On our way down to Louisiana, we decided to take a 3-4 hour detour and see a little church history. We took a straight shot east, crossing Wyoming then Nebraska, and started our site-seeing with Omaha Nebraska and the Mormon Trail Center at Winter Quarters.
After driving a little over 24 hours, the boys were very anxious to get out of the car. A sister missionary took us around the visitor center, letting the boys put on costumes, try out the beds where the pioneers who came over by boat would have slept, and going in a model of a typical pioneer cabin. Both boys cooperated very well on the tour, just happy to be out of their carseats. After the visitors center we walked across the street to the temple, and the cemetary...where they could run around. We didn't stay too long. We still had 4-5 hours to Nauvoo, Illinois, plus it was off and on raining.
After we coaxed the boys back in the car, we were off to Nauvoo. It was dark when we arrived. Which was too bad because this is the first time I've been to the Mississippi River. It looked so huge in the dark. We had to stop for about 30 minutes at the bridge (taking us from Iowa to Illinois) waiting for a boat to pass through the bridge, which was turned out of place. We finally made it to our hotel in Keokuk Iowa (which means that we had to cross the bride into Illinois, go past Nauvoo, back over a different bridge back into Iowa).
Before we made it to Keokuk, we stopped at the Nauvoo Temple, which is gorgeous, especially at night.
This was taken outside the Nauvoo visitor center, it is a piece from the original Nauvoo temple.
We didn't have too much time to look around. So we took a wagon tour, we felt it was the best way to see everything, and get the most information, in a short amount of time. We did however, stop afterwards to see the Smith family Cemetary, and walk into the Red Brick Store right next to it. This picture was taken in the Smith family Cemetary (Mississippi River in the background).
I was trying to take a picture, and at the last second, Spencer came up from nowhere into my shot. I think that it's hilarious, because his face is somewhat fitting with the face you might want to make when taking a picture with headstones.
Smith family Cemetary
I took this shot, as we were leaving. If you look past our car, you can see Joseph Smith's home in the background. Nauvoo is beautiful.This is the furthest east I've ever been, and I love the scenery. The grass and the trees (remind me again why Boise is called the city of trees?). It was so peaceful, and definitly worth the detour.
Next we headed about 30 mins south to Carthage Illinois, to see the Carthage Jail.
We were already behind schedule, we were driving to Memphis that same day, but we had to take the tour at Carthage (your not aloud in the jail without one).
Parker with carthage jail in the background
This picture seems somewhat tacky, for what we are standing in front of...But this is the infamous window which Joseph Smith fell after he was shot.On the tour, about 15 of us were packed into that room.It was very peaceful experience, even though the room was packed.The missionary giving the tour gave us a lot of information that I didn't know, and we also listened to a recording giving an account of what took place in that room. The walls of the jail are about 3 feet wide, thus making very wide window seals. When we filed into the room I took my seat in that particular window seal. I hadn't realized it initially, but as we sat and listened and as I looked at the configuration of the room I realized that I picked the hot seat. So after the tour, everyone was filing over to get a picture or look out the window - so this tacky picture was what I could get before the mob pushed into my space.
One cool thing Carthage Jail, is that a lot of the actual structure is original. Most of the wood work is orginal (not all, but most of the floor), all of the door frames, and doors are original. And most (not all of course) of the windows are original.This is the original door, you can still see where the lock was shot off, and the shot through the door, killing Hyrum Smith. The lock that was blown off was saved, and everything from the woodfibers match that lock to this door (making it original). And yes we managed to get a little of Parker's bink in the shot.
Outside view.
After Carthage we got in the car, and drove 7 hours south to Memphis TN. We had planned to get there by dinner time, but didn't arrive until 9:30 at night. My aunt and uncle were nice enough to let us intrude and sleep at their house.When we woke up, we pretty much ate breakfast and got back in the car to do our last 7 hour stretch to Lafayette Louisiana.
We finally made it, the boys were high on life when we arrived. This is them climbing the counters in our apartment in Lafayette.
fish #1
fish #2
fish #3
fish #4
more fishing
misc pictures:
the boys and a lion at the zoo
the boys playing in dad's truck
Spencer's new aquarium, with 2 swimming frogs. And yes, you are looking at the extent of our furniture...we have that, a tv, a few beach chairs, and 2 air mattresses.
I can't get over how funny Parker looks in this picture (it's hilarious blown up)
Most of the pictures I took were of the Atchafalaya River. We had to go atleast 20-30 minutes down the river before we got to the swamp.
water lilies
We took a tour of the factory, however, there was not a factory worker in sight (must be their day off). The tour consisted of a short film, followed by a walk down a long glass hallway, letting you see inside the factory...so we just looked at a bunch of motionless machines. We ended with a trip to the country store for some souvenirs. The island also consists of a huge, walk through jungle garden. These gardens are the home of a bird observatory, several alligators, a shrine holding a Buddah statue, several exotic plants and bamboo. However, the weather wasn't on our side, so we are going to visit the gardens another day.
