Out for a Drive

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever; its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness." ~ John Keats About a month ago, we checked this book out of the library, "Utah Byways," and liked it so much that we purchased a copy online~ it is a great resource for finding beautiful backroads and exploration. Our first drive was the Skyline Drive that goes from Spanish Fork Canyon over to Fairview and I highly recommend it! We took the Suburban, but you could do it in a 2-wheel drive vehicle.
Some of the spectacular views

We came upon some patches of larkspur . . . then around the corner were fields and fields of it!

It was so breath taking~ I wanted to go sit in the middle of it and just breathe purple!

The wildflowers were so varied and lovely

We came across a field full of sheep and a shepherd on horseback. He (or someone) had written "God Bless America! "

across the field in rocks ~ we hardily echo that prayer. We are so blessed to live in this amazing, beautiful country~ and we know where those blessing originate from! I don't know how anyone could see such amazing beauty and not know that their is a Divine Source of all this goodness, the good Shepherd is our Savior, He lives and He loves us!

Ray - at a small hut that is used in the winter to warm the toes and fingers of the snowmobilers. I am sure it is a welcome resource in the winter.

Road Trip #7 - Adam-ondi-Ahman, Far West and Liberty Jail

"And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. " Phillipians 4:7

The best way I can describe this beautiful area called Spring Hill is a place of peace, like the temple, there is a lovely, calming, quiet, peaceful reverence here. We wanted to stay!
According to the prophet Joseph, ancient Americans called Nephites lived in this beautiful valley and Adam met here with his posterity three years prior to his death - it is prophecied that he will again one day visit his people here.
The peace and beauty here invite quiet contemplation and fill the heart with gratitude for all the many blessings we have been given.

Sandy, Ray, Arianne ~ at Adam-ondi-Ahman

This is one of the temple cornerstones laid at Far West, Missouri. The Saints were driven out before they could get their temple built. But the four cornerstones of the temple remain.

An interesting bit of history about Far West. In 1838, Joseph Smith received a revelation that some of the apostles would be leaving for a mission to the British Isles the following year from the temple site in Far West. A year later, this seemed impossible, because the Saints had been driven out of Missouri by angry mobs and lives were threatened if they ever returned. The Saints were then living in Quincy, Illinois, but the apostles, faithful, and obedient, went back to Missouri to the temple site in Far West. Even though it was very dangerous for them to do so and Missouri was in the opposite direction from where they needed to go, Brigham Young, Heber C Kimball, Orson Pratt, John E Page, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and George A Smith along with others faithfully went back to the temple site, prayed, sang and ordained new apostles and left for their missions. It is said, as they came into the area, not a dog barked, nor did a cow moo . . . they arrived and left peacefully and unnoticed.

Liberty Jail, near Independence, Missouri is another place that invites serious contemplation about faith, courage and endurance. It was here that Joseph and five companions were incarcerated for nearly five months during one of the coldest winters on record. The ceiling in the lower area of the jail where the prisoners were kept was so low that the men could not stand up straight, the food was so bad that it made them very ill and they were constantly cold. A bit of history that I didn't know was that the men were pleading with the Lord to be delivered from this awful prison. The Lord revealed to Joseph that he would provide the way for them to escape if all six men agreed and were in accord to attempt it. They all agreed but one and that night the guard left the hatch door wide open, along with the front door and he was absorbed in reading a book in the corner. But the men did not try to escape because they were not all in unison to attempt it! The prison became a place that tried them severely physically, but strengthened them spiritually and brought them close to the Lord.
Elder Neal A Maxwell said, "It wasn't until the prophet was physically confined that his mind was fully liberated . . . the double walls, fourfeet thick kept Joseph and his companions in, but they could not keep the spirit and revelations out."

Our lovely guide had a beautiful voice and she sang to us as we left Liberty Jail ~ I was singing the song for days after we got back home.

"Lead kindly light amid the encircling gloom

Lead thou me on

The night is dark and I am far from home

Lead thou me on.

Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see

The distant scene—one step enough for me."

Our Road Trip #6 - Ray's cousin Richard

One of the highlights of the trip was meeting Ray's second cousin, Richard. He kindly spent his whole day with us - and we found he is a great man with a remarkable memory. Richard and Arianne at Keith's Diner. . . a great place to eat in Memphis. The restaurant was packed, the food was good, but it was noisy and hard to hear. Richard told us about his courtship and marriage to his sweetheart, Anna Mae - a true love story!

We drove by the home where Ray's grandparents lived. Ray remembers visiting them there and Irene has lots of fun stories growing up there. Richard also took us to three cemetaries: Memphis City, Prairie View and Mt Moriah, where he told us a lot about Ray's family history.

We ended up at Richard's lovely farm, where he showed us around, then treated us to a view of his photo albums. Richard is 92 and has an amazing memory - he told us a lot about serving in Burma, China and India during World War II, as an airplane mechanic. And he showed us tons of family photos. Our one regret was not having a good tape recorder to get all this important family history down for posterity! Thank you Richard, for spending your whole day showing us around and teaching us about our family.