Nauvoo and More

Monday: Quite an adventure! The Chicago temple is closed for cleaning. When we finally got there, luckily the cleaning people had the gate open, so we could take pictures. The adventure part is that someone put Chicago in the GPS instead of Glenview where the temple is. It took us to the right address in the wrong city which was in a less than stellar section of Chicago. I didn’t even remember to take pictures because I was helping Dan navigate the city streets. Large city streets make for the worst type of driving especially with an RV.

Tuesday: Nauvoo! We drove around town a little, and went to the temple. It was an emotional session. Three of my ancestors took out their endowments in the original temple. The statue is of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum on the way to Carthage jail.

Wednesday: More of Nauvoo. We went to the Land Records office, and I found information on 4 of my great-great-grandparents! I can hardly wait to dig into the CD, but that will have to wait until we get home. Too bad there aren’t any streets now where their property was, or we could have driven by. They had a bagpipe band that marched all afternoon, stopping at each venue before the performances.  Our stake president was right in telling us we should go to the Nauvoo Pageant as well as Palmyra. The reader may ask which one I liked better. I liked one as much as the other. They are both spiritual experiences in different ways. The Nauvoo pageant draws the audience in—like you are there, and Palmyra has more dramatic special effects.

Thursday: The highlight was following the Trail of Hope. During the pageant weeks, they have vignettes along the way. We also saw actors portraying some of the early apostles with stories of their missions to England. We also took a carriage ride to Inspiration point. The guide told stories of the early saints along the way, very inspiring. He was wise when he said, “You won’t remember the stories you’ve heard today. Remember how you felt.” All in all a thrilling 3 days.

Friday: We drove from Nauvoo—at last on freeways—to somewhere in Missouri. We attended the St. Louis temple then went on our way. We don’t like driving in large cities with our RV, and there wasn’t anything to see on the outskirts. The St. Louis temple is bigger than the small temples we’ve been visiting, and there were more patrons. We wanted to get out of the metropolis area.  The first 2 Wal-Mart stores had No Overnight Parking signs so we kept going. Around 8:00 we finally stopped. (Okay, they also had signs, but nobody bothered us.)

Saturday: Drove to Bronson, MO. As soon as Dan plugged in the electricity, I turned on the AC. It’s hot and humid. Reminds me of Thailand. Tonight we went to the Baldknobbers show. The comedy inserts were hilarious, and the country music was great. I’m not a country music fan, but when in Rome .... While we were driving through town Sunday, we saw a little of the remaining damage from the tornado that swept through town February 29th. The town pulled together and cleaned up most of it.

Ohio, Kentucky, & Indiana

I've been neglecting the temple pictures page. It's now updated.

Sunday: We visited a small branch in Bowling Green, Ohio. One of the brethren there recognized Dan from our Garden Grove, CA days. Dan was in the bishopric the year they were baptized! I remember them. He had long hair and a beard, and she was impeccably groomed. They have an interesting conversion story, and if you want to hear about it, leave a comment and I’ll e-mail the story to you. He is in the High Priest Group leadership, and has been in the bishopric. It was astonishing to see them 37 years later. We had planned on going to a campground in a different city, but we had to keep driving because there weren’t any openings. I feel this is another of Heavenly Father’s tender mercies.

Monday: We visited German Town in Columbia, Ohio. Most shops and such close on Monday to rest up from the weekend, so not much to see since we don’t drink beer. The Book Loft was open.  It’s a fascinating bookstore—Thirty two rooms in an old house filled with books and we’re in a 22 foot RV with 4 months to go—no room to buy them. We also visited a very nice park.

Tuesday:  After attending the Columbus, Ohio temple, we went to Hocking Hills State Park in Lebanon, OH. They’ve had a dry year, so the falls aren’t as full as usual, but the rock formations were still interesting. We saw a fawn close up. It didn’t seem to be afraid of us at all.

Wednesday: More hikes in Hocking Hills. The hike wasn’t rough like some we’ve been on, but it was getting hot and muggy near the end. Lovely caves and waterfalls, or at least places they normally have waterfalls.

Thursday: A do practically nothing day. Our front end needed an alignment and the only appointment they had was at noon. The earliest temple session was 6:00 pm, so we didn’t have time to go see the Kentucky Derby museum like we had planned. Ah well, such is the life of a traveler. The countryside is beautiful! I’d like to go back when we have more time.

Friday: Travel day. We have a nice campground in Cloverfield, Indiana; however, Dan can’t get the satellite dish to pick up the signal, so no Olympic opening ceremony. We stayed at Wal-Mart two nights in a row so we could stay in the campground 3 nights and watch.)  :(

Saturday: We visited Mansfield Roller Mill which used to grind wheat and corn flower. The latest and greatest in its day. We drove country roads to get to it. It was interesting, built in the mid 1800’s. Not much going on, though. I almost wanted to get into my bathing suit and join the locals in the stream. We also saw one of 2 Buzz Bombs in the US in Greencastle, IN. The other one is in the Smithsonian.

