Today (Friday, April 30th), Jeff and I embarked on a cross country road trip...in a dump truck! Yes, you read that right. We bought a Ford F-550 dump truck in New Hampshire and drove it back to Utah. Why, you might ask? Because we could and because Jeff couldn't find what he wanted any closer to us. We have actually purchased several vehicles/equipment out of state and have grown to love our road trips. For quite some time, Jeff has desired to have a smaller dump truck (rather than his truck and dump trailer) to maneuver in and out of tricky locations. Additionally, with the set up he currently has, he almost needs to have a CDL driver license to be able to haul the weight and length he has to haul. This just streamlines things. Now, it wasn't our idea or desire to have to go so far to find what we wanted (with thousands of miles less than any truck around here and thousands of dollars cheaper too), it just happened that way so we embraced the adventure! Instead of finding the quickest route home, we planed the trip so that we could drive through a few states neither of us had been to. I have now been to all but 11 of the 50 states! (Don't worry...I already have trips planned to knock those out too!) Our journey started with a rather bumpy, almost vomit-inducing (upon landing) flight to Boston. We landed around 5:00 p.m. Easter time, grabbed our rental car, found a Walmart to stock up to grab essentials for our trip, then headed to Salem for a delicious seafood dinner on the coast.
Boston was the closest location to the car dealership just across the border in New Hampshire. It was fun to be back in Boston. This is where Jeff served his mission and where we took our first vacation (post-honeymoon) as a married couple. This is the only city I have ever seen Jeff feel comfortable, almost "at home" in. Unfortunately, we didn't have the time to explore the city again, but we did get to see the other three areas Jeff served in. Prior to starting that adventure, we began our day in Topsfield, Massachusetts. This is where my sixth great-grandfather, Robert Smith (born 1666), settled after he settled his indentured servitude, and where the Smith legacy that shaped our modern-day prophet, Joseph Smith, and his cousin (my great-grandfather) Jesse Nathaniel Smith. It is a beautiful, little New England town. While there, we visited the site of the Congregational church the Smiths belonged to. This site is where my third great-grandfather and his children (Joseph Smith Sr. and Silas Smith - my second great-grandfather) were baptized and attended church. Unfortunately, the building is not the same but the location is. From there, we headed across the street where the town had transported and restored the Gould barn. Priscilla Gould (and a cousin also named Priscilla Gould) married Samuel Smith Jr (father to Ashael Smith, grandfather to Joseph Smith Sr. and Silas Smith). The first Priscilla was Ashael's biological mother and the second raised him after her death. The barn was beautiful. It is the original Gould barn. I loved seeing the details of the craftsmanship of the time and touching the walls that housed the echos of handwork and laughter. Our next stop was the cemetery. Much like many of my past ancestors, their actual resting place within the cemetery bounds is unknown due to lack of records and eroding gravestones, but there is a monument to both the Smith and Gould lines. The Goulds were very well-respected and high up within the political community of the day. Several of the Smith men also served in Revolutionary military positions and also as representatives in councils that determined the Boston Tea Party and other significant events of the time. This has by far been my favorite ancestor cemetery I have visited. The stones were so intricately crafted. Much of the writing is fading with time and weather, but so much has been preserved. This is the type of cemetery you would see in an old movie. It was breathtakingly picturesque. Finally, we drove over to the site of the old Smith farm. In 1690, Robert had been able to procure several acres of land and a "sturdy New England" home built by Thomas Dorman on that site. The homestead housed many generations of Smiths until Ashael Smith finally abandoned the site after settling his father's debts. These men (and women) not only shaped my destiny, but also helped define our nation's, in addition to creating a legacy of faith that eventually restored the Lord's church here upon the earth. It was a surreal morning to see these sites and walk on the ground that started that incredible inheritance.
Finally, it was time to head to the dealership to finish the purchase of the dump truck, turn in our rental car, and start our journey home. I wasn't kidding when I said that the dealership was just across the border! We saw a stone that marked the state line as we drove into the town. I guess I can officially say I've been to New Hampshire now, but Jeff and I hope to return this fall to see more of NH and visit Maine and Vermont as well.
