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.

NAUVOO IL AND THE PAGENT 7/8/2011

Friday, July 8th, we got up and drove to Nauvoo IL.  On the way, we took the red roads through beautiful farm country.  The corn is getting bigger as we travel later in the season!

We pulled into Nauvoo State Park and felt right at home.  We had stayed in this wonderful park 5 years ago and found it still just as easy to access and as charming as last time.  Mark, this is the park I have called you from twice now!!  We did not stay in the same space as we did last time though.  We have a bigger rig and the space was too small for us this time.  But this one was just fine!! 

After setting up camp, we went to the city of Nauvoo to take in the sights.  We went on a narrated wagon ride around the old city first.

Then we took in a musical play about the settlers of Nauvoo.  It was very well done!  These very talented young people that played and sang the parts are young missionaries.  And because of their talent are called to serve the first 6 months of their mission performing here and then are transferred to their proselyting areas around the world to finish their mission.

This is a local bagpipe group that was here performing.  They were awesome!  We ran into them several times as we walked around Nauvoo.

Then we attended a presentation by the actor that portrays Joseph Smith in the Nauvoo Pageant.  He gave a 20 minute portion of the three hour King Follet address.  It was amazing!  If you have never read that address given at the funeral of King Follet, a friend of Joseph Smith's that was killed in a well he was digging when it collapsed in on him, read it.  Good stuff!

We also toured many of the still existing and reconstructed historical homes of prominent persons from the 1830's and 1840's that lived here during the town's heyday and decline.

We attended a couple more performances celebrating the  history of this city.  Here we were at one presented by mostly the senior couples missionaries.  It was fun!

Barber Shop Quartet wanna be's!  They were funny!

One thing that impressed us, is that every performance began with the presenting of our nations colors, The Pledge of Allegience, us singing our country's national anthem and a prayer!  This performance presented the theme song and flag of all the armed service branches of our country.  Those in the audience that had served in each branch were asked to stand and be thanked as their branch's flag was presented.  It was grand and made Wayne cry.

We attended the Nauvoo Outdoor Pageant in the evening.  It was amazingly well done and had the temple in the background.

We had gone to the seating area when we had first arrived, earlier in the day, and placed an exercise pad on our chairs to save our spot.  That pad was nice later on in the performance!!

Again, the performance was begun with the presentation of the flag, the pledge and the national anthem!  Very nice!  Notice the bag pipers in the back ground?!  Nice touch!

This dramatization of the founding and settling of Nauvoo, Il was very inspiring and entertaining.  here is Joseph Smith teaching the Saints.

As the story was presented of the building of the temple, it slowly was constructed in the background.  Not Broadway, but amazing none the less.

The majority of these actors and cast are volunteers from around the world that come here to spend a portion of their summer presenting this program.  It is amazing how well things turn out!!

This pageant was the capstone to a wonderful day spent in Nauvoo IL!  We were duly entertained, spiritually fed and impressed! 
Here Joseph Smith delivers an address near the end of the evenings performance.  The play teaches the history of the city as well as emphasizes our faith in and devotion to Jesus Christ.  Good Stuff!

A WONDERFUL COUSIN AND ANOTHER LONG DRIVE 7/6-7/2011

The morning of Wednesday, July 6, we headed up to Three Rivers, Michigan to visit another one of Wayne's Ohio cousins.  On the way we passed through some more Amish country and saw something we had never seen before.  Hitching posts in a Wal-Mart parking lot!!!  I think it is wonderful that the community and the businesses are so accepting of these hard working and religious people.  Ann and I have developed a great deal of respect of them too...... except when they pull their rigs out in front of us.  That scares us!!

We found Wayne's cousin Faith "Chick" Timm.  We had a wonderful multi-hour visit and family history exchange.  Just like with other family we have met on this trip, she is family and we all felt right at home with each other.  Chick, the one in the middle, is descended from Claude Cowley also, through his son, Elmer.  Claude is Wayne's grandfather's brother.  We also got to meet two of her daughters.  One of them is here on the right.  She would be equivalent to Ann's and my sons as we descend down the tree from Thomas Beecher Cowley.

We had a grand time visiting.  Chick fed us a scrumptious lunch.  Below is a painting done by Annie Fursey, Thomas Beecher Cowley's wife.  Boys, she would be your great great grandmother on the Cowley side.

After we left Chick's place, we headed west and south a hundred miles.  On the way, we stopped for fuel and just happened to notice we were in the town where the classic movie, Prancer, was filmed.  We love that Christmas classic!

The town was representative of many of the small towns we have come to love here in the east.

Finally we crossed over into Indiana!

Hot and tired..... but never too tired to find a new man hole cover!!

We spent the night in a Wal-Mart and then the next day drove on to Colona, IL, where we spent a night with more geese, next to a lake in the Coast to Coast Resort called Indian Trails.  They had a beautiful indoor pool in which we swam and then soaked in the hot tub and swam some more.  Before that we took a several mile walk around the beautiful park.

LONG DRIVE 7/5/2011

Leaving the Thousand Trails Preserve in Jefferson OH we came upon a very big rocking chair.  Wayne had to climb it and so Ann took a picture. Pretty big,eh!!!

Today was going to be a long drive of 275 miles to Howe IN.  Most of it was through farm country of soy beans and corn.  Beautiful country, but it was hot and the sun was bright!

For the first second time this trip, Ann donned her new sun glasses.  She put them on over her regular reading glasses and Wayne thought it was funny.

Because we were having to make big miles today, we decided to opt out of the red and slower roads.  We didn't realize it would be so expensive.  We spent $20.00 today while traveling on express way toll roads.

Long drives on freeways tend to make Wayne a little bored.  He began teasing Ann about how she was wearing her sun glasses.

More farm country means it is time to watch out for Amish farmers and their horse drawn machinery and buggies.  Here is an Amish farm we passed.  When we were in Amish country 5 years ago, we crested a hill and almost plowed into a buggy.  Then later a farmer decided to tow his hay wagon out right in front of us as we barreled down on him doing 55 mph.  It was a narrow miss!  We are much more alert this trip!!

But not too alert to keep from bantering back and forth with our sun glasses teasing!

You can tell this is not an Amish farm!  The bales of hay are too big for their way.

They don't call me "Four Eyes" for no good reason no how!!!

We have grown to love the small towns of the east.  They have the old town square charm.  This is Howe, IN near where we were to camp for the night.

This is Grand View Bend Coast to Coast Campground where we spent the night.  The field behind us was harvested while we were there.  Very dusty wheat gathering process!!!!!!!!!  Our truck and trailer was covered in wheat dust after they were done.

But, it made for a beautiful view out the back window of the trailer.