New York, Niagra Falls, & Michigan

Tuesday: We visited the Grandin print shop where the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon were printed and walked on the floor where Joseph Smith and the other early members walked. It had an amazing spiritual feel. Before the pageant, we walked through the sacred grove. The trees are much larger now than when we went there when our 4 older children were young. The pageant was amazing, and brought out many highlights from the Book of Mormon. To think they brought it all together in 1 week! I’m sure the planning took all year, but the cast didn’t arrive until a week before the first performance.

Wednesday: Niagara Falls! What an amazing trip. I agree with those who say you should go to the Canadian side if at all possible. You see both the American falls, and the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. The latter is larger and more impressive. (Okay, they do fall short of Iguasu Falls in Brazil, but still amazing.) We rode the Maid of the Mist. Where I let my hair and face get drenched, but I had to wear the poncho to protect my back pack.

Thursday: Attended the Toronto temple then spent a quiet afternoon at our campground. I love hearing the birds singing, and crickets chirping in our beautiful campground. Below are pictures of Toronto and the Ontario countryside.

Friday: Attended the Detroit temple and spent a quiet evening at Wal-Mart. Pictures of Michigan.

Saturday: If you are ever in the Detroit area, the Ford Museum is a must. It isn’t just about Fords. It’s the history of the automobile plus much more. Imagine sitting on the bus where Rosa Parks refused to relinquish her seat to a white man. The limousine Kennedy was riding in when he was shot, Regan’s also. It isn’t just cars either there are a lot of historical artifacts including the chair Lincoln was sitting in when he too was shot. It goes on and on. There is a lot more in that complex including a fascinating tour of the Ford truck manufacturing plant. No pictures allowed in the latter, at least not in the manufacturing part or movies. Plan a whole day. We wished we had left the campground earlier. Notice the Nash Rambler. Who remembers the song “Beep Beep?”

It's Part of the Adventure

Monday: Coopersown, NY. We enjoyed visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame. The best part for me was Abbott & Costello’s “Who’s On First.”

Tuesday: Oh boy: Zero travel pictures. We were traveling along on the freeway minding our own business. Suddenly we heard two bangs, one in front of us, and the second much closer. A young woman on the other side of the divided freeway ran into the guardrail and debris flew up to our side. Our front tire blew. It took all of Dan’s strength to steer the RV from the center lane, across 2 more lanes and onto the side just past an on-ramp. The first bang was a fuel truck in front of us that also blew a tire and sustained other front end damage. Besides the tire, the debris also took out the driver’s side mirror. It took our cell phone, and Internet to find someone who could order the mirror for Thursday.

Wednesday: It was 90 miles to Palmyra, but we had already paid for the campground. Have you ever had to drive without a driver’s side mirror? Sure you say just stop, but where would we stay? We found peace in visiting the temple, then drove directly to our campground. I found the best place for me to sit is behind the table, leaning forward and looking out of the back window.

Thursday:  After driving a nerve-wracking 90 miles, we spent the day sitting in the driveway of Decker’s Towing. To make a long story short, the company did NOT send the mirror Wednesday morning as promised ... at least not overnight like they said—they sent it ground! We didn’t find this out until nearly 4:00. We hand it to Mike the mechanic for trying to get it taken care of. You would think we were his long time customers, not someone passing through. The best deal we could get is for it to come Saturday, $40 off of the cost, and they will waive the shipping cost. The original campground said we could come in after we got the mirror Saturday.

Friday: We drove to a near-by campground. The last couple of miles we had a state trooper right behind us. (Remember no driver’s side mirror?) PHEW, he didn't notice. We spent the day doing laundry, and swimming. The swimming was fun. Fanciest campground we’ve stayed in, most expensive too except for the one near New York City.

Saturday: We sat in Mike’s driveway again all day waiting for the part. Nothing. Wal-Mart tonight and tomorrow night. We can’t afford that expensive campground again. Hopefully it will come Monday.

Monday: Since we didn’t have enough battery power for the computer, I didn’t post this Sunday, so I thought I’d finish the story. Mike called the mirror company and the lady was surprised we didn’t have the part yet. About 10 minutes later, the UPS truck came up. It seems they had tried to deliver it to Vernon, NY, not Vernon Center, NY. Two cities next to each other each has a Skinner Street. Our GPS had originally sent us to that address too; it’s in the middle of farm country. We are now back at the campground in Palmyra. We’ll attend the pageant tomorrow then be on our way.