Lake Walcott State Park - Rupert, Idaho

Friday, June 25th we left Bear Lake State Park near St. Charles, Idaho and traveled a little over 200 miles northwest to Lake Walcott State Park near Rupert, Idaho.

At Hwy 89 in St. Charles we had a treat. There were some cowboys herding a big herd of cattle down the street - oncoming!! We stopped and they came by us just “mooing” - some on one side, some on the other. HA - some cowboys, the one on the horse had on a baseball cap, and the ones with the cowboy hats were riding a 4-wheeler! FUNNY!





When the cows got by, we turned right and took Hwy 89 north to Montpelier, then Hwy 30 west through the small towns of Georgetown, Soda Springs, and Lava Hot Springs. We hit I-15 north to Pocatello, then I-86 west. We went through some big farm country - flat land, potato and wheat fields for miles. This whole section of I-86 runs in the Snake River Valley and parallels the river for the most part. There were several places where we were riding along right beside the river.

Of Oregon Trail significance, the emigrants traveled this same Snake River Valley. One historical site we stopped at today is Massacre Rock State Park. It is right off the interstate and overlooks the Snake River. For three days in August of 1862, a wagon train of emigrants had skirmishes with a band of Shoshone Indians. The emigrants were outnumbered and over the three days, 10 of them were killed. Not necessarily a massacre as the name of the place implies, but still, one of the few times on the Oregon Trail that there was any real Indian trouble



A few miles past Massacre Rock I-86 merges with I-84 and that took us to the exit for Rupert, ID and Lake Walcott State Park. This state park is 11 miles northeast of Rupert and located in the Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge.

On Saturday we went riding and were hoping for some good auto-touring around the area of the lake, but we were disappointed. In fact, this is one of the very few NWR’s we’ve been to that has no auto-tour. According to the NWR map, there are a couple of roads, but we rode one of them about 2 miles and it was a very narrow, rough pig trail through the sage desert scrub and big lava rocks in the track and didn’t get near the water, nor did we see anything interesting.

We did make a drive to the other side of the river and it was very interesting - lots of big farm lands. You can tell this is great country for root crops -- huge fields of potatoes, onions, and radishes. Lots and lots of irrigation too - the Snake River supplies lots of water.








We also took a ride back out the road towards Rupert - we had seen a couple of mares with new born colts that we wanted to get a closer look at. We pulled into a side road right by the pasture where one of them was - what a cutie! And really a new born - no more that a couple of days old. It still had a stub of the umbilical cord. It was curious about us - came right over to the fence to sniff my hand. Guess the smell wasn’t too repugnant - it didn’t run off.





After church today in Rupert we had a relaxing afternoon - travel day again tomorrow.

Bear Lake - St. Charles, Idaho

Wednesday, June 23rd we left Ft. Bridger, Wyoming, took Hwy 89 off of I-80 northwest through a little sliver of Utah to southeast Idaho. We climbed over Boundary Hills at 7100 feet elevation and dropped down (within about 3 miles) to 6000 feet and the south end of Bear Lake.

The southern end of Bear Lake is in Utah and the northern end in Idaho. Hwy 30 came in at the southern end of the lake became Hwy 89, and skirted around the west side. About half way up the west side of the lake we came into Idaho, then at the north end of the lake we went across to the east side and down to Bear Lake State Park.







Today, Thursday, we toured Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge which is just north of Bear Lake. Saw lots of “good” birds! Here’s just a few.















Today we also went to Minnetonka Cave in the Cache National Forest. We knew it was up in the mountains, but didn’t realize what a scenic drive it was going to be. We started at around 5800 feet elevation, went up a canyon, into the National Forest, and climbed up & up to 7500 feet. Absolutely beautiful country and awesome views back down the canyon and over the valley below.





Tomorrow it's a little farther west on the Oregon Trail!

Fort Bridger, Wyoming

Monday, June 21st we left Lander, Wyoming, took Hwy 28 through Farson to Hwy 372 and then turned south to I-80 at Green River then west to Fort Bridger.

The drive today was absolutely breathtaking. We crossed the Wind River Mountains, then the Continental Divide at South Pass, then across more miles and miles of high prairie desert. It was all very good 2-lane roads until we hit the interstate.

We started across the Wind River Range pretty soon after we left - we started at around 5300 feet elevation and within 10 miles we had climbed up to 7100 feet and 5 miles farther we were up to 8100 feet. A few miles farther we topped out at 8400 feet - really beautiful country.








A little later we crossed the Continental Divide at South Pass - elevation 7580 feet. The divide is along a 30 mile plain and unless there had been a sign and a place to pull out at a lookout, we wouldn’t have known it. In fact, a lot of the emigrants traveling the Oregon Trail crossed here and didn’t realize they had crossed the divide until they started noticing the water in the streams running west instead of east.

We pulled out at the Continental Divide overlook and it was like we were on top of the world. We could see forever & ever to the west with snow covered mountains to the north and east. Just beautiful!











We realized somewhere along the way that we had traveled over 60 miles and had not seen any kind of dwelling place and very few trees - there are fences along both sides of the road and there are a few cattle every now and then, but no signs of civilization. Also, the Pronghorn Antelopes are still very plentiful.

We drove through about 25 miles of “open range”. They had a couple of big signs that were funny - one said “Warning, slow moving vehicles” with a picture of a cow. Another said “Warning, antelope entering highway at 55 mph” with a picture of a running antelope.



