Biking the Mormon Trail Part II: Guernsey to Douglas

Laramie Peak looking south west from Ridge Road

Last week I was able to cycle another 100 miles of the Mormon Trail.  This trip was an exercise of faith.  It was my first solo trip and my first experience traveling gravel roads.  It was also a challenge in terms of distance and elevation gain.  I knew going into it, that finding a place to camp would be a problem if I didn't have the energy to complete 64 miles uphill the first day. However, it turned out great!

As already described in my earlier posts (here and  here) I am traveling the Mormon trail by bicycle.  This trip continued right where I left off at the end of the last trip.  My goal was to parallel the Mormon/Oregon/ California trail as closely as possible.  Some of my maps showed contradictory paths for the trail.  But, for the most part, I believe that my DeLorme Atlas proved to be accurate.  Many times when the map showed the trail crossing my path, I'd find a historical marker.  Sometimes I saw no markers.  This is the Google Map of the route.  For me, the route was 103 miles, for the pioneers whose path was less circuitous  it was about 65 miles.  My route covers about four days of worth of Norton Jacob's trail journal.

I stayed the night at a campground next to the Guernsey Oregon Trail Ruts historic site.  I packed my bike and got going a little after 9 AM.  This was the maiden voyage of my new bike! It is a 2009 Cannondale Touring 2.  It love it so far.
(For bike enthusiasts:  it has 35c wide tires, 36 spokes, STI shifters, wide range gearing for touring, long  46cm chainstays for panniers, light aluminum frame with a steel fork to cushion vibration)




For five miles, this road takes you right through the original Oregon Trail corridor.

Wendover Road

It says:
 "Oregon Trail Marked by the State of Wyoming 1913"

"The wild rose flourishes in great abundance...the principal herbs and plants of this elevated region are highly odoriferous, perfuming the atmosphere with their fragrance" -- Wilford Woodruff

On the night of Sunday June 6th, 1847, the vanguard company camped on the banks of "Bitter" Cottonwood Creek somewhere near the spot shown here.  Being late in the year, the creek is dry, but would have been flowing in June.

Cottonwood Creek Emigrant Campground

Two BNSF trains approach each other on separate tracks with a trail marker in the foreground.  The campground is behind the tracks.

Much like Chimney Rock, Laramie  Peak was another major landmark for the pioneers.

First Really good view of Laramie Peak

"Moved on 2 miles when we arrived at the summit of a ridge of the Black Hills & opposite Larimies' Peak crowned with his winter dress. We have been in the sight of it since a week ago last Saturday." --Norton Jacob, June 7th, 1847

Horseshoe Creek Area

From his camp on Horseshoe Creek, Norton wrote:
"We are now in the midst of the Black Hills & have here the best grass we have had on the whole rout.  Our Hunters Killed two Blacked Tailed Deer & an Antelope"  (June 7th, 1847)

Right here at Horseshoe Creek, the road was completely blocked by cows.  They had breached a fence and were loose on the road.  I saw the rancher mending a fence nearby.   I almost missed the historical markers due to the commotion.

Ridge Road Area

Sometime during the day of Tuesday June 8, 1847, the vanguard company would have been seen here on this grassy highland. I didn't find any trail markers, but  the map showed the Oregon Trail once crossed what is now Ridge Road where I stood to take this picture.

"Passed over a rough, rolling tract destitute of Timber"




This part of the trip was exhausting for me.  The hills were steep.  I had already ridden over 50 miles and had 14 to go to reach my predetermined campsite.  The elevation gain would end up being over 2,000 feet.  On Ridge Road I started looking for emergency camp sites.  I was having to walk my bike up hills due to fatigue and it began to grow dark.  On both sides of the road "No Trespassing" signs kept me going forward.  Even when I crossed into national forest land, the signs persisted.  Finally, after reaching the official wooden sign declaring "Medicine Bow National Forest", I jumped off my bike and made a camp just 50 yards from the road.  I still worried that I might be on a private parcel, so I hid my tent behind a wind break.

My tent near Esterbrook

The next morning the view was beautiful.  I should note that the Pioneers did not come up this far into the mountains.

This day my ride was mostly down hill and I made really good time.  A few more Oregon Trail crossings and I reached Douglas for a nice hot lunch.

Oregon Trail paved over by highway here
10 miles south of Douglas

127 year old caboose at a Douglass Museum

The jackalope myth was born in Douglas

And my last Oregon Trail crossing of the trip just a mile west of La Prele Creek :

The trail now grown over by farmland

I ended the trip at Ayres Natural Bridge.  This was one of Wyoming's first tourist attractions.   The bridge is not on the Oregon Trail, but even Norton Jacob seems to have taken the one mile off-trail excursion to see this natural wonder.  In his journal is this statement written on June 9th  "This  creek has cut its way through a high mountain & for ten rods there is a rock arch".  As this was the prearranged pick-up point, Robyn and my three youngest came to visit the bridge with me.  Then we headed home.

