Monday, January 21, 2019

Tips for Planning LDS History Trip

We did the RV across the country LDS History/US History trip in Summer 2016. It was a fabulous experience, and you can read about it on this blog. Here is our itinerary. But creating your own itinerary is so personal, that I think you'll appreciate some of the advice we received as we put together our trip:

" [To figure out the important LDS historical sites, ] just use the [map] in the back of the Doctrine and Covenants. Mark the main cities and then go to a road map."

"We stayed at the cheapest motels/hotels I could find along the way. We had all good experiences, except at the Omaha motel 6, which was smoky inside and out. I used expedia to find the cheapest lodgings"

"We made a tentative schedule at FHE last week using a route finder (which helped us estimate times and distances, since we already have our dates). We plugged in the for sure spots (Nauvoo, NY, my sisters house) and then are branching out from there. We want to do LDS and History sites, but aren't planning on hitting everything, just what we can do within our time limit and still have fun. I think this is the route finder our son used: http://www.routefast.com"

"They just redid the priesthood restoration site, which is about three hours from palmyra in Pennsylvania."

"I would definitely go by way of Nauvoo, Illinois! It is amazing! Also Carthage Jail. You could also go by Liberty Jail and Adamondiamon. If you go to the visitor center and liberty jail 1st they can give you directions/maps to Adamondiamon. It is in the middle of no where but so worth the trip. We ate doing a mini trip in May. Going to Nauvoo, Carthage Jail then Pella, Iowa and back through Iowa City and a fun is Village in Kalona, Iowa. FYI the shows in Nauvoo are all free but they fill up fast. Might want to call visitors center and see if you can reserve tickets ahead of time. Same for the horse and buggy ride."


"There is also a German/Quaker town to the West of Iowa City called Amana, Iowa. It is lots of fun too."

"Good stops are Independance and Far West MO, including Adam ondi ahman. Also, the KC Temple and Liberty Jail. Then to Carthage and Nauvoo. Go thru Kirtland Ohio and the Temple. Onto Palmyra. I believe once in ny that you can take route 20 to avoid tolls on I-90. It's been awhile. In Palmyra you can see the first JS home (white 2 story), down the road is the newer cabin home as well. You can climb the hill to the top and to the angel moroni statue. There used to be a visitor center. If course the sacred Grove and temple grounds. Also fun is a trip to Fayetteville close by to see the Peter Whitmer farm and the cabin built there is a replica of the one used April 6, 1830. There is a riverboat museum in Keokuk IA (or used to be) that was fun to see also. The old paddle wheel kind."


"My family has done this trip twice (from CA to Vermont)... First trip we stopped at American history stops more (the way through) then on the trip back we hit up the church history stops (palmyra, kirtland, nauvoo, missouri, etc.) The 2nd time we started in MO and then went on to Nauvoo and carthage, and then on to Kirtland, Palmyra, and Vermont (Joseph Smith's home).

I will say of our 4 kids, our 3 year old was a big pill during the trip. Its a lot of classes/tours for the toddlers, but the missionaries I felt did a great job engaging the kids (we had a 5 & 6 year old, and a 3 month baby). So maybe just prepare yourself that you may need some down time to get them happy, or plan on mixing up the classes/tours with outside time (there's plenty of trails and sites to see with the church history). He didn't have the problem in Missouri, it was mainly in Nauvoo because I wanted to go see all the buildings. "


"We're doing it this summer too! Utah to Palmyra. We're taking our 8 kids (ages 11 down to 19 months on the trip), traveling for 2 weeks, and staying in a variety of hotels and campgrounds. We're also showing the kids where daddy grew up in Iowa (since his parents live in Utah now), then we're doing church history sites in New York (Smith Family Farm, Grand in Printing Press, Hill Cumorah, Peter Whitmer Farm), Ohio (Kirtland Temple, Jewel K. Whitney Store, John Johnson Farm), Illinois (Carthage, Nauvoo - 3 days), and Missouri (Far West, Independence, Haun's Mill, Adam-Ondi-Ahman), as well as Nebraska (Winter Quarters), and Wyoming (Martin's Cove). We are also seeing some geological wonders (Independence Rock, Chimney Rock, Niagra Falls), some native American sites (Effigy mounds in IA, Newark Earthworks in OH), and some cultural sites (Ft Laramie, WY, Lincoln Museum, Springville, IL, Field of Dreams, Dyersville, IA). And because our kids wanted to go to Disneyland this year, we are taking them to AdventureLand just outside of Des Moines, IA.

We have reservations at 10 different places, for 14 nights.

We found several of our accommodations on vrbo or airbnb. We also had mild success with sixsuitcasetravel and KOA cabins."


"I recommend stopping in Omaha, NE. There's a lot of church history in this area both omaha and across the river in Council Bluffs."

"We took our 6 kids to Maine and back. We drove there 3 days, back 4. We stayed Sat-Sundays there at a hotel, but camped Mon- Sat at a state park. We did two rooms at the cheapest places I could find, which varied from $35-75 per room. We at out for dinner for the journey and a few times during the week. We spent around $2000 for all, including gas. (We have a 2007 toyota sienna)."


"Our budget is about $200/night for accommodations. We have 10 people and have to get bigger places more often. We also figured about $800 for gas for our van the whole trip. We'll be traveling about 5000 miles total, and for 15 days and 14 nights we are budgeting $5000. We will be taking a cooler and making our own breakfasts and lunches whenever possible (unless a hotel has breakfast included). We did factor in eating out for most dinners, and souvenirs also."

"The city museum in St. Louis is one if the best places I've ever been. Definitely swing through there if you can on your way back from Nauvoo. Google it. It's amazing. Ahhh yes! I LOVED the City Museum as a kid/youth/adult! It's less museum and more giant indoor/outdoor playground made of recyclable materials, but it is so fun! The kids will love it! It's got a ten story slide."

"If you find yourself on I-40 in Alma, AR, the Parly Pratt grave site is right on the interstate, across road from Shell "Hilltop" Truck stop, on the Rudy exit. Not worth making a detour for, but a nice place to look at if you are there.

"The birthplace memorial is a good visit, too. It takes a couple of hours, but isn't too far off the highway. Sharon, VT, of course!"

"If you take I-70 back stop at the Liberty Jail in MO and then visit the Cosmosphere in KS"

"It's hard to get to and not well marked but the Susquehanna river site where Joseph and Oliver were baptized is pretty sacred and beautiful ground."

"Some of our most powerful experiences were at Carthage."

"I think the Little House on the prairie historical sites are on the way. I want to do that road trip someday!"

"In Nauvoo be sure to visit the Bakery and the Fudgery, be sure to see Carthage Jail. If you're coming from that way anyway, head over to the Kansas City area. There's the Liberty Jail, Adam-ondi-Ahman, Independence has the temple cornerstone, etc."

"I would have never known this area existed until I met a woman who said the trail ran through her property in Chariton, IA. There is a Mormon trail marker there. http://www.recreationparks.net/.../the-mormon-trail...


