Winding It Down

Day 25 - August 6:  Laramie, Wyoming

This will most likely be the last post I make while we're on the road.  I plan on adding two more posts after this and that will wrap up our trip.  After that, this blog will transform into a travel blog and will document the different adventures that our family has separately and together...so the right hand column that describes our family will be changed soon.  But until then.....

On Friday, we woke up to rain in Kansas City.  LOTS of rain.  But since it was a travel day, it didn't matter.  We have noticed that when we have been planning on being outside, the weather cooperated and we had a chance to get that days activities in.  On days when we were just driving, it rained.  No big deal.  But we definitely feel blessed that the Lord has allowed the weather to be what it has and we've done what we wanted.

We left Kansas City and headed north to visit Far West and Adam-Ondi-Ahman.  Both places are somewhat remote, but the land around them is beautiful.  To see the foundation corner stones in Far West and know that the early Saints risked their lives to place them there was humbling.

At Far West

We then trekked a bit further north to Adam-Ondi-Ahman and words can barely express the Spirit and feeling that resides in that place.  There is nothing extraordinary there, no buildings, nothing but fields and trees.  And yet, the overwhelming peacefulness that I had was nothing short of amazing.  It is like no other place I've been, short of within the walls of the temple.

Looking out into the valley of Adam-Ondi-Ahman

Another view of the valley.

Three of my pieces of heaven in this holy place....

From Adam-Ondi-Ahman, we then took our journey to Omaha, Nebraska, where we visited the Winter Quarters temple.  This temple has a unique history and feel to it, as there is a cemetary right next to it that contains many Saints who passed away here on their way to Salt Lake City.  There is a stone on the grounds that lists the names and ages of those that died.  It was sad to see so many children that died.  I just don't know how my pioneer ancestors did it, but I am forever grateful that they did.

Winter Quarters temple

Love the doors!

Another shot of the temple.

This is part of the monument in the cemetary that portrays the heartache many families felt along the trek west.

The stone that lists the names of those that died.

We were able to spend the night with a really fun family that we didn't know hardly at all.  Mark Ludlow is a college friend of Scott's and they were so gracious to take us in, feed us, and put us up for the night.  The kids played Dance Central on their Kinect...and it was so funny to watch them!  Mundo is all limbs and dances like his dad, while Anner picked up on the dances pretty quick and can really shake her groove thang pretty good.  We had a wonderful but short-lived time with them.

And now here we are.  Laramie, Wyoming.  Making the final push home. 

They're still smiling after all this driving!

At a remote gas station in rural Nebraska...

The past three and a half weeks have been magical....irreplaceable...awesome....FUN!  I will be so glad to get home, to do laundry without needing quarters, to wear more than the seven shirts I packed, to sleep in a room separate from the children, to cook a healthy dinner again, and get back to a normal schedule.  But this summer vacation will forever be our Epic Road Trip Vacation.  I've picked up T-shirts all along the way of our trip and will be making a quilt from them so that we can all remember the times we spent crammed into the Sienna, driving, laughing, driving, eating, DRIVING, watching movies, driving and remembering how great we are together as a family.  Oh, and driving.

Next stop:  Payson, Utah tomorrow....and Las Vegas, Nevada on Monday!