Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo

755 miles into our 2,050 mile journey we stopped in Nauvoo, Illinois. A quaint town on the edge of the Mississippi River that has some important historical sites pertaining to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Nauvoo was a refuge to the Saints between 1839 and 1846, however, difficulties increased forcing the Saints to flee their homes and start their trek westward to the Great Salt Lake.
Spencer and I loved walking around the quiet town and taking a look at all the historic homes. The weather was absolutely perfect. (I visited Nauvoo in 2002 for the temple open house when the heat and humidity were unbearable) We attended the temple and loved looking at the dark hardwood and intricate details replicated of the work the Saints did before it was destroyed. We were able to see the cemetery of the final resting place for the Prophet Joseph Smith, Emma Hale Smith, Hyrum Smith, Joseph Sr, and Lucy Mack Smith, as well as many other Smith family members. We toured Carthage Jail (22 miles away) where Joseph and Hyrum Smith were martyred June 27, 1844. We walked down Parely Street "Street of Tears" where the Saints on February 4, 1846 said farewell to their beautiful city and homes and crossed, in that bitter cold winter, the frozen Mississippi River. It was such an amazing experience to see where these events took place that we as members of the church read and hear so much about. We spent two nights there and took off early the next morning to continue on our own personal trek the other 1,296 miles.