Summer 14 Roadtrip: Day 5

Day 5: Wednesday July 25th

We woke up and packed up Wednesday morning, then went to take a family picture in front of the Nauvoo Temple. We said good bye to The City of Joseph and headed to Missouri to see Grandpa and Grandma (we were so excited!).

Rich took this picture of Niles and me early Wednesday morning.
(We had such a nice hotel, we all slept so well!)

Melin Family at the Nauvoo Temple
(the nice lady who took the picture didn't quite get the bell tower in the shot,
but you get the idea)

James and Niles on the temple steps

Cute brothers at the temple

I got a sun catcher that looks just like these pretty inverted star windows on the temple

Joseph Smith statue on Mullholland Street.

We drove south along the Mississippi River for a few minutes, then crossed it at Keokuk, Iowa, then drove south some more til we turned off on a highway in Missouri and headed West toward Independence.



We had a potty stop at a god-forsaken gas station in a tiny rural town full of some clearly-meth-addicted patrons. We survived. Then we had lunch at Taco Bell and headed south to Liberty Jail.

We had a great reunion with Grandpa and Grandma Melin in the foyer of the Visitor Center at Liberty Jail. Two buses arrived just after we did, so they put us in a room with a video and some drinks and snacks until the crowd had subsided. Then Grandpa led us through the regular tour. It starts in a chapel-like room where he gave us some history of the jail, then he took us into the rotunda with this replica of the jail, complete with mannequins of Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Alexander McRae, Caleb Baldwin, and Lyman Wight (in this photo, you can only see Joseph on the left and Alexander on the right).

Grandpa told us many stories of things that happened while the men were imprisoned.

Addie, Heidi, and James looking down at the jail

Niles, Grandma, and Heidi on the lower level of the rotunda.

It was wonderful to see Grandpa and Grandma in action and to learn why Liberty Jail is such a holy place. It was a refiner's fire for the prisoners, and we all must pass through our own "Liberty Jail" periods in life. After our tour, Grandpa and Grandma took us to dinner at The T-Rex Café.

Ammon, James, Heidi, Addie, and Niles outside the restaurant.

James and Heidi climbing the stairs up to the balcony where our booth was situated.

Addie and James in our booth

Heidi, James, and Grandpa panning for gold in the geology section of the café.

Niles on a Dino-Dig

Heidi and James, paleontologists at work.

James on a Dino-Dig.

 

James, Niles, Grandpa ready for dinner.

Heidi, Grandma, Ammon and Addie waiting for food.

James and Niles met a dinosaur

Entrance to the T-Rex Café
 



We had such good food at the café and there were so many fun things to look at and do! It was such a wonderful treat from Grandma and Grandpa, the kids will be talking about it for years. We drove home, planned out our next day, and hit the hay!

 

[While we were leaving the restaurant, I got news that my stepdad's father, Grandpa Jack Drews had passed way early that morning. My kids and Rich never met him, but he was such a sweet man. I felt so sorry for Mark and for Grandma Drews.]