Three-Island Crossing

The Oregon Trail was the scene of one of the greatest migrations of people in this country's history. Over 50,000 men, women and children (some historians say as many as 300,000) traveled over the 2,000 mile trail in search of a better life in Oregon.

History tells us that traveling the Oregon Trail was difficult. At what is now Three Island State Park, the emigrants had a difficult decision to make. Should they risk the dangerous crossing of the Snake, or endure the dry, rocky route along the south bank of the river?

The rewards of a successful crossing were a shorter route, more potable water and better feed for the stock. About half of the emigrants chose to attempt the crossing by using the gravel bars that extended across the river. Not all were successful; many casualties are recounted in pioneer diaries.

Mrs. Marcus Whitman, August 13, 1836:
"They were preparing to cross the Snake River. The river is divided by two islands into three branches, and is fordable. The packs are placed upon the tops of the highest horses and in this way we crossed without wetting. Two of the tallest horses were selected to carry Mrs. Spaulding and myself over. Mr. McLeod gave me his and he rode mine. The last branch we rode as much as half a mile in crossing and against the current too, which made it hard for the horses, the water being up to their sides. Husband had considerable difficulty in crossing the cart. Both cart and mules were turned upside down in the river and entangled in the harness. The mules would have been drowned but for a desperate struggle to get them ashore. Then after putting two men swimming behind to steady it, they succeeded in getting it across. "

Elizabeth Wood, August 21, 1851:
"We forded the Snake River, which runs so swift that the drivers (four to a team) had to hold on to the ox yokes to keep from being swept down by the current. The water came into the wagon boxes, and after making the island we raised the boxes on blocks, engaged an Indian pilot, doubled teams, and reached the opposite bank in safety."

Cornelia A. Sharp, August 9, 1852:
"This day we traveled five or six miles to the river. where we remained all day. Made several attempts to swim our cattle, but without success." August 10: "This morning we finally abandoned the idea of crossing the river; gathered up our cattle, hitched up our teams and took the sand and sage for it."

Emigrant Narcissa Whitman:
"Husband had considerable difficulty crossing the cart. Both the cart and the mules were capsized in the water and the mules entangled in the harness. They would have drowned, but for a desperate struggle to get them ashore. Then after putting two of the strongest horses before the cart and two men swimming behind to steady it, they succeeded in getting it over."

Emigrant Samuel Hancock:
"We lost 2 of our men, Ayres and Stringer. Ayres got into trouble with his mules in crossing the stream. Stringer, who was about thirty, went to his relief, and both were drowned in sight of their women folks. The bodies were never recovered."

Pioneer travelers used the Three Island ford until 1869, when Gus Glenn constructed a ferry about two miles upstream.

Ode to My Luggage

Oh, luggage, dear, luggage
where might you be?
I’m here for 8 days now,
and you’re not with me.
The brown, vinyl cover,
which caresses your frame
is a hazy, vague memory,
from whence we both came.
You hold my belongings,
my shoes and my clothes.
I can’t live without you,
but I must, I suppose.

The shirts and the blue jeans,
the belts and the socks.
Where have you traveled
and where must you be?
On this trip you’ve been
to more places than me.
To Paris? To Venice,
Japan and Bombay?
Are you down in Austrailia,
or in Mandalay?
Are you standing atop Gibralter,
the rock up in Spain,
Singing loudly, “the rain
stays mainly in the plain”.
My Kenneth Cole’s and Doc Martin’s
My Prada and 2Xist,
Please bring my belongings.
I’m getting quite pissed.
Oh luggage, I miss you.
Hear my plight and my plea.
Come find me in India,
in my room, safe with me.
Good night all………..Ciao.

By John Hess

Travel Insurance

Once upon a time, a time when I was much younger than I am today, during a period of my life that carried little responsibility when compared to the life I lead today, I felt Travel Insurance was little more than a scam. A way to milk a few extra dollars of profit out of my discount travel arrangements. After all, I was a young Naval Aviator when I first learned of Travel Insurance. I was surely bullet proof, and completely indestructible. Or so I was taught to believe.

As I grow older in life and assume more responsibilities, as I collect more real estate and add little ones to my life. As my parents grow older, and my own bones grow weaker, I realize that I’m neither bullet proof nor indestructible. There are, in fact, plenty of things in my life that could suddenly prevent me from enjoying a very expensive, pre-paid, non-refundable, family ski vacation. And I now realize that Travel Insurance may not be the scam I once thought it was.

So if you’re thinking to yourself, well I’m still young and indestructible, what do I need Travel Insurance for? I say, good for you! I was once equally bullet proof. But consider all of the things in your life that can go wrong before you say “no” to that seemingly devious offer of insurance. What if your skis are lost by the airline and it takes them until the end of your vacation to find them? What if your ski buddy breaks his/her leg? What if a pipe breaks in your home just hours before departure? What if a family member suddenly takes ill? What if a little thing called life does what it’s relatively famous for doing? Or, what if that dude named “Murphy” makes a house call?

Consider my buddy Tim who is coming out to ski Big Sky with me in a couple of weeks. If I do something stupid and re-injure that recently broken leg of mine between now and then, Tim’s trip gets all screwed up too. And all he did was answer the phone! With all the things that could go wrong in this world of ours, an ounce of Travel Insurance makes a pound of good sense.