Ayres Natural Bridge in the background

We hiked to the top of the bridge

I loved the long peaceful stretches of road.  I passed dozens of ranches, quaint houses, and beautiful cabins.  The sounds of the land became audible to me.  Birds talking, grass waving, crickets singing...all was amplified by the removal of civilization.  Other changes were amplified.  Had I been in a car, I would not have noticed the 3 degree drop in temperature when the grassland suddenly gave way to dense forest.  The photos I took do not do justice to the panorama of nature.

This trip was the result of exercising faith.  I had never intended to do a solo.  I wanted to bring Collin, but the calendar just wasn't cooperating.  When I decided I should go alone, several fears surfaced.  There was every reason to just wait "for later".  One day while studying the Lectures on Faith, I was reminded that faith is a principle of action.  People of faith do things.  It is the assurance that accomplishing something will take you to a better place.  It isn't a guarantee of earthly success.  I might get hurt, I might even die.  But nothing happens if I just sit around.  Faith is linked to planning as well.  You plan, you tell people your plan, and you carry it out.  Everything is unknown until after the fact.  Faith gets you from the unknown to the known. Faith and prayer made this trip happen.

Biking the Mormon Trail Part I: Chimney Rock to Fort Laramie

I finally began my Mormon Trail journey a few weeks ago.  As I said in Following in Their Footsteps, my goal is to travel from Chimney Rock to Fort Bridger by bicycle, a total of 500 miles.  Not knowing yet the limits of my endurance, I decided that it would be okay to do the trail in segments, one segment at a time.  If all goes well, I can plan for a week long trek next year.

I set a date and Collin and I prepared for a three day trip in early August.  My original plan covered almost 150 miles.  Well, as you'll see, that was overly optimistic.  In the end, we did just over 100 miles in 2.5 days.  That settles it, 50 miles a day is about all I can expect realistically given my current shape and desire to sight-see.  That means I'll need 10 days to finish my goal of 500 miles.  My Mormon pioneer ancestors traveled
 about 1000 miles in 100 days.  500 in 10 seems like a good compromise for a time-constrained modern like myself.

As part of this experience, I have chosen to read The Mormon Vanguard Brigade of 1847 edited by Ronald Barney which contains the record of pioneer Norton Jacob.  Jacob kept a journal that spans the entire trek from Nauvoo to the Salt Lake Valley. For each travel day I will estimate the equivalent periods of travel from Jacob's journal.

Day 1:  Friday 8/5/2011. (5/26 - 5/27 1847)
Late in the afternoon, Robyn dropped us off at the Chimney Rock National Historic Site.  Before Robyn left, the whole family spent some time in the visitor's center.  It is a nice museum with some fun interactive exhibits. Chimney Rock is an impressive feature.  I can imagine my ancestors looking forward to seeing it after hundreds or miles of flat plains.

Serene, pleasant morning.  Started at 8 oclock & after passing 4 5/8 miles came on a line directly North of the famous Chimney rock on the opposite side of the river.  It is two hundred & fifty feet high... --Norton Jacob 5/26/1847

Collin and I said our good bye's at about 5:30 PM.  We traveled to  Gering via NE-92 then turned north to find the Rebecca Winter's Gravesite. Her grave is a reminder of the estimated 6,000 L.D.S pioneers who died en route to the west.  It was near here that we crossed to the north side of the Platte.  From here on out, we'd be on the same bank as our Mormon ancestors.

We camped 4 miles west of Scotts Bluff having arrived after dark and made about 30 miles.


Day 2: Saturday 8/6/2011 (Fri 5/28 - 5/31 1847)
During the night a cat pestered us mightily.  It begged incessantly and pressed on our tent while we slept.  The weight of him woke me up once.  We got on the road at 9:30.  I had hoped to start at 8.  Very hot day.  It felt like the 90 degrees by mid morning.  I got my first flat near Mitchell.  While trying to avoid the rumble strip, I hit a sharp rock.  The tube burst with a loud pop and swoosh.  Green goo (that puncture preventative inside the tub) sprayed out onto my leg and panniers.  After repairing the flat, we were just in time to see the beginning of the county parade held in Mitchell.
After Mitchell we stopped at trail historical points of interest such as the 1851 Plains Indians Treaty marker.  Collin got his flat tire as we approached the Rawhide Creek pull out.  Just as the pioneers liked to "noon" at Rawhide, Collin and I rested there to repair a flat under the shade of a huge cottonwood.

Afternoon made 7 miles over a sandy road & camped on a creek of muddy water 12 feet wide that may be called Sand Creek [Rawhide Creek], for it is the character of the whole country around, with scattering bunches of grass. --Norton Jacob 5/31/1847

After the flat, we enjoyed rest and food in Torrington and then kept on until we reached 2 miles short of Fort Laramie.  This was an exhausting hot day.  We made 53 miles.

Near Scotts Bluff, Brigham Young had chastised the saints for a "spirit of levity" and "neglect of duty".  There was a call to repentance and a day of fasting on Sunday.  It was on this stretch of the trip that I began to appreciate the gravity of Brigham Young's situation.  The vanguard was responsible for trail blazing, finding a desert home, and then planting crops so that thousands of saints would have something to come to.  The stakes were high and discipline was essential.

