Day 51 Recap; The Oregon Trail

More than a quarter of a million American emigrants, mostly those seeking unclaimed gold spoils, exotic fur for trading, or farmland, made the trek from Missouri to California from the 1840′s to the 1850′s. These settlers were part of the greatest mass migration in American history, their willingness to cross the Rockies, the Great Basin, and the Sierra Nevada’s was responsible for eventually extending the United States to the Pacific Ocean. Before this, and even as late as the mid-1840′s, fewer than 2,000 total American emigrants ever made the trek west due to the difficulty of the journey through the uncharted wilderness west of Missouri. That all changed with the creation of the Oregon and California trails, and thanks to the trail pioneers like Kit Carson, Joseph R. Walker, and Jedediah Smith, the Continental United States as we now know it was able to take shape. With a special thanks to the California Trail, which we met up with on Highway 50 this morning in Fallon, Nevada, we’ve made it to Carson City, capitol of The Silver State.

We made our return to civilization today when we left the Loneliest Road in America behind us for good. Highway 50 between Fallon and Carson City boasted some exotic sights we haven’t seen in several days, like power lines, cell phone reception, bathrooms, and cars. When we stopped for a quick break in Silver Springs, Nevada, Dan observed how nice it was to take an “East Coast” break, since we hadn’t gotten the chance to stop for a cold Gatorade after riding 20 miles in several weeks. Though it’s nice to be back in the land of people and Snickers bars, there’s a part of us that misses the openness of the Great Basin. The time between stops didn’t just force us to carry extra water and beef jerky, we got to see the land as it probably sat when people passed through here in wagons or on horseback for the first time. It’s an experience we’ll always remember and recount as the most difficult yet rewarding part of the trip.

We rolled into Carson City just before 1:00 p.m., and the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the edge of town are now the only thing standing between us and the Pacific by the end of the week. The light at the end of the tunnel is in sight, so the energy and enthusiasm amongst us is palpable. Help share our enthusiasm by telling a friend about our journey and the Wounded Warrior Project! MTV’s viewing audience for The Hills grew exponentially towards the series finale a couple weeks ago, so we’re confident that similar good fortune could help us get closer to our fund raising goal. Keep spreading the word, and we’ll keep pedaling. Deal? Deal.

Celebrating started a bit early with a visit to In-N-Out Burgers for lunch, but we’re focused on getting over this mountain range tomorrow. Though it’s no match for the Rockies or the mountains of Western Utah, we’re geared up and ready to go so the real celebrating can begin this weekend. Thanks for the support. Back to the road…

- The XC10 Guys

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Tagged as: California Trail, Carson City, Continental United States, Day 51, Fallon, Gatorade, In-N-Out Burger, Jedediah Smith, Joseph R. Walker, Kit Carson, Oregon Trail, Sierra Nevada, Silver Springs, Silver State, Snickers