Moe Heritage Tours Day 2: All-day Drive to Davenport, Iowa with stop at Winter Quarters

Thursday June 10, 2010

Most of the day was spent driving in the van.  Randy was the driver for the REST OF THE TRIP (some 6000 miles)

 I tried to find things we could do all together in the car: 
We wrote in our journals about the first day. We played a “gratitude” game that Krista didn’t appreciate at all (ironic!) which struck me as funny. I got our pipe cleaners and the kids were quite creative.   Here are some of their Creations.

In preparation for our stop at Winter Quarters, we discussed a talk by President Hinckley where he talks about the saints at Winter Quarters. The kids listened but I don’t know if they feel the burning testimony that I  do. 

President Hinckley said: The winter quarter Temple Property adjoins the burial ground of many who gave their lives for this cause which they regarded as more precious than life itself. Their journey to the valley of the Great Salt Lake is a n epic without parallel. The suffering they endured, the sacrifices they made, became the cost of what they believed.

Winter Quarters Temple: We arrived at Winter Quaters at about 3 pm.  We walked over to the temple fist.  This is a special temple to me because some of us (Donelle, Randy, Katrina and Kelsey) got to work on the stained glass windows of this temple with Tom Holdman who is our neighbor. 

Winter Quarters Pioneer Cemetary adjoins the temple property: We walked over to the cemetery and read the plaques and took pictures of the beautiful statue of the couple burying their baby.

The Mormon Trail Center: is just across the street and wetook a tour of the visitor’s center with a young sister missionary (Sister Ray). She did a great job and it was good to think about the saints as they left Nauvoo and spent months getting across the mud of Iowa. A trip we were about to take that night in a car in about four hours. Winter quarters was actually a planned city with city blocks and it went up in just weeks. She also showed us an exhibit of photos of Christ’s life. I’m glad we got to see it.

 Two Temples like Two Bookends:  Joseph's Temple in the East facing.....

.......Brigham's Temple in the West:  The Salt Lake Temple

Brigham Young said: “Conquer or die trying”. That seems like a great motto to me.

After our stop at winter Quarters, we drove another four hours to Davenport Iowa.  We slept that night in another Super 8. This one smelled better and had a better breakfast.