Council Bluff/ Kanesville- Day 3 Part 2

The timing of this part of our trip was Perfect! We didn't want to travel too much on Sunday or spend money (we traveled on 3 hours that day). Arriving at Council Bluffs after missing church that morning was like a sweet homecoming. The spirit was strong and the information touched us. I had never realized how much the saints struggled after they left Nauvoo. In my mind, I had them completing their travel from Feb to July. How wrong I was! After slogging through mud and drenched from the rainiest season Iowa had seen, they arrived at the Council Bluffs area in the fall. They spent the winter there barely surviving before the first group left for Utah. As this trip progressed I gained a high respect for the Saints. Their stalwartness amidst challenges sets a high bar for all of us.

In typical fashion, the visitors center was packed full of exhibits. The sisters missionary was sweet. The films reached out and touched your heart. I doubt I would have survived. Two weeks of packing up each morning, eating sandwiches and being stuck in a vehicle makes me appreciate variety, drawers for items and a fridge stocked.

The kids had a blast mimicking pioneers. They dressed up in garb, climbed into small berths, stocked wagons and pulled a handcart (once the sister missionary put a pebble under one wheel it wasn't as easy, the rock was impossible). They even posed without smiles to be authentic!


Winter Quarters Temple was elegant, especially the bold doors and stained glass windows. What was truly touching was the memorial marker for those who died there. Once the Saints left, the Indians who had once sympathized with them, destroyed the city except for the mill. Over time and new growth, the graves disappeared. One headstone sits in the visitor center. Instead this touching statue of parents at the infants gravesite reminds us of all the pioneers left behind.


From Council Bluff we traveled a bridge over the Missouri River and on to Kanesville Tabernacle where Brigham Young was ordained in 1847 as the prophet, three years after Joseph's death. The tabernacle was built simply for the sustaining and didn't survive because of the green wood that was used. Part of the tour includes two movies--one on the Mormon Battalion and the other on Brigham's sustaining. Dave and I visited the Mormon Battalion site in San Diego, but I had forgotten the contributions those soldier gave to the growth of the California and the west. They built San Diego into a functioning town, were constructing Sutter's mill when gold was found, and created a trail across the Sierras that was used by all traveling to California.

The kid's first remark on seeing Brigham's wax figure was -- "It's Snape!"

 

One last note for this busy day. I had scheduled a cabin at Arrowhead Park. When we arrived, hungry and anxious to get settled in, our code to unlock the door wouldn't work. No one was at the office as it was after hours. With PBJ, we ate on the dock where my phone got reception and waited for someone to arrive. Fortunately we got in to a nice A/C cabin, unfortunately the real bathroom was 1/2 mile away and a stinky hole bathroom just outside our cabin. Ah...perhaps we were being challenged to be more like a pioneer. NOT!

TIP#5 CONFIRM YOUR RESERVATIONS THE DAY BEFORE ARRIVING WHEN BOOKING RURAL OR UNINTERNET-SAVVY SITES.

Surprises in Nebraska- Day 3 Part 1

Our day started off full of good intentions. We began by fasting for my mother who was going in for heart surgery the next day. Our KOA had shared showers (instead of having a set in the bathrooms there were individual doors). As always, Dave and I were up early, but so was the whole camp. I finished getting ready and rushed to get the kids. Through our cabin window we watched for the family shower to get free and then literally ran over loaded with our arms full of clothes and the bulging bathroom bag (Dave had a hand held bag, the girls and I shared a tote:)

Dressed and ready, we set off to find the branch building for church. As I grew up in Utah, I am familiar with the grid system for addresses. It works on a whole, but having no mountains to reference to my NSEW directions got mixed up. Needless to say, we couldn't find the chapel, but did find a traveling petting zoo, yep--Buffalo, Camel, Zebra and Llama.

	

All dressed up, the girls had a blast. With the owner present, they petted the buffalo. The camel was eager to make friends and ate grass out of their hands. The other two were skittish. I suppose in a way we were communing with God's creatures. Dave and I had a great chat with the wife, all about raising these exotic animals.

Once we tore the kids away we scooted across Nebraska. Going along with Dave's plan, we stopped off at Lincoln to see the capital building. What a neat city. There are overpasses in the city that cross over multiple train tracks. The Midwest is great for imagining a pioneer life--simple and rewarding.

