Comparing our day with the 1840s pioneers

A pioneer in a Conestoga wagon would cover 10-15 miles on a good day. On a rainy, muddy day he may only cover 1 mile! On our road trip we will be covering 400 miles a day on the average.

We know just where we are going. We have even seen the road and exits on google maps.
Our pioneer would hope he had a good guide that knew the way to California or Oregon. Some guides got lost and it could end in disaster for the wagon train.

The pioneer's guide needed to know where good water was for the people and the animals. We will have plenty of bottled water with us and besides, we can get good water at any town or rest stop. Our transportation does not need more water throughout the day.

The loaded Conestoga wagon was a very noisy place, all the pots and pans and other things hanging from hooks inside banged against each other all day long. We will have headphones on the dvd's, ipods, etc. Yeh, Cathy will have the music turned up on the CD!

The roads will be rather comfortable. And we have nice springs on the vans. The wagon trains were traveling on "trails", rutted, rocky, dusty, hot, cold, wet, dry. We will be in air conditioned/heated bliss on nice smooth asphalt. And we have windshield wipers!

They brought some food (the kind that has to last a LONG time) or they would have to hunt for their meals. We will be bringing some food, we will have coolers, too, and we will never be too far from a grocery store if necessary. Oh, we are hitting a few subway sandwich places too.

They would have to set up camp in the middle of nowhere, putting their wagons in a circle for mutual protection. A few of the men would have to stay up all night keeping an eye on the animals. We have reservations at all the stops we are going to make. We will have water, table and RESTROOMS! Some places even have electricity!!!

Speaking of restrooms, the women on a wagon train would go off together for privacy and safety. If they were on the open flat plains they would gather around in a circle and hold their skirts out to give each some privacy.