Following the settlers

We spent the 1st night in North Platte, in the middle of the "Great Platte River Basin". I have always considered the drive on I-80 across NE one of the great boreing road trips of our time. However, I have to remind myself of the historical significance of this region. Originally hunting grounds for the Pawnee and other tribes, it was used in the early 19th century for fur trappers in the Rockies. The US Government officially explored the area in 1820 and again in 1840. By 1850, >90% of the settlers going to California and Oregon were following the Platte across this region. The Pony Express, the telegraph lines, and the trans-continental railroad followed soon thereafter.
We caught up with B&D at a truck stop west of Laramie, and joined up for the night at an RV park in Rawlins, WY. The picture is of our rigs. (It's hard to circle just 2 wagons!)
It requires a special relationship to spend weeks living with another person in less than 400 sq ft almost 24 hrs/day, and enjoy it. There are more than a million people doing so for months or years at a time. Most of these are not for economic reasons; many of them spent a million or more dollars on their rigs. Instead, it is a chance to live a different life, close to the country, and meeting other people who share the desire for exploration, learning, and interacting with people from every background imaginable.
By the way, today is our anniversery! Not a bad way to celebrate it.