Outdoor Wednesday

It's late...but it's still Wednesday, so I'm just in time for Outdoor Wednesday meme, hosted by a Southern Daydreamer.

Every Wednesday participants will be posting pictures of anything outdoor on their blog. It can be something outside of your home such as your porch, deck, patio, garden or lawn. Your photo can be outdoor shots of the beach, forest or mountains. (We don’t want to exclude anyone who might not have a yard). Or, you could simply post pictures of a favorite plant or flower. Only rule is it has to be outside!


The Handyman and I took a drive....

The California Trail Interpretive Center is located on Interstate 80, about  90 minutes from where we live.   The Handyman and I had never been. We drive by it all the time, going here and there, but stopping and taking the time to visit it?  No, never.   Until a few weeks ago.   (I think it happens a lot,  people never take the time to visit the things closest to them)

The California Trail.  
Of course, this is  less popular of the westward movement trails.  The Oregon Trail outshines it all the time-- just look at any history book.

Don't worry, I won't give you a history lesson here, but you have had to learned in school about the Donner party?   Right?  If not, go to the library---it's so interesting. Seriously.

The people who went westward had to be the strongest people EVER.

Look---this is what they came to:

and they had these decisions to make--which fork to take:

and this is what they saw---what they rode slowly by in their covered wagons

(and for the record, those covered wagons were not as big as the look in the movies--they had replicas at the Center.  So small, you could hardly take anything)

But, what they saw, oh man, what they must have thought. 
I think these hills are really cool.  We drive by them all the time, but we have a car-- we go fast, we have air-conditioning and heat if we need it.  I can drive by and be home in an hour---those pioneers couldn't make it past these things in day.

I would have seen them and run crying!  

But now, I think they're beautiful.

These were two 'quotes' on the walls going into the Interpretive Center.

They are referring to the river that runs thru our town.  It really is kind of muddy in a good year.  Right now, it's all dried up.

It just dawned (donned?) on me....this Interpretive Center is closed now, because of the Government Shutdown.
Hopefully something can get worked out soon, as I'd hate anyone to miss this.