tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36770289.post2527626201254743346..comments2024-01-20T20:11:51.589-07:00Comments on Telling Secrets: Crossing The Country by Covered WagonMartihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04492242951732140223noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36770289.post-81806224871266334302011-06-06T06:18:36.361-06:002011-06-06T06:18:36.361-06:00Marti, great post! Enjoyed the history and the &q...Marti, great post! Enjoyed the history and the "journey." I've thought so often of what it must have been like for those early pioneers, what it is like today for missionary friends of mine. I honestly don't know that I'd have what it takes to do what those who are called to "go" did/do, but then I remember that when/if God ever calls me to "go" beyond the mission field right here outside my own front door, that He'll equip me every step of the way as I lean on Him, and isn't that really the lesson of history? To lean hard on God, to walk every step in His light, to follow His still, small voice wherever He leads -- even just beyond my own front door?<br /><br />Thanks for a GREAT, thought-provoking post, Marti!Cindee Snider Rehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14997207017359343963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36770289.post-8885373728816341102011-06-01T20:21:48.381-06:002011-06-01T20:21:48.381-06:00Think about how amazing the train was in the begin...Think about how amazing the train was in the beginning? People were so excited about it! You could get places quickly, easily visit family you might seldom see otherwise. The decision over where to put the RR terminal had a big part in shaping politics in the mid to late 1800s in the Northwest.<br /><br />And here we are, a little over a hundred years later. Most Americans have chosen "independence" over trains and other public transportation. (It might seem like personal independence to be able to hop in your car any time you like, but we are depending on oil to do so -- at least most people w/o electric cars. even those WITH electric cars in places where fossil fuels supply the electricity.) <br /><br />And now we are realizing we need the trains back! We need more efficient transportation options - 1 person per vehicle is not very efficient! It's taken years for people to get together, get organized, and go through the process of building light rails, monorails, and other public transportation options! If only we'd keep going the direction we were headed over 100 years ago. Nope, still waiting for the interurban.Megan Noelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11855509464903187806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36770289.post-38811321936570602352011-05-30T11:20:06.050-06:002011-05-30T11:20:06.050-06:00Adam: I had always thought of the setting-the-west...Adam: I had always thought of the setting-the-west story as being a very "American" part of American history. And I suppose there was a lot of manifest destiny in there. But the way the story is told at this place in Caspar, many of these folks were leaving America if not their American identity. I suppose relatives in Philadelphia or Boston were horrified that they'd leave civilization, but I wonder if there was some other sense of loss or betrayal associated with the fact that they actually left the country? It's something I'd never considered. Makes me want to track down some more books...Martihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04492242951732140223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36770289.post-8369604755596127042011-05-30T11:15:33.928-06:002011-05-30T11:15:33.928-06:00Hey all, sorry for not checking in on comments soo...Hey all, sorry for not checking in on comments sooner. I'm in... of all places, Oregon. Though my journey required on a 737, not a covered wagon or steam engine. <br /><br />Traci, I can really related to what you share! My international trips have had some of those dynamics, too. Three months in Turkmenistan in the early 90s left a mark on me forever... Right after 9/11 I went back to that part of the world with a one-way ticket. Although I was planning on staying about a year, I didn't know whether it would be shorter or longer, and had to be prepared for the whole place to shut down what with the sudden change in the world's political dynamics. When I realized everything was going to be fine and I wasn't going to be evacuated, the months stretched out before me sooooo long. Culture shock, the start of winter, language learning, having my computer taken away and told to stay away from English speakers - and then there was Ramadan... fasting and culture shock make a killer combination! I started fantasizing about getting hit by a car or falling in the river, just to get out. It was weird! But I discovered, as you did, that I was capable of much more than I thought.Martihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04492242951732140223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36770289.post-50656967955855924152011-05-29T23:31:47.537-06:002011-05-29T23:31:47.537-06:00Great history lesson! Thanks for sharing!Great history lesson! Thanks for sharing!Sheila Hollingheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04364884603434329050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36770289.post-6458471308986302642011-05-28T21:46:32.833-06:002011-05-28T21:46:32.833-06:00A fascinating read Marti. I was kind of astounded ...A fascinating read Marti. I was kind of astounded when you said they "left the United States behind" to "strike off for destinations in places like Oregon, California, and Utah." I had no idea those places were not part of the United States. Obviously they must have joined later in their history. It makes me wonder what country they were classified as?<br /><br />I also loved the story of the man who decided he loved his wife more than gold.<br /><br />It must have been an amazing time and place to live in.<br /><br />Thanks for sharing. I love history.Adam Collingshttp://colonists.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36770289.post-17410580669673999652011-05-28T20:08:22.277-06:002011-05-28T20:08:22.277-06:00Great post! Reminded me of my 'Oregon History&...Great post! Reminded me of my 'Oregon History' class in college and our studies of the wagon trains and all their challenges. I grew up in Oregon City, the end of the Oregon Trail, so it gave me a little smile to see that as the end-point on your map. :)<br />Thanks for sharing!<br />~NonaAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12509230761700506291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36770289.post-44339489955621118622011-05-28T13:39:41.606-06:002011-05-28T13:39:41.606-06:00When we really stop to consider the hardships that...When we really stop to consider the hardships that early pioneers and explorers faced, it is truly amazing that they did what they did. I gives new meaning to the word tenacity and serves as a lesson to us to keep going - follow your dreams!Tracy Krausshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05066853243062725525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36770289.post-56930821093638235012011-05-28T07:56:24.191-06:002011-05-28T07:56:24.191-06:00Good post, Marti. It gave me a bit of perspective...Good post, Marti. It gave me a bit of perspective on my own family history. Some of my ancestors made that trek, and their descendents are in Oregon to this day. My paternal grandfather was originally from there.<br /><br />For me, a trip to another country was my Oregon Trail. I went not knowing how long I'd be there (turned out to be almost three years); not knowing anyone other than my boss, his wife and their six-year-old granddaughter, who were traveling with me; and barely knowing the language (I'd studied it for a year in high school and 5 semesters in college, but that was a decade prior to the move). I matured a great deal in the time I spent there and learned I was capable of much more than I'd previously thought. <br /><br />I also:<br />* took some wild cab rides with drivers who couldn't understand me (and one who tried to overcharge me);<br />* learned to navigate a major city on my own (getting lost and finding my way home from Saturday shopping trips became my new hobby);<br />* discovered I did actually know how to tell a restaurant manager there was a bug in my salad;<br />* and picked up all sorts of other useful lifeskills.<br /><br />Every journey, when placed into God's hands, can be to our good and His glory - even if it feels like it might kill us at the time.Traci Bhttp://tracibonney.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com