Labor Day Vacation: Part 2

The rest of our vacation was spent driving to some historical landmarks.  We first traveled to Palmyra, New York.  This is where Joseph Smith had his first vision, received the Gold Plates and printed the first Book of Mormon, among others.  Our first stop was the Visitor's Center.  We just love the senior couple missionaries.  They are always so friendly and want to know where you're from.  When we said Indiana, the Elder said he once lived in Bloomington.  Come to find out, he knew many of the same people as Nathan, including his grandmother!  Small world, indeed. 

We toured some of the homes Joseph Smith lived in as a boy.  We walked through the Sacred Grove (which was much bigger than I remember as a little girl), drove by the Temple, and went to the Hill Cumorah. 

We also made at stop at the Book of Mormon publication sight.  We got a brief tour and explanation on how they published the Book of Mormon then.  

 (On a side note, the reason Brooke is not in a lot of pictures is that she was not interested in posing.  She was over it by this point and Charlotte was the only one wanting to be in very many pics)

The next morning, we drove to Niagara Falls.  This was not on our original schedule, but when we realized we were only one hour away, we decided we needed to make a stop!  I'm glad we did, even though we didn't have time for any rides or attractions.  We took some pictures by the falls and then rode the trolley around the park.  It was very crowded!  Next time, we will be sure to plan for most of the day so we can get on the boat.  Although, Brooke was not excited about getting wet....

After leaving Niagara, we headed to Kirtland, Ohio.  It was there that the Latter Day Saints built their first temple and received many revelations in that temple.

 This is the sawmill, that my great-great grandfather, Joel Hills Johnson, built for the purpose of building the Temple. 

After we left Kirtland, we drove to Steak and Shake for dinner and shakes!  Yum!

The next morning, on our way home, we stopped by the Williams cousins.  It was great to catch up with them and our kids really hit it off, even though they only see each other less than once a year!

We had a great time, even though we packed a lot in!  It was a great trip with many memories!