Day 369: So Much to See, Feel and Smell

Aha:
Day 2 consisted of a trip back to Nauvoo (to see what had been closed to us the day before) and a trip to Carthage.  I think my favorite was Carthage.  Fortunately for me, I had just missed a tour group and so a sister offered to take me through by myself.  I got to sit in that jail (just me and the guide) and listen to the retelling of the events leading up to and after the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith on June 27th, 1844.  The building was so quiet and I couldn't help but feel like I was being let in on a secret or something; the spirit of that place was awesome.
I gained a new appreciation for Joseph Smith and the work he did to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth.  I am so thankful for the Book of Mormon; it is filled with truth and testifies of the divinity of Jesus Christ.  I am thankful for the Bible; it too is filled with truth and is a wonderful source of history and examples of how to be a disciple of Christ.
Here are more pictures (there are repeats from yesterday's post, but they were taken with Clinton's good camera as opposed to my poorer-quality phone).

 Smith Family Cemetery (about 25 family members--and friends--of the Smiths)

 Outside the window that Joseph Smith fell from when he was shot and killed

 The top window is the one he fell from

 Notice the warped panes?  These are originals.  Apparently the jail keepers could avoid paying taxes for the glass if the panes were not perfect, so they'd request them to be made imperfect to save a few bucks. :)

 This is the second bullet hole in the door.  It was with this bullet that Hyrum was struck in the face and killed.

 This was the first shot.  It broke the lock on the door and made it possible for the mobs to push their guns further inside.  Interestingly, this piece, as you can see, had been cut from the door.  Until only a few years ago it was missing.  Someone from the family who had the piece, found it in the shed of a relative's home, recognized what it was and brought it to the church to restore to the door.  Pretty cool, huh?

 Window that Joseph fell from.

 Statue of Joseph and Hyrum outside the jail

 These are from Nauvoo.

 Examples of documents that were discussed/used in the upper room of the Red Brick Store (ordinances of the priesthood, organization of the Relief Society, and other special events took place here)

 Statue of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young overlooking the Mississippi River

 Trail of Hope: a series of plaques with the thoughts and quotes from early pioneers and leaders of the church as they were preparing to leave Nauvoo and cross the Mississippi to travel West. (Notice the temple in the background.  It must have been so hard to leave this place.)

Ha ha:

Clinton and I drove down to the pier so we could touch the Mississippi River.  There were mayflies everywhere (shudder) and the smell was rather unpleasant.  It took us a bit to discover where it was coming from.

Here I am.

 Why am I reaching out so far?

There's about a 12-inch wide sludge of washed-up dead mayfly bodies right at the shore line, made for a pretty horrid smell.

 Here's Clinton