Parallel Approaches

Eleven hours of road time across southern Wyoming and into northern Utah was the bulk of my day yesterday. I drove on I-80 in parallel to the Transcontinental Railroad and Mormon Trail, while the Oregon Trail ran in a distant parallel farther north.

The winds were gusting 40+ mph and traffic slowed to a crawl where one semi-trailer sheared open another with their goods flying to the wind. Traversing this unforgiving land by foot, with push cart, on horse, or covered wagon must have been grueling.

After filling my tank at the Little America travel oasis (yay 75 cent ice cream cones), I raced sunset and cold rains to make it to the Golden Spike National Site in the isolated Promontory Point. Seeing the historic rail grades and imagining that glorious photo opportunity made this Omaha kid smile ear-to-ear.

I’ve made it into the mountains and will spend the next couple days here in Utah and Idaho before entering Oregon. The big thought on my mind is what can we learn from the parallel approaches those who came before us took to over their own big challenges.

The Native American peoples who lived here faced a seismic shift. The Mormons pilgrimaged from near and far to their Land of Zion. Settlers of all stripes and types streamed through these valleys and mountains seeking land and opportunity. All of them faced diseases and viruses that ravaged them, too.

Yet, here we stand. We are the heirs of those who overcame and persevered.

What lessons can we learn from those who had parallel experiences?