Snowman Express

Day 6: June 3, 2009 445.5 miles
We got to our rest stop at around 11:30 pm. All the big rig parking was filled up which was about 60 slots so we hogged about 6 slots in the car lot. I worried a little bit until a police car drove around just as we were popping out and didn’t stop or look our way so we figured we were good. The next morning we got on the road at around 8:30 and headed toward Chicago. We called Aunt Heather and asked, “If you could do one thing in Chicago what would you do?” She said, “Well, If not the museums how about Sears Tower?” So we headed toward Sears Tower. All we had to do was park an RV and walk in the door, Right? HA! We drove in to town and looked at all the amazing tall buildings...a forest of tall buildings and it really was hard to see the forest for all the trees. We saw the Tower from a distance, and looked up at the tower from underneath it but upon driving around and around and calling and asking around and around we began to give up on parking this rig anywhere in the city. We then noticed a parking sign that said 12'2" clearance and thought, “we are less than 12'2"! We can park there!” ...well, the sign neglected to say that this street that goes UNDER Chicago to this scary underground maze was a dead end street and anything that was close to 12'2" would be stuck with no way to turn around. AAAAAH! I felt my stomach clench and my breathing speed up and that was before Keith started to attempt our escape from the underbelly of Chicago. I have no idea where they came from but Chicago excreted a crowd of people to watch our ordeal. The forest of buildings must have doors in their roots. Even a police officer showed up. A few were helpful. The policeman, however, was not. He kept waving Keith backward even though Seth, who was looking out the back window, was yelling, “Stop!” Unfortunately, Keith trusted the cop and ended up crunching the corner of our borrowed rig. I about threw up. Much to Keith’s credit we did get turned around and were soon vomited out into the open air. Although we would have enjoyed looking at Sears Tower, eating a hot dog, and walking around Millennium Park as we had planned we decided that we had seen enough of Chicago and high-tailed it out of there.

We made a much safer stop at Notre Dame University-which was cool-for lunch and gas then we sped toward the John Johnson farm. It was looking like we were going to get there just before they closed so I called them and asked when their last tour was. Brother Leavitt said, “Don’t worry, if you get here we’ll take care of you.” I was so grateful! Well, a few minutes later, Keith asked, “Did we ever cross another time zone?” And I realized it was an hour later than I thought. I called Brother Leavitt back and explained that we were going to be much later than I thought and, bless his heart, he said, “Don’t worry, we’ll wait for you.” I didn’t think I could do that and said so but then asked if he had any suggestions about what to do with a bunch of teenagers for the evening since we would be there with daylight to spare. He then told me about a Bronze exhibit at the Kirtland Visitor’s Center that was being packed up the next morning. He said he was sure that if we called they would keep the doors open for us since they would be doing administrative stuff until 9pm any way. Well, I called and Sister Rowley was waiting for us in the parking lot when we rolled in at 7:40 (they close at 7). We were escorted into a room that displayed sculptures of Christ in different settings. The exhibit is called, “The Healing Power of Christ.” Sister Rowley explained that they have had such missionary success due to the influence of this exhibit including two baptisms. The artist, Angela Johnson, is incredibly talented and there certainly was a powerful spiritual feeling from her work. Ashlyn seemed especially touched. One of the bronzes was a life size depiction of the Savior. He was so beautiful that I felt tempted to kneel. I also was amazed at her rendition of the Sacred Grove. The Father and the Son were floating and were clothed in these beautifully flowing robes. We were so thrilled to have been able to see that. We thanked those missionaries profusely and then went to Walmart to park for the night. Austin and Sandra jogged around the parking lot while Keith did some work and I made spaghetti and meatballs. The Crocketts had text-ed us that they were going to be at a relative’s house but would meet us at the visitor’s center. They weren’t expected to get into town until 2am. Apparently they got a late start...

