Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Are We There Yet?


Anybody since World War II who has taken a vacation in car has dealt with this question at one point or another.  Of course today with video players mounted on the backs of seats where the kids can watch movies while belted into their safety seats it is somewhat better.  The advent of air conditioning has helped cut the parent rage factor down and almost eliminated the seats sticking to your legs.
Yet my history tidbit today takes us back to 1843, and starts in this author’s hometown of Independence, Missouri.  Independence is probably most famous for being the home town of U.S. President Harry S. Truman, but it also noteworthy from before that as being the starting point of three great trails that headed West.  The California Trail, the Sante Fe Trail, and the Oregon Trail.  The city has a festival every Labor Day weekend commemorating the three trails called Sante-Cali-Gon Days.
On this date May 22, 1843, a massive wagon train made up of one thousand settlers and a thousand head of cattle set off on the Oregon Trail from Independence, Missouri.  This was known as the Great Emigration.  It took the group until October to reach Oregon which was two-thousand miles to the west.  Five months in a covered wagon crossing two-thousand miles with everything you own and living off supplies you’re carrying. 


That makes our trips in the family mini-van, complete with air conditioning, entertainment in many forms, cup holders, with food options such as stopping at a restaurant or pulling into a drive through seem like a dream vacation.

As you’re planning your get-a-way for the upcoming Holiday weekend for Memorial Day, please remember to check out my book “Whisper” which will be on sale all weekend on Amazon dot com, at 75% off.  That’s right for .99 cents you can treat yourself to a time traveling adventure aboard the USS Whisper and her adventures.
See the trailer on YouTube here - http://youtu.be/sb6HB3EdglM

 
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