The Mormon Trail Historical Marker - Chariton - RecreationParks.net


"We saw the Parley Pratt grave while we were there several years ago. We couldn't believe the neglect. As a family we stayed for an hour or so pulling weeds and such. If you do goo to some of the off beaten sites I suggest building in a little time for that too. It's one of the most memorable things about that trip for me."

" I recommend Gettysburg, depending on how far South your route takes you ... there is a lot of Church history in that state. The Philadelphia Temple (the first in PA) is being built. It would be worth a stop, too."

"For sure come to Omaha, Nebraska to the Winter Quarters Trail Center! It's an amazing visitor's center with so much pioneer history and a pioneer cemetery. There are activities for kids like pulling a handcart and walking through full scale pioneer home..."

"Go to sharon, vt. There is a visitors center and.monument since that is the birthplace of Joseph Smith. Then drive to palmyra, hill cumorah, visitor center, both smith homes, sacred grove and temple and in fayettesville there is the whitmer home and visitor center.

"We go to the Hill Cumorah for the practice rehearsal, best trick in the book. Go a day or two before, watch the practice, (the same as the real thing) and miss the crowds.....give a couple days. We always stay at the Palmyra Inn...they let you let kids sleep on the floor for big families and it's a fun breakfast."

"Go to Tom Wahls.....homemade rootbeer, great burgers....we go once a day in Palmyra"

"We went to Palmyra in the spring and went to a local maple syrup farm and got a tour of them tapping the trees and making syrup. I loved it. I'm not sure how you'd set that up, maybe just call a couple maple syrup farmers?"

"Plan to go in July and make your reservations well in advance. Kirtland has a musical show and Palmyra of course has Pageant. There is really nothing in the Kirtland Area to see besides the church sites. It is very small. The sacred grove is not to visit off season, but too populated during pageant to really enjoy the sacred nature of the site. Take rain ponchos just in case. There are lots of places that are great to visit in Upstate N.Y. The Finger Lakes are beautiful, Treman State Park and Buttermilk Falls are gorgeous. Lots of hiking and beautiful waterfalls. 3 hours beyond you can cross over and see Niagra Falls, but if you want to see the horseshoe falls you will need your passports or passport cards. There is also the baptismal site (which is not easy to find, at least for me) They have a statue there on the river bank and the Martin Harris Farm is pretty cool to visit as well. If you don't make reservations early with pageant season though you will not find places to stay."

"The Johnson Farm outside of Kirtland is worth the trip. It's where Joseph Smith received a number of revelations found in the D & C. It was a very moving experience for my husband and myself. It's about an hours drive from Kirtland and out in the middle of no where. Regarding the timing, if you don't mind crowds, go during the pageants. Honestly it was a zoo when we went to Palmyra. Luckily we got there in the morning right when the sacred grove area was opened, and it was quiet for about an hour, but after that, it was a complete zoo. If you are trying to have a sacred experience with your family,.I would recommend going when it's not crowded. But that's just us. :-) If you don't mind crowds, then that shouldn't be a problem. Have fun!

"Just be prepared and prepare your children for all the anti-LDS literature and people that will be around the Pageants. There was one year that we went (we lived in Massachusetts from the time I was 8-11 years old and went to the pageant 2 or 3 times during those years) that it started pouring down rain about 45 minutes to an hour before the pageant was to start...and let up about 25-30 minutes before it was to start. Everyone ran back to our cars and the anti-LDS people all left. During the opening prayer they asked that the elements would be tempered so that the pageant could go forward...and you could see the circle of clouds around the hills. We were staying at a hotel in nearby Manchester and the lady who owned it said that it never stopped raining there... It was truly a breath of fresh air to not have all the anti-LDS people there...and truly a faith building experience to know that Heavenly Father had answered our prayer...we could see the stars in the sky above the Hill Cumorah...and yet a few miles away, it never stopped raining."

"If you come to Pa, I believe the priesthood restoration site is opening a visitors center this year (not positive) on that. if you come to pa and the Susquehanna ....Hershey is fun..Philly is of course full of history and all the Smithsonian museums in D.C. are free!!"

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Cross Country to New York!


Our New York itinerary (see our entire itinerary here).
Friday August 5

Drove to New York. Be prepared for toll roads.

We'd left a bit late and were concerned the kids wouldn't get to see New York City that night. So we parked at a Target in Hoboken so Dad could take all kids (except the two youngest and I) into the City. I stayed behind because we felt this parking lot wasn't a place we could leave the RV without getting towed.


Note that there is a low bridge to get to this Target. Make sure you know your RV height--including air conditioning unit!!
Target
100 14th St
Jersey City, NJ 07310



They were able to move faster without the littles, and they hit a couple highlights (including Strand (bookstore!!)) and rode the Metro in (the Hoboken Metro stop was a 2 minutes walk from this Target). If I hadn't been so concerned that we'd be towed in this parking lot, I would've taken the littles to the nice playground around the corner while we waited. As it was, when they olders returned, my husband took me to see this awesome view of the city (this is the view on the way to the Hoboken station:
 

We decided we would park the RV at the Croton Point RV Park and take the train into the city. This was a great idea, and we'd do it again, but driving from Hoboken to Croton was terrible! We discovered there are a lot of low bridges that we hadn't planned on! Use the truck route from the beginning, and you will do better than we did. We finally pulled into the park very late (we called on the way to ensure our spot wasn't taken, and it worked out fine). But it was a tense drive, with a lot of turn arounds or pull offs near low bridges. 
Croton Point Park
Phone: (914) 862-5290
$55/night, full hookups
1A Croton Point Ave
Croton on Hudson NY 10520
westchestergov.com


Note: The walk from the Park to the Croton-On-Hudson Metro station is about 2 miles.
2 mile walk with a beautiful view, but hot and humid

That isn't a big deal, unless you're carrying a baby and/or returning from a long day walking in the City. We used a taxi one day: J&S Croton Harmon Taxi & Car Servie 914-271-3333. Another day, we drove the RV and parked it in the station lot. We took two parking spaces (there are only a few spots where this works) and paid for both (I think $20 total). I don't know if this would work for overnight, but it was SO MUCH better than walking with littles and a baby. 

Saturday August 6

Took the train into Grand Central Station.
On the train

The train takes around 45 minutes to arrive from Croton-on-Hudson to Grand Central Station.
Arriving at Grand Central
In Grand Central Station

We looked around NYC, ate at a restaurant, and then the olders lined up for Les Miserables on Broadway, while the youngers and I headed to the American Museum of Natural History. We used Uber to get around the city. 

The youngers were so tired after, that we headed home separately. We took a taxi into Croton-on-Hudson to eat (because it turns out Dad had the RV keys!) and ate pizza at Capriccio Pizza 4 maple St. Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520.

It was a fun day, but everyone was very tired from all that walking! Make sure you bring water bottles or are prepared to buy water bottles. Touring is thirsty work.
Walking in the City

Sunday August 7

We took the train into Harlem and walked from the station to the LDS church there.
LDS church in Harlem

We were meeting family members there too. We picnicked in Central Park with them after church (it was such a lovely day!!).

