I need to write about conference too, but will come back and post about my favorites later!
Sunday evening ,we pulled out, and made it to Salina, where we found a little quiet campground... this Butch Cassidy Campground, and we pitched our tents, and slept out! That was the first night of this adventure. The kids admitted the next morning after a great night's sleep that they were skeptical climbing into their sleeping bags, but they seemed genuinely surprised that they slept great, and this little campground had green grass, daffodils blooming, running water, and showers, flush toilets not far away, and our own playground just steps away from the green grass we pitched our tents on. It was a beautiful place to have spent the night, and a great kick off for this adventure!
Monday we drove through Glenwood Springs, stopping for a hike where we were treated to see about 8 mountain goats on the side of the mountain, running fast back and forth across a section of the mountainside. Little S was thrilled to chase a pair of Canadian Geese along the trail beside the river we were walking, laughing and running. I will add photos when we get home, but for now I'll just have to say it was beautiful! Then a train of all engines pulled into the little valley we were hiking in. J (with a little coaxing) stood tall on a big rock, and encouraged the engine to honk it's bold horn, and that he did! That engine filled that entire valley with loud horns so much that S stopped running, plugging her ears, and nearly crying she was so scared! J and the others laughed and loved that the train saw them, and would be so brave to make that much noise! We didn't get a photo of the engines all linked together going down that valley, but we all agreed we would forever remember that train honking at us!
Around noon our phones warned us that there was a Winter Storm Blizzard warning out for the Denver and surrounding areas through 9:00 the next day! The wind started blowing, and on the East side of Denver we witnessed "tumbling tumbleweeds" like we have never before seen! The horizon Northeast of Denver was totally flat, with fields stretched out as far as you could see. The black storm clouds were thick, and it was the first time, I felt like I could have been Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz running from the tornado that carried her away! We were shocked at how hard that wind was blowing. When we stopped to get gas, we nearly blew over! Others we talked to in the gas station assured us that just another 45 minutes up the road it had been much better weather, and encouraged us to keep driving. So we did, hoping to stay ahead of the brewing storm!
That night we made it to North Platte, Nebraska. We woke the next morning to continued winds and very hard rain. We studied a bit about what to see in North Platte, and learned that Bailey Yard is the largest railway station in the world was not far away. We visited the Golden Spike Tower and learned about railways and their continued role today. I must admit that I was a bit disappointed that they didn't have more on the history of the railroad. After the fun train encounter we had the day before, trains had been a topic we discussed in the car, and we were ready to hear about their role in the expansion of the west, but that wasn't a topic at all in the visitor center. We learned about switches, that they are still moved manally. We learned that they process 10,000 cars a day in the Bailey yard. It was cool, and our volunteer tour guide was a conductor for 30 years in the Bailey yard, he knew a lot about trains today. He didn't know much about the history of trains and their affect on westward expansion. They also didn't say anything about the Golden Spike which is funny given the name of their tower! Not one mention! I told them I had been to Promitory Point, but I'm not even sure the girls at the front window knew what or where that was! haha My kids do! Thanks Mom for taking me there many many times! I will take my kids out their this year so they can say they've seen it too!
Then we moved on to Omaha, Nebraska! During that day we hit huge rain/hail storms, turning to ice and snow! The roads were slippery and we are grateful for guardian angels and the Holy Spirit that helped us know when we should stop for dinner so we avoided another strong ice storm, and then prompted us to move on, finding the roads not far away weren't so bad!
Finally near the end of the day we found the temple in Omaha beautiful right on the hill with the pioneer cemetery. When we rolled into town, it was dusk, and we hurried to snap some photos before it was really dark. It was still raining, and that only increased as the night wore on! We talked to cute Sister missionaries in the visitor centers, and requested a few copies of the Book of Mormon, since we had wished we had given two away already that day! We did bring one, but both times, were unprepared and vowed to not be caught that way again! Now armed with several copies and some pass along cards, we are ready!
