7/19/17 Sacred Grove, Niagara Falls

After the pageant we spent the night in the house that Brigham Young's Father lived in when he joined the church. This amazing opportunity came because Heidi followed a prompting to reach out to our friends the Spencers who are serving a mission out here. She thought that it would be great just to say hi. They kindly offered us a place to stay. They even bought us donuts for breakfast.

Doug and Connie Spencer were David' 11 year old cub leaders. They had a huge impact on him, helping him to grow in skills and learn self confidence.

They lead us down a nearby path to the little stream where Brigham Young was baptized.

Our next stop was a quiet one but perhaps our most significant one. The Sacred Grove is the place where Joseph had his First Vision of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. It was when he learned that he was not to join any of the then existing churches but that the truth was about to be restored.

This is the house where Joseph grew up and where the angel Moroni appeared to him and told him about the Book of Mormon.

11 people lived in this house. Pretty similar to another family we know. This house is a lot more cozy than our house though.

Palmyra Temple.

EB Grandin print shop, the site of the first printing of the Book of Mormon.

This is the view many people get of Niagara Falls. We heard that the best view is from the Canadian side. Since we didn't plan ahead and get passports that option was closed to us.

Instead we opted to take the Maid of the Mist boat tour.

They give everyone these charming ponchos. You need them.

After the boat ride Sarah, TJ and Rebecca went up the stairs with me right next to the falls.

Heidi and the rest of the crew went to the observation deck. Can you see them waiving to us?

They took a picture looking the other way. Can you find the four of us in this shot?

How epic was our experience at Niagara Falls? This epic.

My phone figures that we crossed the border into Canada while we were in the water. I suppose we can count it as a trip to another country. Right?

This is a site we've seen a lot of these past couple of days. They use tolls to pay for the roads. It feels like we've paid a toll every couple of hours. Good thing we followed promptings, and Grandpa Mangum's advice, to bring some cash along.