We are home

Well, we are home now. We actually got home late Sunday night and took Monday to rest. We had 16 total hours in the car on Sunday driving home. We were determined not to spend another night in a hotel. That has a tendancy to get old.

Joanne and I will be spending some time reflecting on the trip. It might be the last such road trip for us so it has a lot of meaning beyond the spiritual and family connections which it will have bound to us for a long time.

As a reflection, I felt that the visits to the church historical sites were not so much emotional but brought a great deal of reverance and respect. That reverance and respect was for the dedication and commitment of the early members and leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have received a greater respect and reverance to the Prophet Joseph Smith as well. To visit Kirtland and Nauvoo and to stand where they stood and to see some of the things they saw has given me a personal connection with the beginnings of the church that can only come from visiting these places personally. To hear of the suffering and pain and sorrow they had to bear means so much more after having seen the places where they suffered so much.

For instance, I have a much greater understanding of the pain and sorrow they felt as the saints lined up along the Trail of Hope and looking back at their beloved Nauvoo temple knowing they would never see that place or that temple again. Having stood at the end of Parley Street and looking back at the temple on the hill gave me just a small sampling of what those saints might have felt. It has been a humbling experience that I shall never forget.

I think Joanne and I will remember this trip for the rest of our lives. I know we will have many more highlights, but this will certainly be on the top of the list.

Boy was I scared!!!

I've never had an experience like this before. The one thing I was concerned about before we left was possible tornados along the way to Utah. Well, it happened today. I was really scared as we had no place to get shelter in case tornadoes dropped down. It was very scary. Tonight we are in a hotel in Lexington, Nebraska and there is another batch of storms on the way with severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes developing again. At least we have shelter but I worry about my car getting pelted with hail again. I could never live in a place like this. Sounds like a common theme here. We were listening to the radio during the storm and people were calling in to report what they could see. One woman was so cheerful as she reported the wind and hail broke her windows in her house and she was headed to her cellar.....Huh? I guess they are used to it here. She didn't seem phased by it at all. The DJ on the radio was saying the large super cell was one of the worse he's ever seen reported. Well that didn't make me feel any better either. Thankfully the Lord blessed us and kept us safe. I prayed for safety and am so thankful. We are just ready to go home now. We've seen everything and saw the boys so we've got our eyes homeward now. We miss the cats!!!! I'll be glad to get out of the states where severe storms are so common.

Tornado warnings in Nebraska

We left Utah this morning to head home. We figured the kids might want some time to chill before their vacations were over so we left a day or two early. Good timing.....we hit rain in Wyoming. Right after we entered Nebraska -for a short distance- was bright and sunny. Just before we got to Ogalalla we hit a very large thunderstorm cell. Joanne turned on the radio and checked our weather and we were headed right for a severe storm with tornado warnings. We drove for a short distance before the rain and hail stopped us. We waited for a few minutes (along with everyone else) and then started up again. We went another two or three miles and had to stop again. The clouds were black as pitch and stretched all the way to the ground. We got hailed on again. Joanne was petrified....as a New Englander she has not really seen this type of weather before. We got going again and had to stop once more in the clouds, rain and hail. Luckily, this time the storm moved itself north of I-80 and we were able to go on. A little inconvenient as we lost some time so we did not make it as far as we wanted. Tomorrow we will be trying to make a long haul as we are ready to get back home.

Buddy and the Kids

I can't let this blog go without mentioning Buddy. He is Dan's 18 month old Blue Heeler. What a character he is. I have a grand puppy. He is so busy all the time and is extremely friendly and funny. I have enjoyed him alot. He sure has made us laugh. He is very attached to his "daddy", Dan. He hates it when Dan leaves him at home. I spent a couple of days cleaning Dan's little house he bought in Orem. It is an older home that has alot of potential. It needs a little work but it's a cute house. I had that house so clean by yesterday that it looked so nice. We took Dan out to buy him some things for the house and a table for his kitchen at Deseret Industries. It's starting to look like a very comfortable home. I've enjoyed serving Dan in his home. I am proud of him. Matt is still funny as ever. He and I sat in the back seat all the way to Moab. He made me laugh quite a few times. I truly enjoy being around my sons and Buddy. I almost didn't recognize Dan. His hair is very long now and very thick. Saturday we head for home. Friday we will go to a movie and dinner and then we will prepare for the long ride home. We miss our cats at home and know it is time to go back. We can't leave the ward too long. I am not used to the heat here in Utah especiallyMoab. Dry heat or not it is still 102 degrees!!!! We hear it has been raining alot at home. Awe...New England. Still home to me regardless of the rain.

