I've seen this before!

If it's July and it's after the Fourth, that means it's time to turn our hearts and our cartoons to honor our pioneer ancestry!

I know I've said this many times before, and I'll say it again: I hope a lot of these folks have a sense of humor!
 

Editor's note: The Oregon Trail game showed the hardships of traveling as a pioneer. The game often ended with the player dying of starvation or dysentery. 

Historical accuracy

Yes, we played The Oregon Trail in our household. Why do you ask?

It was a bit of a paradigm shift moving from Utah to Oregon. The biggest threat to pioneers moving west went from being terrorized by angry, violent mobs to developing gastroenterological issues.
 

Last chance

Updating a classic 'toon.

Another Public Service Announcement

This is one of the biggest travel days of the year, so it's time for another safety message (brought to you courtesy of the Oregon Department of Transportation). One of our public information officers decided to make this year's Thanksgiving safety message in the form of a rhyme. I thought it should be illustrated, kind of like the poems you might see in Mad Magazine. That idea evolved into this.

Here we present the not-yet-a-classic poem, "Giblets and Gravy."

Giblets and gravy!

Traffic’s plum crazy

Bumper to bumper

On Interstate 5.

Grandma is calling,

“Where are you darling?

You’re missing turkey

trimmings, pumpkin pie!”

Everyone’s anxious

Fidget my spinner!

Thanksgiving dinner

Could start without us!

Grandma is dumbstruck,

“You’re stuck in gridlock?

“Well, didn’t I say

Come here yesterday?”

Up from the back row

Her granddaughter cries

“Oh, Grammy, I know!

But I’m just pint-sized!”

Reckless motorist,

Driving distracted,

Impatient and brash,

Instigates a crash.

You’re sitting, waiting,

Quite ascertaining

Oregon’s traffic

Fluid dynamics.

Traffic comes to crawl

Past the messy wreck’s

Bottleneck effect

Clean-up ‘til nightfall!

Pledge this Thanksgiving,

Be wise, forgiving,

Check conditions on

TripCheck (511).

Grandma will tell you

Leave early, slow down,

She wants to see you (and so do we),

Arrive safe and sound.

Rather than just be illustrated, however, we decided it would be better as a video message. And, as a side note, doesn't Grammy look like she may have wandered over from the Mormon Cartoonist's site?

Anyway, be safe as you travel this weekend, wherever you may be!