10:00 AM - Youth in the temple for baptisms @ 10:30

LUNCH - Uptown

1:00 PM - Adult Endowment Session (clothing available to rent - See this post for ideas for the children while we're in our session)

7:00 PM - Sunset by the Mississippi

8:30 PM - Young Ambassadors

TREK - be there at 7:30 a.m.

"LOCATION: Northeast of Historic Nauvoo Visitors’ Center on Partridge Street

APPROXIMATE LENGTH OF GUIDED TOUR: One to three hours, depending on the trail you select

All Sites, Tours, Shows, and Rides at Historic Nauvoo are FREE!

Family Friendly

Experience a handcart trek similar to the one some of the Mormon pioneers endured 150 years ago.

Although most early pioneers traveled west using a covered wagon and team of oxen, there were some who couldn’t afford such travel accommodations.

The less expensive handcart, much like a large, shallow wheelbarrow, allowed the poorer of the Mormons to afford the journey west. Because travel was more difficult with a handcart, it became a familiar symbol of dedication and duty to God.

Guided and non-guided handcart tours are available. Guided tours are for groups of eight to ten people, lasting approximately two hours. Unguided tours require no minimum number or length of time. "

12:45 - Just Plain Anna-Amanda - LOCATION: Cultural Hall
7:00 - Rendezvous in old Nauvoo - LOCATION: Cultural Hall

The train station is located @ 340 South 600 West, Salt Lake City. Here is the link. It says there is parking, but I'm not sure how that's going to work, etc. so if somebody has time to drive by there tomorrow it might be a good idea. We won't be driving through Salt Lake when we come through, so can't check. Otherwise, I'll see if I can call. :)

Amy called today and scheduled the "entertainment." I am very excited about this stuff:

Saturday -

5:00 - High Hopes & Riverboats

Monday -

12:45 - Just Plain Anna-Amanda
7:00 - Rendezvous in old Nauvoo

Tuesday -

7:00 - Sunset by the Mississippi
8:30 - Young Ambassadors)

Info about the shows (I know Josh, Kate and I will be going to all of them!):

Sunset by the Mississippi - The senior tour guides who volunteer their service in Nauvoo join with talented college-aged performers to put on a fast-paced show that will keep you tapping your toe. It’s old-fashioned fun that everyone can enjoy.

Rendezvous in old Nauvoo - If you are coming to Nauvoo, you must see this show. This delightful musical comedy, performed by senior tour guides, tells the story of the Latter-day Saints who built Nauvoo in the 1840’s, and then had to leave the city they loved.
Will George find the peace and quiet he needs?Will Jed learn to say “heck”?Will Abigail ever get a pickle barrel?Will horses with wings ever leave Nauvoo?
Come to learn the answers to these and many other interesting and entertaining questions nightly at the Cultural Hall!

High Hopes and River Boats - Learn Nauvoo history in a fun way – with lots of song and dance. Young performers, carefully chosen from throughout the United States, will have you laughing and singing along, and before their finished, maybe shedding a few tears. Your whole family will love it!

Just Plain Anna-Amanda - Children will remember “Just Plain Anna-Amanda” long after they return from their trip to Nauvoo. The young performers in the cast are talented and fun; the puppet show that starts the performances is a giggle-fest for kids; and the image of Anna-Amanda decked out in all the items she tries to carry around with her will stick in children’s minds. But the play makes a great point, too, and it’s one that kids can remember – as well as adults – and parents can discuss with children after the show.

BYU Young Ambassadors - Focusing on music from the 60’s up to present day, their new musical revue features an exciting 10 piece show band and 26 singers and dancers. The New Music Makers showcases hits by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Carole King, Stevie Wonder, Diamond Rio, Billy Joel, and relives classic moments from today’s Broadway Stage.

These are the prices Candi emailed me (sorry I forgot to put them up earlier) for the Mark Twain Riverboat Cruise:

One Hour Sightseeing: departing at 11:00 am, 1:30 pm daily, and 4:00 pm daily
Adults $14.00 + tax
Children (ages 5-12) $11.00 + tax

Two Hour Dinner Cruise: departing at 6:30 pm every evening
Adults $36.95 + tax
Children (ages 5-12) $21.95 + tax

Reservations are only required for the dinner cruise. Boarding begins 30 minutes prior to the above departure times. This our schedule from Saturday of Memorial Day weekend until Labor Day Weekend.

For the crazy people in the group who are thinking about going to Six Flags, St. Louis...

Address for your GPS: 4900 Six Flags RoadEureka, MO 63025 (4 hours and 39 minutes from our hotel - so a 9.5 hour round trip!)

Hours of operation: 10:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Price: At this link it looks like you can print your tickets and everybody pays the child price of $31. Check it out - it should work.

Possible code: WNAQIYEAXW - BUY 1 adult ticket and get a child ticket free.

Also, check AAA - looks like they have a discount. Yep - $26.99 tickets through AAA - just follow this link if you're a member. :)

Looks good to me for Thursday night.
Open Wed-Sat 5:30-10:00pm. 573-221-7800 207 North 5th Street in a victorian home. Prices are $9-$24.


