bend in the river....

I realize that this post is long overdue. (And no, I'm not talking about the vacay to Greece.... Although if I wait much longer to post that adventure, it will be nearly obsolete as well.) In October, my good friends (Jed, Erin, and Teri) and I took a little pilgrimage to Nauvoo for a weekend. And since I'm sure that no one wants to read the weekend play by play, I think a little top 10 (although still lengthy) will suffice.

1. A trip through America’s Heartland.

I do love me a big city, but I also love the wide expanse of the Midwest, especially in the fall. The beauty of the extensive corn fields is unmatched and the grandeur in the wide open space is unparalleled. The Midwest has a style all its own, and every few years, I itch to go back. As we drove the 5.5 hours from Kansas City to Nauvoo, I couldn’t have been happier… blasting the ipod, grilling Jed for personal information, and taking in the abundant scenery.

2. A stop in Far West

Someday I would love to own a ranch outside of Far West, Missouri. It looked like the most picturesque place to have a big white barn, a smattering of horses, and a family Thanksgiving party of gargantuan proportions. Something Martha Stewart would even be proud of…. We stopped at the temple site in Far West for a few minutes. It was FREEZING cold. And since I’m a desert rat, and am severely affected by the cold, I could hardly concentrate on what the others were saying. After we got back in the car, we drove down an obscure dirt road to find the old Far West cemetery. Jed had a book that gave us directions… And I’ll tell ya, there is nothing there but a field of grass, so who would know if we found it or not. At that point, the sun came out to play, so Teri and Erin jumped out of the car to snap a couple of shots. After a few minutes of photographic journaling, Teri ran screaming back to the car leaving Erin standing confused by the side of the road. What caused the sudden outbreak? A skunk. And it was running away from where Teri had just been standing. Lucky for all of us, she didn’t get sprayed. That would have made for an interesting 5 hour journey…

3. Arriving at Susan’s house late that night and not being able to find the sheets.

There were a few minutes there where we thought we were going to have to drive back into Keokuk to Walmart at 11:00 pm to pick up some sheets. But, as it turned out, Erin saved the day and looked in the secret closet hidden behind the bathroom door. Plenty of sheets to go around. Susan’s place was amazing. What a great friend she is… The trip wouldn’t have been possible without her generous offer.

4. Running the flats

I hadn’t run since the half marathon in August. I had a minor injury to my knee after that half marathon, and I was trying to heal it up. But the first morning in Nauvoo, as the sun was coming up over the flats, Teri, Erin, and I laced up and went for a run. Ok, so we walked more than we ran. In our defense, it was really cold, but there is no better way to reacquaint oneself with Nauvoo, than on foot, in the quiet morning hours as the sun casts long shadows on the grass.

5. LDS Nauvoo Visitors Center

Back in the day, when I was a freshman in college, I went to Nauvoo with BYU’s travel study program. I will never be able to explain the lasting impact those 3 months have had on my life. I’m sure there are words to describe, but none I’m going to illustrate here. Just know that it was life altering and it still stands as one of the best experiences of my life. There were only 43 of us that semester. (Students, that is.) It was in 1996 before CES even knew the program existed. Because it was a small program, semi-obsucre, and only the 2^nd year of its existence, we were able to stay in the old homes down on the flats of Nauvoo. I, and my 5 roommates, lived in the David D. Yearsley house built in 1843 and it still stands as the tallest residence in Nauvoo. As if that wasn’t great enough, we also got to attend class in the LDS Visitors Center. Going back there releases a flood of memories. The Visitors Center was our first stop in Nauvoo after our morning run. We wanted to see the Nauvoo video (called Remembering Nauvoo) that they play. Since it wasn’t going to start for another hour, the missionaries asked us if we wanted to see the Joseph Smith movie (the one playing in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in SLC). I had never seen it and since the other vidoe wasn’t playing yet, we ventured in. I know I’ve cried that hard before. I know I have. But I can’t remember the time. When it finished and the lights turned on, I turned to Teri and Jed, pointing at my face, and said, “Really?” You know when you hear something that just hits home for you at a particular moment? Yeah….

6. Eating

I can eat. And as I’ve mentioned before, I have no sweet sensor. Teri told me that she didn’t really believe me when I said I could eat. Well, folks, I’m here to tell you that she is now a believer. Maybe it was the fact that I ate ¾ of a large bag of peanut butter M&M’s in one sitting (the only reason I didn’t eat the whole thing was because I shared it with everyone else.) And the fact that I couldn’t stop eating the tiny ginger cookies we picked up at the bakery. Or maybe it was the 3 bowls of taco soup for dinner not including the chips and quac. But I don’t think her opinion had anything to do with the fact that I ate an entire POUND of fudge in 2 days time. ½ peanut butter fudge, ½ chocolate. Sigh.

7. The Temple

Saturday activity. And the interior of that temple is like no other. What can I say, it’s a place of peace. In every sense of the word.

8. Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo

I’m pretty sure this little theatrical performance has been around since the vanguard company left Nauvoo in 1846… It’s a classic, and one you can’t miss if you make the trip to that particular bend on the Mississippi. The performing missionaries may change, but as far as I’m concerned, the entertainment value never will. There is something so wholesome in their amateur dramatization. No matter the cast, its always good for many laughs.

9. Running through the corn

Corn fields abound in the Midwest. That’s no secret. And haven’t you ever wanted to run through a corn field? It seems the perfect resume builder for any upcoming movie role…. So, that’s what we did. Teri sat in the car and took pictures, while Erin, Jed, and I had a race through the corn. As Erin says: “It was all fun and games until Jayna yelled, ‘Children of the corn!”




10. Hanging out with friends
Without a doubt, the best part of any trip is found in the travelling companions. This particular excursion had plenty of laughs, hours of great conversation, and moments of comfortable silence. Throw in some fantastic scenery and a few endearing memories, and that’s what I call a vacay.

“You people and this place make me better than I was before.”

From High Hopes and River Boats

Photos courtesy of Erin