Hord's Lake, Coleman, Texas; April 27 to May 5, 2015

 

Depart Midway Park10 AM; 7435.8 tripometer miles

 I always enjoy the unexpected in our travels - this is a beautiful courthouse in Gatesville, Texas. Somany of these towns have had such difficult economic times lately that it isn't uncommon to see a building like this in a town that is barely alive.

 The road here reminds me of the Christmas ribbon candy.

 We travel along for 30 or more minutes and then come across a ranch like this - almost like a small community.

 The wind farms in this area are huge, with hundreds and hundreds of windmills. We traveled for more than 20 minutes through one such area.

We were here two years ago and enjoyed the quiet, nearly empty park due to the low water level in the lake due to the drought. This year, although the lake was up a bit, it wasn't enough to entice many boaters out over the weekend, so it was, for the most part, an enjoyable stay. We found our good Chuck Wagon tamales at the Shoppin' Baskit grocery – we now have a couple of meals of tamales in the freezer.

The wild flowers were blooming throughout the campground and along the roadside and overall the 

weather was beautiful during our stay. 

 I haven't been able to identify this lovely, delicate flower.

 Hill country, anyone?

Acres and acres of mesquite on our way to visit Frontier: Texas! in Abilene.

 The previous time we were here, we had to cut our day-trip to Abilene short due to a big storm moving in and didn't get to go through the Frontier! Texas museum, so took a drive to Abilene. The Frontier! Texas stop was worth the trip. The museum is not particularly large, but the displays, which include cleverly devised, informative holograms. There were two different short theater productions which added to the reality of the information and, although the two of us managed to arrive with a group of school children, the docent and the chaperone kept the kids in line – no screaming or running around, thank you very much! After the museum, we had a delicious lunch at Farolito's, which was as good as it was two years ago, picked up some groceries, and headed back to camp.

 Some of you Gunsmoke fans may recognize (in spite of my bad photograph) Buck Taylor, who played Newly O'Brien during the last eight seasons. Buck narrated much of the information in the informative video about the museum.

 Our first bison of this trip... As we continued through Frontier: Texas! we saw many beautiful examples of Native American artifacts.

 The museum also used wonderful holograms to bring personalized information to visitors - the holograms had so much more impact than signs and were so realistic one was tempted to reach out and try to touch the narrator.

During the mid-1800's the over-abundance of buffalo was one obstacle to settlers establishing permanent homes in Texas, but once the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869 and it was possible to ship hides to eastern markets, the slaughter of buffalo in the 1870's and 1880's began.  Millions of buffalo were killed and their bones covered the prairie. It was said that you could walk the 15 miles from Abilene to Buffalo Gap on buffalo bones without touching the ground. In the 1880's, the drought and recession hit the settlers hard and to keep from losing their businesses and farms, many hauled tons and tons of bones from the prairies and hauled them in wagons to railroad boneyards.

 Between 1858 and 1861, stagecoach travel was common. The trip from Missouri to California took 25 days - one-third of that time was spent crossing Texas! Oh, my aching back!

 This is a shield made from hide and "decorated" with three scalps. The story about this was included but it was all pretty grim.

 This is a 0.32 caliber Chicago Protector "The Protector" Palm gun from 1893.

On the way back to camp, we stopped by Buffalo Gap Homestead Village, a group of buildings brought in to depict life in the mid-1800's. Sadly, it was too late to do a tour, but we'll definitely return. Neither of us remember hearing about Buffalo Gap before our trip to Abilene, but the next day we were watching ME TV and on “The Lone Ranger” what should be mentioned but Buffalo Gap. (I know – the Lone Ranger? Really???)

On our way back to camp from Buffalo Gap we were stopped by roadwork - they were putting oil down on the dirt road, presumably to lessen the dust? Seems as though it might leak down to the aquifer, doesn't it? 

The photos below are of the park area. It's a huge place with lots of campground loops and most of the time it's nearly empty. Our kind of place.

We heard from one of the locals that a good place to get ribs was Big O's. We enjoy BBQ and ribs, but because you can almost always find a place that serves decent BBQ, we usually opt for a different cuisine. This time, we decided to try Big O's and are we ever glad we did. The ribs were hands-down the best either of us have ever had and on the advice of the local, ordered his butter fries. We had never tried butter fries, but oh, my goodness! Delicate but delicious is the only thing I can say. All-in-all, we had a lot of really great food and a great time for a more than fair price. Big O is the cook and smokes all the meat he serves. His stature proves out his nickname, he's plain-spoken man and a hoot to talk to. We may stay at Coleman again just to go to Big O's.

Now we're off to a couple of new parks in New Mexico – can't wait!

