Brigham City, Utah

Our destination for day one was Brigham City, Utah. It's an old town that has been over run with the usual strip malls and fast food. We did take advantage of the Walmart for a few things we forgot from home. The setting is nice with views in all directions. The mountains to the North and East and the Salt Lake basin to the west. Why, you ask, Brigham City? Jim and I have actually been here before- it's the closest town to Promentory Point and Golden Spike National Historic Site. This is the place where the East met West and they drove the golden spike to connect the lines and create the Transcontinental Railroad. In preparation we have spent the past few days talking about the railroads and how the cross country line changed travel in our nation. The girls were surprised that St. Louis was the starting point for the journey west. (They remember St. Louis for the City Museum more then the gateway to the west...) They are glad we are in Big Red and can appreciate that the journey we did yesterday would have taken 3-4 weeks in a covered wagon. The train cut that time to days and we did it in one. There are no real tracks through Promentory anymore. They diverted the railroad not long after it was complete, and then pulled up the track to use the metal to build tanks during WWII. There is a demonstration railroad with old trains and a replica of the golden spike. The real one is in the Leiland Stanford museum in California. Regardless, it's a great history lesson and an interesting look into how they graded the land and built railroads.