A couple weeks ago, the Olaf Wieghorst 
Western Heritage Day's Festival took place in El Cajon, California. It's always great to be able to get out and interact with the public in that type of environment. After 6 years, I'm still amazed at the reaction people have when they see the stagecoach, whether it's the memories it conjures, the curiosity it piques or the awe it inspires. Men and women, young and old — so many people are drawn to it.
And because I love to educate and tell stories, it was a great time.
After spending the weekend dressed in an 1870s costume, complete with waist coat and pocket watch, answering questions and telling stories about stagecoaches and Wells Fargo history in the hot El Cajon Valley sun, I decided to take a day off.
So, here I sit with my road atlas, a well-warn copy of The Butterfield Overland Mail by Waterman L. Ormsby, Post-it Notes in three colors, and of course, my laptop with internet at the ready. What could I possibly be doing?
Well, if all goes as planned, I will have the unique opportunity to travel the old Butterfield mail route from St. Louis to San Francisco. What's the occasion you ask? As many of you may know, this year is the 150th anniversary of the first overland mail trip via the Butterfield Route .
As part of our celebration of this anniversary — which will include new interactive exhibits in our museums! — I'm hoping to recreate the trip in the same amount of time as the historic journey .
Launching from St. Louis on September 16 and arriving in San Francisco on October 10 (to what I imagine will be a ticker tape parade!), I'll spend 26 days on the road. I plan to blog, video, photograph and interview interesting people and places I see along the way.
As you can imagine, this is no small undertaking: which brings me back to the atlas, book, post it notes, etc.
Right now, I'm in the process of working out the logistics, budget, research and all else that goes into planning a trip of this kind. I can only imagine what planning, anxiety and excitement must have gone into the pioneers' and 49ers' preparations. It's been a lot of work so far, but I think it will be incredibly rewarding in the end.
I can't wait to share this experience with you! So keep your fingers crossed and I'll keep you posted....
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