Through Wyoming, Utah, and into Idaho

Last post I neglected to include the picture of Walt and Myra Abel.  These dear friends have been a part of our lives since the mid-1960s and visiting them while we were in Denver was the occasion for many fond memories.

In our last post I mentioned how the North Platte River provided a convenient route west.  From our base in Rawlins, WY we went exploring to see what happened to the Oregon Trail once the North Platte played out.  Since the Platte ends at nearly the edge of the Continental Divide Basin (a large plateau that serves as the divide rather than a sharp ridge like the rest of the Rockies).  As we drove across the basin north of Rawlins we were struck with how flat and majestic the terrain is.  The eye can add a perspective that is impossible (or at least difficult) to capture with a camera lens.  Much of the last few days of this trip fits that description.

But we got to the edge of the Divide Basin before we found the Oregon Trail.  Alas, the pioneers were no fools.  They traded the North Platte River for the Sweetwater River.  Yes, the terrain was more rolling,  but there was water and grass.   Below is a picture of the Sweetwater just up river from Martin's Cove.

About 1/4 mile upriver from this picture the Sweetwater cuts directly through a rock wall at a site known as Devils Gate:

Since this opening was too narrow for passage of more than the river, the pioneers detoured around the edge of this "mountain":

No, The Oregon Trail was not a gravel road!  Travelers since the mid-1800's have used many parts of the trail for modern purposes.  The point here is that this route over the Continental Divide was much like what we would expect on the NY State Thruway or I-70 through eastern Ohio.  And the route provided water and grass.

After the pioneers crossed the great divide they followed the Snake River and other waterways westward.  When you consider how formidable the Rockies are 50 miles north or 50 miles south of this route,  you can understand the wisdom of the mountain men in advising this route.  Incidentally,  this same route was used by the Pony Express and later by the first Transcontinental Railroad.

Enough of the history lesson for the day.  A couple other observations from our recent travels:

We camped near Fort Bridger hoping to learn more about the Oregon Trail in Western Wyoming,  but the Fort was under water from flooding from melting snow in the adjoining mountains.  This is the most water they have seen in more than a century... and we got to see it.  Lucky us.

For those of you who have not traveled where there is open range grazing land, you may be unfamiliar with cattle gates like shown below.  Cattle will not cross a grate of bars which will carry a vehicle.  This gate is on an entrance to I-84 and will keep the cattle off the highway.

For those who are hoping that the US will actually employ alternate sources of energy, there really are parts of the country where NIMBY does not prevail.  Perhaps it is because "back yards" are so much bigger in the west, but we have seen some beautiful wind farms from Iowa through Wyoming.  This farm is in western Wyoming, and you might notice the snow on the mountains in the background.

From Western Wyoming we traveled through the Wasatch Mountains in Utah, then north and west into Idaho where we are camped along the Snake River.  Tomorrow we will reach Eastern Oregon.