Nauvoo

The Department of Transportation will only allow truck drivers to drive a certain number of hours in a day and in a week. If you run out of hours for the week, you have to be off duty for 34 hours to restart the clock. This week we ran out of hours on our way to back to Chicago from Los Angeles. We ran out near Iowa City, Iowa, and since this was not too far from Nauvoo, we decided to go there to spend our 34 hours, instead of sitting at a truck stop. We had a ton of fun!

Since it was the end of October, there weren’t many people, or many bugs, or high temperatures. It was fabulous!! After a brief stop at the Visitor’s Center, we went to the Family Living Center where we got to make a rope and learn how barrels were made. Then we made our way walking down Main Street visiting the various shops and buildings along the way. We learned a lot and enjoyed ourselves. We got a small horseshoe and prairie diamond rings at the blacksmith shop, a cookie at the bakery, and I learned that Jonathon Browning of Browning Guns lived in Nauvoo. We walked down to the end of Parley Street where the Pioneers crossed the Mississippi River when the left Nauvoo.

That night we ate at the Hotel Nauvoo and then went to the Historic Nauvoo Cultural Center for a show called “Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo”. The senior couple missionaries performed this hilarious and touching show about what it might have been like in Nauvoo just before the Saints had to leave. We loved it!!

The next day we went on a ride in a wagon that is built the same as the early saints wagons were, pulled by a team of oxen. Then we visited the Red Brick Store before we hurried back to go on a wagon ride tour of Nauvoo. We learned a lot about Nauvoo on the tour as well as a little about the river. After the tour, we went to the Brick maker and learned how they made bricks, which I found fascinating. They gave us a souvenir brick, and also one of the imperfect ones to Mitch. Then we went back to the Family Living Center and learned how they made fabric, wove rugs, made candles, and baked bread. We had time for one last stop at the Heber C. Kimball house before they all closed up for the night.

Next we headed for Carthage. We went to Carthage Jail where Joseph Smith was murdered. They were closed for the night too, so we didn’t get to take a tour, but we were able to walk around the outside of it. After that we went to Macomb, IL which is one of the cities Josh served in on his mission. I even got to see the apartment where he lived. We couldn’t get a hold of anyone he knew in that city though.

It was a very fun couple of days!! Another adventure we couldn’t have gone on if we weren’t trucking! We are really lucky!