We stuck around NH for a bit longer as we traveled over to Nashua to see one of Jeff's areas. Prior to coming on the trip, he used Google Earth to walk the old streets and found the houses he lived in while he served in those areas! Nashua wasn't the most affluent area he stayed in, but it was so fun to drive to each location and hear the stories that immediately came flooding back to his mind. We laughed as he recalled silly things he did and had our faith strengthened as he recounted the miracles in each area. From Nashua, we headed to Pepperell, Massachusetts. We saw the house he lived in then went to the covered bridge he remembered riding his bike through. Little did he know then how significant this bridge was. While the bridge was rebuilt in 1963, the original bridge was built in 1740 and witnessed a significant historic event during the revolutionary period. This particular event took place a couple days after the British marched into Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. Pepperell, Groton, and Hollis townsmen responded to the call by the dozens to leave their wives, mothers, sisters, children, farms, etc. to fight. One Pepperell woman, Prudence Cummings Wright, had been raised in a household that freely discussed politics and not all shared the same opinion. Prudence was a patriot but her brother, Samuel, was loyal to the crown. By 1775, Prudence was 35 years old, had been married 14 years, and was the mother to 6 living children. While visiting her mother, she overheard her brother and a cohort, Benjamin Whiting, discuss a plan to deliver a message to the British that would reveal the location of gunpowder hidden by the Patriots. In short time, she was back in Pepperell to alert the other women. The women quickly reacted. They donned their husbands clothing and grabbed whatever "weapon" they could to stop the spies at the bridge. Then they waited into the night, shielding the lantern lights, totally silent until two horsemen approached from the north. With the element of surprise in her favor, Prudence burst upon them with lantern bright demanding to know their identity and business. Her brother, Samuel, knew the depth of his sister's commitment to the revolutionary cause and immediately fled the scene. Benjamin and Leonard Whiting pushed forward, believing they couldn't be stopped by a bunch of women. They were wrong! Both were dragged from their horses and searched. Dispatches intended for the British were recovered and the men were escorted to Solomon Roger's traverse where they were detained before standing trial. What an incredible story! How many more stories of courageous revolutionary women are out there?! It was so cool to uncover that little bit of history as we simply visited one of Jeff's mission areas. Finally, we headed to Millbury, Mass. This was Jeff's first area and, sadly, the house he lived in was demolished several years ago, but the cement walkway leading up to the house still exists. It was here that Jeff made an unwavering covenant with his Father in Heaven to serve with all his might, mind, and strength. It was in these areas that Jeff built a foundation of faith that has carried him (and this family) through some extremely difficult trials. It was an almost sacred experience to be back in those areas with him. We even found the tree behind the RR tracks in the back of the house that he chopped down one night on his mission when his adolescent energy and missionary angst got the best of him. I am so grateful that we got to step back in time for an hour or so and relive some of those defining moments in his life.
We moved on through 5 more states that day! We considered stopping in Connecticut to see Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe's homes (they were neighbors!), but with COVID, they were closed so we simply drove by them as well as the capitol and kept moving on. We skirted New York City, drove through New Jersey, and stopped in Delaware for dinner before finally making it to Maryland for the night. Dinner in Delaware was an unforgettable experience! I researched best places to eat in Wilmington and found a burger place downtown that had been featured on a Food Network show I've watched called Diners, Drive ins, and Dives. We always like to eat at local places and since the reviews were good, we decided to give it a try. Before you start to think this was a negative experience, it wasn't! The burgers were delicious and much of the ingredients were locally sourced. However, we decided to be a little adventurous and try they
"moo caliente" burger. The server warned us that it was hot, but little could we have imagined how HOT! It had ghost peppers with a habanero sauce and our mouths were on fire! Thankfully, we decided to order two different burgers and eat half each. I don't know if I could have finished the moo client burger on my own. I even debated finishing the half of the burger I had! I don't usually drink a whole glass of water with my dinner, but I couldn't down the water fast enough! I even placed the cool glass against my burning lips. At one point, a little morsel fell out of my burger and before thinking, I picked it up and popped it in my mouth (as I normally do with all my burger fixings). I'm pretty sure it was a ghost pepper...and I'm pretty sure it could have been lethal! Jeff and I laughed so hard as we struggled to finish the burger that we weren't sure if our tears were from the hilarity of the situation or the heat we felt coursing from our lips to our bellies. It was a dinner experience we won't soon forget! (And didn't forget for at least a day or two after as the spicy heat from those peppers exited our bodies.)