Day 7: June 4, 2009 269.4 miles
We slept beautifully and got up, showered, ate and were at the Isaac Morley farm just when they opened. We had heard from the C’s that they were letting Nick sleep. So would be late. We absolutely loved that farm. The Pederson’s showed us where the little school house used to be which was a place the Savior came to visit. After hearing about Isaac Morley and his incredible charity I thought it was fitting that the Lord would visit there. What a beautiful place. While we were waiting for the boys (who were taking an inordinate amount of time in the bathroom), Sister Pederson and I chatted and she found out that I am a Walter Rane fan (there is a beautiful painting of his of the building of the Kirtland temple in the Visitor’s Center) and told me that he was her home teacher back home and “here, come pick out a signed print to keep.” I was so grateful to have a print of his “Good Samaritan.” We hugged goodbye after they checked out our “home” then we headed to town. At the visitor center we enjoyed a beautiful movie then the sister missionaries took us around town. We got to see the store where the school of the prophets was held before the temple was built and where the Savior also came to visit. We felt truly blessed to be standing in such holy places. We saw the ashery and saw mill, the Whitney home and the Johnson Inn. We walked down the street of that town and felt like we were back in Joseph’s time.
The Crocketts then called informing us that they had arrived. We had just finished the tour of the town so we had them drive with us out to the quarry where they cut and hauled the rock to build the temple. You can see the drill marks and shelves. It was cool. We didn’t spend too much time as we had called and scheduled a tour at the temple at 1:30.
While we waited for our tour to start, we were in the gift shop and I went to scoot around someone and when she looked up we both exclaimed. I literally ran into one of my former students. Ha! She gave me a big hug so I must not have made her too miserable. We were called for our tour just then so we didn’t talk much. We enjoyed a nice tour of that wonderful structure. The tour seemed to mainly focus on the structure and architecture of that building instead of the amazing events that had taken place there including the appearance the Christ. I had an article that had Eliza R. Snow’s account of the dedication as well as several other journal entries about marvelous event that happened at that temple. I read that to my children. Nick had served his mission in Cleveland and spent some time giving tours. He was whispering in our ears about spiritual details and symbols of the temple.
Next Stop-John Johnson Farm
We then parted ways and the Snow’s headed to the John Johnson Farm. What a beautifully restored place. This was the scene of the terrible tarring of Joseph and death of one of the Murdock twins and also the marvelous visit by our Savior. As we sat quietly in that upper room where the Lord appeared I was amazed at the spirit that was there. I was also struck that such a miraculous event could take place in someone’s home in addition to being healed of a crippled arm and yet that was not enough to keep the Johnsons in the church. Even the sons that served in the twelve, Luke and Lyman, did not stay active. Luke did come back though. Watch and pray oft!
Next Stop–Niagara Falls
We got to the falls at 10:30 pm. Sorry Mom, I did not go to the QRS store in Buffalo. We passed through there at 10 pm and didn’t stop. The falls are all lit up at night with rainbow colors. It was beautiful! We watched the falls for a while then headed to the nearest Walmart for the night. The Crocketts drove in a few hours later and parked behind us. Yea!

Day 8: June 5, 2009 137.0 miles
We woke up, cleaned up, ate bagels and cream cheese, shopped, waited for Nick to get rolling, convinced him to eat and get ready at the Falls, and finally got out of that parking lot around 9:30. We got to the Falls around 10. The Crocketts were still eating and cleaning up so we started the hike. We hiked all around the Falls then crossed the rainbow bridge to Canada and hiked up to horseshoe falls. The Canadian views are better. On the Canada side it is more touristy but it is a beautifully kept state park on the American side. We decided not to take the Maid of the Mists ride. The kids were sort of ho–hum about it and it was $22 a person. It was cheaper on the Canada side ($15) but by the time we got over there it was getting late. We just took lots of pictures and enjoyed the exercise and the company. We hiked around for about 3 hours then got in the RV and headed east.

Next Stop–Palmyra/Manchester
We got to the Hill Cummorah just in time to see a bunch of teenagers loading on a bus. One of those teenagers yelled, “Mrs. Snow!” and I turned to see that student I had seen in Kirtland. She gave me another big hug. And jumped on the bus. We enjoyed a short hike up the Hill Cummorah. I was impressed at how steep that pageant strip is. We sat at the base of the monument and read the dedicatory prayer that was given by Heber J. Grant in 1935. The prayer is more like a sermon and it was very powerful. We then headed down and to the visitor’s center again and watched “Joseph: Prophet of the Restoration.” That movie is so remarkable. I think everyone needs to watch that one again. I wish they’d come out with the DVD soon. After the movie we realized that we had time to zip over to the Grandin Building to see the place where the Book of Mormon was published. What a process! Tedious work. The tour was great. They had an original edition of our precious book. After the tour we met a lady that lives in New York City. I laughingly asked her if she knew of any place that we could park an RV and tour the town. She got wide-eyed and said, “I have a suburban and I have scrapes on the side of that from bringing it into town. I would not bring an RV.” I laughed and said, “Trust me, we tried it in Chicago. We won’t try it again.” Then she offered to let us park it at her house. I declined but I did ask for tips on what to do in a day. She said, “oh, I am an expert in one-day tours since my siblings and in-laws have all had me take them into the city. Let me have a paper and I’ll map out a great day...” And she did. Cool huh?! She also gave me her number in case we get lost or need to ask questions or change our mind about parking at her house. What a sweetie! I am awed at the generosity and openness of some people. I am so glad that we met her.
I have to say that at the beginning of the day I was pretty upset at spending so much time looking at Walmart and waiting around for the Crocketts. Patience is not one of my virtues as you well know. I was too wound up by the time we got to the Falls. We are now two days behind our original schedule. I had to spend some alone time “taking video” of the Falls and praying that Heavenly Father would let me just release it. It is all good. We are having a wonderful time and seeing amazing sites. It is only time well spent. I could feel the yuck seep out of me like that water flowing down the river and soon I wasn’t such a porcupine and I enjoyed the rest of the day. If we hadn’t been delayed we would not have met Michele.
We met up with those wonderful friends of ours back at the visitor’s center and we got to a campsite with showers and hook-up before dark. The kids threw the football and frisbee and played great together. We had a peaceful night’s sleep.

