The Newspaperman

For as long as I can remember, I have collected newspapers published in the places I (or my family and friends) have visited. My favorite ones were the English papers I bought while on my trip to Europe in 1998. I'm not really a pack-rat, so I don't still have them all, but I do like to read them when I'm in a new place. The Sunday ones are the best. It's good for getting a feel for a new city. On our road trip, I plan to collect as many newspapers as I can. I will have a post at the end of our trip summarizing all the different papers I have. Think of it as a "newsworthy" documentary record of our trip. It will also be interesting to track similar stories published in different newspapers in different regions of the country. For example, how will the war in Iraq be treated in the big-city Seattle Post-Intelligencer (I love that name, don't you?) versus the small-town Salina Journal? I'll be on the lookout especially for alternative newspapers and journals, like our very own Oklahoma Observer. If anybody has any recommendations of papers that you've encountered in your travels, leave the names in the Comments section. Happy reading!!

Where is the Burnin' Daylight Crew?

Well, I'm glad you asked!! You can check our current location (at least Carrie and Aaron's until we leave next month!) on the map on the upper right of the screen. Carrie worked hard yesterday to get this set up, so I hope everybody enjoys it.

Hopefully, we'll be able to post each night of our trip our route for the day and where we're spending the night. You can track our progress all the way out and back.

The Burnin' Daylight Crew: You're putting how many people in that van?

First, a few words about the blog title. Carrie's grandpa used the phrase “burnin' daylight” several times on the last Jones-Smith family reunion, to Albuquerque in 2005. Ever since, it's just kind of stuck with us. Her grandfather, Boyd, used to be a semi-truck driver, and has been to the Pacific Northwest many, many times (that's another, fascinating story for later). Now that you've briefly met one of the members, let me introduce you to the rest of the Burnin’ Daylight Crew (BDC).

1. Aaron--Hometown: Oklahoma City, OK
Trip blogger & archivist, resident historian, co-driver and co-navigator and general gadfly

2. Carrie--Hometown: Oklahoma City, OK
Fiancee of Aaron: co-navigator and co-driver of trip and technical genius behind the awesomeness that is Burnin' Daylight with Sacagawea

3. Rita--Hometown: Topeka, KS
Mother of Carrie, future mother-in-law of Aaron (don't worry, folks, I already love her): co-mastermind behind trip, co-navigator and co-driver, and hotel reserving whiz

4. Lloyd, a.k.a Bud--Hometown: Topeka, KS
Father of Carrie, future father-in-law of Aaron (he's an alright guy, I guess): provider of van, storyteller (every trip needs a storyteller), general wise-guy

5. Betty--Hometown: Ottawa, KS
Grandmother of Carrie, future grandmother-in-law of Aaron: human dynamo, thrifty travel expert, sometimes goes by the name "Firecracker"

6. Boyd--Hometown: Ottawa, KS
Grandfather of Carrie, future grandfather-in-law of Aaron: ex-trucker, rest-stop expert, co-navigator, co-mastermind behind trip, will be playing the role of our Sacagawea (only I don't think he knows Hidatsa or Shoshone)

7. Tracy--Hometown: Denton, TX
Sister of Carrie, future sister-in-law of Aaron: artistic, speed-eater, trip photographer (while she’s with us) will be flying in to Seattle to join us


8. Jeremy--Hometown: Denton, TX
Husband of Tracy, brother-in-law of Carrie: mechanical engineer, trip handyman (while he’s with us), will also be flying in to Seattle

So there you have it. The BDC lineup is finalized!

Trip Mileage on Outbound Leg

Rita calculated the mileage for us on the outbound part of the trip. These numbers are assuming Carrie and Aaron meet up with Bud and Rita and Grandma and Grandpa in Salina. If we decide to stay overnight in Topeka before setting off, the distance is longer. Here are the numbers in all of their gas-guzzling glory:

Oklahoma City to Longmont, CO--714 miles
Longmont to Rawlins, WY--495 miles
Rawlins to Butte, MT--539 miles
Butte to Ellensburg, WA--486 miles
Ellensburg to Eatonville, WA--142 miles (B&R and G&G will stay here, near Mt. Rainier, while C & A go on to Seattle)
Eatonville to Seattle, WA--60 miles

If my calculations are correct, that adds up to 2,436 miles folks! Yikes!! But if could be worse: we could have to paddle up the Missouri River in a flat-bottomed boat.