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| Mark Twain's house |
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| Harriet Beecher Stowe's house |
Seven states in one day was the record for our trip. From here on out, we only made it through 2-4 states per day. Jeff and I had never been to West Virginia or Kentucky so we slowed things down a bit to include a couple stops in each state. First off, West Virginia. From where we stayed in Maryland, Harpers Ferry, WV was only 15 minutes away and where we started our Sunday (5/2). This unique town holds a lot of US history. George Washington set up an armory here because the force of the converging Potomac and Shenandoah rivers were able to power the plants. John Brown, an abolitionist, tried to incite a rebellion against slavery and commandeer weapons from the armory. The first US Supreme Court justice was a descendant (by marriage) to Robert Harper, for whom the town was named. And the list goes on... Jeff and I enjoyed walking the river path into town. We saw remnants of the canal system they used to channel the water into the factories and foundations from buildings that were eventually destroyed by massive river flooding. In fact, the whole town at one point was practically abandoned because of flooding. Once we got into town, we visited the reconstructed fire house where John Brown retreated with his men when the Confederate soldiers tried to attack. John Brown was eventually apprehended and hung. However, during his incarceration, he was repeatedly interviewed about his political beliefs, which some believe is what helped ignite the Civil War just a couple of year later. Jeff and I strolled around town, walked the bridge from WV to Maryland (part of the Appalachian Trail), and hiked up to Jefferson rock where Thomas Jefferson was said to have stood to survey the land. We only anticipated on staying for a short while but ultimately had to pull ourselves away so we could continue our trip. This would be a place I could go back to explore a little more.
Once we hit the road, we moved west toward Kentucky. Before leaving WV, we stopped in Charleston for dinner. We found this old train station that was converted into a farmers/artisan market. It wasn't what we were expecting, but it was a unique stop. We decided to find a place to eat dinner. As always, we researched more local establishments and found this steakhouse just a couple miles from the capitol. The dinner was delicious, but we didn't stick around to enjoy more of Charleston. Instead, we pushed the last 3 hours into Frankfort, KY.
Can I just tell you how much the time changes confused me this trip?! For whatever reason, I kept getting things backwards, which, unfortunately, led to an unnecessary early Monday (5/3) morning for us. Ugh! I was pretty frustrated when I realized my mistake, but by that time, we had already loaded up the truck and were ready to go so we made the best of the hour extra we had before our timed tickets for a tour of Mammoth Cave National Park. Kentucky is really beautiful, and made all the more so with the rain we experienced. We drove down some picturesque tree lined backroads with so much foliage and spring blossoms. Kentucky is where Abraham Lincoln's parents met and married (his father was from there) and where Lincoln, himself, was born. We weren't able to make it to his birth site, but we did go to the state park where the home where Lincoln's father was born and his mother resided had been reconstructed. Of course, it wasn't open yet, but we got to peer in the windows and see the front room where Mr. Lincoln proposed to his soon-to-be wife and saw furniture he had crafted. Our stay there was brief then we moved on to a small Amish community. Let's just say, we were both a little disappointed. We did see one family riding in a buggy, but the "bakery" they were operating was simply a big warehouse with electricity. I guess this community is of the "New Electric Order" and utilizes machinery for their farms and electricity in their homes. We did see where the gas lines had been run to utilize gas lighting prior to the electricity. Still, it was an experience.
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| Lincoln's father's home |
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| Where Lincoln's mom resided |
After leaving the cave, we were headed to Nashville to drop off a birthday gift for Dallin (which we did at his apartment but he wasn't there. Still, it was fun to see where he's living and realize he was close. Can't wait for him to come home!) when we made an unplanned stop at the National Corvette Museum...because why not? It's these random stops that make the trip fun. I can't say that Jeff nor I are huge car fans, but we enjoyed seeing all the different Corvette models. Plus, this museum had a massive sinkhole that destroyed 8 cars. They only restored three and left the others on display. Crazy!
Finally, we moved through Nashville, made our quick stop, and headed to Memphis. We are not big Elvis fans so Graceland didn't even appeal to us, but I did want to see the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. We got there after the museum had closed, but we still got to see the room where he had been standing to address a group of people (he was in Memphis to walk support a group of sanitation workers who were striking) when he was shot. Afterwards, we wandered over to Beale Street (home of the Blues) before finding a local BBQ place for dinner. I wouldn't have minded going through the museum, but, other than that, I don't see a need to return to Memphis. Beale Street was interesting and the BBQ was really good, but I think Nashville is more my speed.