Extra details:
Broadway:
We really wanted to see Broadway. It was expensive! But it was high on the list for what we wanted. So, we took the plunge and saw Les Miserables. We bought tickets for the Imperial Theatre 249 West 45th St New York NY 10036 through Telecharge. We printed them out before our trip. There is parking for this theater (there will be some info printed on your ticket) and it costs $30-$35 per parking spot, 4x4 and utility vehicles will be charged more. Arrive early as a line forms while security checks tickets.

We did not drive the RV into the City. So we walked (and walked and walked) and used Ubers to get around. Make sure your phone is charged! The worst is ending the day with a phone that's dead and leaves you unable to call an Uber until you figure out how to get it charged. :)

Picnicking in Central Park:
We brought blankets and food and had a picnic in Central Park. Very fun! There is a maze and sculpture garden to see. There's a pond to walk around too. We didn't go in, but there are paid places to go within the park. If you go to NYC, then really, you should take some time to visit Central Park.

Museums
I took an 8 year old and a baby to the American Museum of Natural History. It was a fabulous museum!

The line to get in was terribly long and I thought it would take forever to get it. But they moved the lines through quickly. I recommend you buying tickets online because then you just walk in and flash your ticket to the guard, rather than standing in another line to buy tickets.

Other Activities
We love books, and the Strand bookstore was fabulous!

Food
So many delicious restaurants to choose from. I ate at Chopt, a made-to-order salad and soup bar, and my salad was refreshing and filling. Some of the others ate at a made-to-order pasta bar Pret A Manger, which they said was delicious as well.

Recommendations from friends
Although we ended up doing other things, we did receive a lot recommendations on what we should do in NYC. So I'll share those here:

"We did the double decker bus tour and really enjoyed it. You can use it as transportation from place to place or just sit and listen to the commentary the guide gives. My favorite thing was exploring Central Park."

" I really enjoyed Ellis Island. Such a unique feeling there."

"Chelsey Market and Walk the Brooklyn Bridge!"

"911 memorial - even if you don't do the museum just walk by."

"I second walking on the Brooklyn bridge and the double decker tour bus."

" I loved the Met! I highly recommend the Subway over taxis"

"Broadway and the Brooklyn Bridge were our hits there. It's so fun seeing all the artists around the bridge! Statue of Liberty is amazing, but takes some time. You could go see it if you want to, but at least go to the place where they offer tours - you can see the statue from a distance and there are some fun musicians who tend to hang around there. The street artists and musicians were by far my favorite part of New York."

"Don't go to the top of the Empire State building. Go to the top of Rockefeller Center. Shorter lines, cheaper, and you get the view of Empire State Building."

"http://broadwayforbrokepeople.com/ - for any Broadway tickets!! Ask any questions if you have them."


"We ended up with 24 hours in NYC. We got into town around 4pm and left the following day at around 3pm. Here are some notes I took.

FOOD (one of the main reasons to visit NYC)


John's Pizzeria - Times Square - http://www.johnspizzerianyc.com/ Best New York style pizza anywhere (in my opinion). Large pizza, order of baked ziti and a pitcher of rootbeer to share for under $40. We stayed very near Times Square so this was perfect. Within walking distance of the subway. Tip: This building is in a converted church and has an amazing stained-glass window. Eat there before sundown for the best "view." Google "John's Pizzeria Times Square" to see how cool the ceiling is!

Friedman's Lunch - Chelsea Market - http://www.friedmansrestaurant.com/
This was easy to find from Stop 13 on the Big Bus Tour. The address says 9th Ave, but you can enter Chelsea Market through 10th avenue and it's closer to Friedman's. My husband says it's the best Reuben he's ever eaten in his life - which is saying something. I don't really like deli food (sue me), but the hamburger was delicious. See the link for prices. Tip: If you are in the mood for something else to eat - I still highly recommend Chelsea Market. It is AMAZING and there are tons of delicious places to eat. Just pull out your tripadvisor while there to see reviews. There's nothing like the Chelsea Market food hall. Google it to see photos of it's awesomeness.

TRANSPORTATION

We took the AirTrain to the subway. This made the trip $7.75/person ($5 AirTrain + $2.75 subway). We purchased ONE Metro Card (available at the station) so that we only had to pay the service fee once (we just handed it back and forth to one another as we went). We loaded the card with $25 or some such amount and added money as we needed for subways throughout the city. If you don't like the subway - there are many other trains/buses/etc. to choose from. We don't mind the subway. It's cheap and efficient. Tip: Download the subway map onto your phones so you always have it available.

Big Bus Tour - http://eng.bigbustours.com/international/home.html
We purchased 1 Day uptown/downtown passes. Because of our time limitation, we only used the downtown bus. This was a great sight-seeing bus with guides we really enjoyed. They give you earbuds so that you can plug in and hear them very well as you go. We got on at 9:00 a.m. and rode (without getting off) to Battery Park, where we got off and rode the Staten Island Ferry. Then we got back on and rode up to Chelsea Gardens where we got off for lunch. Then we rode back to the end-of-line (48th St & 7th Ave) and rode the subway back to our hotel. We picked up our bags and headed back to the airport. I highly recommend the Big Bus Tour. We will do this again for sure. Tipping is encouraged. Tip: Download their app! It was nice to have the map always available. Also, these buses come through every few minutes - so you're never waiting long to hop back on. If you only have enough time to do Uptown or Downtown, I recommend the downtown bus for those who have never been to NYC before. It has the Empire State Building; Battery Park (Statue of Liberty); One World Trade Center and more.

Staten Island Ferry - http://www.siferry.com/

This is a FREE ride from near Battery Park (easy access from the Big Bus Tour stop). It gives you fantastic views of the Statue of Liberty and also of the city. It takes about an hour if you go out and get straight back on the same boat. Tip - Go DOWNstairs (or elevator) instead of up and go to the end of the boat for great views without the crowds. You can also exit the boat from this level and not fight the crowds. They should let you back on without going all the way back up again. We grabbed breakfast at the station - nothing fancy, just a little something to hold us over until Chelsea Market later in the day!"



"Katz's Deli. It's on Houston Strett and it's AMAZING! If you like pastrami sandwiches, this is the best one you'll ever have! I also loved the frozen hot cocoa at Serendipity and the burgers/concretes at Shake Shack. And go to a Museum while you're there. They are incredible."

"Matilda the musical and finding Neverland were our favorites LOVED THEM- highly recommend seeing both shows but at least Matilda if you can only go to one. I heard the king and I revival is also awesome. Skip- phantom of the opera, on the 20th century."

"Just remembered one more thing... The High Line was really cool too!"

"You gotta make a stop at Magnolia bakery, get their cheescake and Banana pudding. It's by the Rockefeller center."

"Max Brennars chocolate restaurant. On 14th and Market I believe. Right around corner from Virgin Records. SO YUM!"

"Go to Levans bakery after you go to the temple. Best and biggest cookies ever. The boathouse in Central Park great food a little pricey but we ate looking right at the beautiful view of the lake."


