Leg 3: Omaha - Kansas City

We left Omaha and headed to Kansas City...

We got a lot of rain the first couple weeks of our road trip and I was loving it!

One of the first stops we made once we got into Kansas City was head to the little town of Liberty, where Liberty Jail is located.

This tiny jail is such hallowed ground. Some of the most poignant passages of scripture from the Doctrine and Covenants were received here. It was pretty amazing to look at the ground in the jail and think that Joseph Smith actually stood right on those same stones.

The next day we headed over to the Kansas side of KC to try what we heard was some of the best BBQ ever. Joe's Kansas city BBQ is popular and has the lines to prove it. We waited for about an hour to get to the counter, but man, it was worth it! This food DID NOT DISAPPOINT!

The meat from these suckers literally slides right off the bone. I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to eat any other BBQ and be satisfied again. Gage took a bite and said, "I can die now'.

Next, we visited the first of many amazing art museums. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City.

I have a seriously hard time keeping my eyes open in photos when it's bright outside. It's bad. I try so hard, but the muscles in my face just reflexively do ridiculous things. 

That evening, after getting henna tattoos and then regretting doing so, I logged into Instagram and noticed that Mates of State was playing in Kansas City that night. Happy coincidence...so we went to their show.

We ran into a friendly face at the Independence Visitors Center!

For the 4th of July, we did some shopping at Country Club Plaza in KC, then enjoyed another BBQ joint for dinner.

 In Gage's words, he ate BBQ and wore a flag shirt, just like the Founding Fathers intended. I love this hottie.

This is the Kansas City, MO Temple. It was a Sunday, so we weren't able to do a session, but we still walked around the windy grounds for a minute before heading out. These photos are yet another example of my inability to smile when it's sunny.

Leg 2: South Dakota - Omaha

Not far from Rapid City, we visited Wall Drug Store and got a delicious Dr. Pepper float.

One more state line...welcome to Iowa!

Iowa was beautiful, but we didn't stay long. Hello Nebraska.

Our first stop was the Winter Quarters Temple. It's a beautiful, little temple that only had 2 sessions on weekdays. It was so neat being in that temple. I'm sure our pioneer ancestors who lived here, passed through here, and even died here, are thrilled looking down at this gorgeous temple on the grounds made sacred by them.

We only spent one night in Omaha. The next day we got up early to see the Winter Quarters Visitors Center and the Pioneer Cemetery on the temple grounds. It was gorgeous and green and rainy.

While we were going through the visitors center, I came across this quote from my 3rd great grandmother...

Lovisa Jenne Roundy crossed the plains; her journal is one of the most beautiful things I've ever read. After seeing this quote, I'm thinking I need to pull that journal out again.

Leg 1: Provo-Mt. Rushmore

Gage and I have been mapping out a cross-country road trip for several years. This summer, we finally decided to do it!

Naturally, we started off the journey with one last Sodalicious...

...later P-town.

We passed through Wyoming on the way to our first night in South Dakota. We happened across a Martin Handcart Company historic site in the middle-of-nowhere Wyoming. There was a nice little visitors' center and some representations of cabins that would have been there at the time. Learning about the trials our pioneer ancestors went through and the faith they had was amazing.

This quote was on the wall in the visitors' center and it really struck me...

"Was I sorry that I chose to come by hand cart? No. Neither then nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Hand Cart Company." -Francis Webster

After our time at the visitors center, we got back on the road and rolled into Rapid City, SD late that night.

The next day we set out for Mount Rushmore!

It's hard to tell how huge those heads are, even when you're right there. The presidents' noses are 20 FEET TALL! That is massive.

This is a model of what Gutzon Borglam originally intended for the sculpture...full busts with Lincoln popping his collar and everything. A lack of funding and Borglam's passing kept it from ever getting to this point.

Apparently Thomas Jefferson made some bomb vanilla bean ice cream in his day, and they still have the recipe. They sell ice cream made from his recipe in the cafe at the Mt. Rushmore National Park. It's actually pretty tasty!

We even got a photo with one of the original drillers who worked on Mount Rushmore :)

You know how Facebook puts little squares around the faces it finds in a photo and asks you to tag your friends? When I posted this picture, it circled the faces on the mountain. I got a kick out of it.