Baycation 2010

I have been working on blogging our summer for over a month now. But school has started and Dalen has been traveling a lot for work, so it has been hard to find time. We did have a really great summer though, and I don't want it to be forgotten. Along with doing a lot of nothing, we also took a very long road trip. It was a "visit the family and church history sites" trip. Josh informed anyone and everyone that we were on "baycation". So, the following is our great-big-long-travel-log for Baycation 2010.

(This is the part where I show tons and tons of pictures from our vacation. So consider yourself warned!)

Day 1: We hit the road and drove all day from Austin, Texas to Topeka, Kansas.

Dalen's niece, Stephanie, and her husband, Ethan, invited us stay with them that night. It was really fun to see them and their cute family.

Day 2: Stephanie and Ethan navigated us over to Independence, Missouri with Ethan's new smartphone. I have officially decided that I need one of those! Independence is only about an hour away from Topeka. There are three churches in Indendence that trace their beginnings to Joseph Smith, Jr. -- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Community of Christ, and The Church of Christ (Temple Lot). Each church owns land that includes or surrounds the location that was designated by Joseph Smith for the building of a temple. We went to the LDS visitor's center first where we learned about the history of the Church in Independence and about the way the early members of the church lived. This picture is of our kids and Stephanie's little boy playing on a mini-covered wagon. I have a feeling that this happy little picture bears little resemblance to the actual crossing of the plains.

We then toured the Community of Christ Temple. It was pretty interesting, but not highly informative. I got a lot more information about their beliefs off their website. I thought some of the artwork was really cool though. This picture is of Seth and Aleah standing next to a representation of the burning bush seen by Moses. This was done using various fabrics in three layers that were suspended from the ceiling about a foot away from each other. The effect was really neat as you walked toward it because it looked like the flames were moving.

Here are Seth and Josh in front of a representation of the Tree of Life that was done with metal.

We got to listen to a young man play the organ which is in the main santuary of the Community of Christ Temple. He was very good. This organ is BIG and the room it is in is NOT big, so when it is played it definitely leaves an impression.

This is our family standing on the site that was designated as the location for the temple. This temple was never built. In 1929, the corner stones for the temple were found. They had been laid and the site dedicated by Joseph Smith 1831.

After Independence, we headed north to visit the site of the jail in Liberty, Missouri. This is where Joseph Smith, Jr. and other church leaders were held for nearly five months awaiting trial. After all that time, the guards let them escape. Here are Stephanie and Ethan with their kids at the Liberty Jail LDS visitor's center.

After the tour, we all went to dinner at Red Robin. While we were there, the giant Red Robin mascot was going around the restaurant entertaining the kids. I think it made Josh a little nervous and he finally yelled out, as only Josh can do, "I don't like that big bird going around spreading cheer!" Thankfully the robin never made it over Josh's way. Who knows what Josh would have done.

Unfortunately, this is where we had to say goodbye to Stephanie and Ethan. We were so glad we got to see them and spend some time with them! They went back to Topeka and we headed up to Omaha, Nebraska.

Day 3: Dalen's brother, Brent, lives in Omaha. We haven't seen Brent in quite a while, so it was great to be able to spend time with Brent and his son, Stephen. Brent took us to Winter Quarters where the Mormon pioneers set up an encampment so they could wait out the winter before they finished their journey to the Salt Lake Valley. Winter Quarters is in northern Omaha. There is an LDS visitor's center there and a cemetary where it is estimated that 600 pioneers were buried. Next to the cemetary is the Winter Quarter's Temple that was dedicated in 1999. This picture is of our kids standing next to a grave at the cemetary with the temple in the background. It was quite sobering to think of the hardships that these people endured compared with our lives of today.

After spending some time at the LDS visitor's center, we went to see one of the other main attractions of Omaha - the trains. Omaha, Nebraska was the center of the first transcontinental railroad and has always been the headquarters of the Union Pacific Railroad. We just happened to be there during the annual Railroad Days celebration, so we were able to hit a few of the railroad attractions. It was really fun. We learned a LOT about trains. If there's anything you'd like to know about the trains, just ask Dalen. He thought it was awesome! And I think the kids enjoyed it too.



