Last weekend my friend DG and I decided to have a girls' weekend and she rented a car and we drove to Palmyra, NY. I was in charge of navigation and I done goofed up, so we were almost to Canada before we realised we should have taken a left turn at Syracuse. Oh well. We got there, and our motel was on the banks of the Erie Canal, so we took a walk down the path. It was a nice walk, helped unkink my body which was sore from sitting in the car. 
The next morning, DG had a reservation for the 11am session in the Temple, so we did a bit of sight-seeing beforehand. We saw the Smith farm and its buildings, and a view of the Temple from there. My photo turned out blurry, so I stole this image from the Hill Cumorah website. You can tell, because we went in May, and the leaves in this photo are obviously turning colour. I am disappointed that my photo is blurry.
DG went in for her session, and I waited in the car for her. I did some knitting, and I had a little nap. Then she came out and we continued on our tour of the Smith Farm and the Sacred Grove. It is so quiet in there! The paths are dirt, but are smoothed well. I don't think it would be difficult to take a decent wheelchair through it at all. They ask you not to remove any material from the site (leaves, flowers, grass, etc) but I will admit that I flouted this rule. Someone had dropped a plastic baggie (I sincerely hope it was a young parent who overlooked the fact that their toddler discarded it) so I did pick that up and carry it away. And of course, as I thought it would be inappropriate to shake the dust off my feet as I exited the Grove, some dirt came with me. But I think that's probably okay. The paths twist and turn, and there are many benches to sit on to rest or to contemplate. It's one of those Perfect Places. When you think of the words "forest path" this is what your mind conjures. I could very much feel the Spirit and the presence of God and Christ. I have never been a very gifted writer, so I have difficulty in putting into words my experience. All I can do is encourage you to go there yourself. Even if you are not LDS, it is still a lovely and peaceful place. I hope to bring the VIP and DD there this summer.
When we returned back to the farm, we went through the houses. As a knitter/spinner, I was pleased to see handknit socks hanging up to dry by the fireplace, a spinning wheel with a skein-winder and a basket of roving nearby, and socks-in-progress. Clickety-Biggety
After all that, we drove a few miles to the Hill Cumorah. When they say "hill", they mean it. I thought I was Going To Die while climbing it. But the view from the top is so beautiful. I had brought my special copy of the Book of Mormon with me, and it wanted its picture taken with Moroni.
Our last stop was at the printing press. That ink on the floor is original and from that time-period. The press is still in operation and facsimile copies are produced from it. You can buy them in the bookstore next-door.
On our way home we took a short detour to Chenango Forks NY, birthplace of some of my ancestors. When I go back, I want to stop at the cemetery and find the graves.
I had a great time, and I want to thank DG for inviting me to go with her. She is moving to California soon, for school. I will miss her very much.
3 comments:
I am touched by the pictures and all you had to say. thank you for sharing. Even looking at the picture of the Sacred Grove, I feel that it's a 'sacred' place. And I very much like the Temple picture - sorry but I don't see the blurry part. And thanks for including Chenango. It looks like pretty country too. Glad you had such a good time and a good experience.
What beautiful pictures, and what a great road trip with a girlfriend.
I wish Bloglines would pick up your blog--this shows how far behind I am on reading it! This looks like a wonderful trip. I'm glad they have some nice period things to look at.
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