You Can't Get Lost

I just learned that David McCullough died August 7 at 89.  He was an incredible writer and he will leave a big hole in understanding the history of the United States.  He's written eleven books, of which I have read most of them.  And if you don't know him as an author, you know his voice.  He was the narrator of Ken Burn's "Civil War" and the movie Seabiscuit.  I just watched an interview with him on 60 Minutes from 2013 when he was 80.  (Its 27 minutes, so plan ahead.) 60 Minutes Interview with David McCullough David McCullough Talking about George Washington David McCullough pictured with art by George Catlin, one of the artists featured in his book The Greater Journey, at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, 2011.  Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/AP Aargh!  I had written about a whole page and a power outage hit and its all gone.  The first book I read of his was "1776" (2005). He had finished "John Adams" in 2001 and had gathere

 With the visit to the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center and Fort Caspar, I've been "feeling" the Oregon Trail.  Of course, Liz living in Portland helps that also.  I think when I go out there in November, I'll try and follow the trail more closely than just the Interstate.   By the time the travelers left the Casper area, they had traveled close to the North Platte River for almost 500 miles.  Love it or hate it, the river was sustaining for the travelers through much of Nebraska and Wyoming.  But, at Casper, the river turns south down to Alcova, Pathfinder and Seminoe dams and then to Saratoga and Encampment, and finally to headwaters in Colorado.  So, after crossing the Platte in the Casper area, they headed west to Independence Rock and Sweetwater Station.  If they could make it to Independence Rock by the 4th of July, they could probably make it to their destination before snowfall.   As they headed west out of the Platte valley, they passed through a

 I messed around this morning trying to get the pictures to download and then insert them into the blog, and it didn't work, at all.  So, I got to the Fort Caspar Museum bright and early at 11:30.  It's not big, but it is a very nicely done museum with a lot of exhibits from mammoth bones to native american artifacts to the trails and the fort to life in the city of Casper in the 50s and 60s.  On the grounds are a reconstruction of the buildings in 1850 and the location of the Mormon ferry (1847) and the Guinard bridge (1860) which replaced it.   The grounds at the Fort Caspar Museum You may have noticed that the fort is Fort Caspar and the city is Casper.  Colonel William Collins was the commandant at Fort Laramie.  He authorized moving a camp in Colorado several miles down stream from the current site on the Cache La Poudre river near LaPorte, CO.  The camp was made into a fort and named after him, Fort Collins.  Colonel Collins' son was 20 year old Lt. Casper Collins who

 Rain!  Have I mentioned that I love to hear rain on the roof of the camper.  John Sebastian "You and me and rain on the roof.  Caught up in a summer shower, Dryin' while it soaks the flowers, Maybe we'll be caught for  hours!  Waiting out the sun."  We saw the Spoonful live at Central Park when we lived back east.  But, I do love listening to the rain, especially at night or when I'm napping.  It's like little fingertips typing me a message that I can hear if not read.    So, it's been raining for over an hour now; it rained some this afternoon, because the road and paths were wet when I walked.  Anyway, its cooler now and very pleasant.   Really, not much happening today.  I didn't sleep well last night.  I was pretty keyed up with the writing, but after two beers, I should have gone right to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillows, but I didn't.   However, I did go to the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center this morning.       It is al

 YEEHAWWW!   This is why I wanted a trailer and truck!  If I had been driving the motorhome and pulling the car, I would have turned around about halfway down the road I was on and driven back to the Interstate, to Rawlins, to Muddy Gap and then to Casper.  And added about 120 miles to the trip (but arrived in the same amount of time....)        But I didn't! Now, to my utter disgust and shame, I will tell you that I have never driven from Sinclair to Alcova, WY.   To Wyomingites, that's like saying I've lived in NYC for 40 years and I've never driven up Broadway, or Las Vegas and I've never driven up the strip.  Or Mulholland Dr in LA.  How could someone so ingrained into Wyoming never have driven Seminoe Road?  Of course, I don't fish. Or boat.  And that takes a lot of the glamour out of it.  And most people don't drive to Sinclair (four miles east of Rawlins) to drive to Casper.  I mean, why?   It really was a spur-of-the-moment thing.  I wanted to get to

    I hope this works! It didn't, so here's what happened yesterday. I went over and talked to my neighbors after lunch.  They have a tear-drop camper, and certainly the nicest I've seen.  I didn't take pictures because that would have been rude, and really non-Scandinavian.  A nicely stocked kitchen in back under the "trunk lid" (the British Turtle Back really fits here.)  The cab is a queen sized bed with clothing and toiletry storage.  They have a changing tent (and I'm sure a potty) so they don't have to changing in the cabin sitting down.  And they can shower in the tent also.  They were heading up to the Black Hills on Saturday.  Actually, remember I said there was a group camping loop.  The group this weekend was for tear-drop campers.  When they tried to reserve a spot in May, they were already filled with people from this Denver club.   I decided to go to the Grand Encampment Museum today/yesterday, the 12th.  The town of Encampment is the loc