Parting of the Ways








The California Trail leaves the Oregon Trail at the Raft river, which now is nothing more than an irrigation ditch. It was the final decison point where emigrants had to decide if they were going on to Oregon, or wanted to seek their fame and fortune in California. The California Trail goes southwest from here, while the Oregon Trail continues west along the Snake River.








The plaque on the monument.This monument was built for an Eagle scout project.








The Calfornia Trail heads down this valley and into the City of Rocks area, before going into Nevada.







A couple of replica "prairie schooner" wagons like those used by the emigrants. The wagon box is about 10 feet long and 4 feet wide. These wagons are much smaller than the Conestoga wagons used in the east.








The City of Rocks is an area with unusual rock formations; the California Trail passed through here and it was often used for an encampment.  The name was coined by one on the emigrants and has stuck. The area is now a national preserve operated by the National Park Service.









Our camping spot for the night. Very scenic.










According to materials from the National Park Service, the City of Rock is second only to Yosemite as a place for rock climbing. We saw several climbers during our short stay there. Here, one climber is rappelling down while another is climbing up. The pitches are short ( a few hundred feet), but vertical.

From here we returned to the Oregon Trail and into southwestern Idaho.