The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey

Rinker Buck and his brother travel the Oregon Trail in a wagon with a 3-mule team. There are 2 story lines: interesting and often little-known facts about the Oregon trail itself, and the story of 2 brothers who come closer together on their trip. The wagon is authentic, and restored by a person who creates items for Civil War re-enactments. The mules are from an Amish farmer. The trail was researched in-depth by Rinker before they left. Rinker's brother was a good mechanic and a top hand with horses and mules. They ran into a number of difficulties that the original pioneers did, and others that come from trying to follow the trail in modern time over fenced areas, areas paralleling freeways, and past stops that no longer exist. Rinker invokes both the drama and the humor involved with the whole adventure.