PELICAN LANDING COAT TO COAST RESORT 7/13-17/2011

We stayed a few days near Afton, OK to rest, catch up on laundry and meet up with our oldest son's family as they traveled east to their new home.  To our surprise we also met up with a family we had met a couple years ago in Santa Cruz, CA.  They are the Harrises and are east to spot as they have a large family!  It was good to reconnect and good to see other large families braving the traveling of this country so their kids can see how beautiful it is.  

Being camped next to them has refreshed ourselves of our years gone by when we traveled with our boys.  People always marveled at us traveling with such a large group and always, well almost always, complimented us on their manners and good behavior.

Here you see some of the family problem solving and working together changing a flat on their rig.

 They couldn't get the jack to take the rig up high enough to get the repaired tire back on, so they dug out a space so it would fit.

Even the little ones helped!

But it was easy to see which one was in charge!!

FAMILY ON THE RUN 7/15/2011

The day we had been anticipating for weeks finally arrived!  With one of our son's family headed out to join him in his new assignment in the east we anticipated that we would be in the same place as they on some part of our and their trip.  That crossing of paths took place today in a pizza parlor in Vihita, OK.
We got to spend about 90 minutes together while eating pepperoni pizza and an apple type dessert pizza.  Good food, good visit, good family time.

Strawberry was indignant to think that Grandpa thought she was doing some of the driving, but was proud to share that she is in charge of all the phone calls while Mommy is driving.

Apple giggled and told us that she was in charge of the back seat and watching movies.

Mango, we decided was in charge of naps and looking cute!

It was a way too brief visit, but we did get a few hugs and smiles that will last us until the next grandkid fix in Utah in about a month.  We sure miss all our grand kids in between visits!

INDEPENDENCE AND LIBERTY MO 7/12/2011

We spent today in Independence and Liberty MO.  First we toured the Visitors Center of our church.  It was so much fun to be with the senior couple that greeted us at the front door and the sister missionary that took us on a tour.  We were primarily interested in the history of the area.  She did a bang up job of teaching us all the events of this area.  She even added some information to what we already had studied and learned about on our own!

Then we walked across the street to this building. It is the temple and headquarters for The Church of Christ, another church that has historical ties to the area.  We went in and were greeted by wonderful people that shared their version of the local history and their doctrinal beliefs.  Interesting and very easy to listen to as they shared.

The tour included their chapel and their massive pipe organ.  There was a lady there practicing for a pipe organ recital.  She was quite good!

Looking up from where we sat in the chapel, we saw the insides of the spiral we saw on the outside of the building. 

Then we walked outside and across the other street to another church that has their history centered in this area too.  Wow!  This place was interesting, but our tour guide made it really difficult for Wayne to keep his promise not to speak and just listen and learn.  We learned a lot and even though the guy was very challenging and confrontational, Wayne smiled a lot, nodded his head and said, "That's very interesting." a lot.  Their church was called, The Church of Christ Of the Temple Lot.  Interesting, to say the least!

This is the beautiful 2 acre plot of land owned by The Church of Christ of the Temple.

One of the many plaques posted around and near the temple site by various historical societies and churches..

Then we drove to Liberty, had a really nice lunch at a deli there. Next we toured the Liberty Jail Visitors Center.

Here is the door that was on the jail when Joseph Smith and several others were jailed there on erroneous charges for many winter months.

This reconstruction of the jail was built on the jail's original foundation and constructed with the stones left from the rubble of the destroyed jail.

The missionary that served as our tour guide allowed us around the rear of the jail to see the consruction more closely.

The figures representing the prisoners were very life like.  We half expected them to stand up and share their story with us.

Well, here's the proof.  We were there!

SPECIAL SITES 7/11/2011

Today on July 11, Monday, we drove to a site near Gallatin, MO that is sacred to us as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We spent several hours here, walking the grounds and visiting with the director.  What a special place to serve a mission!  Only 12 Senior Couple Missionaries serve here.

We walked out on a point where we could overlook the beautifully maintained Valley of Adam Ondi Ahman.  Powerful!!  Roy and Patty, let's go!!!

Just beautiful!  We spent quite some time reading and feeling while here.  Awesome!

Hiking the trails was great.  Only draw back... it was oh so hot!!!

From this rock, we are told sermons and prophecies were made.  It is called "The Preachers Rock".  It looks out on the fields below.

This is the grove that has been dedicated for a temple someday in the future. 

Then we drove to the site that once was a thriving community called Far West.  It is now just a park surrounded by farm land.  To read the history of this place and then to be there was a powerful testimony builder.

Across the road from the temple site, another church adds its comments to the events that took place here.

This is one of the 4 corner stones laid for the temple almost 200 years ago.  Amazing!  Touring these two special historical sites today brings reality to the history we have read for years.

We then drove to Lone Jack MO to a Coast to Coast Park to spend a couple nights and use as a base to tour Independence and Liberty MO.

