Oregon Trail

I am a banker from Boston named Danny, and I am setting out for Oregon with Virtual, Apple, Breathe, and Ligs. This is my journal.

April 1: I took my $1,600 dollars in cash to Matt's General Store to buy some supplies. When I walked in, he was very receptive and told me what I would need. I examined his oxen, and, finding five yolks' worth of respectible animals, I took them. Next was food. Offered flour, sugar, bacon, and coffee, I took 1,000 pounds of food per Matt's reccomendation of 200 lbs per person. I can always hunt for more later. My wife, being the worrywart that she is, begged me to buy three sets of clothing per person, and I obliged. We'll be fine with just that, I hope. When I moved over to the ammunition, I realized right away that I'd need as much as I could get, so I bought almost a hundred packs of bullets, hoping I had too many and not too few. When I was about to walk out of the store, Matt called me back, saying I had forgotten spare parts. I grabbed three of each part, and left for Oregon.

April 7: We reached the Kansas river today. I surveyed the situation before deciding that we should cross the river. It was only five feet deep - how hard could it be? However, I was wrong. The river was too deep to ford, and we lost a wagon axle, a wagon tongue, and most importantly, two oxen. Apple, my young son, drowned.

April 12: We reached the Big Blue river crossing. Observing the river, I thought it looked deeper and faster than the Kansas, so I decided not to take my chances. I caulked the wagon and attempted to float across. Thankfully, we made it without incident, and I looked back on the river, remembering Apple.

April 16: We passed the gravesite of another traveller today. I decided to stop and take a closer look. Looking at the grave of "peperony and chease", I sighed, remembering my lost son, and how hard the journey must have been on others. Before it got dark, we moved on.

April 18: Although we were almost at Fort Kearney, I decided to try my luck with my new rifle and see if I could get some food. However, it was harder than I thought and came back emptyhanded.

April 20: We passed through Fort Kearney today. Nothing of interest happened. We stopped for a moment, loaded the wagon, and headed for Chimmney Rock.

May 3: We arrived at Chimney Rock. I checked our supplies, but nothing was low, and so we continued towards Fort Laramie.

May 8: We are at Fort Laramie. I decided to take a look around. It was a nice enough place, but nothing enticed me, so we passed through.

May 13: There was a severe thunderstorm today. It was so wet the oxen couldn't make heads or tails of the road and the wheels were slipping all over the place. We decided to stop and wait the storm out in our wagon.

May 19: We found an abandoned wagon. With a pang of guilt, the boys and I rooted through the debris and managed to recover a set of clothing and a wagon tongue. This managed to make up for the equipment lost in the flood.

May 25: We arrived at Independance Rock. Unfortunately, there was a river just beyond, and we'll have to cross it soon. However, our food was starting to run low, so I have made a promise to myself to hunt something soon.

May 27: I tried to hunt again today. I wasted a bullet on a quick deer before bringing down a bison with a lucky shot. The beast was almost 900 pounds, but, being only a man, I could manage to lug a mere 100 pounds of meat to the wagon. On the bright side, that's 100 pounds of meat we didn't have before. I'll trust my rifle more often.

May 31: Breathe was running around alongside the wagon when he yelled that he'd found "bewwies". I came to find that he had indeed discovered berries, tons of them. They were ripe and black, leaking purple juice on the fingers of anyone who touched them. We ate our fill and gathered some in my shirt. We could use the extra 20 pounds of food.

June 3: We found more fruit today, just outside South Pass. They were the same berries as before, albeit a little less ripe. We harvested many. I'm sure our food supply will appreciate it.

June 4: We are in South Pass. It is nice here, and we spotted many families like ourselves, wanting to make new lives in the west.

June 5: Just outside of South Pass, the trail divides. My wife and I examined our map. Despite our experience at the Kansas river, we decide to head for the Green River Crossing.

June 7: Ligs wandered off into the forest beside the wagon. We went about a mile before realizing we had lost here and we spent the rest of the day looking for her.

