After following the Lewis & Clark Trail back in 2006 and enjoying it as much as we did, we thought that following the Oregon Trail would also be very interesting and would be a good trip. The settlers who made this trail famous endured some very hard times looking for a new homeland in the Pacific Northwest. Although the migration spanned many years, the peak of the travel on the Oregon Trail was in the late 1840’s thru the mid 1850’s. The most common mode of transport was the covered wagon which was used to haul all the personal belongings, but a lot of the folks rode horses, mules, and many walked. Along the trail we hope to see some of the original ruts from the wagon trains which are supposed to still be visible today.
Although most of the settlers came through St Louis, MO, the most commonly recognized place for the start of the Oregon Trail is Independence, MO. From there, the trail went across a corner of Kansas, across Nebraska, Wyoming, and Southern Idaho before entering Oregon. The terminus of the trail is the Willamette Valley near Portland, OR and that’s where we’re heading!!!
Before really getting started on the trail itself, we are going to spend some time at a few other places prior to getting to Independence, MO. The first of these is one of our favorite places - Cades Cove in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. We spent 5 nights and what a great time - just rest & relaxation, camping, grilling, reading, walking, riding around the loop and seeing all the wildlife - deer, turkey, and bears.
On Sunday afternoon, May 16, we left Cades Cove after church in Townsend, TN and drove part way to our next destination - Reelfoot Lake in the northwest corner of Tennessee. On Monday we made it the rest of the way to Reelfoot Lake and got set up for a couple of nights. Reelfoot Lake was formed by the New Madrid earthquakes in 1811-1812 and the Mississippi River flowed backwards to fill it (so history says). The 13,000 acre lake is shallow and is noted for its Bald Cypress trees, nesting pairs of Bald Eagles, and fishing. We have been here before and it is a fascinating place.
The Mississippi River is just a little way out of the town of Tiptonville and it is in flood stage, although it is receding. A lot of the fields around have been flooded. We rode some of the small roads and saw plenty of evidence where the roads had been under water.
This picture is of a picnic site - table and grill under water.
Debris along the road where the water had been over it
Other posts will follow all along as time and internet access permits.
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