Gretna, Nebraska (Reprise)

We’ve stopped on the way back at the same KOA campground we stayed at on the way out. The biggest difference is that WiFi is working this time! That is very important because I can now update the blog and, more importantly, Nina can finally download her email! She’s been disconnected for almost two weeks. I’m not sure I could go that long …. I did find WiFi at the public library in Carthage, Illinois and slipped in twice to download email and make one quick blog entry. It’s nice to actually be connected!

The campground we stayed at near Carthage was probably once a very nice campground but those days are long gone. We did see a couple of other campgrounds that weren’t listed in our campground book, both of which looked to be much better than where we stayed. However, it worked and we had a good time in and around Nauvoo. The swimming pool at the campground was OK and the grandkids had two evenings of swimming, which they really enjoyed.

Nauvoo is a wonderful place to visit. Even though we spent two days there, much is still left to be experienced. The highlight, however, was a session at the new Nauvoo Temple. That building is exquisite. The workmanship is magnificent. There are not superlatives enough for the temple! For instance, in one room there is some coping work that goes most of the way around the room. On the coping was a painted design repeated around the room. The design exactly fit the coping … at each corner the precise same position for each repetition of the design. Whomever did that work had to have spent hours planning for everything to come out exactly correct without people being able to see differences in the sizes of the design on each side of the room. All the carpets fit exactly … meaning that they had to have been woven specifically for that place in the temple. It is such a beautiful building. The murals on the walls were spectacular in their color, composition, and detail. What a nice experience, one that we must repeat.

The original plan was to stay through Sunday evening and leave on Monday morning. However, Jim needed to be back at work on Monday and we weren’t interested in spending another (disconnected) night at the Carthage campground. So, after church this morning and having lunch together, Jim and family headed back to Springfield, Missouri, and we headed north to I-80 and then west into Nebraska. If we wish, we could be home on Tuesday evening, a day early. We’ll see what tomorrow brings as we drive westward. The Big Road Trip is almost finished. We’ve now been in the motorhome for three weeks straight and we’ve learned a few things. I’ll probably write about them after we get home. Meanwhile, Nina’s crashed and it’s time for me to make an end to this day as well.