Our Amazing Country

If you haven't traveled the USA, it will be a thrill to discover. I'm finally finishing my blog about our trip in October-November and it is really more of a journaling with pictures. This was our fabulous trip.

We ended up putting 10,000 miles on our rental car and really loved every mile. The USA is so.......... well...................... American every step of the way. Each state was so different, yet a little familiar and each one with a beauty of it's own. The people were friendly and welcoming and very interesting to us. We've always loved studying people and Rich is a natural every where he goes. It made the trip enjoyable everyday. The best part was feeling so at home.............................it is our America.


Rich and I started our seven week trek across the country by winding our way through West Virginia on back roads. The mountain towns were so interesting to us. We made our way around Pittsburgh and found the western side of Pittsburgh beautiful. Our first night was spent in Youngstown, Ohio with the target of Kirtland, Ohio to check out the Church history sights.

We loved Kirtland and the Kirtland Temple and all of the history that goes with it. Even tho' it belongs to the Community of Christ Church (RLDS), the area is such a part of us. Our ancestors were there and helped build the Temple. We walked the grounds and felt a wonderful spirit. We were on a tour with a very small group with two new sister missionaries at the LDS Visitor Center. They were young and enthusiastic and kept using the current buzz words of "l love this and I love love this". One of them even loved the pass along cards. The group in front of us was with a married missionary couple and we were a little jealous because they were laughing and having such a good time. Our sisters were so serious. We made it to the Whitney Store and were listening to the presentation of the Word of Wisdom on the second floor.


As the sister missionary talked about the promises in the Word of Wisdom, she quoted, "run and not be weary and walk and not faint." She then went on to say............................"I really love the last part of the promise..............................that the destroying angel shall pass them by and then added..........I think that means you will live longer if you follow the Word of Wisdom."

The thing that struck Rich and I both at the same moment so profoundly was never having paid attention to the last part of the promise. Rich has never been one to complain much about his health situation or express "why me" but there have been occasions when he was weak enough to say to me, "Where is the run and not be weary part for me?"................................but we knew at the same moment that we were to be in that room at that time hearing the words of a new missionary say, "the destroying angel will pass you by." It was no coincidence. We were there for that message. It was a sweet message to our hearts.

The times Rich has survived health scares are many and has been told just this year by his heart doctors that they believed he would not make it in 1994 -- let alone be here 15 years later. I have to say I loved loved loved the experience in Kirtland.


The Kirtland Temple

We also ran into an missionary couple in Kirtland from American Falls, Idaho. I asked the guy if he knew Boyd Neider. He said, "Yes, I used to work for Boyd Neider at Prudential Insurance in Pocatello. Small world." Everyone knows my dad.

We spent a couple of days in Nauvoo, Illinois touring all of the historical sites. We took the covered wagon ride which was about an hour. Very interesting and very cold. Hmm..............how did the pioneers do it.

Standing at the end of Parly Street where the pioneers crossed frozen the Mississippi in February of 1846.

These are the graves of Joseph, Emma and Hyrum Smith. The man giving the tour is with the Community of Christ (RLDS) Church and was very interesting. He grew up in Nauvoo and knew so much history. He visits every year from Phoenix to give tours for a few weeks.

The Nauvoo House

Another Nauvoo Temple shot

Nauvoo is always a memorable experience for me. So many things happened there with the Church which caused such great progress and so many heart breaking things at the same time. Rich had never been there before and he felt quite sad about all of the problems the Nauvoo Mormons experienced.

We ran into an old friend of mine from Tyhee, Glenn McMinn and his wife, Annette. He is there in charge of the Nauvoo Pageant. It was a joy to see him after 40 years. He is still the same
young man I grew up with in Tyhee.

We fell in love with the Badlands in South Dakota. They were so different and such a fun surprise to love. We hiked around some here and were completely taken with the beauty of the more than 400,000 acres. It was different around every corner.

We hiked clear over to the mountain here. It was nearing evening so the sun was really making a beautiful setting.

We really loved Mt Rushmore. It was closed due to snow and electricity problems the day we arrived so we stayed out in the Badlands. We spent a lot of time in the Borglund museum. Borglund started Mt Rushmore when he was in his 60's. They carved the mountain with jack hammers and dynamite. Borglund was such an interesting man.

Crazy Horse Mountain in South Dakota in the Black Hills. They have been working on the mountain for 40 years and have the head done as shown in the back ground.

We passed through Montana in a blizzard so there are no pictures. The mountains were so beautiful. We stayed in Bozeman that was expecting more snow. We left early to miss more of the blizzard. Montana mountains have mostly Ponderosa Pines


Coeur de Alene, Idaho in the panhandle of Idaho

Family time............our great uncle was a congressman in Idaho. There is a Neider Avenue and a Neider Plaza.

Lake Coeur de Alene............I was ready to move here. It is beautiful.

This is the Space Needle in Seattle - The Silver space ship is the EMP Live Museum. It is huge.

Rich with the Fabulous Chancellors display in the Rock and Roll- the above Silver Museum in Seattle.

Jean Perry took us to these beautiful falls in Seattle

Oops out of order -- Coeur de Alene Lake in Idaho - close to where I was born in Moscow

Deception Pass connects Whidbey Island with Seattle.

On Whidbey Island in Puget Sound - A fifty mile long resort island. Very fun. We stayed at a home on the Island courtesy of one of Rich's colleagues. It was fabulous. We had to ride the ferry over.

Oregon Coast with mountains in the back ground.

Oregon Coast

Oregon Coast

Oregon Coast

Oregon Coast

Many shots of the Redwood Forest in Northern California............so peaceful

You couldn't really get the feel in pictures of the giant Redwoods. They were magnificent.

From the Arches in Utah

Our beautiful Virginia.....................by Charlottesville
Our stops:

Youngstown, Ohio

Kirtland, Ohio

Nauvoo, Illinois

Some where in Iowa

Wall, South Dakota

New Castle, Wyoming

Bozeman, Montana

Coeur de'Alene, Idaho

Seattle, Washington - stayed with Jean Perry in North Bend

Whidbey Island, Washington

Gig Harbour, Washington - stayed with Carrol Neider Norton our neice

Newport, Oregon

McKinleyville, California

Fresno, California - stayed with Jeremy for 10 ten days

Reno, Nevada

Boise, Idaho - visited long time friend Gary Cottle, were there for Five Guys opening

Idaho Falls, Idaho - stayed with Kenny and Margo

Pocatello, Idaho - stayed with Mark and Renee- visited former students in Blackfoot

Layton, Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah - stayed a week with Mom

Springville, Utah - stayed with Rich sister, Annette

Grand Junction, Colorado

Colby, Kansas

Nashville, Tennessee -red carpet for CMAs

Cookville, Tennessee

Bristol, Virginia - went to Gate City where Lillian Mae Remy was born

What an amazing trip. We loved seeing the USA and becoming acquainted with places we had never been. We would do it again in a heart beat.