June 9: As we neared the river, I figured that there would be a lot of prey near this water source, so I dusted off my rifle, that I haven't used in half a month, and went out. I wasted three shots and brought back no meat. I'll go out again tomorrow.

June 10: I went again for food. There was a few bears, but I missed both. I was spooked by a rabbit and wasted a third shot. There are no buffalo here, and I'll stop shooting until there are.

June 12: We reached Green River Crossing. It was vastly deeper than both other rivers we'd experienced so far, so we played it safe and took the ferry. We waited two days so we could cross on the ferry.

June 14: We boarded the ferry and made it safely across.

June 18: The past few days, there hasn't been any good grass for the oxen to eat, and not much water for them to drink either. I decided to go hunting again, despite the fact that I suspected I'd find nothing. I barely missed a deer and again brought back nothing.

June 25: We broke a wagon weel. I tried to fix it, and was successful. Although I have a couple new bruises, we are on our way.

June 26: There was bad water today. One of the boys drank some and threw up. We didn't let the cattle near it. Thankfully, we're near Soda Springs and can get help soon.

June 28: We are in Soda Springs. I need to go out and get some more food, because we are low. Earlier, I would have trusted my gun, but I've only shot one buffalo so far and it's too risky. I traded a man 100 bullets in exchange for 50 pounds of food. I was grateful, but I decided I'd have to try my luck the first night out of Soda Springs.

June 29: I went out for food. I shot a squirrel, but perhaps it was a waste of a cartridge, I only could glean 2 pounds of meat from it.

June 30: I had no choice but to go back out for more meat. I barely missed a bear, but came back emptyhanded. I have to try one more time.

July 1: I said I would, so I went back out. Lady luck was on my side today, and I found a very open spot of land, where I camped. I shot two bears, and managed to bring back 100 pounds of bear meat.

July 4: Happy Independance Day to us! Despite there being very little grass yesterday, we discovered some wild blueberries and gathered them. 20 pounds of fruit supplemented our meals very nicely.

July 7: When we got to Fort Hall, the first thing we saw were numerous deer grazing right outside the city. I raised my gun, but my wife cautioned me, and I observed that they were eating grass. I moved the oxen over to graze, then moved into the town. We passed through without incident.

July 9: I went hunting again. However, I came back a couple bullets poorer and no meat added to the rations. I went back out later that day, hoping that I would find a better spot. I shot an 160 pound bear and pulled back 100 pounds. My family was grateful.

July 12: We discovered fruit again today. Wild strawberries have always been Ligs' favorite, so we had a lot, and gathered 20 pounds.

July 13: We found another abandoned wagon today. There was an appreciated set of clothing and a wagon axle, but best of all there was 42 bullets. We need all that we can get.

July 14: I don't know how, but Ligs has contracted Typhoid. This is bad, and I hope it's not contagious.

July 15: Virtual, my son, while walking outside the wagon, collapsed. He was so tired that he couldn't keep walking. Ligs, despite his fever, went outside in his place, and his leg got caught under the wheel, breaking it. Our good health this journey has finally worn out.

July 18: Virtual collapsed from exhaustion for good today. His eyes rolled back and we knew that he was gone. We gave him a swift burial and went on our way. We were somewhat hardened from Apple's death, but there's a hole in my heart.

July 20: Although there's only three of us left, food is still a concern. I went out to hunt again. Luckilly, I felled a bear and brought back a hefty chunk of meat. Hopefully that will sustain us for a while.

July 23: Ligs, somehow the brunt of all injuries, broke his arm today. He might have fallen out of the wagon or something, but he was lying outside of the wagon, groaning. We picked him up and set his arm, but I don't know what else he could break.

July 27: We are at the Snake River. I hoped we will cross safely. There were many Native Americans there. Maybe this boded well. We exchanged two sets of clothing with a Shoshoni guide in order to take our wagon across safely. He promised to help us float across. The wagons that we'd found payed this debt, and we made it across safely.

