Our first stop was Kirtland, Ohio. This was our only rainy day.
We stayed in South Bend, Indiana because it was half way between Kirtland and Nauvoo, not knowing it was where Notre Dame University is located. We arrived in Nauvoo around 1pm on Saturday and toured the visitor's center there. The gardens were lovely this time of year.
We took a carriage ride through the countryside around Nauvoo and went through Brigham Young's house, but the highlight of the day was doing a session at the Nauvoo Temple.
It's amazingly beautiful inside and out.The shot below was taken at dusk down near the Mississippi River.
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On Sunday after attending church in Keokuk, Iowa, we visited Carthage Jail. 
It was another lovely spring day and the tulips were in full bloom here, too. (Reminded us of the Keukenhof in Holland!)
It was a someber and touching place.
On our way driving to Kansas City to stay with friends, we stopped along the way at the Far West Temple site. It was a beautiful evening and we had a picnic dinner on the peaceful grounds, that really did feel like temple grounds. The trees were blossoming and the birds were chirping, and we loved the spirit that was there.
On Monday we went to Independence, Missouri, and spent an hour at the LDS visitor's center there. We've really learned a lot about church history on this trip, and gained an appreciation for the early saints.
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On Sunday after attending church in Keokuk, Iowa, we visited Carthage Jail. It was another lovely spring day and the tulips were in full bloom here, too. (Reminded us of the Keukenhof in Holland!) 
It was a someber and touching place.
On our way driving to Kansas City to stay with friends, we stopped along the way at the Far West Temple site. It was a beautiful evening and we had a picnic dinner on the peaceful grounds, that really did feel like temple grounds. The trees were blossoming and the birds were chirping, and we loved the spirit that was there.
On Monday we went to Independence, Missouri, and spent an hour at the LDS visitor's center there. We've really learned a lot about church history on this trip, and gained an appreciation for the early saints. Below is a picture of the Community of Christ temple. We toured it and it was quite interesting. The building was beautifully made.
The actual temple site dedicated by Joseph Smith is not owned by the LDS church or the Community of Christ (formerly the RLDS church.) It was interesting to see the three different "expressions of Mormonism" as our Kirtland Temple guide called it, all in one place. Kent remarked that it reminded him of Jerusalem, with the Dome of the Rock on the temple site there.
The actual temple site dedicated by Joseph Smith is not owned by the LDS church or the Community of Christ (formerly the RLDS church.) It was interesting to see the three different "expressions of Mormonism" as our Kirtland Temple guide called it, all in one place. Kent remarked that it reminded him of Jerusalem, with the Dome of the Rock on the temple site there.
Today, we continue West to the Rocky Mountains, will stay with friends in Colorado Springs, then on to Provo and the Salt Lake Valley, to be reunited with most of the family.
A canopy of pink under the Cherry blossom trees
The US Capital as seen from the Potomac River
This is a pretty good shot of us with the Washington monument; it's too bad you can barely see the cherry blossom trees in the background!
TheNational War College had lovely trees all around it
