this interactive museum we are living in the 1800's; we have decided to go west. We need to sell our farm and take the money to buy the things we need from the store here.  It will cost about $1200  total and it cost $100 for my wagon.  I will need 200 pounds of flour, 10 lbs of coffee, 10 lbs of salt, 40 lbs of bacon. These are just a few things I need. A family of 4 takes about 1000 lbs of food.  That didn't leave much room for furniture or other items.  Our guide told us that the Easterners tended to take too much and had to dump a lot on the way but the westerners understood about taking little.  The pioneers did discover that quilts were great things to keep as they were used to keep warm, trade with the Indians for things they needed, and they buried their loved ones in the quilt that was theirs.

The ride in the wagon was a little rough.  We had a wagon that allowed me to ride after I had cut my foot pretty badly on the rocks.  I had been given a white handkerchief in the beginning of our trip.  At the end of the trail the handkerchief meant I had died.  I guess my foot never healed :-(

We are getting ready to leave.  Before boarding our motor-coach we admire the beauty around us. 

The kids relaxing for a few.

When Joseph Smith came to the place where the church was built he had great aspirations. The church is 127 feet long  X 73 feet wide by 110 feet tall. It cost back then $50,000 and was finished in 1889.  There were 500 members and it held 2000.

Below is the interior where the famous Tabernacle Choir sings.  It is open to the public; but the temple above is only open to confirmed members of the church.  We were able to see a model of the interior in the museum.

We spent the night at Double Tree after we walked around the Mormon Visitor Center.  Today 60% of Salt Lake City is comprised of Mormons.

I still haven't learned anything more about the church and its members than I knew coming into it.

Along this part of the Pioneer trail, the Bear River Massacre occurred which is the known for the largest single massacre of Native Americans by the US troops. 380 out of 450 Shoshone were killed on Jan 29,1863.
Salt Lake is a terminal lake which is 1700 sq miles and changes as the water evaporates,- 950 sq miles in 1963 and 3300 sq miles in 1988. This is the largest lake not part of the Great Lakes and higher salt content than the ocean. It is the capital of Utah  which became a State in 1896. Utah is the home of 11 ski resorts.

We are off to an amazing part of the country.  Wait till you see the views tomorrow.
See you then.....

Across the Country -Day 8 Grand Tetons

Day 8

Welcome to the Grand Tetons!

Our day is going to be pack filled with things to do. This is the company that takes us down the river.

 . We start out in the morning with a 2 hour rafting trip down the Snake River.    

Rogers and Eamon got to maneuver our raft down the river. Rogers seemed to be able to do this naturally.  

 Here the guide put the kids in the front and then went over a huge eddy and got them a little wet!

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 Our guide was very knowledgeable with info on birds, the river and other tidbits, no moose or bear seen by us but the first raft saw a moose.

 The erosion of the river. It is quite a drop.

 Glaciers and snowfields up in the valleys.

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We got dropped off in Jackson Hole for a quick lunch then on to horse back riding at Spring Valley Ranch  and Eamon couldn't wait.  He was assigned a mule named Lucky which was perfect for him.  

 Rogers on the other hand was quite sure this wasn't where he wanted to be but was being a good sport... barely.

 Saddle up, Grampa. Eamon is ready!

 We had some of our group from our trip on our ride. This is Chris.  She was loving it!

 Rogers was already concentrating on his ride.....

 and Mom was ready to go!

 . Just before we reached the top of the hill here, The ride got exciting in that the horses spooked from the wind rustling our gear and rain coats. My horse started to buck and thought about taking off.  Got him quieted down along with some other horses .  Our guide admitted that he couldn't see us at one point because of the dust and wind. We all survived and got going again. 

 My picture is looking down at Black Creek River.

 At the end of the ride when we were waiting for our cab, two horses started to kick each other. With that they broke the fence rail which made it worse with the wood now hitting them. They took off down the field heading towards the road still fighting the pole and each other. If was a little frightening to see them so out of control and heading our way!  I was so afraid for them getting hurt but they weren't bad.  So much excitement for Eamon's first ride!

 Back in time for the BBQ  @ the Bar J chuck wagon show. Meal wasn't so great but then again they were feeding 500 in a 20 minute line.  The show featuring singing cowboys was excellent though and some wonderful talent.

These guys perform every night for about 4 months of the year and then do other random shows during the year.
Tomorrow we are off to Salt Lake.. See you there...

Across the Country -Day 7- Yellowstone Lake and the West Thumb Geyser Basin

Day 7

We stayed at Canyon village again and started out to explore .

 We found some more Bison along the way. The one below has a couple of tag-along birds on its back, cleaning the bugs out of the fur for him. It is a win/win situation!

 Our first stop was Yellowstone Lake where they have renovated this beautiful old hotel.. In this lake they have the Cut Throat trout invasion and they go deep into the lake.  At the surface there are the Lake Trout which the bears like. So because the bears can get these, they are becoming extinct and the others are taking over. This lake is the largest body of water in the park and is about 400 feet deep and  is 139 feet at the shallow end. It has thermo features and is at a 7700 foot elevation.

 At the other end of Yellowstone Lake we walked around the West Thumb Geyser Basin

If you look carefully you can see down into the water and how deep it goes.

 The story here is the Indians caught the fish in the lake and then put them into the hole to cook them.

                                              Lewis Falls on our way to the Tetons

 Jackson Lake and the Grand Tetons...just breath taking.  The Tetons are 40 miles long with no foot hills, They go straight up to 13,775 feet high and are 9 million years old.

We entered the Tetons on the south Entrance. This road was cut by the ice and then the Indian tribe followed the Snake River to Jackson Lake which is 16 miles long.
The Tetons fee is separate this year from Yellowstone.  They had been together since 1872.  Here the water has been regulated since 1900s.

Stopped for a quick picture at Jenny Lake. Here the Cascade Canyon slices through the GrandTetons

Stopped at Menors Ferry Historic District.

This Episcopal church was built in 1925. Prior to that the worshipers had to travel 12 miles to Jackson to church.  It is still used every Sunday.

 The General store is next to the church along with the outhouse.

This was open for business and owned by an old timer who was just sitting there waiting for us.  Priceless..

 Here we are at the Craig Thomas Discovery and  Visitors Center.  The cool thing here was the lines that were on the floor and lined up with the name of the mountain in front of us.

 Riding into Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  You can catch the stage coach or just walk around town.
The antlers

 This arch along with three other corners that form the town square is made of all antlers- about 8,000 that weigh about 28,000 or more pounds. These are collected by the Boy Scouts that man a refuge outside of town for the Elk in the winter  They sell the antler that are shed going for about $2 each to raise money to feed the thousands of Elks that come for the winter.

  Had dinner at the Snake River Brewery,

 Here is the last thing I saw before leaving town.  These plants are in a building and rotate on trays by big belts to expose them to grow lights. A great idea..
So off to the Snake River tomorrow
See you soon......