June 19-25, 2023

We finished packing and cleaning the apartment Monday and Tuesday.  We loaded the car Wednesday morning and departed Montréal about 11:00 am.  We went as far as South Burlington, VT via the scenic route.  We island hopped through Lake Champlain.  It took a little longer but it sure was pretty.  We spent the afternoon getting new phone service set up and new numbers assigned.

Karen: 801-509-3072        John 801-509-3073

I know it is sometimes boring to listen to your friend's travel adventures, so now is your chance to stop reading if you aren't interested in our escapades while returning to Utah.  Here's where we have been so far.

Our first stop was Montpelier, the capitol of Vermont.  It was a quick 15-minute drive through town to see the state capitol building.

Montpelier became the capitol in 1808 when the first state house was built.  The second state house was destroyed by fire in 1857.  This is their third state house, completed in 1859.

We drove to Sharon, VT where we met up with my sister and brother-in-law.  They drove from Montana to meet us and caravan home together.

Entrance to the grounds of Joseph Smith's birth place

On the 100th anniversary of Joseph Smith Jr's birth, a 50-foot granite obelisk was raised on the site.  The grounds are open to the public and a visitor's center, staffed by senior missionaries, provides information about Joseph Smith's life and mission as the prophet through whom Jesus Christ began to restore His gospel to the earth.  It is a beautiful, peaceful place to spend time.

John, Karen, Nola, Dan

The writing under President Nelson's picture says, "We honor Joseph Smith as the great Prophet of the Restoration.... What was it that made him so great?   He was foreordained from the foundation of the earth to reveal Jesus Christ to this generation!"  

I testify that Joseph Smith was a prophet.  I am grateful for the 14-year-old Joseph who had the courage to ask a question in faith, and then to follow through with obedience the answer that he received.

Next stop: beautiful Lake George, NY.  It is a small town (pop. 3400) in the Adirondack Mountains.  Fort William Henry is located at the southern edge of Lake George (the lake, Lake George, not the town).

You can take paddle boat cruises/tours on the lake

Parasailing is also popular

Fort Henry was an important British port, built in 1755.  It served as a staging ground against French entrenchments and to protect the important inland waterways from New York to Montréal.

We drove the scenic route through Adirondack State Park to get to Palmyra, NY.  We encountered a lengthy traffic delay once we reached the freeway so the 4-hour drive took us nearly 6 hours.  We arrived in Palmyra early evening.  After dinner we went to the temple grounds.

This view was taken on the temple grounds

Same view taken from the Smith Family Farm road

We walked through the Sacred Grove before the official tour of the farm started.  I love the quiet and the peace of the woods.  It is indeed a special place.

The Smith Family frame home

When the Smith family first moved to Palmyra, they built and lived in a small log home.  Many important events occurred while Joseph was living in the log home but they were eventually able to build a larger home on the property.  This is the information from the home's marker:

"The Smith's oldest son, Alvin, planned the construction of this handsome New England-style farmhouse to provide for his future family and to care for his parents in their elderly years.  Having apprenticed as a builder, he managed the initial construction himself.  By the fall of 1823 the heavy timber frame had been raised.  That November Alvin died suddenly, and construction sat idle for months.  The Smiths finally moved into the home in late 1825, even though much finishing work remained to be done.  Two months after moving in, the last payment on the farm was suddenly called due.  Unable to make this payment, the Smith's lost title to their property.  They arranged to continue living there temporarily as renters.  In the spring of 1829 they were required to return to the log home."

Building where the first Book of Mormon was printed

On the tour, we learned how to fold the flat printed page so that the pages are in the correct order.

When it is folded, you have 16 pages.  Because it was folded, you can't turn the pages yet.  It took 37 of these 16-page folded pages for a complete Book of Mormon.

Once they were all folded and in proper order, they were sewn together on the left side to begin a binding.  The binding edge was then glued and the other three edges were trimmed so all the pages could be opened and to make the book the right size.  A leather cover completed the book and it was ready to sell.

We see this picture a lot in Church materials.  The original is in the Grandin building.

A first edition Book of Mormon

The Hill Cumorah sure looks different from the last time we visited, nearly twenty years ago.  All of the pageant structures have been removed and the hill has been seeded with a variety of native trees and plants.  It is slowly returning to its natural state.

Hill Cumorah visitors center

The Christus is in the rounded window area

We were offered a golf cart ride to the top of Hill Cumorah and we quickly accepted.  It's only a 10-minute walk but it is a gravel trail and a little steep.

Our view of the golf cart path from the rear of the cart looking down

At the monument at the top of the hill

Last stop of the day was the Peter Whitmer farm, 27 miles from Palmyra.

The left wing is a visitor center.  The rest of the building is the Fayette Ward chapel.  30% of the Book of Mormon was translated at the Peter Whitmer farm in Waterloo.

Revisiting these church history sites has strengthened my testimony of the restored gospel.  What a privilege it is to serve a mission at this time and to play a small part in moving the work forward.

"The Standard of Truth has been erected, no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing... the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done" (Joseph Smith Jr.).

We attended Sacrament meeting in Palmyra this morning, then drove to Niagara Falls.  We had a great time looking at the falls and taking a ride on the Maid of the Mist.  The flimsy poncho they provide helps but there's no way to stay totally dry on the ride.

The observation deck

At the top, before the boat ride

On the boat, before the fun begins

The American Falls

It was a warm day and the "mist" was very refreshing.  The beauty of the earth is amazing!  All that fun wore us out.  We found an Italian restaurant in a local neighborhood and enjoyed some good pasta for dinner.