Road Trip - Day 3

We ate, checked out of our hotel, and headed north to Nauvoo, Illinois. We first visited Joseph's, Hyrum's, and Emma's graves. We then stopped by the Mansion House.

After, we went to the end of Parley's Street, where the Saints crossed the Mississippi River as they headed west.

We are so blessed to be able to make the same journey they made, but do so in just four days.

This is what the pioneers used to carry their wagons across the river.

We next visited the Nauvoo Temple (Michelle had not been to Nauvoo since the temple was rebuilt).

Aliyah "love[d] to see the temple."

We drove through Nauvoo and looked at many of the homes. We stopped at the Scovil Bakery. Aliyah liked the (wishing) well.

We enjoyed a yummy gingerbread cookie from the bakery.

In the Family Living Center we learned about spinning wool and baking bread.

We then learned about making bricks.

Next, we drove to Carthage, Illinois to see where the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were martyred. We arrived at just the right time that we got to tour the jail as the only people in the group.

The Prophet Joseph Smith was truly a prophet of God. Many of the tour guides in Springfield discerned that we are LDS. It was interesting for us to personally experience hearing Joseph's name being spoken of in both good and evil ways today, just as was prophesied.

From Carthage we drove to Des Moines, Iowa. We stopped at the Capitol Building and had some dinner.

Aliyah liked the many windmills we saw as we drove through western Iowa. She called them "spinning."

We had hoped to make it to Winter Quarters, in Council Bluffs, Nebraska before the Visitor's Center closed. However, the Missouri River had flooded and covered many of the roads that cross the river. We kept being rerouted until we finally crossed the river by Omaha. We made it to Winter Quarters about a half-hour after the Visitor's Center had closed. Happily, however, the gate to the cemetery and temple grounds were still open.

It was pretty to see at night.

We then drove into Lincoln, Nebraska and checked into our hotel. It was a wonderful Sunday.