Researching Maps and Sarsaparilla

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Portion of a BLM map showing portions of Wyoming and mid-1800s travel routes including the Oregon Trail, stage routes, and railroads. 
 
This is a section of a map produced by the BLM that shows much of the portions of Wyoming that I need for my projects. The geography is limited, but it nicely shows a lot of the mid-1800s travel routes including the Oregon Trail, stage routes, and railroads.

 We got up today and had the last of the hatch green chili frittatas for breakfast. I then headed off a but early for Lander to buy a few groceries. $147 later... A lot of it was items that last for weeks, but we were due. Also, a bit of a splurge for a salmon fillet.

One the way back to South Pass City, I saw three pronghorn antelope, I had not seen any on the earlier trip.

Back at the trailer, Connie and I put the groceries away and I started the smoker. I smoked six ears of corn for dinners the next three nights, then I smoked a hamburgers for lunches. While the corn was smoking, I dried brined the salmon (brown sugar and kosher salt) and placed it in the refrigerator to cure overnight.

Connie was back and forth with the laundry and I worked on a couple of research items. I am trying to build a few maps for the Lovejoy journals project to show where he lived at various times, where really interesting stories happened, and to show how much he moved around in his daily travels. I am also working on a map to help answer a question I get all the time in the store and the saloon- This is South Pass, so where does the Oregon Trail go through town? Well, there are four South Passes- the geographic feature, the pass along the trail, South Pass City that Mark Twain passed through (actually a stage stop that was later renamed Burnt Ranch), and, of course, the fabulous South Pass City that became today's state historic site. A map would explain this nicely. 

I reached a stopping point on the map projects and did a bit of writing on an other small project- explaining what sarsaparilla is where it comes from. I leave as a mystery, at this time, why most people pronounce sar-sa-par-ill-a as sas-par-ill-a.

Before dinner, I sat outside for a bit and watched the hummingbirds. We have a lot fewer around than in the recent past. I never saw more than three at a time. That may be it. 

For dinner, I heated a couple of ears of corn on the grill and tossed on a couple of swordfish steaks.

I read a bit after dinner and then did a bit of writing. 

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