City of Rocks National Reserve, Idaho
I’ll start by sharing that to get to this remote little corner of Idaho, Google Maps led us on ‘the fastest route’ that required traversing fifty-two miles of unpaved roads while towing the trailer. I was stressed out and spent a lot of the driving watching the remaining distance tick down on the GPS. But, as usual, our car and trailer rose to the occasion.
This was an interesting little stopover for us for two reasons: One is that it is a beautiful area with interesting rock formations that are popular with climbers and hikers. The second is that this is the spot where the historic Oregon Trail split, carrying travelers either further west to the Willamette Valley in Oregon or south to California to seek a fortune in gold.
Between the 1840’s and 1870’s hundreds of thousands of people passed through this spot, in wagon trains and on foot, leaving their names on a registry rock as they passed.
As an avid player of the Oregon Trail computer game growing up, if not so much an avid learner of American history, I was intrigued by traveling to this spot in real life. Westward expansion and the concept of manifest destiny are also topics that are covered in third grade, so I was hoping to set Ben up a little bit of relevant history, though our traveling party was a little less enthusiastic about the whole thing.
The little park lent itself well for Eli to do some beautiful runs and for all of us to hang out, read, and play board games.
Our little campground was a beauty and it was easy to spend time there. Although it was lovely, it’s unlikely we’ll ever travel this way again.