Depart Coleman, TX for an overnight in Lubbock, TX 10 AM; 7435.8 tripometer miles.

Guernsey State Park, Guernsey, WY; May 20 to 25, 2015

Departed St. Vrain SP, Longmont, CO 9:30 AM; 9003.0 tripometer miles.

We left St. Vrain on a cloudy, rainy morning and a possible chance of snow on the way to our next park. We did go through a small amount of snow just north of Cheyenne and had we been able to geet into our first choice of Curt Gowdy State Park, we would have had measurable snowfall the first night. Luck was once again with us.

We drove a couple miles beyond the park to get gas for our generator – no hookups for us here. Guernsey is a little town whose life, it appears, depends upon the military base on one side and the park on the other. Surprisingly, for such a little town, there are two good restaurants, which I'll talk about later on. It's obvious that these folks get a rough winter from the road signs warning to turn around if lights were flashing because I-25 was closed. Don't think I want to spend the winter here, but I love the area in the summer.

Guernsey State Park is a big place with 18 camping loops at about 4,500 feet of elevation, scattered around perimeter of the large reservoir. There are also four yurts that are available for overnight stays. The yurts are set on a bluff, have a spectacular view and are cozy with a wood stove and beautifully-made, rugged furniture fashioned for them in the next town.

Our site was just off the lake and not too far from a well-traveled railroad line, but thankfully, no crossings were nearby so no train whistles. Our first night was chilly, so we turned on the electric blanket while the generator was running so we'd have a warm bed to crawl into – it was in the low 40's and the heat was much appreciated. Morning was another story. We bundled up, Rich started the generator and by the time Rich's coffee and my tea water were ready, the living area of the RV was warm enough to be comfortable, so we dressed and headed out to explore the area.

Fort Laramie – originally known as Fort William and only 100 x 80 feet with a 15 foot high palisade, this small fort and store was built in 1834 by two men and acted as a trading post for buffalo hunters at the confluence of the Laramie and North Platte Rivers. This monopoly lasted until 1841 when competitors built a fort only a mile away. The original fort was replaced with a larger adobe-walled structure. Indians, especially Lakota (Sioux) traded tanned buffalo robes for manufactured goods, westward-bound emigrants arrived, and over the next two decades, tens of thousands stopped at the fort and in spite of the seasonal, the traders did a brisk business. In 1849, the US Army bought Fort John as part of the plan to establish a military presence along the emigrant trails. It was officially renamed Fort Laramie and served as a military post for the next 40 years. During this time, the fort became the principal military outpost on the Northern Plains as well as the transportation and communication for the central Rocky Mountain region. In addition to the emigrant trails, stage lines, the Pony Express, and the transcontinental telegraph all passed through the post.

 Fort Laramie hosted several treaty negotiation with Northern Plains Indian Nations, the most famous were the Horse Creek Treaty of 1851 and the Treaty of 1868, which remains controversial and contested today. As relations between the Indian tribes and army deteriorated, the influx of emigrants on the overland trails increased.

Conflicts increased, the army launched major campaigns from Fort Laramie against the Northern Plains tribes who fiercely defended their homeland. With the end of the Indian Wars, Fort Laramie's importance diminished and in 1890, the US Army abandoned the post and sold it at public auction.

Homesteaders bought buildings, lived in them and later, public agencies worked to preserve them. Today, there are eleven original structures which have been restored and refurbished to their historic appearances.

Isn't it amazing that something that began so small played such an important part in our history? Just goes to show you...

Did you know that in the 1860's captured Confederate soldiers who chose to enlist in the Union Army

rather than remain in prisoner of war camps were called “Galvanized Yankees” and were sent to serve at frontier military posts?

Pony Express – In the mid-1800's, mail might take up to six months to travel between the East and West. Emigrants who had moved West were desperate for word of loved ones and news back in the states. In 1847, Congress established postal service to the Pacific Coast. Private contractors handled the business, which required huge government subsidies [sound familiar?] yet still the mail was very slow. More pressure was applied and in the late 1840's, the U.S. Post Office awarded a contract to Pacific Mail Steamship Company to carry the mail to California. Mail traveled by ship from New York to Panama, across Panama by rail, and from there to San Francisco by ship. The U.S. Post Office goal of three to four weeks was seldom met. In another attempt to speed up mail service, Congress appropriated $30,000 to see if camels could carry mail from Texas to California. That proved impractical. John Butterfield won a $600,000 contract in 1857 that required mail delivery within 25 days. His overland stagecoach service began in 1858 on a 2,800 route that left Fort Smith, Arkansas and traveled to San Francisco via El Paso, Texas, and Yuma in the Arizona Territory, avoiding the show-capped Rocky Mountains. Politicians from the North wanted a more northerly route and those from the South wanted it to remain – once again, government subsidies were up for grabs. Benjamin F. Fricklin, who had carried U.S. Army dispatches from Utah Territory proposed that the government could proide express mail service using a horse relay and California Senator William Gwin backed the idea.  In 1860, three partners already involved in moving freight started the Pony Express almost by accident. William Russell received congressional support and began raising money for the effort. To the dismay of his partners, he committed to opening the express mail service on the central route in April 1860. After receiving approval from Washington, they had 67 days to hire riders, station keepers, and mail handlers, buy horses, food and other supplies as well as distribute them to stations across the route, some of which had not even been built or located. There were home stations 75 to 100 miles apart, which would house riders between runs, and smaller relay stations every 10 to 15 miles apart to provide riders with fresh horses. The riders were men who weighed less than 120 pounds and had to carry 20 pounds of mail and 25 pounds of equipment and were held to exacting standards of conduct: no swearing, gambling, no mistreating animals, and always acting as a gentleman. For this the earned room and board plus $50 a month.