Day 3 Sunday 8/7/11 (Tuesday 6/1-6/5 1847)
We couldn't attend  organized church services since the nearest meeting house was 50 miles away, so we opted for a restful morning with a devotional.  Apropos, we studied Doctrine and Covenants 136 (Brigham Young's 1847 revelation).

In the afternoon we visited the Fort Laramie National Historic Site. (Fort Laramie is not the same as the city of Laramie WY which lies 120 miles south).  The fort was another significant landmark for the pioneers as well as a great place to trade goods and gather intelligence.  In 1847 it was a trading fort, not a military fort.  The military presence didn't begin until 1849.

The vanguard company spent two days here repairing wagons and then crossing the river.  It is at Fort Laramie that the Mormon and Oregon trails converge.  Prior to the fort, the Mormon trail keeps to the north bank of the North Platte while the Oregon Trail is on the south bank.  Brigham Young decided to cross over at Fort Laramie due to reports of marshy terrain up ahead. Here the vanguard company also met up with a group of saints coming up from Pueblo.

We have dug down the banks & are prepared for ferrying our Waggons over --Norton Jacob 6/2/1847

North Platte near Fort Larmie

The National Park Service does a pretty good job of making the fort into a fun destination.

Living history actors at Fort Laramie

Cannon Demonstration

Nathan and Collin near the site of the fort with the Laramie River behind them

After Fort Laramie we visited the nearby "Bedlam Ruts".  The ruts here are the actual Mormon/Oregon/California trail untouched by modern development.  Collin and I took the opportunity to hike the actual trail for a few hundred yards.  In the photo below look closely for the slight depression still visible in the ground.  Vegetation has grown back over the trail.  The marker says "Mormon Trail" on the side facing the camera, "Oregon Trail" on the back and "California Trail" on the side.

Collin stands to the left of the ruts next to a trail marker.

After the Bedlam ruts we returned to our campsite and packed up.  I called Robyn and arranged for our pick up near Guernsey, 20 miles up U.S. 26.  This last stretch of road turned out to be grueling for us.  It was very hot, we had a strong headwind, it was up-hill, and our butts were sore.  We definitely noticed the change in terrain from the previous day.  Norton Jacob described the terrain as "a table Land which is rolling for several miles".  This is the sort of thing that you notice more when travelling by bicycle.  Collin and I crashed for a while at a Wyoming rest stop which overlooks the Oregon trail from the north side of the Platte.

Late in the afternoon we made it to the Oregon Trail Ruts National Historic Landmark site.  Here thousands of iron-shod wheels and hooves carved deep ruts into the soft sandstone.

Finally Robyn and the kids caught up with us and we had a little evening picnic at Register Cliff State Historic Site.  

So ended our first 100 miles along the Mormon Trail!  The hardships of those pioneers is awe inspiring. Their trek is nothing less than heroic. But amidst the trials and toils, they saw untamed beauty and experienced the adventure of a lifetime.  

P.S.

On the way home to Colorado our van broke down on I-25.  Stranded at midnight we almost resorted to using our bicycles to get help when a county deputy found us and called in a tow truck.  It made for a very late night. 

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Following in Their Footsteps...Literally

A couple of years ago I decided it would be neat to ride a bike from my home in Colorado to Utah.  Why?  I once had a co-worker who rode his bicycle from Missouri to California.  He stopped in Colorado to earn more money to continue on.  I was fascinated by his stories of camping along the route.  He had a trailer hooked up to his bike into which he packed a tent, a sleeping bag, and whatever else he needed to be self sufficient on the road.  It was like a form of long distance back packing. What an adventure!

About that time I read a book about the transcontinental rail road.  The stories of the Union Pacific laying track through what is now the I-80 corridor in Wyoming and Utah excited my imagination.  I drive the I-80 route often to visit family.  Why not bicycle it some day?   I like doing physical activities to stay fit, I like adventure, and I like reliving history.  A trip like this would meet all three goals.  I can't quit my job and go cross country, but a trip from Colorado to Utah seemed doable.

As I started to investigate possible bicycle routes, I took notice of the Oregon, Mormon, and California trail route.  Why didn't I think of that before!  I love stories of my Mormon pioneer ancestors. My great-great grandpa Eli traveled the trail with the Mormon Vanguard Brigade of 1847.  I always figured that the original trail was remote and inaccessible.  But as I looked into it, it became clear that a bicycle trip might be possible.  Not only would I be reliving some history, but it would be my own family history.  Not only does the Mormon trail intersect important events in history such as Oregon Trail, Pony Express Trail, and the transcontinental railroad, but it also avoids some of the drier and windier high plains of I-80.

Thus was born the idea of bicycling the Mormon Trail.  A lot of farms, fences, and roads have been constructed since the late 1800's.  But, the trail can be paralleled very closely on public roads and in several places the actual trail can be visited.  There are places where you can travel the existing trail, but I plan to do so only sparingly and with care: it is important to protect the trail for future generations.

I'm scrapping the idea of making it all the way to Utah (at least for now).  My goal is to ride from Chimney Rock, Nebraska to Fort Bridger Wyoming.  Using the "bicycle" feature of Google, it comes out as 492 Miles.  Where possible, I'll rope Robyn and kids into this project.