~HarmonRV




Saturday, October 29, 2016

Cross Country Itinerary #3

This itinerary is for 9 people, in an RV, from July 25 to August 12, starting and ending in Utah. LDS and Historical sites emphasis.
Total trip cost $12,000.
RV rental: $4500
Fixing it back up (broken driverside mirror): $1300
Gasoline: $1200
Mileage: around 6,200 miles
Oil change: $52
Where it's easy for me to find the record, I've added where we gassed up. Before we started out, I was wanting to know how long we would go in between gas stations. So this gives you an idea. We checked and filled the air in the tires at every couple gas stops. 


Monday July 25
Leave 10:30am

Gas at
LOAF N JUG #0154 Q
515 E. FLAMING GORGE W, WY 82935

Slept at North Platte Flying J, no hookups or wifi, just parking lot
101 Platte Oasis P
North Platte NE 69101

Tuesday July 26
Gas and Showered at Grand Island Pilot Bosselman
3335 Wood River Rd
Grand Island, NW 68801
308-382-2288

Gas at
LOVE'S COUNTRY STORE #
4601 S. LEONARD RD., MO 64507

Arrive at Liberty Jail
216 N Main St
Liberty MO 64068
816-836-3466

Arrive at Independence MO
Ate dinner at Updog in the center of town (delicious, gourmet hot dogs)
114 N Liberty St,
Independence, MO 64050

Spent night at Campus RV Park,
full hookups and wifi, showers, laundry, 
$32.03/day, 9am-9:30pm
406 S. Pleasant
Independence MO 64050
888-254-3750
816-254-1815

This park is in walkable distance to the LDS Independence Visitor's Center. It was VERY hot and muggy. Independence holds a walking tour of 14 different historical sites. But there are just plaques in the ground that you see. We decided to just to go the LDS Visitor's Center and then see Temple Mount (which is across the street from the Center) and then head out. I wouldn't have stopped here if I had known how little there is to see. You can visit the Community of Christ temple for a nominal fee, but not much else to see.

Wednesday July 27
Head to Independence Visitor's Center (while husband worked)
Visited Temple Mount

Gas at
SHELL
514 W. Main
Monroe City, MO 63456

Headed to Carthage Jail
310 Buchanan St,
Carthage, IL 62321
9am-5pm


We thought it was open till 9pm, like Independence and Liberty. But it wasn't. And it took forever to arrive! We didn't take into account driving an RV slower than a car. We didn't arrive till 6pm, so we never got to see Carthage Jail. We then headed to Nauvoo.

Arrive Nauvoo Illinois late at night. Stayed at Nauvoo State Park for 2 nights
Address: 980 S Bluff St, Nauvoo, IL 62354
Phone: (217) 453-2512
ManagementIllinois Department of Natural Resources

Thursday July 28
Dropped youth and Dad off at LDS Nauvoo Temple
Headed to Nauvoo Visitor's Center 8am, 217-453-2237
Picked up all the info we needed, instantly regretting we only have one day here!
Picked up family from temple. Then:

Oxen Wagon Ride
Wagon Ride
Gunsmith shop
Store
Drugstore
Bakery

Explored Nauvoo town, bought t-shirts
Ate at Nauvoo Mill & Bakery
Bought groceries at Nauvoo Store
Looked all over for the Post Office, but it was closed

Country Fair
Watched the awesome Pageant

Slept another night at Nauvoo State Park

Friday July 29

We have family in Wabash Indiana, so that's where we headed next.

Gas at
MCCLURE OIL #65
21575 US 31 SOUTH, IN 46034

Arrived at 3pm in Wabash. Got an oil change and explored the city. 
Spent night with family

Saturday July 30
Spent day with family
Visited an Amish store

Sunday July 31
Left early headed to visit friends in Virginia Beach, Virginia
Attended LDS church in St. Mary's Ohio
Arrived at our friends in Virginia Beach very late at night

Monday August 1
Went to Virginia Beach. Fabulous fun! (make sure everyone brings swimsuits, it's expensive to track down a pair in town! If you have boogie boards, that was extra fun too!)

The road to the beach was a small two lane without a shoulder. A truck passed too close to us and its mirror slammed into our mirror, shattering it. We turned around and looked for the truck, but couldn't find it We fixed it so we could see out of it, and continued the rest of the trip with a patched together mirror, but it ended up costing us $1300 to fix! And a month to track down the parts. So hopefully that happens to no one else in the universe! 

Spent the evening with our friends (delicious food! And Telestrations was never so fun as this evening!).

Tuesday August 2 
Headed to Washington DC. We were parking the RV on a military base (Fort Belvoir) with other friends. We got to wear badges with our pictures on them.

Arrived, said Hi, grabbed their older kids and headed to the LDS Washington DC temple.

Wednesday August 3
We drove the RV to a Target and parked in their parking lot. We called two Ubers and they dropped us off at the Smithsonian of the American Indian. Cost us $11.55 for the morning trip ($17.68 for me, because I had a car seat).
Target
3101 Jefferson Davis Hwy,
Alexandria, VA 22305

We had called our Senator's office and set up a tour of the Capitol. There was a lot of construction going on, but it was absolutely worth it.We even got to ride the underground train that connects the Senate offices to the Capitol (Thanks Senator Mike Lee's office and staff!!)

After the Capitol tour we went to Union Station to eat (it's a food court). Outside Union Station was a kiosk for DC Old Town Trolley tours. It was 4pm (last pick up is technically 5pm). Considering they don't kick you off at exactly 5pm, and we were tired from walking a lot it was a great introduction to the city and helped us make plans for the next day.

We took Ubers back to the RV and played with our friends that evening. That cost that evening was more, because it was a high demand time. Cost $21.28 and $21.96 per Uber.

Thursday August 4
We parked at the Target again (we bought some things at Target before we headed out, so we'd not feel guilty about taking their parking, although the parking lot is huge).

We took Ubers to the Smithsonian Air & Space museum (amazing!). Then we caught a bus and rode around DC, finishing what we started the afternoon before. We ate at Union Station.Then we visited the National Archives--we went straight to the line for the Constitution and Declaration of Independence (not a whole lot of individual time, but pretty special to me!). Then we looked over the Magna Carta downstairs before we walked (and walked and walked) to the Holocaust Museum. We made it when it was almost closed, so we only got to appreciate the Children's Section of the museum (which was worth it--sobering and powerful).  

Our devices were almost out of juice--and we needed them to call an Uber. So we found an outside plug on the Holocaust Museum (which had now closed) and hung out there for a bit until we could call Ubers. 

I wanted my kids to see the White House so directed the Uber that direction before taking us to Target. Big mistake. Traffic was terrible in rush hour and it was an expensive ride with barely a glimpse of the White House. Don't do that. :)

Friday August 5

Drove to New York. Be prepared for toll roads.

