Nauvoo, IL and Thayer, IA

Doug has been enjoying the roads a lot more lately... much more 'open', and less traffic!  We made it to Nauvoo Tuesday evening just after dark.  Because of the route we were taking, we actually crossed over into Iowa then back over the Mississippi into IL.  The bridge we took back into IL was a bit scary (doesn't help it was dark).  Only $3 for this toll.  It continues to amaze me just how big the river is.  Makes our Snake river look like a trickle of water.  It was fun to hear the kids gasp in awe as we crossed the river.

Approaching Nauvoo from the north, we began to look for the temple which we were sure would be lit up in the evening sky.  As we drove through town, we spotted it -- what a beautiful sight!  We drove around it, then parked to get out and take some pix.  It was a very lovely evening -- just right temperature-wise, though some of the kids threw on a light jacket.

We had a little trouble finding the place at the local state park where we could camp overnight in our RV.  We kept erroneously driving down roads that said 'no buses' (RVs were supposed to consider themselves 'buses' in Nauvoo).  Eventually we found the correct entrance into the park and found a spot.  Looked to be 2 other RVers in the park.  We were able to relax a little, watch a movie and eat some popcorn.  Poor Brinley was so tired, she fell asleep before she could get this piece of popcorn to her mouth...

Camping in Nauvoo State Park (only $20).

On Wednesday, after a few took showers and played down by the lake, we packed up (re-supplied with water and emptied our waste) and headed to the visitor's center.  We knew going into this that we would not have enough time to do very much -- you could spend a good week here doing things!  We still wanted to go to Carthage to see the jail, and make it to Thayer before it got dark so we could look for grave sites.

At any rate, we ended up visiting the Brigham Young home, Blacksmith shop, and a stop at the Brickyard.  It's very impressive how things are setup -- and amazing.  We took a moment to gaze down Parley street where the saints headed to cross over the frozen Mississippi.

Back in the RV, we headed to Carthage, driving along the wide river.  In Carthage, we visited the jail and learned a few things we didn't know before (or probably didn't remember).  The younger kids were especially intrigued by the bullet holes in the door as they worked their fingers through and around the holes.

OK, on to Thayer IA... gotta get there before dark!!

We made it to Thayer, and followed some signs that were thankfully there.  Went on a few roads not exactly designed for an RV, but we managed anyway.  Got there in time before it was too dark to see things.  We stopped at one cemetery after looking at a monument to see if we could find any 'Rogers' there.  By this time it was dark so we had flashlights going through this small cemetery.  I think it probably looked funny by anyone driving by -- in this cemetery, out in the middle of nowhere, with a bunch of people running around a cemetery with flashlights...

Kept driving until we got to the interstate on the other side of Iowa, then found a Rest Area to get some sleep...