The Vacationers

This is in the Western genre. While doing research for my other western novel I made an interesting discovery: there were a moderate number of families who went west during the 1849 California Gold Rush with no intention of staying in California. There reasons for doing this varied, but the one constent was they all considered the dangerous journey to be a long vacation or an extended camping trip. The Cook family is one of these families. The Cook family is fictional however the events they face are factual and were found in various emigrant diaries. I have intentionally kept them naive of both the dangers and the distance involved. However, they will have a reality check when they are out on the trail, far too late to head back home. This is a work in progess and is only the first draft. The novel is not complete. I have completed fourteen chapters. Each chapter starts of with a fictious diary entry from the main charcter, Nadine Cook. I should also mention that besides being in the western genre, it is also a wagon train and a gold rush novel set in 1849.

• Chapter 1 - Gold!"Jason Cook had been a loyal..."
• Chapter 2 - The Family Meeting"Upon reading the text of th..."
• Chapter 3 - On Our Way!"The Cooks have left their h..."
• Chapter 4 - Camp Outside of St. Jo"The Cook family made it to ..."
• Chapter 5 - Meeting the Emigrants"The Cook Family arrive at S..."
• Chapter 6 - California or Bust"The Cook family is on the w..."
• Chapter 7 - The Little Blue"It is Sunday and they don't..."
• Chapter 8 - Fort Kearny"Fort Kearny wasn't much to ..."
• Chapter 9 - Indians and Buffalo"For the first time they see..."
• Chapter 10 - Separated From My Family"This was the first time Nad..."
• Chapter 11 - The Accident"Up to now the trip, somewha..."
• Chapter 12 - Natual Landmarks"This is a typical day on th..."
• Chapter 13 - Snake Bitten!!"No longer is the journey a ..."
• Chapter 14 - Fort Laramie"Margaret is coming out of h..."
• Chapter 15 - The Letter"Reality has fully set in fo..."
• Chapter 16 - Being Bugged"There is alot going on in t..."
• Chapter 17 - Alone and Lonely"With the exception of their..."