The relief carvings at the capital building depicted a pioneer life. To me the tall tower is like a stalk of corn. We also saw the governor's mansion and a quint church. As we traveled around it was neat to see other churches dot the streets rather than our own. When we did spot a LDS church it was obvious with the typical design and lack of a cross. Leaving Utah and seeing other places was a great opportunity to answer questions and build a strong family.

The Wild Wild West- Day 2

 When we sat down to prioritize our points of interest, Dave expressed a desire to see all the state capitals we drove through. I'll admit my enthusiasm waned, but after seeing the diversity it became intriguing.

Just as a side note, we had three cameras going at all times. I had mine, Dave his phone and the kids took turns on their own. As I shuffled through pictures I found many duplicates and on the kids selections, a picture of everything. Snap, snap, snap--what you will see in this

blog is only a small part of our collection. I'll admit, my own are not always the best so having some extra choices are nice.

By the time we got to Cheyenne, it was noon (only an hour from our camping spot:) We ate across from the capital building and then set off for Nebraska. Since we were running behind, a few stops were scrapped.

TIP#3 FIND PLACES TO SEE ALONG THE WAY AND BE READY TO SKIP THEM BASED ON TIME

NEBRASKA





We were told the road across the plains would be boring, I completely disagree. We fell in love with the rolling planes (yes, its not flat), the rolled bales of hay, baby stalks of corn (about 2 ft. tall) and black cows that dotted our view. Since the Midwest had a wet spring, everything was green! I'm a Utah girl at heart, but I'll take green fields of corn everyday. Oh, to own a prosperous farm and sit on my porch and revel in the sight.

Although we skipped Chimney Rock as it was more of a 1 1/2 detour, we stopped by Buffalo Bills Wild West Museum--more of a souvenir shop with some items on display: Like Mother like Daughter, our girls are also collecting items from each state, and as we found places like this few and far between. More often that not, we run into a gas station and back out without any luck. Rachel collects magnets, Bekah thimbles and Emma pins.



In the museum we saw a stuffed two headed calf, paraphilia from Buffalo Bill and a miniature mechanical display of the Wild West Show. Prepared with our trinkets and some sarsaparilla, we set off for Gothenburg and a Pony Express Station.



This museum was a slight disappointment--a one room packed full of relics. Rachel had a riot taking pictures of every inch. She may not be one to read every posting...Dave...but give her a camera and things are documented. One cool fact was how Mormon history weaves itself through all historical events--a part of the route followed the Mormon Trail to SLC.

 



 After a crazy stops, we were confident that our KOA was just up the road. After a lack of directions, a phone call back home and "helpful" gas attendants, we pulled in at 9:30pm. Determined to stick to our plan, we warmed up our refried beans, diced vegies and cooked up tortillas by flashlight. Our meal was wonderful if not very late. Thank goodness we had arranged for a cabin. We love KOA's...that mixture of camping with conveniences and the cabins mean one less thing to do to get ready for bed.

TIP#4 WHEN COPYING DIRECTIONS FROM MAPQUEST, COPY MILEMARKERS AND INCLUDE A MAP WHEN ENTERING RURAL LOCATIONS.

Our Traveling Begins- Day 1

Dave and I decided months before we were married that we wanted to be a traveling family--see sights, marvel at God's creations and experience our countries history. Although we have incorporated some touring amidst family visits, this is our first long voyage. 

Our route was based on two things--Visit Chicago/Nauvoo and drive through as many states as possible (I've collected spoons since I was 16 and its always been a goal of mine to touchdown in each state).

As experience is a grand teacher, we learned much on this trip that we will or not repeat on our next. The first tip we learned--TIP #1 PLAN FOR EXTRA TIME TO PACK UP THE CAR!

Three hours later than we planned to leave, we set off for Laramie, Wyoming--our first stop and 6 hours away. Most of our traveling was done in the dark (probably good as our view consisted of only sagebrush and dirt).

We stopped in Evanston for a treat and geared the girls up for many of our soon to be poses. We arrived at 12:30, shuffled the kids off to bed in our KOA Kabin and collapsed.
TIP #2 LATE NIGHTS MEAN LATE MORNINGS.

That said, this leg of our trip was spontaneous. After looking things over we decided a 13 car ride the first day would wear us out--thus a stop in Laramie.