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| Nashville skyline |
It was just a short trip over the river to reach our final state of the day, Arkansas. We drove straight to Little Rock where we stayed the night. I have to admit that I was a little surprised at how green the state was. I was also surprised at how big Little Rock was. We saw the capitol from the car and a fun downtown area that, if I ever returned, I wouldn't mind exploring. We went directly to Little Rock Central High School for a quick picture before we lost the light. Why a high school? Because this was where the "Little Rock 9" bravely integrated themselves into an all-white school. It was a huge ordeal at the time. The governor sent the guardsmen to prevent them from entering the school so the president sent the army! It was all over the news in its day. Today the high school boasts 53% people of color. It's hard to imagine what that would have been like - for either side. Change is hard. Perspectives and previous belief systems can be rigid. I am certain there were malicious persons involved, but I think overall, people were trying to do what they thought was right. We still have a long way to go to eradicate past prejudices, but if we can be aware of them, we can make those changes.
Tuesday (5/4) we finished driving through Arkansas and made our way into Oklahoma then eventually Texas. Neither Jeff or I had been to Arkansas or Oklahoma. I wouldn't be opposed to returning to Arkansas if the opportunity presented itself, but I'm not as certain about Oklahoma. The green, lush terrain finally gave way to rolling farmland. There were no big cities that we saw (we skirted Oklahoma City), just several dilapidated farming communities. It was in one of these small towns that my paternal grandmother was born. It is sad to say that I am not even certain how long she remained in the state before her family moved to Arizona. In fact, I don't know much at all about my paternal grandmother's side of the family. I have done a lot of research on my other family history lines, but never paid much attention to this one. I regret not sitting down with my grandmother to ask her more questions. I would like to know who these people were, what they did, how they lived...at least now I know where they were buried. Yup, for several hours, Jeff and I traveled from cemetery to cemetery to find my great, great-great, great-great-great, and even one set of 4th great grandparents. We literally drove down dirt and gravel county roads to find these places. The cemeteries were mostly small so it was fairly easy to locate the gravesites once there, but there were a couple adventures along the way. The first cemetery we went to was Ninnekah. We found the directory and located the section and row where Walter Marion Elam was supposed to be buried, but there was nothing there! We counted and re-counted until Jeff found the name and number of the cemetery secretary so I called her. To my surprise, she knew exactly who I was talking about when I mentioned his name. She confirmed that he was reportedly buried in that cemetery, but stated that the exact location is unknown. Because of that, they were preparing an area of the cemetery to place memorial marker for all those buried there. I thanked her for the information, took a quick picture of the site, then moved on. However, a couple of days later, she excitedly called me when I was on the road to inform me that her genealogist was uncovering all sorts of documents about his rather colorful past. Remember, I had no information regarding any of these relatives. I had actually found a few documents on Ancestry.com from an Elam cousin about Walter. I learned from those that he had an affair with his wife's widowed sister-in-law and left the state of Kentucky (if I remember correctly) with her (who became my third great-grandmother), but it didn't stop there. I guess he eventually married one of his step-daughters and then had a couple more wives after that. Crazy! I guess you never know what you'll uncover when you go poking around the past. The next two cemeteries s we went to were uneventful. We quickly found them and the gravesites and moved on. The last cemetery, however, was a little tougher to locate. Thankfully, we had some GPS coordinates because there was no address. We discovered the cemetery behind a ranch. We had to drive past the house and past a field of big machinery to find a small little knoll with several tombstones. It was a pretty little place with no other entrance other than driving onto this ranch. It was here that I found the most unique headstone of all the others. I guess my dad isn't the only sea-loving man in the family. My third great-grandfather, William Riley Rogers, had an anchor carved out on the back of his stone. It was cool. I'm not exactly sure what its significance was, but after visiting these graves, my desire to know this side of the family has grown. Hopefully, I can uncover a few more stories...less sordid than Walter's! Once we left Oklahoma, we headed to Childress, Texas...where more of my past resided.
The next morning (Wednesday, May 5), I woke up in the Texas town my maternal grandfather, Don Tarwater, was born and lived until he was about 8 years old. I never met my grandfather. He died when my mom was only 7-years-old, but I have felt a deep connection to him because of all the stories I've heard and the reverence and respect I've seen shown him. Jeff and I packed up, loaded up the truck, and headed to the small downtown of Childress. We found a mural depicting what the town would have been like when it was established in 1902, two year prior to my grandfather's birth. We found buildings that were built in 1908. They were practically in ruins, but they were there when he was there. I touched their walls and strolled down the brick roads and wondered if he had walked down those roads or entered those buildings. We found the old train tracks at the end of the downtown area. Evidently, when he was 8 years old, his family packed up, got on the train, and headed to the last stop in Columbus, NM, where he finished his growing up years prior to moving to Mexico as a young man. We jumped up on the steam engine that was there. I imagined what he and his family felt as they boarded the train. What caused them to leave? Greater opportunities? Adventure? It was a sacred, solemn morning as I choked back tears of grief for this great man I have never met.
