In a rut....

This one is for Mom. Mom's small obsession with wagon wheel ruts became clear during multiple family vacations driving out west. We stopped at all kinds of Oregon Trail sites and saw ruts in corn fields, sage brush, as a part of highway rest stops, you name it.

I came across this Oregon Trail site on the Snake River plain in SE Idaho during the drive to Powell yesterday; the Massacre Rock historical site. Apparently about 10 Trail goers from 3 or 4 different wagon trains were killed during attacks here over the course of a couple days. Despite the slightly macabre association, there ARE nice rocks to look at, with Snake River canyon volcanics as the backdrop.

The top of the ruts was about even with the top of my head.
Just up the road is another site, called Register Rock, where many Trail goers carved their names in the rock; this is nicely surrounded by a giant chain link fence, in the middle of a picnicking park.
I've been told there are ruts here in Powell and that we may see them during the workshop field trip in the Big Horn Basin on Tuesday....