I made reservations for all of us for an early dinner Thursday (5:30). If anybody doesn't want to come - no problem at all, just let me know. Just figured better safe than sorry. :)


CHANGE: I changed my reservation to be for THREE. It is at 5:30 p.m. You should get your own reservation so you can use your coupon. Thanks for the heads-up, Candi!! :)

OKAY - we are scheduled. They say they don't actually have guided tours. The missionaries will give us information, etc. and send us on our way. Monday, June 14th is the day. We need to be there by 7:30 am!! They only do these first thing in the morning because of the heat later in the day. They recommend bringing a change of clothes/shoes because there is water/mud. Also, we need to bring drinking water. We can choose the length of our trail that morning.

[previous post]

There is a handcart trek that we can do in Nauvoo if anybody is interested. You can choose a 1-3 hour trek and you divide into groups of 8-10 people if you want the guided tour - or we could do it unguided with as many or as few of us as would like to go. Visit the website and let me know if you want me to call and reserve a time for the group. :)

Beautiful!! We are scheduled for Tuesday, June 15th.

10:00 - Youth in the temple for baptisms @ 10:30
1:00 - Endowment session - adults (be there early) - we can do sealings after. We just need to let them know when we get there. Also, they have clothes available for rental.

Remember your recommends! And, make sure the 12+ crowd have theirs.

During the 1:00 session, the children can wait in the Temple Arrival Center. There are films, etc. and the teens are allowed to take care of them there. There is also the Temple Information Center. Maybe they could divide their time between the two. :)

Woohoo - the Palmers will be joining all of us in our hotel for the first couple of nights. Candi, your confirmation # is 68284541. All of the rooms are currently in my name - so if you get there first, that's how they are. I can't wait!! Three weeks from tomorrow. :)

Taking pictures of the Heber Creeper this weekend made me look forward to the trip more. Here are a couple I snapped (that didn't include Thomas).




















Luckily these aren't the seats we'll be riding in. I was thinking the ride probably wasn't very comfortable when the rail was first put in, it may not be comfortable now, but it should be a lot more so.

Tropicana Rewards has a B1G1 for Tom Sawyer's Cave (something I definitely plan to do!). This is a savings of $15.95 for everybody over 12 and $9.95 for everybody 8-12 (it's only $2.10 for children under 8). To get the rewards, go to this website and register. Then you can enter codes from the lids of your orange juice (get double points if you purchase the OJ at Smith's - put Kroger as your store and let them know you used your card). There are a couple of "freebie" codes (the site divides the codes in half):

BLOGG-HER11
FBOOK-TROPI
MOMCE-NTRAL

Then, before the trip make sure to print off the coupons (they're only good for two weeks after printed so don't print too early). Just "explore rewards" and type in zip code 63401 (Hannibal). This is the deal under "Amusement/Water Parks." Hooray for coupons!

Just a reminder that you can NOT check luggage because Burlington is not a full station. This means we each get two carry-ons. Here are the requirements:

So, I wanted to see some pics of the inside of the train and thought you might be interested as well. Here are some that I found. I'm thinking room for a small cooler is while in the observation lounge/viewing car - whatever they call it. Doesn't look like room for much in the regular coach seats - although everybody says they're quite comfy and much more than an airplane. :)

ITINERARY??

Everybody post and let me know what you want to do and when. Here are a few things that have a schedule that I would like to do...

1) The trek needs scheduled. I'm thinking about scheduling that for Monday. Let me know if this does NOT work for you. Otherwise, I'll call and schedule it that day. I'll schedule the unguided tour so that however many of us are up to it that day can trek. :)

2) I'd like to schedule Hannibal for Thursday as that's the ONLY day that there is an event in Hannibal - and it's an outdoor concert. It is in the evening and it's definitely not hugely important that we're there on that day... just seemed like a good day for Hannibal.

3) I'd like to attend Sacrament Meeting in Nauvoo on Sunday. There are meetings at 8, 10 and 2. There is more info here. The 8 o'clock service is for visitors and missionaries. The 10 and 2 times are local wards (but, of course, we can visit one of those).

4) The BYU Young Ambassadors will be performing the entire week while we're there. They do a special Sunday concert that might be nice to attend. All of the concerts (and most all activities in Nauvoo) are free.

5) There are tons of plays, etc. Also, if you haven't yet seen the Joseph Smith movie - it's very worth watching. If you haven't seen it for awhile - worth watching again. Anyhow, more entertainment listed here... with a calendar of events here.

6) Carthage... I was thinking I'd like to go to Carthage on Tuesday. This puts a day between travel to Hannibal and breaks up Nauvoo. OR, we could go to Sacrament Meeting and then go to Carthage on Sunday.... let me know what you think. Summer hours are: Mon-Sat, 8am-9pm. Sun, 11am-7pm. It looks like there is a beautiful park in Carthage where we could maybe have a picnic lunch. I'd also like to visit the Town Hall in the town square, and the Kibbe Museum (they have Mormon stuff and Lincoln stuff). Admission to the museum is free and the hours are: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 1-4 p.m. Sunday.