When we left Childress, we had no definitive plans to stop anywhere, but I had done a little research about iconic Route 66 stops near Amarillo so we decided to have the Route 66 experience. First stop, Cadillac Ranch. For whatever reason, three men (Chip Lord, Doug Michels, and Hudson Marquez) decided to bury 10 Cadillacs nose first in the ground in 1974. The "art installation" has since become a Mecca for Route travelers to literally leave their mark! There is decades of spray paint on these vehicles. People will just come to tag the cars and take pictures. We didn't have any spray paint, but after I offered to take someone's picture, they gave us their leftover paint so we could add to the artistic chaos. We didn't need to stay long, but I'm glad we went. Next Route 66 stop was in Adrian, Texas. We actually went about a half hour out of our way to make it to the Route 66 "midpoint", the half-way mark between Chicago (where the route starts) and Los Angeles. We got off the interstate and actually drove some of the old Route. We found Route 66 shields along the way. Again, we didn't stay long at either location. We simply snapped pictures and soaked in the iconic history of the "Mother road" before moving on. I thought it was pretty cool!
Now it was just a push to get to Durango, our last overnight stop of the trip. We decided to take the more scenic route through the mountains of south central Colorado, more specifically Wolf Creek Pass. It added an additional half hour to our trip, but the views were worth it! We stopped in Pagosa Springs for a yummy Mexican food dinner in honor of Cinco de Mayo. (I even made sure the kids had money to grab some dinner from Cafe Rio at home and left a couple of pinatas for them. It's the little things that make the mundane days fun. It even brought Amber and Jacob down to the house. Evidently, they all had fun smacking the pinatas and playing wiffle ball after.) Once we finished eating, we jumped into the truck for the last hour of the trip. Little did we know then that we would have one final stop.
As we reached the summit of Wolf Creek Pass, we looked down on the prettiest mountain meadow I had ever seen. Off to the left, Jeff noticed a waterfall. It was Treasure Falls. As we descended the mountain, there was a pull out for us to view...and hike... the falls. Of course, Jeff was ready to go! This was his kind of thing (Route 66 was mine). I love this man so I was totally willing to hike it...in my flip flops! I guess we could have took the time to pull out my tennis shoes, but we didn't think the hike would be bad. However, we didn't notice that there were two trails - the paved trail and the primitive trail. Guess which one we bounded up? Yup...the primitive trail. I have to say that I was pretty proud of myself. I hiked the whole thing in my flip flops through the muddy and snowy patches. I was a little worried about the descent, but luckily, we discovered the other trail at the top. There was one point I was certain I was going to hurt myself with my non-hiking approved shoes, but we made it. The falls were incredible! It dropped a good 100 feet before cascading the rest of the way down. We got to see the falls from a bridge then walk up to an area you could get sprayed. I chose to hang back a little on that area, but Jeff felt the spray in all its glory. It was actually a pretty great hike. We saw the sunset over the mountains and enjoyed an empty trail. It was the culmination of our trip. I wish I could encapsulate all the laughter and memorable moments from this trip. I wish I could accurately describe with my limited vocabulary how much I love Jeff. We needed this trip. Sure, we drove a truck home from Chicago last December, but it was just a quick trip with few stops. This was 6 days of just Jeff and I...and a truck load of memories. He is my better half. He inspires me to be better. He loves me when I am not my best self. He is patient as I stumbled in our journey. He is the one I want to laugh with. He is the one I always wants by my side. Each year, our love grows. Each year, I am amazed at how far we've come. Each year, I am more determined to work towards our eternity together.
We made it home the next day (Thursday, May 6) around 2:00 p.m. By then, Jonas was excited to see us, but prior to that, he wasn't sure he wanted us to come home. He had so much fun with his older siblings. Amber and Laurin were the best! They really helped us make this trip happen. They hung out with the boys and made sure no one died. Haha! They took the boys swimming, golfing, to the park, and more. I am grateful for kids who step in and help us in any way they can. We are lucky to have been blessed with such an amazing little family. Sure...we have had our bumps in the road, but we keep showing up!
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