Trip to Palmyra

Okay so this is an overdue post...but for Cambelle's birthday we took the girls camping and since the Hill Comorah pageant was going on that week we decided to camp near Palmyra. We found a campsite on Lake Seneca near Fayette, New York, it was really pretty and the weather was perfect for camping. We had a brilliant plan to wake up very early and drive all the way to Niagara Falls and then back track to the camp site. So we were out the door and on our way by 6:30 am, we couldn't "check in" to the campsite until 3 so we drove past out campsite at 1 pm headed to Niagara. We thought we were making killer time...but we were wrong, it was just a killer. We went to the falls and it was beautiful, amazingly beautiful.

We walked the girls down to the lower falls and it was cool how wet we got from the spray of the water. We were too tired and didn't have to the energy to spend much time there so we decided to just head back to the campsite and set up. We wanted to make it before dark....

At 9:15 we rolled into out campsite, it was dark so we set up the tent by the headlights of the car. Set up our beds and fell right into them. It was good to write that day off the books! But now I can say I have seen Niagara falls and don't need to say that again any time soon!

The next morning was a Thursday and we decided to try to beat the big Mormon flocking to the church history sites. I think lots of people had the same great idea. It was incredible to be there though and see all the places and things that hold such deep meaning and importance to us. We went to the hill Comorah and the Smith Farm.

The bedroom Joseph Smith shared with his 5 brothers growing up.

A quiet walk through the Sacred Grove
Then we went into Palmyra and saw the printing press where the Book of Mormon was printed and even saw the four church corner. I had never heard of the four church corner but it was really interesting to see the four old churches built around the 1830s, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran and one other and I can't remember which kind. I was weird to see them each on their own corner of the same two cross streets, no wonder religion was so confusing in that area, it is more confusing then have a Home Depot and Lowes across the street from each other!

Anyway that night we went to the dress rehearsal for the pagent, the girls were great. Kadence was completely mesmerized by the whole thing. I asked her what her favorite part was and she told me,"the scary part!" Where Laman and Lemuel tie up Nephi on the boat and the sea and storm threaten to swallow them up until they untie him.

Cambelle turned two while we were there and we tried our hand at dutch ovens. So this is a big shout out to my Uncle Larry the dutch oven king- that is hard!! We tried to bake Cambelle's birthday cake, but you know no matter how much chocolate frosting you smear on somethings it just can't make it right... I burnt it to charcoal and so we pealed off the charcoal and tried to eat the inside...it was neither pretty or tasty!


All in all we had a lot of fun, it was really just fun to be together for a few day, the girls are great campers and very helpful. They loved helping make the fire, and helping me wash and dry the dishes. One thing I have loved about our short time here is that we have developed a love for camping. We just may go this weekend.


IFamily shot in front of the Whitmer home in Fayette, New York- after three days of camping...not pretty but all together!