Monday, July 21, 2008

Virginia Visit and drive west July 8-15

We had good visits w/ friends and family in Virginia July 8-11. Never long enough to see everyone and really catch up, but we'll be out again in Octoer. On Friday, July 11th we drove the "other car" cross country via Rts 64, 70 and 80. Five days and 2,300 miles later we were back in St. George. We saw some beautiful country from the mountains of West Virginia through the corn fields of every state between WV and WY and over the wind swept Great Divide down into Utah. On our 2nd night we stopped in Keokuk, Iowa. We drove the 20 miles up to Nauvoo for a look around the restored homes. We "participated" in some outdoor activities provided by local Members for those waiting to see the indoor and out door evening plays/pagent. The setting at the foot of the Temple on the Mississippi, the Nauvoo Temple was wonderful. Sunday after Church we went to the Carthage Jail (25 miles SE of Navuoo. It was an impressive sight. On days 3 and 4 we crossed 4 states and followed the North Platte River for a time. The pioneers going west to Salt Lake and to Oregon in the late 1840s through the 1860s followed that route for some of their journey, but not at 75 mph.