After a rainy stroll around the cemetery and the temple, and a video and tour of the visitor center, our phones alerted us again with a Sever Weather Alert and Flash Flood warnings! We braved the storm and headed downtown to find the BEAUTIFUL Blair Buswell sculptures in downtown Omaha which are sooo amazing! Wow! All I can say is it was well worth braving the storm even in the heavy rain, cuddled under baby blankets - freezing but grateful to be in flip flops because we were SOAKED - L and I snapped photos of these amazing statues! Wow! I am sorry that we didn't stop there before! The LDS visitor center really needs to send their guests downtown to see this! It is awesome! I'll post our own photos here someday! It is amazing! They were snapped in pouring rain!!! What a beautiful Legacy created there! Thank you Mr. Buswell! I am pleased to have sponsored a replica head piece of one of those amazing teams in the Art Around the Corner exhibit in St. George, Utah. Wow! It is really awesome! Here's a glimpse through someone else's lense:
From there, we continued to brave the storm, and moved another hour closer to Nauvoo. I am not even sure where we ended up stopping for the night, but rolled in and was grateful for a dry bed!
Tuesday morning we continued on to Beautiful Nauvoo. We stopped along the way a few times, but nothing really fun, just potty stops, groceries, gas, etc. We rolled into Nauvoo about 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. L and S had the privilege of entering the beautiful Nauvoo Temple about 5:30 p.m. to participate in baptisms for the dead in that beautiful, rebuilt temple! They were treated to a special visit with the temple President, Elder Condie who spent precious time with them, I hope they will write about! They came out with a special aura of love! I am so grateful for them! That night at 7:00 p.m. we enjoyed the fun Rendezvous production in Old Nauvoo. Here is a cute glimpse into the song we are all humming!
Even the little ones loved the show and didn't make a peep during the hour long production!
Thursday morning we woke to visit many places in Old Nauvoo. I overhead the kids today saying their favorites today included the hat box of John Taylor that is said he stood on to preach from, could be used for a chair, and was made out of raw hide. They also noted they really liked making rope in the Family Living Center, and it was fun to find our own family names in the 70's house. I think the highlight for all today was the horse drawn ride in the carriage through the woods on the North end of town. We had been told the teamsters were "quiet giants" in spiritual power but that on the wagon trail they were powerful! Yes we will all agree that even freezing cold, we all felt the warmth of the spirit as we joined in singing the 1st verse of I am a Child of God in that grove! Thank you teamsters! You're modern day heroes!!! I want to testify like that!
L and I have had beautiful discussions today about the power of testimony and what gives some more power than others. We believe there is a direct link between the confidence of the person and their testimony. If they are hesitant, or shy, unsure or reserved, then the power of their testimony isn't the same. The teamster who testified to us was confident and strong. His testimony was strong. Tonight we went to the play Rendezvous again. The cast was a complete different group tonight, and the kids commented that they liked the other one better - no offense! B said she thinks the other one was funner because they had done it longer. L and I talked about how we can be confident about our parts and testimony and yet not have it take 16 months of a mission to get that confidence! I pray she can gain the confidence to go out with a strong testimony and determination to be bold and assured of herself and her standing before Her Father so she can testify of Him and our Savior boldly from the beginning! Praying for her! Loving every minute we have together! Fully aware that I enjoy luxury in homeschooling my kids and having the freedom to take these kinds of excursions to learn by living and doing! We sure stand out as different! Living our own kind of beautiful! Smiling along the adventures of this life!!!!
I am so grateful for these two men who gave so much so that I could enjoy the blessings of the gospel! I am grateful also to my ancestors especially Eliza Doty Cravath for being such a brave woman to trek across the country alone in a time without cell phones or GPS units, without a nice car to carry her and her family! She made that journey even as she buried not one but two husbands and her son as well! Thank you Eliza! You inspire me and help me be brave enough to say I can do it too! Talk about Consecration to the Lord! Laus Deo!