We'd left a bit late and were concerned the kids wouldn't get to see New York City that night. So we parked at a Target in Hoboken so Dad could take all kids (except the two youngest and I) into the City. I stayed behind because we felt this parking lot wasn't a place we could leave the RV without getting towed.
Note that there is a low bridge to get to this Target. Make sure you know your RV height--including air conditioning unit!!
Target
100 14th St
Jersey City, NJ 07310

They were able to move faster without the littles, and they hit a couple highlights (including Strand (bookstore!!)) and rode the Metro in (the Hoboken Metro stop was a 2 minutes walk from this Target). If I hadn't been so concerned that we'd be towed in this parking lot, I would've taken the littles to the nice playground around the corner while we waited. As it was, when they olders returned, my husband took me to see this awesome view of the city (this is the view on the way to the Hoboken station:
 

We decided we would park the RV at the Croton Point RV Park and take the train into the city. This was a great idea, and we'd do it again, but driving from Hoboken to Croton was terrible! We discovered there are a lot of low bridges that we hadn't planned on! Use the truck route from the beginning, and you will do better than we did. We finally pulled into the park very late (we called on the way to ensure our spot wasn't taken, and it worked out fine). But it was a tense drive, with a lot of turn arounds or pull offs near low bridges. 
Croton Point Park
Phone: (914) 862-5290
$55/night, full hookups
1A Croton Point Ave
Croton on Hudson NY 10520
westchestergov.com

Note: The walk from the Park to the Croton-On-Hudson Metro station is about 2 miles. That isn't a big deal, unless you're carrying a baby and/or returning from a long day walking in the City. We used a taxi one day: J&S Croton Harmon Taxi & Car Servie 914-271-3333. Another day, we drove the RV and parked it in the station lot. We took two parking spaces (there are only a few spots where this works) and paid for both (I think $20 total). I don't know if this would work for overnight, but it was SO MUCH better than walking with littles and a baby. 

Saturday August 6

Took the train into Grand Central Station. The train takes around 45 minutes to arrive from Croton-on-Hudson to Grand Central Station.
We looked around NYC, ate at a restaurant, and then the olders lined up for Les Miserables on Broadway, while the youngers and I headed to the American Museum of Natural History. We used Uber to get around the city. 

The youngers were so tired after, that we headed home separately. We took a taxi into Croton-on-Hudson (because it turns out Dad had the RV keys!) and ate pizza at Capriccio Pizza 4 maple St. Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520.

It was a fun day, but everyone was very tired from all that walking! Make sure you bring water bottles or are prepared to buy water bottles. Touring is thirsty work.

Sunday August 7

We took the train into Harlem and walked from the station to the LDS church there. We were meeting family members there too. We picnicked in Central Park with them after church (it was such a lovely day!!).

Monday August 8

We had plans to go to Boston next. But our kids set us down and explained that they were tired out of all the walking and touring and seeing sites. Our eldest had just become unofficially engaged (and the fiance was in Utah), which might have affected this family meeting as well. They proposed we started for home now, so we'd have more time to stop driving and see things, rather than have a huge driving rush at the end of our trip. So...we started driving west.

Something that we should've planned for is a down day in-between 2 touring days, so that people didn't get so tired of the sightseeing and walking. Swimming, relaxing with movies, things like that would've helped, I think. We crammed in too much walking/sightseeing, at least for our crowd. 

Our first stop was Palmyra, NY. We headed to the Hill Cumorah Visitors' Center 653 State Route 21, Palmyra NY 14522 (315) 597-5851. Dad was working, so I took a couple of kids up the Hill Cumorah (the others just wanted to sleep). It was a beautiful view of the valley and there's a neat monument on top of the hill. Sadly, the pageant had ended so we couldn't stay and watch that. The visitor's center gave us some tips for seeing the area. 

Then we drove to the LDS Palmyra temple, took pictures out front, and then toured the two Smith houses (our guide was fabulous, we learned a lot). Even though our kids were weary of sightseeing, they enjoyed the Log and Frame homes. Then we walked to the Sacred Grove in the back and just sat, rested and enjoyed the beauty and spirit of the place. For one of our children in particular, this place was the highlight of the entire trip. 

We drove until we spent the night at:
River Trail Crossing 
1597 STATE ROUTE 97, OH 44822
rivertrailcrossing.com
(419) 883-3888
$30/night

Tuesday August 9

Drove all day. Stayed at the Wilmington Trailer Park for the night, because it was 25 miles away from Kings Island.

Wilmington Thousand Trails
1786 State Route 380, 
Wilmington, OH 45177
937-382-5883
$50/night
rvonthego.com

Wednesday August 10

Time for some fun! We headed to Kings Island, Ohio for some roller coasters.
Use their online system, that was cheaper for parking and for entry fees.

Kings Island
6300 Kings Island Dr, Mason, OH 45040
visitkingsisland.com
(513) 754-5700
There was parking for RVs.

Stayed at Interstate RV Park
8448 N Fairmount
Davenport, IA 52806
www.iowarvpark.com

Thursday August 11
Drove West.

Gas:
Loves Country Store #3
7880 N. Old US HWY. 42, IN 47272

Gas:.
Becks 18
1581 E Main ST, IL 61401

Spent the night at Holiday RV Park
601 E. Halligan Dr
North Platte, NE 69101
308-534-2265
www.holidayparkne.com

Friday August 12

Drove west and arrived home in Utah around late dinnertime. 

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Cross Country to Nauvoo!

Our kids dragged their feet to go to Nauvoo Illinois--but it turned up on the list of everyone's favorite spots! Make at least two days and nights here. You'll want to see both pageants, and there is far more to enjoy than you can in one day.

Eating
Be advised that it's difficult to find food here! Seems like things closed at 2pm. Call around first and find a place, if you intend on eating in town. We did end up finding a place (with Wifi, my teens were happy about that):

Nauvoo Mill & Bakery,
1530 Mulholland St,
Nauvoo IL 62354,
217-453-6734.
www.nauvoomillandbakery.com.
Hours: 8am-5pm M-Sat., Sunday 11am-4pm Summers only (closed Sundays November to May)

For those of you who don't have an RV, these gals also have an inn: White House Inn, 3 rooms with private baths www.whitehouseinnnauvoo.com.

They took a long time to make the food (and we were so hungry!) but it was delicious. They had gluten-free options as well. We had cold and hot sandwiches, they cost about $4.50 each.

 There is a very small grocery store:
Nauvoo Market
1385 Mulholland
Nauvoo Ill
217-453-6526


Lodging
We stayed at the Nauvoo State Park. We arrived when it was very dark, and that made it complicated finding our spot, but we managed. It's among the trees, which was nice, but didn't spend much time in the park itself. We drove over and parked at the Visitor's Center and in a parking lot next to the horse wagon rides. There was plenty of room!

Visitor's Center
Go to the Visitor's Center First Thing! You'll get a schedule of everything going on, be able to get the free tickets you need, and hear the tips for seeing Nauvoo. Plus you'll get a copy of the Nauvoo Neighbor newspaper.

Nauvoo Temple
For those of you who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, call the Nauvoo Temple and reserve a time for baptisms for your family. It was wonderful!!!

For everyone, visit the Temple Visitor's Center for information on tracing your family history, and a free 14 minute movie called The Temple Reborn, which explains the purpose of temples and shows many of the beautiful rooms in the Nauvoo Temple. The temple gardens also have a statue of Joseph and Hyrum Smith on horseback.


Oxen Ride
We rode a real covered  wagon behind real oxen. I recommend it! I realized I would have walked rather than ride if I were a pioneer crossing the plains headed West. That wagon was bumpy even with a short ride.  Fun!