Powder Snow Days

In 1992 I was injured while working as a Firefighter. That injury changed my life forever, but not before it robbed me of most of my childhood memories. Despite the injury I still remember what I got for Christmas when I was just 5 years old. A shiny new sled. Several weeks later, and before I really got a chance to properly break in the sled, we moved to Florida. I didn't understand why I had to leave my sled behind. But like most 5 year olds my attention span wasn't very long and in a few short hours I moved on to new things and eventually forgot all about the sled.

Growing up in Florida didn't really offer very much in the way of cold weather. And it certainly never snowed! So we didn't have the luxury of Snow Days in the winter. No matter how cold we thought it was, it was off to school like any other day. I was forced to learn about the value of Snow Days by reading Calvin & Hobbes.

For me, school was very much like serving a prison sentence. I was a "quick study" so school didn't leave much challenge for me. I quickly became bored and sought refuge with Calvin & Hobbes, and a few other select destinations - like Daytona Beach! I wanted to be Calvin, and in some respects I suppose I was. But there was no snow, and no parole from what I considered to be my prison. My Mother always told me that "Some day I would look back on this and realize that these were the best days of your life". I disagreed then. And I disagree today.

These are the best years of my life. My answer never really changes, anytime you ask I'm likely to reply that "these are the best days of my life". And it's mostly because I choose to reward myself with Powder Snow Days. And because I have Powder Snow Days, I have freedom. Total Freedom. Of course, being the boss doesn't hurt either. And even on the days when I can't find a dollar to put in my pocket, I'm still richer than the richest King of Kings. It's because I reward myself Powder Snow Days.

So if you happen to call Crew Tags this winter on a morning that gave us fresh powder (a.k.a. "cold steam"), chances are you'll find yourself in "voice mail jail" while we reward ourselves with another Powder Snow Day.

Not many of us have the opportunity to work for someone that will give us time off on Powder Snow Days. But I'm the boss around here. And on Powder Snow Days we all go skiing. So if you haven't already done so, I challenge you to write your own name in your own calendar and give yourself a few Powder Snow Days this year. You'll be glad you did!

Two Tags for Every Bag

It's true. Now that you have one luggage tag for each of your bags - you need another.

You already know how the airlines tend to handle your bags; and it's no secret how they consistently manage to squeeze 500 cubic feet of bags into a 400 cubic foot cargo hold. The weakest bag always loses. And when it does, the luggage tag gets lost with it. So next time you pack, pack an extra luggage tag INSIDE your bag. Hang it in an obvious place where an airline employee can see it if they have to open your bag. But make sure you attach it to something. Your bag may be opened for inspection and you wouldn't want the tag to get lost so early in your travels.

Risky Business

Traveling by air is full of inherent risks. It's never prudent to pack (or in some cases, even take along) expensive items or belongings that are hard or impossible to replace. Any valuables that you choose to take with you should be kept in your carry-on baggage. These valuables might include prescriptions, travel documents, cash and jewelry. Many mail order catalogs and retail travel stores offer numerous products such as money belts that you can use to conceal valuables.

If the nature of your travel demands that you routinely take expensive jewelry and clothing or equipment, be sure you cover their replacement value under an insurance policy purchased in addition to the automatic, limited coverage provided by the airlines. Check with your own insurance company for this protection or buy excess valuation coverage on the spot at the ticket counter

Most importantly, be inconspicuous. Dress casually and leave the Rolex at home. Make an effort to blend in with the crowd and you'll be invisible to those that would like to separate you from your valuables.

Fly Naked!

First there were Nude Beaches and Nude Scuba Diving. It was only logical that Nude Cruises would follow. And guess what, now you can fly naked too!

It's true. You can Fly Naked... Fly Nude... Fly In The Buff... all the way to EL DORADO RESORT & SPA in Cancun, Mexico. And I don't mean just the pilots, ALL the passengers get naked on this trip. (Really... Honest... This is NOT A JOKE) You, and 169 others, can enjoy 7 full days of nude swimming pools, nude beaches, nude bars and dozens of other nude activities. Naked-Air is just one of the MANY clothing-optional vacations offered by Castaways Travel.

Hot coffee on a nude flight? Ouch...!

Why didn't I think of this?

Airline-service cutbacks and airport-security delays are the worst! But nothing maddens travelers more these days than the knowledge that airport security is now rifling through their checked bags - breaking locks when necessary to do so. Complaints of theft and careless handling are now on the rise.

Promoting themselves as long-haul bellhops, Virtual Bellhop will pick up your bags and ship them to your hotel before you get there. Then, at the end of your trip, they ship them back home. Nice!

Luggage Tags for Wheelchairs??

It doesn't seem like a difficult thing. Take the wheelchair from the door of the airplane and put it in the cargo hold. Simple, right? Apparently not. Wheelchairs are disappearing from airplanes at an alarming rate and no one seems to know why. But my point here is a simple one. Much simpler than finding all those missing wheelchairs. If your wheelchair were missing, and someone found it, would the person that found it know how to get it back to you?

Answering that question with a "Yes!" is surprisingly simple. Put a luggage tag on your wheelchair - in an OBVIOUS place - before your next trip. You may already have your name and phone number on your chair, but how obvious is that information to a person that's in the habit of looking for luggage tags?

If a wheelchair is a part of your daily life I already know that you don't think of it as "luggage". It's far more important to you than that. But to the people that are going to put your chair on the airplane for you it's little more than a heavy, awkward piece of luggage. Spending a few dollars on luggage tags in an effort to protect your wheelchair just makes sense.