Joanne's Thoughts

It's Wednesday night. Our time with the kids is coming to a close. It's been great to see them. We had a good day today here in Moab. It was very hot today. We did a little hiking to see the arches then we headed for the "Delicate Arches". We started a 1.5 mile hike to the arch however, we turned around about half way or a little further. It was so hot that I was having trouble breathing climbing up hills. There was a huge rock that we had to climb to get to the arch but I was unable to make it. We are over 5,000 feet above sea level here and the air is thinner. I am not used to the thin air and the heat really got to me. I had to stop often just to breath. Dan was so sweet with concern for me. We had plenty of water but I just had to give up. I was disappointed. I think I was getting dehydrated even though we had water. It was 102 degrees in the sun. Also on Saturday, I got a pretty good sun burn at Martin's Cove so I was worried about burning again. I was being very careful. The Arches are really magnificent! An amazing natural phenomenon. Everywhere you look there are different rock formations and arches in a red color. We are truly in the desert here. Dan absolutely loves it here! I hated to disappoint him when I had to turn back from the hike. All three of my guys were very sweet especially Dan. He insisted I sit in the front seat to get soome cool air in the car afterwards.

Saturday we visited Martin's Cove, Devil's Gate and Indipendence Rock. We climbed the rock and then walked to Martin's Cove and Devil's Gate from the Visitor's Center. I was surprised at Martin's Cove. I thought the Saints camped in a small spot where the mountain curves in for shelter. I was surprised they camped about 3 miles from the Sweetwater River up in the mountain a ways. It was very sad to contemplate the hardship they endured there. Many died from exposure. The cove is a grassy area where about 500 people took shelter up the hill at the base of the mountain. We also saw the area where the four young men in the rescue company actually walked the people across the Sweetwater in their arms so they wouldn't have to walk in the icy water. That act alone is an inspiration to me. They saved many lives and for the remainder of their lives the four young men suffered physical ailments due to that act of love and service. Because of them, many lived. We did alot of walking on Saturday. Probably about 6 miles in all. I got a nasty sunburn on my neck and arms. I was uncomfortable for a couple of days. That is why I was so careful today. I am always in awe when I read about the hardship the Saints had at Martin's Cove. The human spirit and the will to survive is an amazing thing. I have great love and respect for those who sacrificed so much for the gospel.

Tomorrow, we will view some more arches and go to a place called "Dead Horse Canyon". He said it looks like a small version of the Grand Canyon. Our eyes are starting to turn towards home. We are getting ready to head back on Saturday. We dread the drive.

Martin's Cove and Independence Rock

On Saturday, June 20th, we left Casper, WY to drive south towards Alcova, WY where Independence Rock, Devil's Gate and the Handcart Visitor's Center are located. We climbed Independence Rock to the top to look at the inscriptions are. The oldest one we found was from 1852. Independence Rock was about 8 or 9 stories high (130 feet high according to Wikepedia). There are no steps or ropes or anything to help climbers. You just climb up and then climb down. It is a really cool view from the top. It is also neat to see inscriptions carved in the rock from the mid 1800's. A lot of history. It is very humbling to see this place especially given the really barren nature of the landscape. How the pioneers survived is amazing to me.

We then went to Devil's Gate and the Handcart Visitor's Center. We spent a lot longer time there than we anticpated. Initially we thought we would be there about an hour.....but boy we were wrong. A lot of the sites are a good walk from the visitors center. Devil's Gate is about a mile and a half walk. The walk to Martin's Cove is two miles just to get to the entrance to the 2.3 miles loop around Martin's Cove. We got a little sun-burned too. Just underestimated the walking distances and the time delay. We never got to Utah until 8 PM that night.

It is hard to put into words the spirit that is found in Martin's Cove. It is a peacful place that Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley once described as ground that is as sacred as any of our temples. The pioneers were committed to going to the Salt Lake Valley and after all the persecution that drove them out of Nauvoo to the valley, over 150 of the saints in the Martin and Willey handcart companies never made it to Utah.

Arches Nat'l Park, Moab, UT

Today we drove down to Moab to visit the Arches National Park. It was about a four hour drive and it got hot. At one point it was 102 degrees. The sun is shining very bright here and that added to the overall heat. We got several pictures of the sites. It was hot enough today so that we called it a little early....just too darn hot. But we have seen a lot of the park and are now cooliing off with the AC in our hotel room. The park was pretty busy today it seemed to me and Dan says that weekends are even busier.

It is really magnificent here. The red rocks are vivid in color and the formations are amazing. Huge rocks balance carefully on the top of some formations. In time you know they will come crashing down when the upright support rocks give way through wind and rain erosion.

The arches are pretty interesting too. Some of them are huge. Some are smaller. But the formations are pretty impressive to see close up.

Over the last few days we have not had any internet access at Dan's house so we have not had a chance to add to the blog. The motel here has some wifi so we can catch up. But we will head back to Orem tomorrow and then spend Friday together. It looks now like we will be leaving for home early on Saturday morning. Gee, I dread the drive back!!!!