This is my second attempt to record our wonderful trip we took way last May. I had made a good start, but somehow lost it. Bryce made a valiant effort to retrieve it for me, but only managed to make me a list of all the pictures I had included. With that list l will try to reconstruct what I had recorded.
On May 7th we picked up our jazzy little rental car and packed it up for our big long journey. The weather was good and we started out the next day with high hopes for a trip we had longed to take for a some time. I hope I don’t bore you with to many details,but this is a record of our trip.
The road took us down I- 5, at Eugene turned East and down through Klamath Falls and on down to Reno, to spend the night. We found a motel in Sparks and drove through Reno. Reno is not the sleepy little city that I remember from the early seventies. We had a hard time recognizing some of the old sites. Our old house, it is painted a steel gray, looked much smaller than I remembered. It is no longer on the edge of town but is surrounded by many houses.
We called Robin, and talked to her on the phone.
The next morning we headed south through Nevada to Las Vegas. Lots of desert and long lonely roads. In Vegas we recognized Jeff and Debbie’s old neighborhood and Jeff’s old office.
Rob suggested that we make a stop at the Hoover dam. It was a good stop.
From Vegas we headed for Scottsdale. Sunday morning Chayce aided by his sou chef fixed us some yummy crepes for Breakfast. A great way to celebrate Mothers day.
Rob took us for a drive up north to a little ghost town in the mountains.
Jerome is an old mining town and has become a stop for artists. We visited lots of shops and stopped at a famous restaurant for lunch.
We drove down a wild canyon to Prescott . This is a charming little city, the city has a lake with some curious rock formations, and lots of old homes and some old saloons left from Pioneer times.
Chayce’s graduation became the focus for the next few days.
We are proud of you Chayce, glad we were able to be there for the celebration.
On the road again, through eastern Arizona, lots of mountains and forests. Then we moved into a dryer part of the State. We stopped in Snow Flake to see the Temple. It is a beautiful little temple,perched high on a hill in a very dry area. Out of the front of the temple a fountain of water gushed. It reminded me of Moses striking the rock in the desert and finding water for the thirsty Israelites. From the temple we receive the living water that will sustain our spiritual bodies.
We raced across New Mexico, we made a brief stop in Santa Rosa to see this old Spanish church.and on to Tucumcari to spend the night.
Texas, the pan handle, my first visit to this State. Very flat and dry. We drove by lots of wind mills, and open fields. We made a brief stop in Amarillo, a nice clean city, we stopped at a mall to find some breakfast. I was impressed with the friendliness of the people. Everyone we passed greeted us with smiles and kind words.
Oklahoma, a new State and a new look. I am amazed how different each state we passed through has its own look. In Oklahoma we began to see more trees, and contrasts in the land. This state makes a big deal out of route 66. There are many stops to commemorate this famous highway. Oklahoma city has one high rise. It looks a little funny towering over the rest of the city.
Again we hurried across this state anxious to see Arkansas and the Ozarks. We spent the night in Fort Smith. Our first stop was at Pea ridge, a civil war battle site. A battle was fought here in March 1862 to decide the fate of Missouri and the west. Many local people joined the battle here to preserve the Union. As a result Missouri stayed with the union. The park is very large and green, with lots of good places to observe the layout of the battle.
Arkansas is green and beautiful, we loved driving through the Ozarks, the homes are sheltered in the trees. Some very nice with a rocker or two on the porch and others, junky trailers buried in the brush. The little village of Eureka Springs begged us to stay a while and explore the shops but we hurried on to make it to our place in Brandson.
We continued on through the beautiful country side. Once in Missouri we encountered the roller coaster roads that are typical of the State.
Brandson lived up to its name. It is a great place to visit. The setting is beautiful, a lake, rolling hills and theaters and amusement parks spread over a large area.
We raced from one show to another. The five shows we saw in two days were terrific, and we
went out to dinner and did a lot of sight seeing too.
Our first show was the Bretts. They are a Mormon family,very talented and full of energy.
a cd for us to give to Tami.
That evening we saw the “Adventures of Marco Polo” The show featured wonderful dancers with colorful costumes from every part of Asia.
The following day we boarded a sternwheeler for a dinner cruise and an All American show.
We hurried across town to a palace to watch “Jonah” It was a spectacular show, the set surrounded us, and the actors moved from the stage to the audience. We found it very entertaining. That evening we attended the “Shoji Tabuchi “ show, Mr Tavuchi plays the violin.
His theater is very lavish. Take a peak at the womens rest room.
In Carthage Missouri we stopped to tour the “Precious Moments Chapel and Gardens.
This was built by Samuel Butcher the artist who created the Precious Moments paintings and
sculptures. Unfortunately we couldn’t take pictures of the paintings in the Chapel. I was glad we stopped to see it.
We headed north to visit the church sites of Missouri. We enjoyed the visitors center in Independence. We crossed the street to visit the Temple lot and the strange building built
by the reorganized church. They must have seen us coming, the gentleman in charge locked
the door and said they were closing early. We missed seeing inside.
At Liberty we visited the jail where Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Hyrum Smith and others spent
a bitter winter. They were charged unjustly with treason while their families and church members
were forced from Missouri. Conditions were horrible. The prisoners could hardly stand up,It was cold and food was scarce.
In Richmond we visited some pioneer graves.
We drove down a road to visit the site of the Crooked River Battle. A mob gathered here to
fight the saints and drive them from Missouri. Only the peaceful donkeys are left.
Our next stop was in Far West to see the Temple site, a peaceful and beautiful place.
Adam-ondi-Ahman is a historic site along the east bluffs above the Grand River in Davis
County. It is the site where Adam and Eve lived after being expelled from the Garden of
Eden. It is to be the gathering spot of Priesthood leadership prior to the second coming
of Jesus Christ. We drove in to the supposed site of Adam’s altar to view the valley below the
site of the gathering. Just as we walked down the trail, the thunder clapped and the rain
poured down. We ran to the car and drove away. The rain stopped, we returned and finished
our walk.
Highway 36 took us across Missouri to Hannibal on the Mississippi. Here we visited Mark Twain’s
boyhood home and the sites of many of his stories.
We traveled up the Mississippi. The Villa Kathrine was built by a Mr. Metz, on a bluff
above the River. He traveled in the Mediterranean. You can see the influence of Morocco,
Algeria and other countries. I loved the windows.
In Illinois we stopped at Quincy, here we saw the site of the famous Lincoln –Douglas Debate.
The town is noted for its beautiful old houses, culture and hospitality. It was here that our ancestors, the Stringhams found refuge. My Great Great Grandmother Polly Stringham was
about to give birth to my Great Grandfather Benjamin Joseph, they were out of money and needed to rest before going on to Missouri. They stayed here until they were able to join the
saints in Nauvoo. The family was treated kindly here and found work.
Next we arrive in Carthage Illinois and the Carthage jail, site of the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith.
Nauvoo at last. I am so glad we visited in May, the weather was perfect and the many tourists
had not yet arrived. What a fun place to visit. The little city is full of entertainment and activities.
We visited the Ashby home, many of the little pioneer shops, and took in lots of shows. The best part was finding relatives. Dave found two cousins. A Ririe from Utah running the brick making shop and Elizabeth Olsen from Magrath.
Elizabeth invited us for supper at her Nauvoo home on the Mississippi.
See balance of trip on May Road Trip 2
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