A few weeks ago, we took a family trip up to visit
church history sites, watch the
Hill Cumorah Pageant, and see Niagara Falls. It was a nice long drive to Upstate New York, so we stopped along the way at Harmony, Pennsylvania.
(This is why.) It was beautiful! This was my favorite moment of the whole trip and I think it's because we went a little off the beaten path. There was a feeling on the banks of the river that made you realize that something very important took place near there. We really were in awe.
We didn't get many pics of the pageant because it was dark and our camera lens isn't cut out for evening shots. It was obviously a big production because there was so much detail to the costumes, lighting, and even installations of natural elements (i.e. fire torches and waterfalls.) We chatted with a few members from the cast and one guy told us that he and his wife fly out from Utah every year to participate in the pageant. Two other people told us that their entire families flew out and rented a house in the area to be actors for a week. There was even a group who flew in from Southeast Asia to participate. The pageant was really cool to watch and even though Siena is totally confused as to who is who in the scripture stories, she still gets excited telling us about the night we saw Nephi and the missionaries.
The next day we went to Niagara Falls, NY. What is a trip to Niagara if you don't ride the Maid of the Mist. So, of course, we headed directly for that.
The waterfalls to the left are called the American Falls. Those further back in the center are the famous Horseshoe Falls. When we were in boat clear out there, it was actually pretty thrilling; the eddies create quite a force against those boats and you feel like the boat is going to tip. After we returned to land, we decided to follow some teenagers up the side of American Falls. By the time we reached the top, we couldn't even open our eyes because there was water flying everywhere. The girls loved it and we were laughing the whole way back down because our ponchos could not keep a drop of water off us.
Afterward, we went to some historic Erie Canal locks in a neighboring town since we were going there for dinner. The original locks were built in 1817, so I appreciated the historical value, but honestly, it was kind of a yawner. We took pictures anyway!
For being such a perfect angel with all the driving and activities that day, we promised Siena some ice cream on the ride back to the hotel. She probably had a little too much judging by her comatose state....
The next day was Sunday, so we decided it would be fitting to go to the church history sites in the area:
Hill Cumorah, the
Martin Harris farm (amazing stonework!,) Alvin Smith's grave, the
Grandin Building (where the Book of Mormon was first printed,) the
Palmyra temple, the
Smith family farm, and the
Sacred Grove. All of the places we visited held a peaceful feeling that made you just want to sit down and stay a while in complete silence while your thoughts flowed.
The weather was ideal, the itinerary full but flexible, and the company perfect so it goes without saying that it was a fantastic little trip. Also, how very convenient the 6-hour drive each way was as it gave us uninterrupted time to work on Juan's personal statement for his residency application. Anyone who goes up there for a little trip, let us know and we'll give you a list of the restaurants we tried while there--the food was delicious!