As part of our Railroad Days pass, we also got to visit the Lauritzen Botanical Gardens. I wish we had been able to spend a little more time there. This was the part that I thought was awesome!

In the children's garden, they had made replicas, out of sticks and leaves, of the prominent buildings of Omaha. They had an electric train running through this mini-Omaha . It was pretty impressive.

Josh got a little tired.

And so did Anna. Good thing they were both able to hitch rides. Thanks Aleah and Uncle Brent!

That evening we went to a musical that was being performed at the Kanesville Tabernacle in Council Bluffs, Iowa, which is right across the river from Omaha. This tabernacle was where Brigham Young was ordained president of the Church in December of 1847.

Day 4: We went to church with Brent in the morning and then we hit the road. Thanks for being such a great tour guide Brent! We had a great time!

We then headed for Minnesota, where Dalen's brother Mark and his wife Susan live. Before we left town, we stopped at the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge that spans the Missouri River between Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa.

It's not every day that you can be two places at once. (On the border between Iowa and Nebraska.)

Day 5: Our first day in Minnesota we turned around and headed back to Austin. Why? For the love of SPAM. Yes, SPAM. No, I'm NOT kidding! Austin, Minnesota is the home of SPAM and the headquarters of Hormel Foods Corporation. How could our trip possibly be complete without a visit to the SPAM Museum? It was surprisingly fun! It was just like a children's museum all centered around SPAM.

We saw interesting displays, watched SPAM videos, participated in a SPAM game show, and tried our hands at canning SPAM on a mock assembly line.

Here is everyone working on the assemby line.



We learned interesting facts about SPAM. For instance, according to Hormel, SPAM is not mystery meat. The meat mostly comes from the front shoulder of the hog, not leftover parts. Now don't you feel better about eating it?

Here's some SPAM trivia:

• SPAM made it's debut in 1937.
• It was used extensively by the armed forces in World War II to feed troops and citizens of countries affected by the war.
• 44,000 cans of SPAM are produced every hour at the two plants in the US.
• In the US, people eat three cans of SPAM per second.
• Hawaii wins the state championship for SPAM consumption, eating 5 million pounds of SPAM per year. They even serve SPAM at McDonalds and Burger King in Hawaii.
• South Korea is the world's largest consumer of SPAM. Hormel's plant in South Korea makes 14 million cans of SPAM per year.
• There is an island named after SPAM. It is part of the Phoenix Islands in the Republic of Kiribati located between Hawaii and Fiji. It has 1 wharf, 1 causeway, 2 airstrips, and 1 bird refuge. So book your travel plans now!

Yeah for SPAM!

Day 6: We took a drive up to Minneapolis for the day. We stopped at Three River's Park District where we had a picnic. It was fun! I know Mark isnt' looking like he was having fun, but he was!

We played games.

And the kids got to play on this huge playscape.

Then we hit the Mall of America. We did a tiny bit of shopping, which did not include the purchase of this giraffe, much to Anna's dismay.

But who wants to shop when you can go to the amusement park inside the Mall of America instead?

The kids had a BLAST. Here are Seth and Aleah riding something terrifying.

Josh and Anna chose rides that involved fun rather than terror. Not that they had a choice, but ....


Here are Seth and Aleah on the log ride.

The one store all the kids wanted to hit was the Lego Store. It was quite impressive.



Day 7: We went to Lark Toys in Kellogg, Minnesota.

Here are the BEST tour guides Minnesota has to offer! Thanks for everything Mark and Susan!

Lark Toys is not just toys (and hats). They also have putt putt golf.


And for the second day in a row, Anna got to ride a (carousel) horse. She thought she was in heaven!

After that, we headed across the river to Wisconsin, where Aleah thought she was in heaven among the old and stinky cheese. I don't know what it is, but both my girls love cheese. The stronger the better! We also had some pretty delicious ice cream in the "Dairy State".

We also got to watch a barge go through one of the lock and dams on the Mississippi River.

Let me just take a minute and say that we saw a LOT of corn on this trip. I kept thinking we were supposed to be in the bread basket of America. I guess that basket is just full of cornbread.

