August 5 - Douglas, WY to Lexington, NE

I'm going to see if I can post from my phone again. Left Douglas, WY. Stopped in Guernsey to view a piece of the past...the Oregon Trail.  We saw the ruts where the settler's wagons drove heading for the West. These ruts were 5' deep through sandstone. We also saw the Register Cliffs where settlers carved their names and dates as they went on their way west.

Next we stopped at Fort Larmie. the military post, was founded in 1849 when the army purchased the old Fort John for $4000, and began to build a military outpost along the Oregon Trail. For many years, the Plains Indians and the travelers along the Oregon Trail had coexisted peacefuly. As the numbers of emigrants increased, however, tensions between the two cultures began to develop. To help insure the safety of the travelers, Congress approved the establishment of forts along the Oregon Trail and a special regiment of Mounted Riflemen to man them. Fort Laramie was the second of these forts to be established. We walked around the many buildings that have been restored and some that are in ruin. At one time there were over 700 military men along with some wives and laundresses.

We recommend that when you plan to be in Wyoming you save time to visit both of these sites. We really enjoyed reading about the past and seeing some of the evidence.

After that stop we continued on our way and stopped in Lexington, NE for the night. As we were coming back from dinner, I took this beautiful western sunset.