Summer 14 Roadtrip: Day 3

Day 3: June 23-NAUVOO!

We ate breakfast in our cute little two-bedroom house/ hotel. We decided to look around the visitor's center first and catch the wagon ride so we could map out the rest of our day.

Here we are boarding the wagon. The family next to us (see the mom in the striped shirt on the left) was moving from Tucson (Hidden Valley Ward) to Pennsylvania.

Here we are listening to our guide. It was the last tour he would give before finishing his mission.



Addie and Niles, Me and Ammon, Heidi and James

Niles and Addie in the Statue Garden at the Nauvoo Visitor's Center

Heidi with a statue

Rich and me in front of Joseph and Emma

Heidi with Joseph and Emma

Ammon on the wagon ride

Ammon and Heidi

We decided to stop at The Family Living Center first. Our first activity there was making a "family rope." Every activity had a parable attached, I quite liked that part. For the rope, we started with single strands of sisal, then they twisted three sets of two together on this cool rope-twisting contraption (see Addie spinning the twister above).

Then the three twists were spun together to make a thick, strong rope.

The rope is cut from the contraption and the ends are finished off.

Our guide showed the kids how easy it is to break one strand of sisal twine, but when you twist six strands together, it's much stronger and can't be broken, just like we are vulnerable alone but stronger as a family. We have our little yard of rope hanging in the living room to remind us of this.

We also learned about spinning and weaving wool and flax. The boys loved the little lamb.

Niles riding the lamb.

Learning how flax grows and becomes linen or "linsey-woolsey."

The boys had fun with building blocks.

After the Family Living Center, we visited the Scovill Bakery where we learned about wood-fired over baking and got gingerbread cookies.

Daddy with his posse taking a break.

We had a wonderful lunch at the Nauvoo Mill & Bakery near our hotel. Every thing was so fresh and delicious. Rich & Addie had yummy gyros, Heidi and I had amazing burgers, and the boys had hot dogs on fresh buns.

 We also got some pastries for dessert and they were heavenly (blueberry Danish? yes, please!)

James and Niles learning about making wagon wheels and barrels.

James, Niles, and Heidi listening to the Blacksmith.

James and Heidi with their Prairie Diamonds
(horseshoe nails curved into rings)

Cute Heidi with her "diamond" ring.

Silly kids on the Ox Shoeing corral

James loved visiting the gunsmith

I think this is one of the first machine guns (?)--ask James, he knows everything.

We loved driving past the temple and thee statues every night heading back to our hotel.

We had dinner at our hotel, then walked down the street for frozen custard (SO GOOD!), then bathed the kids, and enjoyed a nice quiet night "in."