Day 9: June 6, 2009 503.7 miles
Those wonderful Crocketts were ready to go before we were this morning. Poor Nick had finally caught up on his sleep. We were showered and fed, dumped and vacuumed, and over to the Smith Family Log home visitor’s center shortly after they opened, Crocketts in tow. We so enjoyed being them. We especially love big Josh. He has such a fun personality.
We stopped to look at the beautiful Palmyra temple on the way to the Smith Family Log home. On the side of that temple is a plate glass window that over looks the sacred grove. The stained glass windows all have a wooded grove look. There are twelve clear circles of glass on the window of the Celestial room which represent the 12 apostles and the 12 tribes of Israel.
The log home was an authentic replica. Apparently they had been escavating in the area around the frame house that Alvin built (which was still standing) when they came across the foundation. Upon further excavation they found some beads that matched Lucy’s journal description of a time when she broke a necklace and the bead scatter into the floor boards. Once they found the sice the set to replicating the cabin. With the Smiths’ journals as their guide they used the same wood cut at the same time of year the originals were. They used the same tools, same materials etc. It was really neat. Small. The Smiths had 9 children. We stood in the loft where the Angel Moroni appeared and couldn’t imagine how the rest of the siblings sleeping there did not awaken. We walked by the apple orchard where Joseph fainted after an all-nighter with Moroni and yet he visited again this time reminding him to tell his father about their conversation. We stood about the brick hearth under which the gold plates were stashed and looked at the bedroom where the girls pretended to be asleep while protecting those plates. We peeked into the coopers shack that Joseph was inspired to move the plates to– putting the plates in the loft and the box in the floor boards. The mob tore those boards and box to pieces but didn’t look in the loft. Then we quietly trekked to the Sacred Grove. There is a powerful yet peaceful energy pervading thatplace. We strolled through most of the grove before finding a clearing where we could have family prayer and sit and meditate for a while. The kids were exceptionally reverent– refraining from talking and quite subdued in there manner. What a precious treasure the Grove is.
On the way out of town we stopped at Joseph’s brother Alvin’s grave and the Martin Harris Farm. We took the Crocketts past the Grandin building so they could lay eyes on that very important printing establishment but they did not stop to tour it.


Next Stop: Fayette and the Peter Whitmer Farm
We wound our way through some exquisite countryside to find a magnificent chapel/visitor’s center. The Fayette ward covers 350 square miles. The boundaries are long and thin as they are between two of the “finger lakes.” They sure get to meet in a beautiful building. Seth thought immediately that it looked like the Kirtland temple. Our guide said that was on purpose. They are both in the “Greek Revival” syle and very beautiful. Apparently they had the chapel built and the Whitmer Home replicated to celebrate the 150 years since the Church was organized on that spot of Earth in 1980. President Kimball started the April 6th, 1980 general conference from the hearthside of the Whitmer home. Those Whitmers were pretty important to the early church. They were so important that Heavenly Father sent heavenly messengers to take care of the plowing and the fertilizing so David Whitmer could pick up Joseph and Oliver and save their lives. They or their in-laws made up the bulk of the 11 witnesses. Even their daughter got to glimpse the plates. They supported Joseph while he translated the bulk of the Book of Mormon in their home (and never once peeked at the plates until they were allowed to). We had a testimony meeting in the room where translating took place. The missionary who was our guide was just perfect for our group.

Next Stop: Susquehana River.
We traveled through some of the most picturesque countryside I have ever seen. Rolling green hills with stripes of forest and splashes of red barn or blue farm house. We found the spot where Joseph and Emma’s first home stood. Just a few foundation stones are all that is left. There is a beautiful statue of John the Baptist conferring the Aaronic Priesthood on Joseph and Oliver about 100 feet from the house marker. The cemetery where little 1-day-old, Alvin Smith is buried is a little further. We found a map to the trail that leads to the spot of river where the first authorized baptism in this dispensation took place. We all walked or jogged the half mile to the spot and were treated to a lovely backdrop for an important event. It took some stern stares to keep Austin out of the water. It was pretty murky and we were very glad that we had bug spray. It was there on the banks of the Susquehanna that Andrea told me that our pace was just too fast and that they were not continuing on with us. They would be getting the nearest hotel while we felt (or, more importantly, Keith felt) like traveling to Boston tonight. It is now 1:45 am and he is still driving. He says he is okay but I think he is melting. We’ll look for a travel plaza soon. We’ll go to Church tomorrow and hopefully be able to park the rig there and subway to downtown Boston. Well, I love you for reading this. It means you are actually interested. Pray for us as we travel alone for a while. Maybe the Crocketts will skip a stop and catch up.... Print this post