On Monday (5/30), we were up and gone by 3am to Nauvoo, IL. Six+ hours later we arrived. We had to stop for some breakfast, and also to do a little geocaching along the way. We found the most amazing park with the coolest play equipment. We also happened across a frog trying to cross the road. Brett opened his door and talked to it while we were stopped at the stop light. Ya, 6 hours was a bit long to be cooped up.
We finally arrived in Nauvoo and stopped at the visitor's center, picked up tickets for the carriage ride, and got a map of where everything was.
Dexter loved the horses. He was so excited to ride in a wagon behind horses. The carriage ride took us up to Inspiration Point. The missionaries talked about life there in Nauvoo and the importance of different areas. I'm sad to say that I was a bit tired and zoned out for some of it. It was very beautiful.
We then went down to let Dexter get his wiggles out to the pioneer games. They had a little house set up with mini everything and Dexter loved playing in it.
It took a little coaxing to get him to come out and look/do other things. The boys raced wooden bears up ropes, played with tops, and wooden animals.
It was amazingly hot that day. I think that it hit the 90's.
We finally arrived in Nauvoo and stopped at the visitor's center, picked up tickets for the carriage ride, and got a map of where everything was.
Dexter loved the horses. He was so excited to ride in a wagon behind horses. The carriage ride took us up to Inspiration Point. The missionaries talked about life there in Nauvoo and the importance of different areas. I'm sad to say that I was a bit tired and zoned out for some of it. It was very beautiful.
We then went down to let Dexter get his wiggles out to the pioneer games. They had a little house set up with mini everything and Dexter loved playing in it.
It took a little coaxing to get him to come out and look/do other things. The boys raced wooden bears up ropes, played with tops, and wooden animals.
It was amazingly hot that day. I think that it hit the 90's.
We were all hot, hungry, and tired so we then made our way to the hotel. We stayed in Burlington, IA which is about 30 minutes away if you take the toll bridge (which you only have to pay to enter Illinois, not Iowa) and 45 if you go to the next bridge. We crashed there for the rest of the day. We did go buy some hats. I forgot to pack one for Dex, and Ashton and Brett were adamant that I get one too. Ash was adamant that it be a big sun hat that would provide me with lots of shade. So that's what I got.
After our shopping trip, we went and played in the pool. Dexter showed off his mad swimming skills, and ball throwing skills.
After our shopping trip, we went and played in the pool. Dexter showed off his mad swimming skills, and ball throwing skills.
Tues 5/31: We ate "the best breakfast, ever"--according to Brett at the hotel, and headed down to Carthage. We toured Carthage jail and for some reason, none of us took pictures of the inside. Only the outside.
We had a wonderful time. It was raining while we were there, too. I guess I didn't know that it was a house that had rooms upstairs turned into the jail. I thought it was strictly a jail. One thing that I loved about this place, was that the floors, windows, everything was original. Granted, there were other's who lived in the house, and it was eventually turned into just a house before the church received it, but just the thought that some of those floor boards Joseph Smith and those who were with him, walked on them, looked out through those windows...it was amazing to think about, and wonder. The room where the men were in when the mob came, still have the bullet holes in them. It sent shivers down my spine seeing them and it made it all the more real to me.
After Carthage, we went back to Nauvoo. We started out on the Community of Christ (formerly RLDS) side of things. We continued on our theme of Joseph Smith. We opted to not take their tours, but just walked around ourself. We weren't able to go into the Joseph Smith mansion house or the Joseph Smith homestead, that was part of the paid tour, but we saw the outside, and that was enough for me. We also saw the Smith family cemetery where Joseph, Hyrum, Emma, Lucy, and Joseph Sr. were all buried.
We did however get to go inside the Red Brick Store.
The first floor is actually a cute shop that you can buy things, but the upstairs was where I loved. Upstairs, you saw Joseph Smith's office with a sign above the door that read "Joseph Smith's Office. President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" I think that I was impressed that they had that sign and that it wasn't altered by the RLDS church.
The one room that I loved was the room where the Relief Society was organized. It felt amazing, to think that in that room, the world's greatest women's organization was established.
As I was walking up the stairs, I kept envisioning all these elect ladies walking up those very steps in dresses and bonnets to be part of such an amazing thing.
The first floor is actually a cute shop that you can buy things, but the upstairs was where I loved. Upstairs, you saw Joseph Smith's office with a sign above the door that read "Joseph Smith's Office. President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" I think that I was impressed that they had that sign and that it wasn't altered by the RLDS church.
The one room that I loved was the room where the Relief Society was organized. It felt amazing, to think that in that room, the world's greatest women's organization was established.
As I was walking up the stairs, I kept envisioning all these elect ladies walking up those very steps in dresses and bonnets to be part of such an amazing thing.
Then we made our way back to church owned portion.
This time, we rode the Wagon ride, which took us on a tour of the city. We learned about many of the homes, and more history of the saints and their life and journey there in Nauvoo. Both the wagon ride and carriage ride went close to the Mississippi river and both times, Ashton and Brett's allergies flared up. Ashton's were worse than Brett's, but their eyes were pretty red, and Ashton's started to swell shut. Needless to say, we steered clear of the river after that. Doing the wagon ride first was great because it 1. saved us a lot of walking time. 2. put Dex to sleep. 3. wittled down which places we really wanted to see.
