For some reason, the westward migration of Americans in the mid to late 1800’s has frequently crossed my mind since I was a kid.  Like so many others, my own ancestors loaded everything they owned and left Illinois on the Oregon Trail and gradually made their way across the plains, rivers, and mountains so they could settle here in the Pacific Northwest.

What were they thinking as they loaded their wagons?  What to take?  What to leave behind?  What would they need when they arrive?  Tools?  Furniture?  Provisions?  What would they be able to buy, build, or trade for once they get to wherever they were going?

It’s that trip that always intrigued me.  I’ve crossed many of the same deserts, plains, and mountains, though admittedly in far greater comfort and with a lot more speed.  Still, I’ve often reached the crest of some mountain pass or another and wondered how they must have felt; elated at reaching the summit, or depressed that yet another mountain range had suddenly come into view?  What were they thinking as they slowly made their way across the vast plains of Kansas, Nebraska, the Dakotas, or parts of Montana?  Were they excited?  Did they feel knots in their stomachs from the unknown that lay ahead?

I’ve had a knot in my stomach for days.  I’m excited for the journey and the experience, but I have no idea how it might turn out.  As I try to make some of the same decisions on how to load my own, modern covered wagon; what to take, what to leave, what to come back for later…..  I feel like I’m getting a small taste of what those earlier pioneers went through.  Like I said, it will be much faster, and the comfortable, leather seats and stereo system in my new truck will help the miles pass far more pleasantly.