Summer Trip June 2012

There are many places (including Utah) that we wanted to go visit this summer, but since Ryan's clinical rotations start very soon, we could only squeeze in a few of those places. High on our priorities was visiting Palmyra, NY, so that is what we did. Time was limited, otherwise I would have loved to throw in several more historical places to go see.

First day: We were planning on going straight to Niagra Falls first, but we ended up not having enough time in the day so we went straight to our KOA (don't knock it till you try it!) in Farmington, NY, not too far from Palmyra. We rented a 2-room cabin for 2 nights there. I would highly recommend this if you want a little more of an adventure than a hotel room affords. I may have said this before, but there is something about the camping experience and being out in nature that brings you closer to your family and closer to God. So first night: unpacked, Christian started fishing, cooked tin-foil dinners on the fire pit, then drove to the Hill Cumorah. Even though the pageant wasn't going on yet, we loved going this time of year when the crowds weren't overbearing. We got one-on-one time with the senior missionaries, at all the sites we visited, and enjoyed that very much. I loved the view from the top of that steep little hill, imagining what life was like for Joseph Smith. One interesting note I learned about the hill: Through the years the hill got "stripped" of all its trees since that was all it was good for (too steep to grow crops on). So to bring it back to what it formerly was, Willard Bean had 65,000 evergreen trees planted on it, and 3,000 hardwood trees planted on it! Pretty amazing.

This was a giant bouncy pillow at the KOA-the kids loved it!

First fish of the trip! Christian really loves to be outdoors!

The Hill Cumorah

Top of the hill

View from top, the farm is out to the right, diagonal from the hill, 3 miles away

Moroni

hike back down

Visitor's Center at Hill Cumorah

Second day: The Grandin Press (where the Book of Mormon was printed), Alvin's grave, Palmyra Temple, Smith Farm, and Sacred Grove...amazing day. I loved every minute. The press and the life of Grandin were particularly interesting, the temple glorious, and I couldn't help but once again feel myself transported back in time to the early 1800's at the Smith Farm when they bought that land after 3 years of failing crops in Vermont. I love how hard they worked and how satisfied they were with the humble log cabin they made for themselves. They didn't need anything more...they were truly happy and felt prosperous and were so very humble. Even though it was a recreation of the original cabin that once stood in that very spot, it was incredibly special to be up on the second floor where Joseph slept when the angel Moroni first visited him. Just as much, I loved the house down the lane from the cabin that Alvin began building for he and his fiance and parents to live in. I didn't realize that he died before it was completed, a quick death that they think was ruptured appendix. I didn't realize that his fiance never did marry anyone...her heart belonged to Alvin and only him, I guess. His grave was in town in a very small cemetery on a hill. We went and visited that and had our lunch up there. The Sacred Grove was beautiful. Once again, I was thankful for no crowds of people...we didn't see another person while exploring the grove and felt we had the place to ourselves. We each went our own way, journals in hand, and spent some time alone contemplating, listening, and writing the feelings of our hearts. There were lots of birds singing in the trees and it was a glorious place indeed! I felt myself not wanting to leave Palmyra, and feel more of a connection to Joseph and his family than I have ever felt before. There were SO MANY little churches everywhere you went in upstate New York and just the East Coast in general, I guess, that no wonder Joseph was confused as to which one was the correct one to go to. Lots to think about while we were there. We went back to the KOA and swam in the pool and rented paddle boats for the kids.

Grandin Press

Replica of Emma's kitchen where she would have to clean her kitchen with the plates sitting right there sometimes!

Original floors of print shop

Original ink splats on walls...Grandin stopped being a printer after Book of Mormon and went on to do other things.

The Smith Press, much faster than one in corner. This one could print 16 pages at once, whereas the old printer could only do 8 (I think), and was much more laborious.

The kids got to fold pages of the Book of Mormon how they did it back then.

One of the originals

Alvin's grave

Through this dip in the trees is the Smith Farm and those trees in the distance are the Sacred Grove.

Smith Cabin

Joseph's bedroom

Joseph's bedroom-Sister Nielsen, who we loved!

Joseph's bedroom looking into girls bedroom

View of temple from farm

President Hinckley wanted the temple to be visible from the Sacred Grove

Alvin's house-he built it for his parents also as he was the eldest son and it was his responsibility to take care of his parents.

Hearth in Alvin's home where Joseph once hid the plates.

Kitchen table where Martin Harris, in much distress, admitted to losing the manuscript.

Alvin's tree-planted after Alvin died.

Alvin's tree

Sacred Grove

The minute Christian would wake up he would go out and fish.

Christian caught on his line the biggest turtle I have ever seen! We had to cut the line or he would have snapped his pole. The next morning the turtle showed up and we fed it bread. It totally chowed down on it! The picture below doesn't do it justice.

Third day: We set off for Pennsylvania and stayed a night there in another KOA. This was was even nicer than the first and we had AIR CONDITIONING in our cabin-hallelujah! The kids had fun swimming in the pool and Christian had fun fishing in the Brandywine river there.

Fourth day: Headed for Lancaster County! I was determined to see some Amish people if it was the last thing I did! It didn't look promising, until we drove through town a little more and low and behold, a buggy cruising down the road right along with all the cars! So cool. I tried sneaking in pictures when I could, but didn't succeed with any good ones. It was so cute to see the mom's "driving" the buggy's with their little kids standing up, bobbing around inside. It was neat to see a farmer out in his field plowing or planting something with a team of horses doing the work. It was a scorcher of a day (102 degrees) so once we reached Valley Forge and did a tour that we drove ourselves (and got out and walked around at different places) the kids had HAD it! They were tired, extremely hot, and extremely cranky!! My favorite thing about Valley Forge, by the way, was George Washington's headquarters. Charming little house full of charming little things. We hurried on out of Valley Forge, skipping the Liberty Bell (which was supposed to be the next stop), as the kids were so anxious to get to Craig and Evan's new place in New Jersey to go swimming! They were just not going to last any longer. We had a wonderful time catching up with them, swimming in the pool until our fingers shriveled up and going to dinner together. The kids had fun getting reacquainted with their two sweet little cousins whom they hadn't seen in a year. It was then time to push off and head back to VA. I wish we could have spent more time away, exploring all that there is to see up north, but another time I guess. It is so beautiful in upstate New York. The drive down to PA was breathtaking at times, and Ryan and I could totally see ourselves living there.

Parkour! (Valley Forge)

Hedwig the owl

These little baby seats crack me up for some reason.

Valley Forge

Inside one of the little huts, or cabins the soldiers lived in.

Train station at Valley Forge

George Washington's Headquarters

George's bedroom

Original staircase and railing-85% of the house is original.

They used plaster mold of George's face after he died for this statue.

Evan holding a shy little Charlotte

Karis hiding behind pillows from us...I don't blame her!

I am thankful for the chance we had to get away. This was one of the best trips we have taken as a family, one we for sure will never forget. It has lingered on my mind a lot since we have been home. It did so much for me...strengthened my testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon...made our family feel closer to one another...made me appreciate more what I have and that less is more...and made me yearn to simplify my life even more. I am so grateful for the chance we had to do this.