I will be posting a more detailed itinerary soon, so keep checking back.

History Lesson #1: A few words about our inspiration

Our blog is called Burnin' Daylight with Sacagawea. Why did we choose Sacagawea? The idea for the name came from a friend (thanks, Adjective Queen!), but honestly, I knew very little about Sacagawea. All I knew about her was that she was part of the Corps of Discovery on the Lewis and Clark expedition, but I knew little else about her personal history. Turns out I wasn't alone; not much is known for sure about Sacagawea's life before and after the expedition. In fact, there is no known contemporary likeness of Sacagawea so we don't even know what she looks like.

The Shoshone Indian, born in circa 1787 in what is now Idaho, was kidnapped at roughly age 12 by Hidatsa Indians and taken to one of their villages in what is now North Dakota. At age 13, she was sold to Toussaint Charbonneau as a "wife", but in actuality she was his slave. In fact, he bought another Shonshone girl at the same time and made her his "wife" as well.

Sacagawea was pregnant with her first child in 1804 when the Lewis and Clark expedition arrived at the Hidatsa villages. The two explorers hired the couple as a translating team as Sacagawea knew Shoshone and Hidatsa and Charbonneau knew Hidatsa and French. So for example, when the expedition met up with a Shoshone Indian, Sacagawea would speak to the Shoshone, translate his words to Hidatsa, Charbonneau would translate the Hidatsa to French, then finally a French member of the Corps would translate to English so Lewis and Clark could understand. Quite a translation assembly line they had going there!

Sacagawea was the only woman of the permanent party to make the complete trip to the Pacific and back. The Corps left the Hidatsa villages in April of 1805 and reached the Pacific Ocean on November 24, 1805. The Corps voted on where to camp for the winter, and Sacagawea's and William Clark's slave York's votes were counted. Click here for the National Park Service website for the winter camp, Fort Clatsop, which Carrie and family have already visited on a previous visit to the Northwest. I would like to visit the fort, perhaps on our way back from the reunion. Maybe I'll even be able to blog from Fort Clatsop. I can only imagine what Sacagawea would have thought of this!

The Corps returned to the Hidatsa villages on August 14, 1806. Sacagawea's compensation for this arduous, sixteen-month voyage, where her skills as a translator and food gatherer were invaluable? Zero. Her husband's compensation? $500 and 320 acres of land. Read more about Sacagawea's life and the theories surrounding her death here and here.

What is my point in giving you this brief history of Sacagawea? Mainly it's just because I knew very little about Sacagawea, and I wanted to learn more about her and introduce her to everyone. I'm going to keep her in mind as we travel. What was she thinking as she set off into the unknown? How did she interact with friendly natives? Hostile ones? How did she interact with her master-husband and with Lewis and Clark? How can the answers to these questions inform present-day travelers in 21st century America? My hope is that the courageous example set by this common Shoshone woman will be an example to all of us as we set out on our own journey into the unknown. Now if I only knew anything about digging roots and collecting berries!

An introduction and a brief outline of the trip

I decided to start this blog to document a family trip to the Pacific Northwest. My goal is to be able to post nightly during our journey, updating family and friends on our progress. Carrie may also be posting as she sees fit. I will post a complete outbound itinerary later, as well as a complete list of people who are making this four-wheeled voyage to the sea and back. For now, some bare bones facts:

What: The Biannual Jones-Smith Family Reunion (this includes Carrie's maternal grandfather's family)

When: The reunion is scheduled for July 15, 16, and 17

Where: Washington State's Kitsap Peninsula; specifically the Suquamish Clearwater Casino and Resort. Here's a link to the room we'll be staying in, the Chief Seattle suite. Click on the Chief Seattle suite link toward the bottom of the page for a virtual tour. It really is amazing.

Who: The Burnin' Daylight Crew (more on these characters in a later post)


Why: Because it's going to be a freakin' awesome roadtrip, that's why.

How: Two vehicles as of now, a 1999 Ford Econoline full size van and (possibly) my 2005 Toyota Prius, plus an assorted melange of luggage.

Now that you know the basics, check back soon for the next installment: a rogues' gallery of characters, the Burnin' Daylight Crew.