If you missed PART 1 of our trip, go here.
While in Salt Lake City, we stayed at the very clean Pony Express RV Resort. It was 10 minutes from downtown. Wi-fi and full hookups included. We loved our time in Salt Lake City--there is SO MUCH to do there for families! We crammed as much as we could into the two days that we had.
Our favorite activity was going to This is the Place Heritage Park. The cost: adults $10; kids $7. We spent five hours here. It was so worth the money and the perfect complement to our American history studies this year.
This watermill still works--though they didn't have it running for us today.
This train picks you up at several train stops within the park and takes you to the next stop.
Seth was thrilled.
Panning for gold. We loved this authentic setting which included a miner's tent and gear nearby. The kids each came away with a small bag of Fool's Gold. They loved this!
A real blacksmith in action. This was amazing to see!
A trip to the barber shop. Faith got to be "shaved." Shaving cream and toilet water included. This guy was great. He taught the kids all about the history of barbers and the other duties they were responsible for--including tooth extraction and bloodletting.
Highland Cattle. A Scottish breed. I had no idea cows could be hairy.
The cabinet maker shop. This shop also sold coffins.
The sign reads, "FOR SALE. Only Slightly Used."
The pantry.
The drug store office.
Our kids learned about the "Dunce" punishment. Horrible!
Plowing the field was hard work!
"Mom, did they wash all of their clothes this way?"
Little children learned how to milk a cow using this bear game. To get the bear to the top of the ropes you had to quickly move your hands one quick jerk at a time.
We made designs in leather at the saddle shop.
We played many fun old-fashioned games. No Monopoly here!
The above three pictures are just a few of the views from the Salt Lake City Public Library. I'd read about this library online before we left on our trip. It's five stories high, has a rooftop that you can run around on and check out some incredible views, has a cafe, store and some amazing children's play areas. From the library, we were able to ride the TRAM for FREE to the Planetarium. This was pretty close to a train ride, so Seth was excited--again.
We are glad we took the time to tour Temple Square. Our kids had a lot of questions after they saw multiple paintings of Bible stories on the walls and wondered how the Mormon religion differed from Christianity. Tim and I do not know everything about the Mormon faith, but we took this opportunity to get educated together. A friend of mine that grew up in the Mormon faith sent me a Facebook message while we were on our trip. (My friend is a former Mormon) She told me about this place:
Utah Lighthouse Ministry was founded by Sandra Tanner--who happens to be the great-great-grandaughter of Brigham Young. While in her teens, she began investigating the Mormon faith and eventually left the Mormon church. Her testimony is very interesting and can be found HERE.
We went to the Lighthouse Ministry and were able to talk with one of Sandra's colleagues for quite some time. She was able to share with our kids in simple terms the differences between Christianity and Mormonism. We picked up some literature and an amazing DVD that compares/contrasts Joseph Smith to Jesus Christ. It was very eye opening.
I have several friends who are Mormon and I love them. Mormons have done an amazing job of putting families first and creating strong bonds. They are some of the most generous people that I know.
We visited the Clark Planetarium which is FREE! They make their money by showing IMAX films. Since we'd done the IMAX thing in West Yellowstone, we opted to save our money this time. The kids got to walk on Mars and the Moon for a fun picture.
This play-by-play of our trip would not be complete without a little RV action. Several forts were built during our down time--leaving Tim and I no easy way to prepare dinner and walk around.
In the mornings, Seth and Paige cuddled up over a heater vent to get warm.
I highly recommend taking an RV vacation! The memories we've made with our kids over the past year will not be forgotten. It's a great way to homeschool! Now if only we could figure out how to do this full-time for a couple of years.
2 comments:
Blog hopping today...haven't done that in a while :). It looks like you guys had a great time in Utah! Your pictures were awesome and I can't believe how grown up your kiddos look. I hope you were able to chat with the missionaries at Temple Square about our religion and not just with former members who have left the church. It is always fun and eye opening to learn about other Faiths and have both sides. Mormons are Christians too, hence the full name of our church... The Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. Again, glad you had a great trip!
Time travelers you are! What a great experience for your family. My pioneer ancestors would be so proud that their lives and hardships are still being appreciated.
The cow that you saw is a Highland Cow (pronounced Heeland Coo), a Scottish breed. I fell in love with them while in Scotland years ago. They're adorable & so gentle.
I'm so glad you were able to check out the Utah Lighthouse Ministry Bookstore. I wish you could have met Sandra Tanner, but I guess she was in Israel when you were in SLC. Her testimony is amazing! She and her late husband are pioneers in their field of ministry and have blessed so many people with their invaluable work.
I'd like to address the above comment from Raimi. I respectfully disagree with missionaries being the best source for information on the LDS church. I adore the missionaries, I haven't met one that I don't love, but they're kids. They've been taught a process to get people to commit to baptism which is a sales technique (commitment pattern). I think the BEST people you could talk to about Mormonism would be those who have lived it faithfully, examined it honestly and have decided to leave it behind in order to follow the true Jesus (became a Christian). These folks can show you exactly what the differences are so you can make an informed decision. Perhaps inviting a former Mormon to missionary discussions would be the best learning situation...?
As for the statement that "Mormons are Christian too"...this statement is actually what led me to finally start researching Biblical Christianity. I was sick & tired of Christians insisting that (as a Mormon) I was NOT a Christian. I also used the name of the church as proof text. When finally pressed hard enough, I decided to find out once and for all what these Christians believed to see if there was really any difference. This began my 10 year journey to the truth and eventually into a real relationship with Jesus...my God, not my brother.
Of course, this was only the beginning. I discovered that the differences were so vast and so confusing that I needed to throw out all of my knowledge (which was VERY hard for me to admit) and start from scratch. Like a child.
When I discovered the Jesus of The Bible, I was forced to make a choice. I chose to accept the Biblical Jesus into my heart and follow Him alone and all I needed to effectively do this was the Bible. Because of this, I was told by LDS leadership that I had a decision to make..."the church" or Christianity. Let me be clear, I was NOT able to remain a faithful, temple recommend holding Mormon by believing I am saved by grace, through faith in Christ alone. As painful as it was, I made the decision to remove my name from the LDS church records as I was afraid they would move for excommunication as I shared my testimony of Christ with others.
Please understand that I LOVE the Mormon people. They are my family, friends & neighbors. I come from strong Mormon pioneer stock who knew Joseph Smith and BY personally. My GGG grandfather was the 1st Swede who was baptized by my GGG uncle who was the first missionary to Sweden. My ancestors led wagon trains west and have monuments throughout Utah as a result. I love the people, but feel that they deserve to know the Truth.
Its interesting, my ancestors and the early prophets would NEVER have claimed the Christian title. Even in my fairly recent experience, I was proud to be a Mormon NOT a Christian...we were different and proud of it. It was Hinckley who was the last Mormon prophet to openly admit (in General Conference) that the Jesus which Mormonism preaches is not the Jesus of Christianity. This desire to be included under the Christian umbrella is very recent. I challenge anyone to do the research and discover why the Christian churches will not do so. The reasons are real, major and verifiable.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, Brenda and If I can be of any help, please feel free! In all things, love & respect <3
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