{Travel Log - Day 9 Nauvoo, IL}

Today we had a free day of exploring this sacred city. Our bus dropped us off on the south end of the village at the Community of Christ sites. These included The Red Brick Store, The Joseph Smith Mansion, Visitors Center, other homes, and the Smith Family Cemetery. From there we continued on our own through the rest of the village for the bulk of the day stopping by the blacksmith shop (where we each received a diamond horseshoe ring), the Seventies Hall (where we found that we are direct descendants of 4 of the 70's from Nauvoo; Gardner Snow and his 3 sons, James, Warren & George Snow), the Trail of Hope, the site where the saints left Nauvoo and crossed the frozen Mississippi, the LDS Visitors Center, & even stopped to have a wagon ride pulled by 2 oxen. We then took the bus up to the temple and m'bro and I had a light lunch and did some souvenir shopping. Then walked back to the Visitors Center and relaxed on a couch in the refreshing A/C until our parents got out of the temple. We all went to dinner together and then went to a very cute "Nauvoo Review" inside the Cultural Hall put on by the senior missionaries. They were a crack up! I sure hope I have that kind of energy and wit when I'm that age. We then took a stroll up the road past a group of guys playin' the bagpipes and on to watch the dress rehearsal of the Nauvoo Pageant since they don't actually perform on Mondays. Storm clouds came rolling in pretty quick so we didn't stay to watch too long and we headed back to the hotel after an amazing day in Old Nauvoo.
Smith Family Cemetery


The Joseph Smith Mansion


Seventies Hall




Trail of Hope



Statue of Brigham and Joseph looking over the Mississippi





Nauvoo Pageant dress rehearsal


Threatening storm clouds