Visiting with Aunt Diane in Turlock, CA

On our way back to Sparks, NV, we stopped in Turlock to see my Aunt Diane and my cousins Jason and Beverly. They were all home, so we got to say hi and talk for a little bit, which was nice, since it has been years since we saw them.

Working with Grandpa Gene

The kids and Keith went with Grandpa Gene to the fields to help him with the sugar beets. Measuring two different trials of sugar beets. Savannah recorded the weights of the beets. Hammering in a measuring stick to view heights of plants. Cutting tops off to prepare for weighing. Taking

Historical Zalud Family Home in Porterville, CA

My Dad took us to walk through an old home in Porterville, CA that was owned by one of the first wealthy families in the area. All the items in the home are original to the home. It was pretty cool to be in the presence of so much original

Traver, CA and Wild Jack's Cafe

I guess Tucker was pretty happy about being wanted.... We went to lunch at Wild Jack's Cafe in Traver, CA. Very good food and some fun stuff outside.

Easter in Visalia

The kids hunted for eggs in the backyard looking at what they got Cool pool jumping pictures

Sparks Marina and Truckee River

It was nice being back in Sparks, NV.  Our first day, we went for a walk with Grandpa Knight around the Marina.  We saw a lot of Night Herons, Cormarants, Yellow-Headed Blackbirds, etc...  Beautiful area. The next day, Grandpa Knight invited us to ride on the bike trail next to

Baby Bunnies

While driving west, Nicole told us that they have a few baby bunnies.  My family couldn't pass that up, so Phil and Nicole were gracious enough to let us stay the night at their house and play with the bunnies. The kids had a great time playing with

Logan Utah Temple

While in Costa Rica, we met a family from Cache Valley, UT.  So on our drive, we decided to drive through the valley and we stopped in Logan, UT. The temple was impressive.

Eastern Idaho and the Idaho Falls Temple

Spent the night in Eastern Idaho, seeing the Idaho Falls Temple and driving around Idaho Falls,  Blackfoot, and Pocatello. We thought that Pocatello was a cute town. The Idaho Falls temple sits right by the river with beautiful man-made falls.

Flathead Lake and Whitefish, Montana

Heading very far north in Western Montana, you pass by Flathead Lake.  It was beautiful.  It is the largest freshwater lake in the western US.  It was hard to drive since you just wanted to look at the beautiful lake. Afterwards, we checked out Kalispell and Whitefish.  Whitefish was a

Montana State Capitol, Helena, Montana

We stopped at the State Capitol in Helena, Montana.

Bozeman, Montana

We immediately liked Bozeman, Montana as we pulled into town.  It was a small, clean, cute town in the middle of a gorgeous valley surrounded by tall snow covered mountains. We walked around downtown and had delicious Thai food at Sweet Chili Asian Bistro. We drove through Billings on the

Devils Tower, Wyoming

Anyone who has seen Close Encounters knows Devils Tower.  It was shocking how massive it was and from how far it could be seen.  A really neat and strange place. From miles away:

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

Mount Rushmore is one of the 'monumental' places that is a must-see sometime in your life.  Now was our time.  So on our drive across the country, we went. There is an impressive walkway featuring flags from each of the states as you approach the monument. In the

Falls Park, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

The roads to Sioux Falls, South Dakota was red.  It was pretty strange, I had never seen red asphalt before.  But apparently, there are a lot of reddish / pinking rocks in the area that they use in the asphalt. We stopped at Falls Park to see Sioux Falls.  They were

Mormon Trail Center, Council Bluffs, Iowa / Omaha, Nebraska

After leaving Nauvoo, IL, the Saints slowly made their way through the mud towards Council Bluffs, IA where they camped for the winter.  They eventually created their own temporary town near Omaha, Nebraska.  Here they prepared for their journey, where they would eventually leave the US and settle in what

Trail of Hope in Nauvoo, IL

As the Saints were forced to leave their homes in Nauvoo, they lined up their wagons along Parley Street as they waited for the ferry. We walked down the street and read signs with written accounts left by people as they left. Due to all of the rain, the Mississippi

Historic Nauvoo, IL, Hands on Experiences

History Nauvoo features many re-enactments and hands on lessons.  The kids loved the lessons. Bricks were critical in the building up of Nauvoo.  We learned about the history of making bricks in Nauvoo and how they were made. In the Browning Home, a volunteer taught us about Jonathan Browning and

Historic Nauvoo, IL, Part 1

The early members of the Church of Jesus Christ settled in Nauvoo, IL.  The town is now a historic visitors center with volunteer / missionary re-enactments. The town is next to the Mississippi River and from basically everywhere in town, you could look up at a bluff near town and see

Carthage Jail, Illinois

In 1844, Joseph Smith and his brother were killed while imprisoned in the Carthage Jail in Illinois.  The building is now owned by the Church of Jesus Christ, so we stopped at the visitors center, watched a brief movie about it, and took a tour of the jail. The rock

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum and Hall of Fame

While drive cross-country, we stopped at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indy 500 and many other races. While there, we visited the Racing Hall of Fame and Racing Museum.  We are able to watch a short video about the history and see many of the winning cars. Here

National Museum of the US Air Force, Dayton, Ohio

While determining which route we should go, we had the decision of going through Chicago or Dayton and Indianapolis.  Knowing about the Air Force Museum and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway made the decision a little simpler. The National Museum of the US Air Force is the largest military aviation museum

Historic John Johnson Farm

About 30 minutes east of Akron, Ohio is a small town called Hiram, Ohio, where the Historic John Johnson farm is found. As the members of the Church settled in nearby Kirtland, and the headquarters of the Church was eventually relocated there, the Johnson's learned of the Prophet

Historic Kirtland Ohio Ashery

Prior to our tour, I had never heard of an ashery and couldn't have guessed all that it did.  During the early to mid 1800's, all towns in the US had an ashery.  Towns people would sell their hardwood ashes at the ashery.  Then the ashery

Historic Kirtland Ohio

Kirtland, Ohio has been on our list of places to see since we moved to DC.  So much of the history of the Church of Jesus Christ took place there.  The Church has an excellent visitors center that includes tours through the buildings, many of which are original. Our guide