Wagon Ride
We rode a horse wagon tour to see all of Nauvoo. We wanted to see it all before we started walking--so we could decide what to focus on. I'm glad we did. It was a nice overview, covered, and fairly comfortable.

There was another horse wagon ride that had a long line. It took people out into the countryside. I wanted to go, but we only had one day. :(

Red Brick Store
My husband gave each of my children money to spend in this store--on anything they liked! They really enjoyed that. They bought horehound candy, pencil sharpeners (in cool shapes, like a paddle boat with a moving wheel), and a tatting kit.
This store is run by the Community of Christ church.

Red Brick Store
865 Water St.
PO Box 338
Nauvoo, ILL 62354

Pageants
In 2016 Nauvoo boasted two pageants: The Nauvoo Pageant and The British Pageant. We regretted only planning one night here, because they rotate the play every other night. And The Nauvoo Pageant was FABULOUS! Even cynical teens enjoyed it. If you want good seats, rope off your seats around 2pm, otherwise it's luck of the draw. We were in the second section of seats, but were able to sit together in spite of not reserving our seats in advance. And we could watch just fine.

Before the pageant begins, there is a Country Fair. There was round dancing with a live band, old fashioned games, children's activities/crafts, and picnic tables/concessions/restrooms. The cast (which is large) helps out with the games while in costume and it was tremendous fun. Our kids sawed off a round of wood that was burned with a Nauvoo logo.

Nauvoo and British Pageants
July 5-Junly 30
Begins at 8:30pm on the alwn south of W. Grove on Partidge St (following the Country Fair that begins at 7pm). No performances on Sundays or Monday

Sites to See for Tours and Demonstrations:

  • Brickyard
  • Brigham Young House
  • Browing Home and Gunsmith Shop (we loved this!)
  • Cultural Hall
  • Family Living Center
  • Heber C Kimball Home
  • John Taylor Home
  • Land and Records Office
  • Lucy Mack Smith Home
  • Lyon Drug Store (I enjoyed this one)
  • Pendleton Home and Log School
  • Post Office
  • Print Shop
  • Quarry Overlook
  • Riser Boot and Shoe
  • Sarah Granger Kimball Home
  • Scovil Bakery (free cookie!)
  • Seventies hall
  • Stoddard Tin Shop
  • Webb Brothers' Blacksmith Shop (free nail ring)
  • Wilford Woodruff Home
The Browning Gunsmith Tour
Outdoor Activities
There are lots of other activities--I wish I had known about some of these in advance:
Handcart Trek--Treks can be 1, 2, or 3 miles in length. Call to schedule a time 217--577-2603 7:30am-12:30pm.

Carriage Ride to Inspiration Point-Need free tickets from visitor's center. 8:15am-1:45pm

Pioneer Pastimes-Participate in pioneer games, stories and activities with your whole family, 9am-6pm

SHOWS (for 2016 anyway)

Just Plain Anna Amanda
10:30am, 12:30pm
Cultural Center
Free tickets required

Nauvoo Brass Band and Nauvoo Singers
Performing before Sunset by the Mississippi at 6:30pm

The Promise
2:30pm, 4:30pm
Historic Nauvoo Visitors' Center
West Theater
Free tickets required

Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo
7pm, 8:15pm
Cultural Hall
Free Tickets Required

Pageant Bagpiper Band
11:15am-12pm
Uptown Nauvoo on Mulholland St

Sunset by the Mississippi
7pm
(pre-show 6:30pm Brass Band Concert and Children's Parade)
Nauvoo Outdoor Stage

You can see why one day and night was not enough here!
Enjoy!
~HarmonRV

PS Sunday services are at 7:50am, 9:30am, and 12pm at 385 N. Wells St.



Crossing the Nation Itinerary #2

This was an itinerary sent me by a family member. This was an RV based trip to see LDS Church History sites (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). The dates were June 11-June 26, and it was for three motorhomes traveling in a caravan.


June 11, Sat
Depart Moapa 7am (PST) 199 miles= 3 hours 45 min
Cove Fort 11:45 am (MST) Lunch and a Break
12:30pm (MST) Back on the road. 235 miles= 4 hrs 15 min.
4:45 pm (MST) Rabbit Valley Recreation Area near Grand Junction Colorado. Dinner


June 12 Sunday
Depart 6:45 am (MST) 169 miles 3hrs 5 min
9:50 am (MST) Church 155 Nottingham Ranch Rd CO
1:15 pm (MST) Depart. 220 miles. 4 hours.
5:15 pm (MST) Dinner in Flagler Town Park, CO. 75 miles 1hr 20min
Exit 383 and 437 have RV dumps (If Needed)
7:35 pm (CST) Goodland, Kansas Sleep at Walmart


June 13 Monday

Depart 7:00 am (CST) 239 miles 4hrs 20min
Exit 97, 131, 224 RV Dump 30 minutes
11:50 am (CST)Lakewood Park in Salina KS Lunch and Rest
12:50 (CST) Back on the road. 186 miles 3hrs 30min
4:20pm (CST) arrive and stay at Kansas City Temple (Sleep at Church Parking Lot)
11:15 pm (CST) Pick up a niece at airport


June 14 Tuesday
Depart 8:30 am (CST) 15 miles
9:00 am (CST) Independence Visitors Center
10:00-12:00 (CST) Independence Walking Tour 14 sites
12:30-1:30 (CST) Lunch
1:30 pm Tour Community of Christ Temple
2:30 Depart 13 miles
3:00pm Liberty Jail
4:30 (CST) depart 28 miles
5:30 Pioneer Cemetery in Richmond MO (Thornton and Crispin street)
6:15 pm Depart 22 miles
6:45 pm Watkins Mill State Park ($13 for Basic Camping Spot)


June 15 Wednesday
8:15 am (CST) Depart 29 miles 40 minutes
9:00 am Far West
9:45 Depart 32 miles 45 minutes
11:00 Adam Ondi Ahman and Lunch
1:00 pm depart 34 miles 50 minutes
2:00 pm Hauns Mill
2:45 (CST) Depart 143 miles 2hrs 40min
5:10 pm Warren Barret Drive just West of Admiral Coontz Armory sewer dump (if needed)
5:30 Hannibal MO Mark Twain and Dinner
6:30 pm Huckleberry Park
8:30 pm Sleep at Walmart


June 16 Thursday
7:00 am Depart (CST) 69 miles 1hr 30min
8:30 am (CST) Arrive at Temple ( Kids play at adjacent park)
9:00 - 11:00 Temple Session
11:00 - 12:00 Temple Baptisms
12:30 Lunch
1:30 Nauvoo Visitor Center and Monument to Women Garden
2:30-4:30 Historic Sites (Heber C Kimball Home, blacksmith shop, Scovil Bakery, the brickyard, the Browning home and gun shop, and the Family Living Center
4:45 pm Nauvoo State Park Camping $20 per night (RV Dump adjacent to site)
5:00 pm Trail of Hope
6:00 Dinner
8:30pm BYU Folk Dancers (For Die Hards)