July 29: Examining our map, my wife and I realized that our next stop was Fort Boise, which was in Idaho. We are almost there! I went out to hunt, and brought back a 74 pound deer.

August 5: My wife broke her leg today. She was walking outside and stepped in a hole but tried to keep walking. Her leg broke. I hope that nothing bad will happen.

August 8: A lot has gone wrong so far, but we are in Boise! We're almost there. I moved through the fort and made on our way. I prepared to hunt for some food. I shot a bear with my first shot, and although rabbits and squirrels came abnormally close to me, I didn't think it was worth it to shoot them.

August 13: One of the oxen was injured while walking the road. Luckily, we've been pasturing some that were following the caravan, and we yoked one up and continued.

August 14: On a lucky reflex shot, I shot a deer. 70 pounds of meat was much appreciated in the wagon.

August 24: The trail was impassable, with rocks piled high across the path. We had to spend four days circumventing it, but we finally got on our way. I can see the Blue Mountains.

August 29: I've arrived at the outpost in the Blue Mountains. We passed through, but I decided to look for trading opportunities to obtain more food. However, no one was there and I wasn't able to find any extra food. I will hunt when I get out.

August 30: I decided to head for The Dalles at the break in the trail. Later on, I went hunting. I didn't hit anything.

September 1: While traveling, I saw we had less than 75 pounds of food left, so I went hunting for the hundreth time this trip. No animals came into range.

September 2: I went hunting again today. I finally hit a lucky shot on a deer and brought back some food.

September 4: Ligs was exhausted today, and I let him ride inside the wagon.

September 10: The trail was rough today, so while Ligs and Breathe were clearing out the path, I went hunting again.

September 13: I went hunting, because we only had 50 pounds of food. Thankfully, I brought back a bear, and 100 pounds of food.

September 14: I shot a deer and a rabbit, getting 71 pounds of food.

September 16: My wife got a feber from the warmth. Thankfully, we're nearing the river and can't have far to go.

September 17: We reached the Dalles today. I decided to float down the Columbia River. We floated a ways, before landing in the Willamette Valley in Oregon.

Points:
3 people in poor health - 900
1 wagon - 50
8 oxen - 32
9 spare wagon parts - 18
15 sets of clothing - 30
1885 bullets - 37
178 pounds of food - 7
$757.00 cash - 151
Total - 1225

Thanks for showing me that game. If you want to play it yourself, go to http://www.virtualapple.org/oregontraildisk.html

Have fun making it to Oregon, and let me know if you beat my score.

The Bard vs. Crazed Prologue - Civilization IV

Yesterday, Bard and Crazed played Civilization IV together, and the results were disastrous. Crazed was playing as Frederick and the Germans, while Bard was Alexander and the Greeks. Things were going well at about 1,000 A.D., with Bard making friends with Hastepshut, Qin Shi Wang, and Frederick. Then, Julius Caesar, Bard's close neighbor, demanded 600 gold, a technology, and that Bard stop dealing with Crazed. Bard, not in a position to make such a trade, refused, and Caesar declared war. Crazed quickly joined the cause, but that was to be his undoing. Crazed quickly supplied Bard with a few troops and Construction, allowing Bard to make catapults. He made catapults, War Chariots, Horse Archers, and a few of the Grecian special units, Phalanx, to defend his cities. Meanwhile, he persuaded Hatsepshut, with the Paper technology, to join the war as well. Unfortunately, not being on the front at all, the Egyptian leader did next to nothing. Bard sent reinforcements, even once managing to recapture Crazed's city of Cologne. Bard also sent for reinforcements from his colonies in Africa, and started researching Gunpowder as fast as he could.

This would give him an advantage in the war if he was to get it in time. Crazed, having a huge surplus of gold, traded Bard some to fund his studies. However, Frankfurt fell to Caesar shortly after 1500 A.D. He shut off the computer in a rage, and Bard, knowing he was next, quit the game. That's what happens when you and your rival try to cooperate. Maybe if Hatsepshut did something...

Next time - Crazed and Bard duke it out in the RTS Star Wars: Empire at War.