In keeping with all things from the turn of the last century, I cannot leave out the iconic chuck-wagon. There’s that great scene in John Wayne’s The Cowboys, where the boys get a hold of the bottle of whiskey hidden in the chuck-wagon and then they’re all sick the next morning. The staples were biscuits, beans and coffee-simple and filling. I guess it’d be like the first traveling camper, not the pop-up type, but more the 5th wheel only with mules or horses. I do wonder how they decided who would get the peppermint stick in the coffee bag! But how wonderful would it have been, after riding all day in the dust and muck of a herd of cattle, to arrive back in camp, take care of your horse, and have a hot meal waiting with a tin cup full of coffee at a friendly campfire? Sound like heaven to me. Bunk down on the ground with your saddle as a pillow and cover up with your bedroll and probably fall into a fast, exhausted sleep. The closest I can come to this are the countless pack trips I’ve taken with high school kids and also adults up into the mountains. We had tents and pads, trail mix and Jolly Ranchers, backpacking food and instant coffee. It was still an exhausted sleep you fell into after taking in the unending stars and wondering who could be more blessed than you.
Sally Gerard 