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| We left Fayetteville on June
25th, 2013 heading due north to Canada and then back down to
Montana. Our first stop was at St. Joseph, MO where we toured the
Pony Express Museum. The tour lasted a bit over an hour and we
learned some very interesting things about this service. Nothing
fancy in this museum which is housed in a reconstructed building on the
original site of the first Pony Express stables. St. Joseph looked
like, at one time, it was a large industrial city with a bit of
grandeur. There are a number of very large older buildings which we
assumed were either old hotels or old manufacturing and distribution
facilities. Sadly, most of these buildings are in disrepair and St.
Joseph is in decline. We stayed at the Beacon RV Park. Check out Ann's Journal for more interesting
facts about the Pony Express. |
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| The pony express riders had a
leather "mochila" over their saddles that could carry 22 pounds
of mail in four pouches. Here you can see two of the pouches.
Three of the four were locked when the mail left the initial station
either at Sacramento or St. Joseph. The other pouch was left open to
pick up military messages and mail along the way. I suppose when the riders
changed horses or handed off the mail to the next rider, they didn't do as
we have seen in the movies. Looks like they had to dismount, remove
the mochila and put it on the next horse. |
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| We arrived at the International
Peace Garden campground on the afternoon of Friday, June 27th.
Initially thought we might stay a couple of nights, but the bugs were a
bit much and we were able to drive around the Garden the afternoon we
arrived and see most of the big stuff. This picture is of the main
memorial to peace between our two nations. |
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| During our tour of the gardens,
we noted many picnic areas. At this particular area, we spotted a
loon and even heard its call. Some have described the call as eerie,
lonesome and haunting. |
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| Harley got off leash for a bit
at the picnic area and soon found some loon poop. Made him very
happy and his mama very mad. |
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| It is not often you see
religious writings in "national parks." I suppose this is
here because the International Peace Garden is co-managed by the US and
Canada. Anyway, this monument was erected over 50 years ago and
still is in wonderful condition. Hope it stays there a long, long
time. |
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| We left the International Peace
Garden campground in North Dakota and crossed into Canada with an easy
pass through the Canadian customs. Bubba had never been to Manitoba,
so this was his chance to shine. However, there is not much to see
in southern Manitoba as it is all very rural with a very few small towns
scattered about. No real sightseeing opportunities. So, we
just motored along until we reached Saskatchewan. |
