The Great Anderson Family Odyssey of Twenty Ten

Our kids were out of school the entire week last week for Spring break, so we decided to go on an "Anderson family vacation!" We drove out to see Erica's sister and her husband, Maren and Rob in Iowa, and then on to Nauvoo and Carthage, Illinois. It was a lot of fun—and there was a lot of "family special time" in the car. Hallelujah for in-car DVD players!

Now, buckle up and prepare yourselves for a lengthy post as I take you on a play-by-play of a little something I like to call, "The Great Anderson Family Odyssey of Twenty Ten."

Our odyssey begins with a journey through the Heartland. We took I-80 through Wyoming and Nebraska where, for nearly 1200 miles, we saw nothing but the type of scenery you see in the above and below photos. Maybe Nebraska is a little more scenic once the corn fields are ready to harvest. But this time of year, the drive is pretty monotonous, to say the least.

The next five photos are "slices of life" from within the car as we made our way ever closer to Iowa.

It was long trip for Christian. At one point we were asking him where certain family members lived.

"Christian, where does Emery live?"

"In Iowa."

"Where does Maren live?"

"In Iowa."

And so on. Then we asked him where Christian lives.

His reply, "In the car."

Here's Christian showing his feelings for the Nebraskan countryside.

After a rushed night at a hotel in Cheyenne, Wyoming and 17 hours of driving, we finally made it to Rob and Maren's house in Iowa.

It was conference weekend so we spent most of the day listening to conference.

And here's Adam teaching Emery that a clean toyroom is a boring toyroom.

Rob and Maren were extremely gracious hosts. With six Andersons descending on their house, they needed to prepare more than triple the amount of food than normal for every meal. Thank you so much, Rob and Maren. We love you guys.

There was an Easter egg hunt in the backyard.

And we decorated Easter cupcakes that evening.

Emery had a birthday party while we were there. His second, to be exact.
Maren made this amazing Bert and Ernie cake.

Emery's birthday dinner.

On Monday we went to a park and let the kids burn off some of the frustration of being cooped up in a car for 17 hours.

Tuesday morning found us back in the car. This time it was an easy four hour drive to Nauvoo, Illinois. Maren and Emery came with us. Rob wasn't able to come because of his work and school schedule. Where are your priorities, Rob?

We stayed in Nauvoo for three days. It's a beautiful little town on the banks of the Mississippi river.

The temple is beautiful, inside and out and overlooks the Mississippi river. Erica and I were fortunate enough to go through a session while we were there.

We went on the wagon ride through Old Nauvoo and down the banks of the Mississippi. It was a little rainy but still interesting and fun.

We visited the Nauvoo Brickyard and learned how the Saints made bricks to build their homes.

They gave us a souvenir "Old Nauvoo Brick."

We learned how to make horseshoes.

And we made rope the way they did in the 1800s.

Here's Adam working a printing press.

"Boy! Go get me some water!"

This horse belonged to John Taylor's son. When the Saints were forced out of Nauvoo, the family left this rocking horse at their house. His son was so upset that his prized horse had been left behind that John Taylor (3rd President of the church) risked his life to sneak back in a disguise, past the mobs and retrieve the horse.

This is on the banks of the Mississippi just west of Nauvoo.

Rocks? Water? What to do?

This is one of Erica's ancestors, Israel Barlow. He was one of the first Saints to live in Nauvoo. He served a mission in England, was a member of the First Quorum of the Seventies and a Patriarch.

On Thursday, we drove to Carthage, Illinois to tour the jail where Joseph Smith was martyred.

There was a somber feeling in the room where the prisoners were staying as the mob attacked. Our kids must have felt it too, because they were attentive and quiet as our guide discussed the events that unfolded there. For me, the tour of the jail was the most moving and profound part of our trip.

This is the window that the Prophet jumped through as the mob was attacking.

This is the hole that the mob shot through the door as they were attacking the prisoners.

Later that day, we drove back to Iowa and prepared for the trip back home the next morning.

On Friday morning we said goodbye to Rob, Maren and Emery and started the long drive back home. There were tears. Partly because it was hard to say goodbye to the Watkins and partly because we knew we had to venture back into Nebraska and Wyoming territory.

So we started the 17 hour drive back to Utah. This time, we had much more appreciation for each mile that clicked over on our odometer. We knew that the 1200 mile journey that took 17 hours for us, was a several month long trek for the pioneers—many of whom walked the entire way. We looked at each hill or rocky outcropping and thought of those who had covered this same terrain by way of a covered wagon or handcart. They were a tough and resourceful people and a great example to our family. These were the same men who, when called upon to leave their wives, children and homes to serve missions in foreign countries, went without hesitation. These were the same women who let their husbands go—who single-handedly raised their children and performed not only their work, but also the work of the fields until their husbands returned. It's hard to imagine.

Anyway, we thought of these things as we sailed down the freeway at 75 miles per hour in our car.

To break up the long drive, we spent the night in Cheyenne again and made sure we stayed at a hotel with a pool. The pool was Christian's favorite part of the entire trip. It's nice to know that in the future, all we need to do to create successful and memorable vacations for our children is to get a hotel with a pool.

As we drove back into the Salt Lake valley we appreciated the mountains that we hadn't seen for a few days. It really was a beautiful sight. We tried to imagine the vista the way the pioneers must have seen it as they pulled their wagons into the valley.

And THAT, dear readers, is "The Great Anderson Family Odyssey of Twenty Ten." It was a fun vacation. Thanks for coming along with us. This was a long post, I know. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. And if that's the case, then you just read the equivalent of fifty thousand words. You must be exhausted. I know I am.