When I made the decision to go back to West Yellowstone for the summer, I decided that I wanted to take a vacation before the summer begins. Working in West Yellowstone has its perks, but one of the disadvantages is that you don't ever get to take summer vacations. In fact, you don't hardly leave West Yellowstone for four months. I love it, but I miss out on a lot.
I've never been to Nauvoo. When my family went a few years ago, I was working in West Yellowstone (see?). With Kris living in Omaha, I decided that was the best place for a quick trip. I wanted to see what everyone was talking about. Mom caught wind of the plans and decided to join.
So the two of us spent a couple days in Omaha with Kris and his family where I went to Winter Quarters and Kanesville Tabernacle (Council Bluffs).
On Saturday we drove to Illinois and spent just over 24 hours in Nauvoo...
...and made a quick stop at Carthage.
We then drove through Quincy and stayed the night in Hannibal, MO. Before leaving, we caught a quick one-hour history of Mark Twain.
We breezed by Adam-Ondi-Ahman...
...and learned about the Community of Christ and Harry Truman in Independence.
We flew over to Liberty Jail.
Finally, we got a quick bite to eat at the Cracker Barrel and then made our way back to Omaha. And we did all of this in three days and in pouring rain. After a day in Omaha, we are now sitting in the airport getting ready to return to Utah.
We had a great time. I wish there was more time for all of this. I could spend 2-3 days in each of these spots, but I'm glad we did it. It's like a cruise. On a cruise, you go in and out of ports quickly, only getting a taste of what the location has to offer. But after you leave, you know what it has to offer if you want to go back. And I will be going back.