This is the infamous corn water tower at the Seneca Foods plant in Rochester.

Day 8: We actually stayed in Rochester this day. It was "Bring your Kids to Work" day at IBM where Mark works. Mark was brave enough (with Susan's help) to take all four kids to work while Dalen and I took a tour of the Mayo Clinic. I knew almost nothing about the history of the Mayo family and the Mayo Clinic prior to this trip. It was very impressive.

Here is Dalen standing in front of a gigantic blown glass chandelier at the Mayo Clinic that was designed by Dale Chihuly. It was something else! There is so much amazing artwork at the Clinic that they offer a separate art tour in addition to the history tour.

That evening, Mark took Seth, Aleah, and Dalen out fishing in his canoe. You can't hardly go to the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" and not go out on one of them, right? They had a great time! They got to see a nest of bald eagles and they caught a whole slew of fish. The fishing was pretty high up on Seth and Aleah's list of favorite things we did on the baycation.

Day 9: We woke up and had FISH for breakfast. Oh my, it was delicious! And it was a great way to end our stay with Mark and Susan. Thanks Mark and Susan! For everything!

We then packed up and headed down to Nauvoo, Illinois. We were lucky enough to have Brent and Stephen, and Brent's friend Carol, meet us in Nauvoo so that we could spend more time with them.

Nauvoo was a city established by Joseph Smith for the members of the LDS church to settle and build up Zion. It's population quickly rose to 12,000 people, making it one of the largest cities in Illinois at the time. They built a temple there, but they were forced to evacuate the city after Joseph Smith's death in 1844. The original Nauvoo temple was set on fire in 1848 and then hit by a tornado in 1850. However, it was rebuilt by the LDS church in 2002. I don't know how it worked out that I didn't get one picture of the modern Nauvoo Temple. But this is one of the original Sun Stones of the Nauvoo Temple.

Day 10: We hit as much of Nauvoo as we possibly could. We visited historic houses and shops and rode in a horse drawn wagon. One of our favorite sites was the Family Living Center where we learned about how the early saints lived. Josh was his usual outgoing, gregarious self and had all of us and everyone else around us laughing. We learned how to make bread in a brick oven, how to make linen and candles, how to make water tight wooden barrels, and how to make rope. The kids got to help with making the rope.

Josh got to turn the big wheel because, as he very matter-of-factly informed the tour guide, he is a "TOUGH GUY".

This is the Mansion House which was the residence of Joseph Smith prior to his death.

This was the well in back of Brigham Young's home.

This was one of Dalen's favorite stops - the blacksmith shop. Some of his ancestor's were blacksmiths and I think that "blacksmithness" runs strong in Dalen's blood. He loves tools and machines and metal working.

Just as we were going into the tin smith shop, we ran into our good friends, David and Traci Neilsen. They both teach at BYU, but they were on their way to Canada for a teaching sabbatical. It was SO fun to see them! (Why didn't we think to get a picture?)

That night we attended the Nauvoo Pageant. It rained for the first half, but then cleared up a little. Even though we were soaked, I'm still glad we went. It's not like we'll be back that way any time soon.

Day 11:We went to church and then hit a few more sites in Nauvoo. We then went down to Carthage, Illinois to the Carthage Jail LDS visitor's center. This is where Joseph Smith, Jr. and his brother Hyrum were killed.


After spending some time in Carthage, we started our journey back to Texas.

Day 12: We drove to Tyler, Texas where Dalen had to go for work. We just tagged along for a few days.

Days 13, 14, and 15: We spent three days in Tyler. Dalen had to work while the rest of us took a vacation from our vacation. We swam in the pool.

We played games in the hotel room. Anna begged and begged for someone to play princess dominoes with her. Seth is such a sweet brother!

When it poured rain one day, we went to the theater and saw Toy Story 3.

On our last day in Tyler, the weather was beautiful. So we went to the Tyler Rose Garden. Tyler, Texas has been nicknamed the "rose capital of the nation" because of it's large role in the rose industry. About 20% of commercial roses grown in this country come from Tyler.



Day 16: We drove home! While we had a very wonderful trip, I do have to say that there really is no place like home.