Family Vacation 2008 - Day 2

After a long day of travel for Day 1 we stopped in St. Joseph, MO. We enjoyed a great night's rest at the hotel, a morning splash session in the pool, had a good breakfast and hit the road for another day of fun and excitement in the van (not!). Day 2 saw us arrive at the zoo in Omaha, NE just before noon.

This is just inside the zoo entrance.

Here's the whole family in front of a granite globe suspended by water (right in front of the entrance to the desert climate dome no less).
The next picture is not for the faint of heart, unless you like snakes...

Rebekah & Sariah were surprised that it didn't feel slimy.

We spent the entire afternoon at the zoo until it closed. Then we drove to the North side of Omaha to the Mormon Trail Visitor's Center at Winter Quarters. There we witnessed a moment in the great "Mormon Migration." We saw a replica of the pioneer cabins, we pulled a handcart, and saw what life was like for thousands of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who spent the winter of 1846 to 1847 in the encampment they called Winter Quarters. The Mormon Pioneer Cemetery is the final resting place of more than 325 Saints who died at Winter Quarters from illness, hunger, and poor living conditions.


The girls had a blast dressing up in period clothing.

Again we felt immense gratitude and awe for the Saints that passed this way on their journey to the Salt Lake. Their courage, devotion and testimony are an inspiration to us all. We will be eternally grateful for their sacrifice and example.

We left Winter Quarters and drove a few hours to Sioux Falls, SD. By the time we arrived it was 9:00 and we had enough of driving and site-seeing. So, we pulled into a hotel and swam for a while before going to bed. Thus ended Day 2.

Family Vacation 2008 - Day 1

Move over Chevy Chase, the Crows are passing the "Griswalds." Jase finally had enough leave for us to go for more than one week at a time. So this year we had a real vacation which consisted of traveling across the country visiting family, monuments and historical sites. We'll tell you about our trip day by day (hope you don't get bored).

We started the official vacation in St Louis, MO touring the arch that is considered "the Gateway to the West." This is us 630 feet up in the center of the arch. We really enjoyed the museum under the arch and the tram they use to get to the top. It's part roller-coaster, part train & part ferris wheel. It's one of those places everyone should see at least once in their life.

Our next stop was Independence/Liberty, MO which is just east of Kansas City. There are some wonderful LDS Church historical sites which really makes us appreciate our religious heritage. Here's the kids at the LDS visitors center in Independence.

The highlight of day 1 was visiting Liberty Jail. It's a reproduction of the actual jail where LDS Church leaders; Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, Alexander McRae, and Caleb Baldwin were illegally incarcerated for the winter of 1837. During the winter months in which they were held in the basement jail, they suffered from intense cold and exposure to the elements because of the small slits in the walls that served as windows. The men slept on dirty straw and suffered poisoning attempts and insults. Yet during this arduous trial Joseph received some of the most wonderful revelations from Heavenly Father. We were very moved by their plight.
Here's the kids in front of the replica of the jail (with Joseph Smith in the background).


Stay tuned for day 2 (I can only type so much in one sitting, Denise.)