This time, we rode the Wagon ride, which took us on a tour of the city. We learned about many of the homes, and more history of the saints and their life and journey there in Nauvoo. Both the wagon ride and carriage ride went close to the Mississippi river and both times, Ashton and Brett's allergies flared up. Ashton's were worse than Brett's, but their eyes were pretty red, and Ashton's started to swell shut. Needless to say, we steered clear of the river after that. Doing the wagon ride first was great because it 1. saved us a lot of walking time. 2. put Dex to sleep. 3. wittled down which places we really wanted to see.
We went to the family learning center, where they demonstrate many different things that the pioneers did then, that we don't do the same today. We watched a demonstration of bread making the day before, but came back after Ashton called his grandparents. They served a mission here in Nauvoo a few years ago, and even left their own mark in Nauvoo. Ashton's grandpa knows how to throw pottery on a wheel and made several bowls for the bread making. We asked to see if them and found out that they were the very ones that grandpa made and that they still use them. The sister missionaries were excited to meet "Dr. Hansen's" grandson. (Grandpa signed them D. R. Hansen for Dee Rulon...)
We stopped by the Browning home, which was originally built by Ashton's family. He signed the Bird book and we took a picture outside the cabin.
We also hit the post office. Dex was tired of sitting in his stroller and of being quiet by then, and one of the sweet sister's in there entertained him the whole time. I thanked her, but she said she was missing her grandkids a lot lately, so she enjoyed entertaining Dex. It was very sweet to me. We also hit the cobbler shop, Brett and I got that tour, again Dex was done being confined. Then we went to the Black Smith shop. We got our prairie diamond rings and Dexter even won the mini horseshoe they make for you as a demonstration. He had the closest birthday. He loved it. It did turn his little handsblack which got spread to his face, and legs, and everywhere else he may have touched, but he was content and happy holding onto it.
We then made our way to the brickhouse, where the elder explained how they made the bricks and he gave each family our own brick to take home. I had to change a diaper there so while I was occupied with Dex, the boys were snuck into the back and got see where they fire, mold, and pressed the little souvenier bricks. They were pretty lucky.
We also hit the post office. Dex was tired of sitting in his stroller and of being quiet by then, and one of the sweet sister's in there entertained him the whole time. I thanked her, but she said she was missing her grandkids a lot lately, so she enjoyed entertaining Dex. It was very sweet to me. We also hit the cobbler shop, Brett and I got that tour, again Dex was done being confined. Then we went to the Black Smith shop. We got our prairie diamond rings and Dexter even won the mini horseshoe they make for you as a demonstration. He had the closest birthday. He loved it. It did turn his little handsblack which got spread to his face, and legs, and everywhere else he may have touched, but he was content and happy holding onto it.
We then made our way to the brickhouse, where the elder explained how they made the bricks and he gave each family our own brick to take home. I had to change a diaper there so while I was occupied with Dex, the boys were snuck into the back and got see where they fire, mold, and pressed the little souvenier bricks. They were pretty lucky.
After that, we made our way down to the apothecary. Did you think that this pharmacist wanna-be would pass that up? We learned that the blue and red jars in the window were so people knew that it was a pharmacy without even reading the sign. The jars represented the blood. It looks blue through our skin, in the veins, but is red when we bleed. Interesting... Next to it was a little log cabin where a popular mid wife lived. I don't know if all the births were done in that cabin or not, but she is said to have delivered 3,997 babies while there in Nauvoo. That's a lot of babies!
Afterward, we walked around the temple grounds. It is a beautiful temple.
They have benches made out of the limestone that the temple is made out of and I was surprised to find how rough and pourous a stone it is. I couldn't imagine having been a pioneer and digging out that rock to build with. Talk about a labor of love. We were hoping to stay for one of their evening shows, "Sunset" but we were exhausted, and Dex wasn't going to make it, so we left.
They have benches made out of the limestone that the temple is made out of and I was surprised to find how rough and pourous a stone it is. I couldn't imagine having been a pioneer and digging out that rock to build with. Talk about a labor of love. We were hoping to stay for one of their evening shows, "Sunset" but we were exhausted, and Dex wasn't going to make it, so we left.
Wed 6/1: Our last day in Nauvoo. Brett got to eat the best breakfast again and we went back to Nauvoo. We got some names from my uncle and took them to the land and records office. We found them and the land that they lived on. Brett and I even got a picture taken on the land that belonged to Hiram Dayton. We also drove around and found the rest of the properties that belonged to family members of both Brett and I, and Ashton. That was pretty neat.
After that we went to the other side of the river and saw where the saints landed when they crossed the river after being forced out. it is also the place where the miracle of the quail happened. We drove home along the mormon pioneer auto tour and came across many cool things. We drove through Amish country, Brett was pretty ecstatic about it, but we found Garden Grove, a place where they stopped to plant crops for the people behind them. It was neat, cause you can still see impressions of where the walls of some cabins once were.
After that we drove home. Got some chinese food and crashed.
After that we drove home. Got some chinese food and crashed.
This is the worker statue on the Lewis and Clark Landing in Omaha on a normal day, the river is usually a few feet below the deck that you walk on.
This is the right bottom part of the above picture now. Also, the pedestrian bridge is in the background. This was taken a few days ago, the river is actually about 2 feet higher now, you can only see the top parts of their heads