Scott and the boys standing in front of the Tabasco factory
Our next stop was a plantation tour, but as you can see, I took this picture as we were driving away in the pouring rain...yet another tour for another day. We did stop long enough to take a bathroom break in the gift shop (and we got soaked running from the car to the gift shop). 
We had to buy more souvenirs...can't go to Louisiana and not buy an alligator head.
We ended in New Orleans, about 2 1/2 hours from Lafayette. We couldn't resist buying some "man-catchin' beignets." We are big Princess and the Frog fans:) Spencer had intentions of finding Louis the alligator, and Tiona's Resturant. We walked around Bourbin street, and a Cajun/Zydeco music festival.Nothing like live music in New Orleans, i've never seen anyone rock out an accordian and washboard before. While the music was awesome, and the buildings are beautiful, that historic part of the city is very dirty, smells of drinking and garbage, and crime ridden. We got rained out again, and got completely soaked by the time we made it back to the car. 
Had to get a picture of the above ground cemetary
After driving a little over 24 hours, the boys were very anxious to get out of the car. A sister missionary took us around the visitor center, letting the boys put on costumes, try out the beds where the pioneers who came over by boat would have slept, and going in a model of a typical pioneer cabin. Both boys cooperated very well on the tour, just happy to be out of their carseats. After the visitors center we walked across the street to the temple, and the cemetary...where they could run around. We didn't stay too long. We still had 4-5 hours to Nauvoo, Illinois, plus it was off and on raining.
After we coaxed the boys back in the car, we were off to Nauvoo. It was dark when we arrived. Which was too bad because this is the first time I've been to the Mississippi River. It looked so huge in the dark. We had to stop for about 30 minutes at the bridge (taking us from Iowa to Illinois) waiting for a boat to pass through the bridge, which was turned out of place. We finally made it to our hotel in Keokuk Iowa (which means that we had to cross the bride into Illinois, go past Nauvoo, back over a different bridge back into Iowa).
Before we made it to Keokuk, we stopped at the Nauvoo Temple, which is gorgeous, especially at night.
This was taken outside the Nauvoo visitor center, it is a piece from the original Nauvoo temple.
We didn't have too much time to look around. So we took a wagon tour, we felt it was the best way to see everything, and get the most information, in a short amount of time. We did however, stop afterwards to see the Smith family Cemetary, and walk into the Red Brick Store right next to it. This picture was taken in the Smith family Cemetary (Mississippi River in the background).
I was trying to take a picture, and at the last second, Spencer came up from nowhere into my shot. I think that it's hilarious, because his face is somewhat fitting with the face you might want to make when taking a picture with headstones.
Smith family Cemetary
I took this shot, as we were leaving. If you look past our car, you can see Joseph Smith's home in the background. Nauvoo is beautiful.This is the furthest east I've ever been, and I love the scenery. The grass and the trees (remind me again why Boise is called the city of trees?). It was so peaceful, and definitly worth the detour.
Next we headed about 30 mins south to Carthage Illinois, to see the Carthage Jail.
We were already behind schedule, we were driving to Memphis that same day, but we had to take the tour at Carthage (your not aloud in the jail without one). 
Parker with carthage jail in the background
This picture seems somewhat tacky, for what we are standing in front of...But this is the infamous window which Joseph Smith fell after he was shot.On the tour, about 15 of us were packed into that room.It was very peaceful experience, even though the room was packed.The missionary giving the tour gave us a lot of information that I didn't know, and we also listened to a recording giving an account of what took place in that room. The walls of the jail are about 3 feet wide, thus making very wide window seals. When we filed into the room I took my seat in that particular window seal. I hadn't realized it initially, but as we sat and listened and as I looked at the configuration of the room I realized that I picked the hot seat. So after the tour, everyone was filing over to get a picture or look out the window - so this tacky picture was what I could get before the mob pushed into my space.
One cool thing Carthage Jail, is that a lot of the actual structure is original. Most of the wood work is orginal (not all, but most of the floor), all of the door frames, and doors are original. And most (not all of course) of the windows are original.This is the original door, you can still see where the lock was shot off, and the shot through the door, killing Hyrum Smith. The lock that was blown off was saved, and everything from the woodfibers match that lock to this door (making it original). And yes we managed to get a little of Parker's bink in the shot.
Outside view.
After Carthage we got in the car, and drove 7 hours south to Memphis TN. We had planned to get there by dinner time, but didn't arrive until 9:30 at night. My aunt and uncle were nice enough to let us intrude and sleep at their house.When we woke up, we pretty much ate breakfast and got back in the car to do our last 7 hour stretch to Lafayette Louisiana.
We finally made it, the boys were high on life when we arrived. This is them climbing the counters in our apartment in Lafayette.
