Sunday, June 7, 2015

2017 ~ Bluff, Utah (2017)



Bluff, Utah (2017)



Whitehorse High School

Under the direction of John TaylorSilas S. Smith and Danish settler Jens Nielson led about 230 Mormons on expedition to start a farming community in southeastern Utah. After forging about 200 miles (320 kilometers) of their own trail over difficult terrain, the settlers arrived on the site of Bluff in April 1880.[5] (The trail followed went over and down the "Hole In the Rock", which now opens into one of the tributaries of Lake Powell.) The town was named for the bluffs near the town site.[6] The town’s population had declined to seventy by 1930[citation needed] but rebounded during a uranium prospecting boom in the 1950s.[5] With the uranium decline in the 1970s Bluff again declined and now remains a small town with about 300 residents.

sThe Four Corners is a region of the United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Four Corners area is named after the quadripoint where the boundaries of the four states meet, where the Four Corners Monument is located. It is the only location in the United States where four states meet. Most of the Four Corners region belongs to semi-autonomous Native American nations, the largest of which is the Navajo Nation, followed by HopiUte, and Zuni tribal reserves and nations. The Four Corners region is part of a larger region known as the Colorado Plateau and is mostly rural, rugged, and arid. In addition to the monument, commonly visited areas within Four Corners include Monument ValleyMesa Verde National ParkChaco Canyon, and Canyon de Chelly National Monument. The most populous city in the Four Corners region is Farmington, New Mexico, followed by Durango, Colorado.

2016 ~ Spirit Lake, Iowa

Spirit Lake, Iowa



We left on 7/21/16 and headed for IOWA.  We will stayed in Indiana Thursday night and stopped at the Field Of Dreams movie site on Friday morning.  We checked in to Fillenwarth Beach Resort http://www.fillenwarthbeach.com/ on Friday night and stayed 8 nights.  We are drove the bus and pontoon boat with us to explore the area by water.  We will had family pictures taken by www.joshandjenniferphotography.com when we are there.  Such and incredible trip!  These are always our favorite vacations.

Spirit Lake is a city in Dickinson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 4,840 at the 2010 census. It is thecounty seat of Dickinson County.[5]  The town is located along the western shore of East Okoboji Lake, in the Iowa Great Lakes region.The Dakota Sioux originated the name of "Spirit Lake" referring to it as "The Lake of The Spirit."[6] In 1856, three brothers-in-law created the town of Spirit Lake after a visit to the Lakes area piqued their interest.[6] The three brothers-in-law, O.C. Howe, B.F. Parmenter, and R.U. Wheelock, were soon joined by various other settlers, making homes along the lakes' shores.[6] These settlers however, did not get along peacefully with the natives, and on March 13, 1857 Chief Inkpaduta of the Sioux led a revolt against the non-native settlers, killing all but four women.[6]

2015 ~ Kirksville, Missouri

2015 ~ Kirksville, Missouri


We took off on Memorial Day Weekend 2015 and headed towards Big Cedar Lodge and Top of the Rock Golf Course.  We could not believe the beauty of this area.  En route, we stopped in Belleville, Illinois.  This is a town that Jen had spent time in growing up with family.  We stayed at Big Cedar Lodge from Saturday to Wednesday and had an incredible time.  We have every intention of traveling back to this incredible resort!  On Wednesday we left and headed north 4.5 hours to Kirksville, Missouri.  Here we met with the Chamber of Commerce, had dinner at DuKum Inn, stayed in the beautiful Brashear House Bed & Breakfast, toured the AI Stills Museum, walked through the medicinal gardens, engaged in learning from the dummies in the medical lab, toured the campus of Truman University, went tubing on 1000 Hills Lake, at dinner with local author of the Dibbuk Box, Jason Haxton, and visited an Amish farm!  All in 2 days!  We left late Thursday and made it home on Friday.  What an incredible and educational trip!

Kirksville is a city in and the county seat of Adair County, Missouri, United States.[1] Located in the Benton Township, its population was 17,505 at the 2010 census.[5] Kirksville is home of Truman State University and A.T. Still University.