Although I've crisscrossed the nation several times, this was the first time I followed in earnest the route taken by pioneers across the Continental Divide. Some symbols struck me on the crossing that particularly deserve commentary.
When pioneers struck out for the plains, they were allotted a very small amount of personal property to take along so as not to bind up the progress of wagons. Today we cross the distance by car in as little as a day, but it took four to five months for them to do so on foot with wagons. People were allowed as little as 17 pounds of personal property, and so at the point of departure, there were immense piles of abandoned property. In some way, I envy their being able to put their problems behind them and get rid of deadweight. There is so much pressure of encumbering possessions- that everyone needs a new car every few years, an iPod/iPhone, a flatscreen TV, and the latest and greatest gadgetry. The pioneers took what they needed, and I believe that helped them be happier.
As we drove across Wyoming, the constancy of the wind really struck me. Walking into the wind, driving against it, watching the clouds driven by it, it struck me about the potential for increased strength occasioned by walking into a stiff wind. Americans enjoy a strength of character, will and spirit comparable to none because of the scope and range of challenges that combine to hedge up our way. By and large, we simply press on like our pioneer forefathers of old, growing stronger as we push and pull our way to the "West" uphill against opposition. That opposition makes us strong.
When pioneers struck out for the plains, they were allotted a very small amount of personal property to take along so as not to bind up the progress of wagons. Today we cross the distance by car in as little as a day, but it took four to five months for them to do so on foot with wagons. People were allowed as little as 17 pounds of personal property, and so at the point of departure, there were immense piles of abandoned property. In some way, I envy their being able to put their problems behind them and get rid of deadweight. There is so much pressure of encumbering possessions- that everyone needs a new car every few years, an iPod/iPhone, a flatscreen TV, and the latest and greatest gadgetry. The pioneers took what they needed, and I believe that helped them be happier.
As we drove across Wyoming, the constancy of the wind really struck me. Walking into the wind, driving against it, watching the clouds driven by it, it struck me about the potential for increased strength occasioned by walking into a stiff wind. Americans enjoy a strength of character, will and spirit comparable to none because of the scope and range of challenges that combine to hedge up our way. By and large, we simply press on like our pioneer forefathers of old, growing stronger as we push and pull our way to the "West" uphill against opposition. That opposition makes us strong.
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