September 2, 2020

The Town of Guernsey

Black Canyon Point Campground Guernsey, Wyoming

A morning walk with wild turkeys as companions.

We moved to another site with grandiose views of the lake and the cliffs.  We sat outside, enjoying the peace and stillness.

We drove into the town of Guernsey and followed signs to the Oregon Trail Ruts Historic Site.  The journey westward for most people started in the Missouri plains and as the Conestoga wagons crossed into Wyoming, the terrain became rougher and more difficult to navigate.  The journey west took four to six months.  These wagon ruts are permanently etched into the earth.  The 2,000 mile trail is one of the longest emigration routes in the world.

We wanted to get a carryout lunch but the Mexican restaurant we had seen on our way through town was closed.  There were not other places to choose from.  We went to the grocery and got summer sausage, cheddar, snap peas, guacamole, and grapes and took our impromptu picnic to the community park.  I worked on the blog here as well.

We stopped to see the CCC museum in Guernsey Park.  The building is a work of art with stone arches and timbers.  The displays are well done and worthwhile and tell the history of the area including, Native American culture, pioneers, mining, the Oregon Trail, and the building of the dam.  We napped and read in the late afternoon and then enjoyed a simple dinner of eggs and toast.

Our new campsite was a wonderful place to watch the sunset.

We watched as the colors faded and the stars began to pop out. We were consumed by darkness. We went back outside later to see the full moon, the corn moon. The moonlight was so bright it lit the cliffs and the lake water and it cast long shadows on the ground. It was pretty special.