June 17 Friday
8:00 - 10:30 am Laundry
11:00am Joseph Smith Tour ($4 per person community of Christ)
1:00pm Lunch
2:30 The Promise Movie/Play Amanda
3:30 Explore Nauvoo (wagon rides, children games, theatre, Pioneer Pastimes, etc)
7:00pm Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo play (Free tickets required)
Nauvoo State Park


June 18 Saturday
8:00 am Dump Sewers
8:30 am (CST) Depart 23 miles 30 minutes
9:00 am Carthage Jail
10:30 am Depart for Kirtland (Lunch on the road) 195 miles 3hrs 30min
2:00 pm Gilman, IL (CST) Dairy Queen for stretch and rest
2:30 pm (CST)Depart 144 miles 2hrs 30min
6:00 pm (EST) Dinner Indiana with Grandparents near Warsaw (Municipal Park Center Lake)
8:00 pm Walmart for the night


June 19 Sunday
7:45 am (EST)Depart 107 miles 2hrs
9:45 am Church in Lima Ohio (1195 Brower Road Lima, OH 45801)
1:15 pm Depart 188 miles 3hrs 30min
4:45 pm (EST) John Johnson Farm
5:30 pm Depart 32 miles 45min Eat on Road
6:15 pm Kirtland Visitors Center
8:00 pm Sleep Stake Center Parking Lot


June 20 Monday
9:00 am (EST) Kirtland Temple Visitors Center
9:30 am Kirtland Temple Tour ($3 per person Church of Christ)
11:00 am Newel K Whitney Store
12:00 pm Whitney Home
1:00 pm Kirtland Sawmill
2:00 pm Isaac Morley Farm
3:00pm Depart towards Priesthood Restoration Site 173 miles 3hrs
6:00 pm Olean, NY Church Parking lot (1935 Windfall Road) Forness Park option


June 21 Tuesday
6:30 am (EST) Depart 190 miles 3hrs 30min
Sewer dump Elmira Waste Treatment Plant 600 Milton St
10:30 am Priesthood Restoration Site
12:30 am Depart (eat lunch on the fly) 109 miles 2hrs
2:30 pm Peter Whitmer Farm
3:30 pm Depart 26 miles 40mim
4:15 pm Hill Cumorah Visitor Center
5:30 pm Hill Cumorah Hike
6:30 pm Dinner and Sleep at Church Parking lot
8:00 pm Walk around Palmyra Temple (If you want)


June 22 Wednesday
8:00am (EST) Sacred Grove
9:30am Smith Family Farm, Log Home
11:00 pm Grandin Building Book of Mormon
12:00 pm Depart 108 miles 2hrs (eat lunch on road)
2:00 pm Niagra Falls
4:00 pm depart 110 miles 2hrs 30min
6:30 pm Harborcreek, PA Walmart


June 23 Thursday
6:45 am (EST) Depart 170 miles 3hrs
9:45 am Cedar Point Amusement Park Sandusky, OH ($42 per person group rate)
10:00 am - 6:00 pm Amusement Park 29 miles
7:00 pm Sleep park parking lot/Fremont, OH Walmart/Fremont, OH church 831 Smith


June 24 Friday
7:00 am Depart
7:15 am Sewer Dump Sandusky Fair Grounds 901 Rawson Avenue
7:45 am Depart 175 miles 3hrs 15min
11:00 am Grandparents House in Indiana


Visit on the way home to Nevada:
  • Effigy Mounds National Monument
  • Mount Rushmore
  • Bad Lands
  • Yellowstone

Thank you C. Family!!
~HarmonRV

Cross Country RV Itinerary #1

As I prepared for my trip, friends of mine were kind enough to send me their itineraries for driving cross country. While appreciated their information, I discovered that creating an itinerary is a very personal and customized exercise. That being said, I found them useful in terms of driving time and sites important to them.


Here is one itinerary with a military and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints sites emphasis, in a vehicle pulling a trailer, for 10 people, from August 9 to August 27. They began in Southern Oregon and ended after Nauvoo Illinois.

Day 1 Saturday - August 9

Leave Southern Oregon 6pm
Drive to Willard, UT 732 miles ~ 15 hours
Arrive 9am (next morning)

Day 2 Sunday - August 10

Leave Willard 10-11am
Drive to Nebraska, CO 10 hours

We stayed at a rest stop to sleep in west Nebraska

Day 3 Monday - August 11Leave 8am
Drive to Kansas City 10 hours
Arrive 6pm
Stayed at Kansas City East KOA 

This was our favorite KOA: they had miniature golf, swimming, basketball, playground – nice place and were reasonable priced.

Day 4 Tuesday - August 12
Leave Kansas City 9am
Drive to Louisville, KY 484 miles ~ 7.33 hours
Arrive 6pm
We met up with a friend for dinner, so we didn’t stay long at campground.

This KOA was not as nice, but very accommodating. No activities for kids. They have an arrangement with nearby hotel for swimming which we took advantage of. Just one night was fine. Easy to find right off hwy.


Louisville Metro KOA
900 Marriott Drive
Clarksville, IN 47129

Day 5 Wednesday - August 13

Leave Louisville 8am
Drive to Pohick Bay Park 593.24 miles ~ 9.5 hours
Arrive 6-7pm

We loved the drive from Louisville to Virginia. The Shenandoah Forrest/Appalachian Mountain Range is incredibly beautiful.

We loved this campground!!! It is more like a state camping ground with both tent & RV camping. We stayed here 5 nights. Price was good too! It was close to the Mt. Vernon and DC area.

Pohick Bay Regional Park and Golf Course
6501 Pohick Bay Drive, Lorton
Camp Center: 703-339-6104
Golf Course: 703-339-8585
Park Manager: Todd Benson

Day 6 Thursday - August 14

Mt. Vernon – Kids loved this!!!!! Take as many tours as you can. Plan an entire day here.

3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway,
Mount Vernon, Virginia 22121
Hours 9am-5pm

Day 7 Friday - August 15

Our son is a Marine and was graduating from Officer Candidate School in Quantico, VA. So we visited this museum just outside the base in Quantico, VA. It is probably my favorite war history museum. It has the Iwo Jima flag there, which was a highlight for me.

About 30-45min south of Pohick Park.
USMC Museum
9am-5pm
18900 Jefferson Davis Hwy.
Triangle, VA 22172
1.877.635.1775
info@usmcmuseum.org

From I-95 heading north, take Exit 150 (Jefferson Davis Highway); turn right (south) onto Route 1; travel approximately ¼ mile; the Museum's entrance is on the right.

Day 8 Saturday - August 16
Washington DC – This was a very aggressive schedule
- Library of Congress
- US Capital Bldg Tour (be there 15-20min early)- schedule in advance with US Rep office – easy to do online.
- National Archives Museum 10am-5:30pm
Constitution Ave. NW, Between 7th & 9th St Washington, DC 2040
- Smithsonian Air & Space, American History 10am-7:30
A few notes on DC – The metro is so easy to use!!! Drive to a park & ride and take the metro into DC. It is worth it. If you want to park, allow a lot of time to do it and bring money for meters. On this day we drove (not too bad on weekends), but we wished we would have used the metro.