Today, Tuesday, we went next door to the RV Park where we’re staying and visited the Fort Bridger State Historical Site. Fur trapper/mountain man Jim Bridger built the fort as a private trading post in 1843, it was taken over by the Mormons in the 1850’s, and when they left it, they burned the original fort. Then the Army came in 1858 and built a military post. It was another major landmark and stopping spot for the emigrants on the Oregon Trail. A lot of the original Army buildings are still standing, but the since the original fort was burned, they now have a replica of it.







Also today we rode some of the back country gravel roads and passed these giant windmills up close and personal. There must have been close to hundred of these in the area.



Tomorrow we're moving on to Idaho!!

Lander, Wyoming

Yesterday, Saturday, June 19th, we left Casper - headed southwest on Hwy 220 - a very good 2-lane. About 50 miles from Casper we stopped at Independence Rock State Historic Site located at a Rest Area. This is a stand-alone rock formation 136 feet high and 5900 feet (over a mile) around the base. It was a major landmark for all the travelers on the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails. This rock formation was not only a landmark, but a milestone they wanted to reach by July 4th. They wanted to get over the Rocky Mountains before the first snows of winter and they knew if they reached Independence Rock by July 4th, they were in good shape.

The pioneers who passed by here took the time to stop and camp a day or two. Similar to Register Cliff, a lot of the pioneers carved their names into the rock. The type of rock here is different from the sandstone of Register Cliff and many of the names have been eroded away or made almost unreadable - however, there are still some that are in good shape.









A few miles down the road we came to another historic spot - the Devil’s Gate. This is a narrow cleft that the Sweetwater River has carved in the Sweetwater Rocks that is about 370 feet deep and 1500 feet long. The cleft is 30 feet wide at the base but nearly 300 feet at its top. Adjacent to Devil’s Rock is the Mormon Handcart Historical Center and Martin’s Cove. We stopped there because we wanted to see the Devil’s Gate and didn’t know all the Mormon stuff was here. The Mormons on their trek to the Great Salt Lake valley back in the 1800’s did not use wagons like the Oregon Trail emigrants did. They used handcarts to haul their stuff and pulled & pushed them by hand - no animals. Today at the Devil’s Gate and Mormon Handcart Historical Site, they were having some sort of festival with a big re-enactment of the handcart stuff going on. There must have been a couple of thousand folks there - we found a place to park, went to the Visitor’s Center, but other than that, we didn’t stay there very long.





We continued on Hwy 220 to Muddy Gap Junction, then took Hwy 287 north to Lander. All day we were riding through the high plains desert - a lot of miles & miles of no civilization. The Pronghorn Antelopes still are plentiful and we‘re seeing snow covered mountains in the distance. When I say all day was a drive through high plains desert, I mean “high”. We started at 5100 feet elevation in Casper, went up to 6100, down to 5800, back up to 6500, and topped out somewhere along the way around 6800 feet.







Today, Sunday, was a day of worship, then some sightseeing. After attending church services in Lander, we went riding in the afternoon to visit a couple of places. First, we went 14 miles north of Lander to the Wind River Shoshone Indian Reservation and the Indian community of Ft. Washakie - named after an old Shoshone Indian Chief. According to the guide books, the Indian woman Sacajawea, of Lewis & Clark fame, is buried in a cemetery close by. We found the cemetery and found out it is named in her honor - there is a statue and a couple of plaques.


After leaving the cemetery we came back to Lander and headed west out of town about 9 miles to Sinks Canyon State Park. This park is up over 7000 feet elevation and is in a huge canyon on the Popo Agie River. There is one place where part of the river goes underground (the sinks) for about a quarter mile, then comes out (the rise) into a big pool. There is also an overflow part of the river that does not go underground. There is a very nice Visitor’s Center with a very helpful Park Ranger.







Tomorrow - moving on along the Oregon Trail!

Casper, Wyoming

We had planned on leaving Scottsbluff yesterday, Thursday, June 17th, but we woke up to a beautiful, sunny, but very, very windy day. Since it’s no fun trying to wrestle a motorhome down a two-lane road in a high wind, we decided to stay put one more day.

Today (Friday) was a great day for travel - we took Hwy 26 west out of Scottsbluff to Wyoming. Once across the state line, we stopped and visited Ft. Laramie National Historic Site. This place was initially a fur trading post at the confluence of the Laramie and North Platte Rivers with a new structure built in 1841. In 1849 the Army purchased it and it became a military post for 41 years. It was a major stopping point for the emigrants traveling the Oregon Trail. Today, there are a couple of the old buildings still standing, plus the “shells” of several others.





After Ft. Laramie, we continued on Hwy 26 west to Guernsey. There are two Wyoming State Historical Sites here - the Register Cliff, and the Oregon Trail Ruts. The Register Cliff is a sandstone cliff along the Oregon Trail and many of the travelers carved their names in the rock. The state has put a chain link fence in front of all the old names to protect them, but the un-protected part is also covered in carvings - we saw names & dates from the 1800’s to present day.











Just down the road a little way is the Oregon Trail Ruts Historical Site. Here you can walk a path for 400+ yards and see where the wagon trains carved the road through the sandstone. This is the most prominent Oregon Trail wagon ruts that we’ve seen so far.





Upon arrival in Casper, Wyoming we visited the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center. This is a fairly new facility that has some very good displays of all the “trail” history in this area from the early 1800’s. They start with the Indians and fur trappers in the early 1800’s, then move on to the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails history, then the Pony Express, the telegraph, and end up with the Trans-Continental Railroad in the late 1860’s. They have a very good 20 minute video and lots of informative displays. There are lots of animation and sound effects - we took a virtual ride in a wagon fording the North Platte River.









Tomorrow we'll be moving on up the trail!