The completion of the transcontinental telegraph on October 26, 1861, spelled the end for the Pony Express. During its existence, the riders had completed some 300 runs from St. Joseph, MO to San Francisco, CA and back, each trip only taking 10 days.

 In spite of its short life, the Pony Express has retained a special place in the hearts of many – each year since 1978, the National Pony Express Association rides in a 10-day, round the clock, non-stop event. More than 500 riders follow a 1,943-mile route that is as close as possible to the original trail. How I wish I could be a part of that celebration - one of my favorite books as a child was “We Were There with the Pony Express” and it was an exciting part of settling the West.

Oregon Trail Wagon Ruts – About three miles from Register Cliff and up a hill is the Oregon Trail National State Historic Site and National Historic Landmark. Although we traveled here from Fort Laramie in about 40 minutes, in the life of an emigrant, it would have been a day's trek. Thousands of travelers struggled through this winding, rocky terrain before making camp just west of this point. Evidence of their passage is clearly visible at the crest of the hill where deep ruts cut by the wheels of countless wagons are preserved in the soft sandstone.

Register Cliff – Not far from Fort Laramie and on the Oregon Trail is stretch of light-colored rock about 200 feet high on which thousands of emigrants wrote their names, the date, and sometimes the town from which they traveled on their four to six month trek to their dream. Of those names, hundreds remain and are legible.

All of this was within a few miles of Guernsey which boasted of a population of 1,184 permanent residents although a military base on the outskirts of town helped the economy. There was also a busy railroad line not far from the base. One of the major customers of the railroad was the coal mine 177road miles away that shipped train-loads of coal day and night to the nearby power plant.

We had an amazingly good lunch at Twisters, a patty melt, brisket sandwich, and two cups of sausage gumbo. While we were there, there were two tables-full of railroad men and a couple more tables of soldiers. We two strangers were in the minority, but everyone was friendly and we enjoyed the meal and conversation.

The next morning we got (for us) an early start and went to breakfast at Twisters – this time I had biscuits and gray and Rich had an omelette and ham. Both were excellent and we were once again favored with friendly neighbors.

After breakfast we drove to the park museum, which was built by the CCC in 1936. It's a beautiful building that I'd love for a home and has a spectacular view. On our way back to camp, we stopped by the showers to check them out – they are several miles from any camping loop, so not conducive to a quick shower. We took advantage of the RV for the most part.

We had been having a lot of rainy days, so since the forecast was for a clear and sunny day, we decided to take the drive around the park. This is not your average park drive – it is about 15 miles and we spent about four hours without covering it all. The scenery is awesome and well worth the time. While we were out we had a park ranger stop and talk to us about the area and invited us to attend two Memorial Day observances the next day.

Memorial Day dawned appropriately cold and dreary with rain. We were up early to attend the 9 AM service at the Hartville cemetery and then the Guernsey cemetery at 9:30. They were were very moving ceremonies and although we were wet and cold, we were happy to be able to honor all those in the military.

We stopped for breakfast at Bunny's in Guernsey – I had a good Belgian waffle with fresh fruit and whipped cream, Rich had an omelette and we both drank several cups of good, hot coffee which helped us warm up.

After our whirlwind history lessons, and because we wanted to get an early start, we got everything ready to move the next day. As Rich was closing up the outside door to the bedroom I glanced up in time to see a mouse scurry toward the closet and disappear. After much searching and moving of clothes, shoes, and other items, we gave up and settled in for an uneasy night's sleep. It took us three weeks to get rid of the last of the unexpected and extremely unwanted visitors!

May 26 Depart Guernsey for Buffalo Bill SP, Cody, WY 7:17 AM 9325.0 tripometer miles.