ANN'S ANCESTORS 7/10/2011

 Today, Sunday, we went to church in Quincy IL.  A nice ward.  While there, Ann felt that she wanted to look to see if any of her family lived in that area in ancient times.  She checked her research and found that one of her Huff ancestors was born near there in a small farming community called Beverly.  We left church after Sunday School and after consulting the GPS, the maps and a few farmers, we found the Township of Beverly consisting of two cemeteries, a few houses, a couple churches and lots and lots of corn and soy bean fields.  As you can see by the sign, it is a small place.  By the way, the GPS did not even know of it.


With only two cemeteries that the locals knew of in town, we decided to go to the one that was on the straight line out of town, thus not having to turn around this big rig in this no place to turn around township.  We found it and found a cute little church with it.

 
We delicately maneuvered off the road into the cemetery, between the church and the recently tornado blown down tree.  On the way out here to Beverly, the farmers educated us on the recent tornado they had.  Anyway, thus parked, we began walking the cemetery with the hopes that if one of her ancestors was born here, maybe some were buried here too.

Ann first found the name of the cemetery.  Then Ann took the left side of the trailer and Wayne took the right side.
 
Here is a closeup of the name of the cemetery and the year it was started.

Then a little later, Wayne heard a squeal of excitement and Ann exclaiming, "I found my family!"

Here she is with hers and John's Great-Great Grandparent's headstone.  This man, John Huff emigrated to USA from Prussia and then married Mary from Pennsylvania and then farmed here in and around Beverly Township, IL, raising a family and then dieing here.

 Here is a close up of the details on the headstone.

 Then Ann set about recording the details of the other headstones of family that was buried nearby.

While she did this, Wayne further explored the cemetery and climbed the downed tree.

And in his explorations, found that the back door to the church was unlocked!  Seeing as how it was a Sunday, he figured it would be okay to go inside and see what he could find.  He found it abandoned, so he went back to get Ann and they explored it together.  And guess what we found?!!!

Nailed to the wall in the back room was a map of the cemetery and who purchased what lots, plots and such.  It did not record who was buried there, just who purchased what.  It was fascinating and Wayne was tempted to take it for Ann's records, but then realized that it was probably hanging there for every explorer like us to discover.  So, we took a picture and put it back in its place of honor, nailed to the wall.

You see in Section 12, James Huff bought lot 2 and John Huff bought lot 3.  Pretty neat discovery eh?

Once we had recorded all we could at that cemetery, we drove to the cemetery in town.  Here is the Methodist Church located in front of what was once a cemetery.

We were sadly disappointed that this cemetery was not being taken care of properly.  As we explored what just appeared to be a field, we gradually began to find a few headstones still partially standing and leaning up against trees.  Then further exploration found there were many many headstones that had fallen over years ago and the crabgrass had completely grown over them and covered them making it look like a flat field.  Who ever is the grounds keeper here is mowing it but there is no sacred care of the cemetery.  There needs to be a missionary couple come to research who is buried here and resurrect all these headstones and make it a sacred place again, before somebody forgets it is a cemetery and builds a house over it or a baseball diamond or something.

This is the address of the cemetery here in Beverly that is older than the one we had just visited.  It is known as the Old Beverly Cemetery.

Thus inspired, we did some computer research while we were there and found some records on the cemetery and found there are three that we could find of Ann's family buried there.  Maybe this is a project we should invest our time in.  To us it is very sad that there is not better maintenance of this sacred resting place.  We shall see.
We left this area and drove on towards Gallatinn, MO, spending the night at a Wal-Mart along the way.

MORE NAUVOO 7/9/2011

We spent the night of the 8th in the state park in Nauvoo and rose early the next morning to catch a presentation along Parley Street.  A lot of the actors from the pageant were spaced along the road from Nauvoo down to the Mississippi River, the same path the saints took when they were expelled from the city they had built by the governor of Missouri and the government ignored mob violence.

These actors quoted entries from the journals of the people they portrayed.  It was very touching.

There were also signs along the way, in between the actors that quoted other pioneers and their experiences in Nauvoo and their experiences in departing in that terribly cold winter of 1846.

When we got to the bottom of the road, arriving at the Mississippi River, we found a statue of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young discussing the plans to leave for the Rocky Mountains.

There is the river they crossed.  It was a sobering couple hours we spent in this experience, thinking of what those families must have been experiencing and thinking so long ago.  Here we are with our comfortable RV.  We are so spoiled!

Could you imagine being ferried across that massive river on this?

Then we visited more buildings, like this one.  it is the 70's hall.  It was the church's first Missionary Training Center!

Here is the inside.  It was beautiful!

Then we went back to the trailer, hitched up, showered and drove to the temple to attend the noon session.  It is a beautiful temple, both inside and out.

When we left the temple we stopped at the sculpture of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum leaving Nauvoo for their last time.

I thought this was a rather poignant shot of them facing the temple as they leave for Carthage Jail and their deaths.

Then we drove down to the section of Nauvoo owned by the church called The Community of Christ.  We paid  a fee and a very nice guide took us on a tour of the last home of Joseph Smith....

.. the graves of Joseph, Emma and Hyrum Smith and a couple other buildings they own.

Then we departed Nauvoo and drove south along the Mississippi River headed for Quincy IL.

In a short space of time we crossed through three states; Iowa,

Missouri,

and back into Illinois.  We sopent the night in a Quincy, IL Wal-Mart.