Toward the end of our Caravan bus trip we drove through a small corner
of Idaho to see a museum in Montpelier.
Montpelier:
This small town hosts an excellent museum: The NationalOregon / California Trail Center.
We had a chance to go back in time to visit a gun shop and mercantile
to prepare for a wagon train ride in a covered wagon! Live actors interpret the experience to
simulate the actual experience. Here’s part of our wagon train as we are camped around a fire to listen
to stories:
During the day, the children use this white rag on the wheel to count
rotations per day. This helps to
determine the number of miles traveled.
Later, a device like this one made by Waterville Wagon Works could be
purchased to help count the wheel rotations automatically!
The Museum had a wonderful display of all types of quilts during our
visit. This is my favorite:
Pocatello:
Later we returned to Idaho and stopped in Pocatello at this very
unusual museum: The Museum of Clean! If you are ever near Pocatello, you MUST go
to this museum … and ask for a tour!
I think the best way to describe this Museum is to let you read their
Mission / Vision statement:
Our Mission, Our Vision
The ultimate mission and vision of the Museum
of Clean is to sell the idea and value of clean, to put clean into the minds of
all who visit. We want to expand the scope of clean into areas like clean
homes, clean minds, clean language, clean community, and a clean world.
The exhibits are fun, interactive and depict “clean”
in a variety of ways.
For example, this vacuum cleaner dinosaur:
... and this "Orchestra of Clean", which features instruments made of cleaning machine parts:
Have you ever seen a piano duster?
There are TONS of cleaning machines!
This is one of our favorites. Looks like a regular rocking chair?
It is, but there are bellows underneath that create
a suction when the chair is rocked.
Here is a picture of how it works – of course it’s
the man who is doing the rocking, and the woman who is vacuuming!
This wet floor sign is Texas-size!
In nearby Blackfoot, there is a museum that I would
expect to see in Idaho!
Although we didn’t spend much time in Idaho, we did
enjoy these museums and the beautiful scenery.
