Final Day

Now we just drive through the east part on North Carolina until we arrive in Cary, our final resting stop for a couple years.

Phew!! We made it! Home at last.

Day Five...

St Louis Arch

I wish Chad would have taken a better picture. I have some good ones on my phone dang it.

Then Metropolis IL... Superman City!!

Sorry about that...we had a little too much fun there, minus Kayla, she didn't want anything to do with it, silly girl (I'm not sure Bosko really wanted to participate either hehe).

Then through Kentucky

And then through Tennessee. This was Nashville. We knew for sure we were in the south when we saw this truck (haha) made us laugh! Nothing too exciting this day except getting closer to home. This was mostly our driving day...almost there!

And finally a North Carolina sunset!!

Day Four...

Our first stop was at Adam-ondi-Ahman. The quiet and peacefulness here just can't be explained. The only noise we heard was from birds. It was breath taking!

Just had to get a shot of one of the carriages (hehe) You don't get to see those everyday driving down the street!
The Great Mississippi... and boy is it BIG!


Nauvoo Temple.

Stopping to smell the flowers.

This is the spot they call "The Prophets Last Ride." This is where he declared; This is the loveliest and the best people under the heavens; little do they know the trials that await them. They then continued on to Carthage Illinois where they faced legal charges and eventual death. Joseph Smith was with his brother Hyrum.

And then on to Carthage

Day three...

Liberty Jail

This jail is to actual scale of the real one. Some of the materials were even original. What an eye opener to what these men went through. If you ever get a chance to visit, don't pass it up. It is definately worth it.
This was how far between the outside of the Jail and the inside. We couldn't even put our arm all the way through.

Independence Missouri

This is the temple of the Church of Christ. I think that is their name. They use to be the RLDS church but the missionaries said they changed their name. Chad calls it the ice cream cone temple. It is across the street from the Independence Visitor Center.

And of course...Driving!!! Some of the amazing things we saw just driving through some of the states. These pictures are in Missouri.

My favorite!! This was an amazing sunset, the picture doesn't do it the justice it deserves. The rays coming out from under the clouds were huge. And it was so so orange!

Next Stop...

South Dakota and Mount Rushmore!! WOW!!! Thats all I can say. What a spectacular sight! It was so neat to have my children experience that. They have learned so much about the history of America in the school they attended that it was so nice to have them see this memorial that symbolizes America. Here are a few FAQ for anyone interested in some of the history...

1) Who created the sculpture? Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers.

2) How much did the sculpture cost? $989,992.32.

3) How long did it take to build? 14 years October 4, 1927 - October 31,1941

4) Are the faces eroding? No, The estimated erosion rate is 1 inch every 10,000 years.

5) Who is the mountain named after? Charles E. Rushmore, a New York City Attorney, in 1885 who was out here on business.

6) Were there any deaths during the carving? Miraculously No. Over 90% of the sculpture was carved with dymanite. The blasts removed approximately 450,000 tons of rock from the mountain.

7)How big are they? The average size of a 6 story building.

Heads: approximately 60 feet

Noses: Washington's is 21 feet the rest are approximately 20 feet

Eyes: approximately 11 feet wide

Mouths: approximately 18 feet wide

Sorry about that, just couldn't help myself. I thought it was so interesting know some things about it.

They also had every one of the states flags lining the pathway. They had on each pillar when they became a state and which number they were in the 50. So we had to find the 2 states we have lived in! It was quite amazing to walk up to Mount Rushmore and have each flag lining the way.

I have to say that it really did take my breath away. Thinking of the history of America and to be at a spot with so many symolisms, made me proud to be an American!!

Our First Stop...

Besides Salt Lake for a visit with our families befores heading to this other planet (hehe). Our first stop was Jackson Hole/Yellowstone. Quick background for a sec, I really haven't been very many places in my life, so all these places we visit are firsts for me as well as our kids! So with that said, what an AMAZING place! Besides the snow and cold, which we really weren't super prepared for coming from St. George, which was still beautiful don't get me wrong, I just don't like to be cold. It was such a sight to see with all the scenery and animals. I revel in being outdoors and it amazes me all the unbelievable things in this world and how different every place is. We went through over a dozen states and each and every one was so completely different. It is just phenomenal. So here are a few of our pictures... Just so you know, this will be going backwards from last to first, since I have far too much to blog and I would rather not go in reverse. I will get way too confused going backwards. Plus I want to make sure I remember everything. :) Sorry about the mess.

The Great Teton (frozen) Lake. As you can see it is completely frozen from one end to the other! And we forgot to pack our extra photographer, so we had to take separate photos of us. Maybe when Chad has some extra time he can perform his photoshop magic on them. But until then, you will have to live with my magicless photos.

Snow Snow Snow, need I say more. This was just piled on both sides of the road, it was like driving through a tunnel of snow. Both sides towered our cars. Crazy!

This was at West Thumb. West Thumb has less geyser activity than other basins. But West Thumb, for its size, has it all-hot springs, pools, mud pots, fumaroles and lake shore geysers. The kids loved walking through the "mist" that the hot springs would produce and then the wind would blow across the paths. It was also my favorite because of the warmth that it provided!!!

And of course this is Old Faithful. We couldn't go through without seeing the good ol boy. After all the waiting, which isn't too bad because you have all these other sights you can go see, what a sight to see! It was quite marvelous. We all enjoyed it. This was the spot Trevin got lost at I must admit. Chad and I decided to go on different trails so the kids decided who they wanted to go with...well Trevin couldn't decide and the last I saw he went with Chad, well he and Chad got into some sort of discussion and he told him to go back with me which I was unaware of. Anyway long story short I received a call from a park ranger asking me if I was missing a son. It can be laughed at now I guess. ;) Thank goodness my cell phone worked there and that Trevin new the number or we might not be laughing.

This was one of our favorites...the baby Bison. I seriously couldn't believe the people in this park. They would walk right up to these animals and get sooo close.

Sorry you can't see it super good, but that is a grizzly bear! Some of the idiots in the park were walking up to it. Yes I called them idiots because that is just what they are when they try and get close to a BEAR or a bison and its baby for that matter! We lucked out seeing him/her because apparantly they usually aren't out this early.

These are photos of some of the animals we were able to see. We decided to see how many different animals we could find while we were in the park. It was one of the funnest things we did. Of course we couldn't get pictures of all the animals we saw, but a lot of them were right on the road as you can see. In fact we came around one turn and almost hit a bison. We also were able to see a beaver which I guess is quite rare!

This was a Mammoth Hot Spring Terraces. Another very unbeleivable place.

That is actually a liquid coming off of there. They say the colors are always changing. Quite miraculous.

These last few pics are of some of the cool things we saw off the side of the road. What a splendid place to visit. We weren't even able to see the entire park. Much more than a day event. We could have spent 2-3 days there and experienced so much more. I would have loved to have been able to hike some of the spots! We were only able to do a couple short ones. But I feel so blessed to have been able to see what I did.