My Artsy Side – An Image & A Story
Having Art In My Heart
I spent most of my roadtrips in 2020 going to reenactments, and I must say the guy in the picture above is my favorite for authenticity. I often wonder what he does in the 21st century version of himself? There will eventually be many posts reporting on specific reenactments, but for this one I just want to point out some of the best of the best reenactors.
Since an early age, I have been fascinated with American history. The fur trapper rendezvous, especially the original one started in 1825 at Ft. Bridger, Wyoming, was put on my dream list of destinations. I was fortunate enough to visit it in 2018. 60,000+ people attended the 2023 version.
Getting there was one of those “If Not Now, When?”. My µRV fabrication was complete, and my wife was having a period of a degree of wellness, so I believed I could leave her by herself, with emergency help nearby, for the week it would take for the 2800-mile round trip. The above picture was one of the first ones I took upon entering the grounds. It seemed strange that the young man was carrying a skillet. I would find out later why.
The other very surprising thing that quickly dawned on me as I was entering the grounds was that almost everyone was dressed for the period. I felt awkwardly and out of place, so quickly found a vendor selling rendezvous type clothing, and bought what I needed to blend in with the crowd. I have been to perhaps 20 reenactments/rendezvous, so I have something to compare this one to. Except for one other event, I can say that the Ft. Bridger Rendezvous was head-and-shoulders above the rest. The Native American stuff was the outstanding. All the people dressed in period garb made it almost surreal.
I will let the pictures below tell you the rest of the story. I did make it back home just short of a week, and my wife made it through my absence with no “events”.