7) Temple day - we need to decide when we want to attend the temple. Are we going to try to have the grands do baptisms on the same day the adults do a session? Is everybody wanting to do a session? The children can stay at the Visitor Center while the adults do a session. There are films, etc.

Most things (carriage rides, etc.) in Nauvoo are available every day - so no stress about scheduling. As you all come up with ideas of what matters most to you (or things you DON'T want to do) just post them.

I'm reading a lot about train travel and I'm just going to post some tips I find as I find them... I'll keep coming back and adding to this list. Feel free to add your own. :)

1. According to the wiki, "The published schedule is almost always wrong. The train generally leaves on time from Chicago and Emeryville, if there are no major expected delays. The train reliably loses three hours in Nevada, generally standing still while everybody is asleep to allow freight trains to pass.
   The standard delay for arriving at a final destination ranges from 3-7 hours." I'll definitely call before we leave to see if it's running on-time. :)
   
2. There is 2" more leg room on the stair side of the train. Read that from Utah through Colorado, you want to be on the left side of the train for the best views??


3. Bring binoculars.


4. Bring MP3 players, games, books, and other entertainment.


5. Bring a light blanket (army-type blanket), pillow (inflatable?), Breathe RightTM nasal strips (if you snore), sleeping pills, earplugs...


6. Bring a wash cloth & baggie for washing up + soap/soap dish, moist towlettes, usual toiletries


7. Wear comfy clothes & shoes.


8. "Long distance trains will have a snack bar and almost always a dining car. The Timetable shows this info at the bottom of the page for each route. Eat at least one meal in the dining car if your train has one. It's fun, only a little more expensive than the snack bar (for equivalent items), good food -- and an "obligatory" part of the Amtrak Experience. Don't be in a rush. Eating in the dining car is often going to be leisurely. Patience is really a virtue here. Seating is 4 to a table so you'll be meeting new friends at each meal unless you are a part of a fixed four-some. By the way, the staff will request that couples sit alongside, not across from each other since many people are uncomfortable sitting side-by-side with a stranger. Reservations are normally taken for lunch and dinner, breakfast is first come first served. Listen carefully for announcements; usually sleeping car (first class) passengers get first choices." - Menu is HERE (click "National Dining Car"). HOURS - Breakfast: 6:30am-9:30am (board by 9:00am) Lunch: 11:30am-2:30pm (board by 2:00pm) Dinner: 5:00pm-9:00pm (board by 8:30pm)


9. There is also a snack bar (hours: 6am-11pm).


10. You can bring your own food - but cannot eat it in the lounge or dining car. There is room for a small cooler between seats if you want to bring drinks. There is a fruit stand and small convenience store in the station at Grand Junction, Colorado.
    
11. Photos - "To optimize your shots, find a clean window and wipe the glass down with a clean cloth to remove smears. Turn the camera flash off, select a fast shutter speed and keep your lens on or as close to the window as possible. Use a polarizing filter to eliminate any remaining glare and reflections." (I'm going to bring Windex... yeah, I know...)
12. Dry air - like airplane air - for 30 hours. Bring lozenges, hard candies, lots of water... I'm bringing Airborne.
13. Bring a surge protector in case you find an outlet you can use. That way you can share the power and make people happy. Also maybe flat extension cord.
14. 1-800-USA-RAIL - to check the schedule!

Here is a map of the route our train takes. I found it HERE along with a Printable Route Guide so go check it out for lots of information about the scenic trip we'll be taking. :)

• Rocky Mountains
• Sierra Nevadas
• Moffat Tunnel
• Colorado's Gore, Byers and Glenwood Canyons
• Winter Park
• Truckee River
• Donner Lake
• San Pablo Bay and the Carquinez Strait "

Okay, we are looking at hotels in Keokuk, Iowa. I am pretty convinced that my little family will be staying at the Holiday Inn Express. They have the best value in town, I think. I called both Hampton Inn (319) 524-6700 (where the Palmer family is staying) and Holiday Inn Express (319) 524-8000 for better/group rates. Both receptionists were extremely friendly - but Hampton Inn did not offer to let me speak to a manager (maybe she was a manager?) and wouldn't do better than the Orbitz rate of $89/night for a double Queen. Through Orbitz you can still use the code: 25HOTELORB for the additional $25 off (the whole stay, not each night) so it's actually a better deal online!

*UPDATE* - Okay, the girl got back to me and can do $67.90. With taxes these rooms will be about $467.40 for the six nights (per room). This was almost exactly the same as going through Orbitz, so I went ahead and reserved them under my name. Everybody can pay sep. once we're there. Let me know if you DON'T want them. Ben & Candi, I didn't reserve one for you, but I can call and add a room for any nights you want to stay there (unless you just want to extend at the Hampton Inn for the price quoted above). Just let me know. :)

Address of hotel: 325 Main Street