Niagara Falls

The last day that Greg stayed with us, we went to Niagara Falls. Because it was a weekend, the border was really busy and it took forever to get through customs. But we finally made it.

We decided that we would ride the Maid of the Mist. Everyone says that you have to do it at least once. This is what the boat looks like.



They give you ponchos as part of the ride.




It was really cold that day.



These are the American Falls.

The Falls are so powerful that they spray water into the air and it feels like it's raining. Between the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls 750,000 gallons of water flows per second!

These are the Horseshoe Falls. We didn't buy a waterproof camera, so these are the pictures that I took before it got too wet.

When you are close to the falls, it just pours down. The floor of the boat pools with water. We were soaking wet.

I think that Greg is bending his knees and leaning in this picture because he is actually taller than Spencer.

These are some pretty flowers along the walkway beside the falls.

Greg is a rebel.

And a GQ model.

It's awesome to see the water pour over the edge. The Niagara Falls are the second largest falls in the world, with Victoria Falls in Africa being the largest.

One-fifth of the worlds fresh water resides in the great lakes, and four of the five great lakes flows over these falls before they reach the last lake, Ontario.

After this we went home. We ate "Mormon Crack" on the way, which is Muddy Buddies Chex mix. Again, we got held up at the border and asked accusatory questions by the border control guard.

When we got home, we ate hamburgers and watched more playoff hockey and played more games. It was really fun to have Greg come visit. We are really going to miss him for the next two years. We are really proud of him and are excited for him to start his adventure in Portugal.

BOM Publishing Stie

Our last stop was at the Book of Mormon Publishing Site. We went on a little tour here. It was amazing to me how hard it was to publish the Book of Mormon. What a lot of work!! It is surprising that it got done.

After this, we drove home. Then we went to Duff's for dinner. They have the best dang wings in Buffalo. They are so good. Spencer got some a little hotter than we normally do. Greg and Spence were tough and handled it well. I could only handle one of the hot ones. I stuck with my medium mild for the rest. And enjoyed the celery and blue cheese.

Then we went home and watched some more playoff hockey and passed out exhausted from the day's adventures.

The Hill Cumorah

After walking around the Palmyra Temple, we went to the Hill Cumorah. This is the visiting center. It has videos and missionaries.



This is a statue of some big scriptures. I was showing the boys that it is okay to get your picture taken here because it says so in my LDS tourist book. It was really, really windy and even windier at the top of the hill.



The cool thing about this picture, is that it is the scripture that Greg chose for his missionary plaque.



This is the Hill Cumorah. It is set up for the pageant that they have here every summer.



There are paths that you walk up to get to the top. At the top there is a monument with the Angel Moroni on the top.



This describes the significance of the engravings on the monument.

It was neat to think about Joseph coming here to get the plates. And that he had to come here on the same day every year for four years before he could take them with him. And it was cute to think about Emma waiting for him in the wagon. What a strong woman to stand by him through everything that they went through.

The Palmyra Temple

After visiting the Smith Farm and Sacred Grove, we went to the Palmyra Temple. We didn't have time to do a session, but we walked around outside.





It was so beautiful with all of the greenery that comes with spring.





There are pictures of the sacred grove in the stain glass windows all around the temple.



You can see the Sacred Grove from the temple.

The temple is on the same property as the Smith's original 50 acre farm. I think that it is really neat that they put a temple here.

The Sacred Grove

After the tour, we went to the Sacred Grove. It is a forest with a few paths that you can wander through.



I was so happy that we went at this time of year. It was also in the early spring that Joseph Smith went into this same grove a little less than 200 years ago to say a simple prayer. And from that so much good has come. It was a very spiritual experience to walk through this forest. I cannot express the many feelings that overcame me as I walked these paths.



It is so beautiful, green, and peaceful. There weren't many people there, so it was nice that we could wander in silence.



I think that it is neat that Greg gets to have this experience right before his mission. I hope that he holds it close to his heart and that it helps him to spread the gospel that started here.

Again, I am so happy that Spencer and Greg got to share this as brothers.

And I am very, very happy that I got to share this experience with my husband, and eternal companion. It was a truly beautiful experience.

I hope that everyone get a chance to come here someday. I thought that I never would just because of how far it was. But I am so glad that I did. What a blessing to have it so close to us now.

The Smith Farm

On Saturday morning, we woke up and made a stop at Tim Horton's. This is a coffee/doughnut restaurant in Canada and northern America. It is a favorite of western New York. Most people have to make multiple stops there every day. It is named after a famous hockey player. We stopped there and got Tim Bits, which are the best doughnut holes in the world and come in yummy flavors like chocolate, honey dip, honey cruller, sour cream, cherry, and strawberry filled with powdered sugar. Greg kept counting how many Tim Horton's we saw along the way as we drove to Palmyra, New York.

This is the Smith's log home. This is where the angel appeared to Joseph Smith multiple times after he experienced the first vision to give further instruction. It is curious to me to think if anyone else saw these things because the cabin is so tiny. Or if God kept them in a deep sleep.



This is a field next to the cabin. I thought of Joseph working and thinking about his plan to go into the forest and ask God his question. The sacred grove is in the background.



This is the path from the log house to the frame house. I snapped a picture from behind the boys. I love that they are walking and talking together along the path.



As you walk on this path, you can see the Palmyra temple.

I'm really glad that the boys got the chance to experience this together.

This is the orchard on the Smith farm. They kept this to remember when Joseph was working in the field after being up all night with the angel and his father told him to go home and rest. As he was climbing over the fence, he fell and blacked out and the angel appeared to him again telling him that he had a great work to do.

This is the Smith frame home. Joseph stayed here on and off through his life. One of the times he lived here was when the Book of Mormon was being published. He would walk the transcript into town every day and walk it back at the end of each day.

This is the thresher barn.

And this is the Cooper shop, where the gold plates were hidden once in the loft.

We went on a small tour of these things with the sister missionaries. It was nice.