Nauvoo, IL to Independence, MO

We packed up wet clothes and towels and headed towards the church history sites in Missouri. The mosquitoes in Nauvoo are very aggressive.  I put several coats of cutter on, but I was still bitten--eye lid and crease of my elbow. I can see why so many died of milaria there. There is no escape.

I hope we would see some Amish at some point and we did. 

First stop was Adam-ohdi-ahman. It was beautiful. And especially beautiful from the air conditioned car. It was so hot, the air was so thick it was hard to breathe. I immediately felt nauseous.  It was 100 degrees and crazy humid.

They had great maps there. They came in handy because some roads were out from flooding. 

This was Spring Hill. Everything there was so well maintained and manicured. Surrounding areas were very run down. 

Next stop was Far West. This was a really cool place. The cornerstones were there and in glass cases. There was a beautiful monument.  Despite there being no temple, it still felt like temple grounds. 

Next up was Liberty Jail. (Such an oximoron title) I loved hearing the history of the jail and the construction. Being there made all the stories more meaningful and real.

I loved the Kansas City Temple. Beautiful grounds. Clean architecture. I wish each temple had a pamphlet about the history and design of that particular temple. We were so lucky to tour the Indianapolis Temple and learn all about why certain features were used and chosen. 

Last stop was the Independence Visitor's Center. Such cool stuff there. They gave a great history of the area and the early saints who lived there.

The kids were very worn and wild by this time. The sisters asked them several times to settle down. We had to leave. Which I guess was very appropriate considering the history of the location. Haha

It began to rain of coarse. But it was still so hot. The kids had cold spegettios and canned peaches from the cooler. Mike left to grab us peach shakes from Chick-fil-A. We went to bed. It was a rough night of sleep. We stayed at Campus RV park. Its right next door to the visitor's center and also the train tracks. Thunder, lighting, train whistles and Scarlett was up with a fever. Poor girl. So worn out. Hoping she will rest well in the car tomorrow.