Day 9 Sunday - August 17
Washington DC – We did Arlington first. Be sure to go to the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. War & President memorials close at dark so it is fun to do those later afternoon/early evening.

Because of young children, we decided not to do the Holocaust Museum. I have been there previously and it is difficult (a lot of emotions) but done beautifully.

- White house visitors center (no tour available the days we were there, so we just saw it through the outside visitors center)
- American History Museum (allow a lot of time)
- War Memorials
- President Memorials
- Arlington National Cemetery – Iwo Jima Memorial (1 ½ mile from Arlington)

Metro right at Arlington. Pay to park there and do DC – be back by 6:45pm to get car.
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington, VA 22211
Hours:
7 Days a week: 365 days
8am - 7pm (April - September)
8am - 5pm (October - March)
Parking garage closes 1 hour after cemetery
Phone: 877-907-8585

Day 10 Monday - August 18

Leave Pohick Campground 9am

We parked our trailer at Arlington and took the metro to the Zoo. There is no parking at zoo. Even with the metro there is a short walk to zoo. We passed a food mart and bought treats for the walk.

National Zoo
3001 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
10am-noon
You could have easily spent more time here – but we were under a tight time schedule.

Drive to Baltimore, MD/Ft. McHenry 41.67 miles / 52 minutes
Fort McHenry
2pm-5pm (9am-6pm)
We loved Fort McHenry!!! A quick stop but very powerful. Kids loved this stop!
Drive to Philadelphia (Clarksboro, NJ) 92.72miles / 1.31hr

We enjoyed our stay at Timberlane. Nice campground. Has a swimming pool and other simple amenities.

Day 11 Tuesday - August 19

Philadelphia 9am-5pm – go online for information about visiting Philly to find out schedules & activities. Plan on a full day in Philly!

These are some of the things we saw:
  • Visitors Center (where you get tickets for Independent Square tour)
  • Liberty Bell museum
  • Independence Square
  • Graff House
  • Ben Franklin house/museum
  • Printing Press, Old post office (we sent ourselves a postcard) 
  • Sony’s Philly Cheese Steaks (a Philly tradition that we had to do)
  • US Mint (we went late in day and nothing was happening there so go earlier)
  • New Hall Military Museum
  • Carpenters Hall
  • Cemetery where Ben Franklin and other notables buried.
Day 12 Wednesday - August 20

Leave Philadelphia 8am

Drive to Valley Forge – we didn’t give ourselves nearly enough time here. You can bike or drive it. We drove but felt rushed going to different sites. So beautiful!

Drive to New Jersey

Stayed across the bay from Manhattan at Liberty Harbor RV. This was not the nicest of places – like a parking lot for RV’s with a Marina. But it was close and we were not going to spend a lot of time here anyway. Not easy getting RV through traffic though! etc.

Liberty Harbor RV
From the South
Take the Garden State Parkway to exit 129. Follow signs for I-95/NJ Turnpike North. Merge onto I-78 East via Exit 14 towards Jersey City/Columbus Drive. After paying the toll stay drive straight until you come to the first stoplight. After the first stoplight begin to merge to the farthest right lane. At the last stop light, make a right onto Marin Blvd. Follow this road until it ends; the office is on the right.
- See more at: http://www.libertyharborrv.com/directions#sthash.kyxgOeWq.dpuf

After we got settled for the evening we headed to Carlos Bakery (from Cake Boss show). It wasn’t very busy compared to daytime hours. It was fun, but dessert was just ok. It was purely an ambiance stop.

Day 13 Thursday - August 21

New York

​Ellis Island – Statue of Liberty 8:30am (go early!) A lot less crowded then. You can ferry close to RV park over to where you buy tickets for Ellis Island & Statue of Liberty and to take the ferry over. We were there until noon – could have been a little longer.

Ferried to Manhattan (part of the fee already paid), ate at food carts =), and walked to 9/11 Memorial – very moving.

Took Subway to Times Square (that was crazy trying to maneuver that with 10 people – not fun!)

It was easy to take the subway back over to NJ and we had to walk approx. ¾ mile back to RV park.

Wish we had another day to spend in NY

Day 14 Friday - August 22

Leave New Jersey 11am
Drive to Palmyra, NY 314 miles 5hours
Stayed at Canadaigua KOA south of Palmyra – a lot of activities for kids, but a lot of them had additional cost so we swam and played on their jump pillow. A lot of mosquitoes.

Canadaigua KOA
5374 Farmington Town Line Road
Farmington, NY 14425
Reserve: 800-562-0533
Info: 585-398-3582

Day 15 Saturday - August 23

Palmyra – we drove trailer into Palmyra and had no problem with parking (but it was the off season also). If pageant was going on we would have stayed an extra evening and left in the morning.

  • Temple baptisms 8am (make appointment in advance)
  • Visitors Center/Smith Home/ Sacred Grove
  • Hill Cumorah –the pageant was over =(
  • Peter Whitmer home and Visitors Center
Drive to Niagara Falls 109.5 miles 2 ½ hours – fun, quick stop! Refreshing!

Drive to Kirtland, OH (4 hours)

Pulled in late to a Walmart parking lot near Kirtland and slept there.

Day 16 Sunday - August 24

Kirtland, OH – we drove into Kirtland with the trailer. There was plenty of parking available
Went to Sacrament meeting at local ward (very close to visitor center)
  • Whitney Store and surrounding area tour – we all enjoyed this!
  • Kirtland Temple (small fee – I think $3 per person)
Leave Kirtland drive to Troy, OH to visit some friends (broke up drive to Nauvoo)

Day 17 Monday - August 25


Leave Troy, OH
Drive to Nauvoo, IL - 8hrs

Stayed at Camp Nauvoo – very nice people running it. Simple accommodations, but we were hardly there. Playground. They were good about when we could leave the next day so we didn’t have to drag trailer around.

  • Trail of Hope
  • Nauvoo – 8am Temple session 
- Start your time in Nauvoo at Visitors Center. You will get maps, and - - suggestions as to how to navigate Nauvoo while you are there.

  • Carthage Jail
  • Rendezvous in Nauvoo play – FUN!!!
Day 19 Wednesday - August 27

Nauvoo

We left Nauvoo that afternoon and drove several hours. Pulled over at truck stop or rest area to sleep for the night

The rest of the trip was getting back home with stops to see family & friends along the way we did not get to see Independence, Liberty Jail, Adam-on-diamon , etc. which would have been great. It was a very aggressive schedule, but we saw some amazing places and did some amazing things! We could have been gone another 20 days easily!
A few notes:
- food: The trailer had a kitchen with small refrigerator and freezer we traveled with a menu, crockpot and cooler for van (to carry day meals/snacks with us). We would restock as needed. We also carried snacks with us everywhere, especially on our long days. We rarely ate out.

- We did a lot of evening driving so we could maximize our daily activities.
- If you want to do temple baptisms or endowment sessions call in advance

- I called most of the RV places we stayed instead of online reservations.

- Our teenage daughter made a fun travel book with pages for each state, road games activities and a travel journal. We bound these and each child had their own. It was so great!

Best wishes on your travels,

A. E. Family