Palmyra and Niagara Falls Trip

Our family just returned from an amazing trip to Palmyra, NY and Niagara Falls.  As far as family vacations go, it was perfect in every way.  Everything went so smoothly (with a 2-year-old, that is quite a statement :)  We took the Amtrak train up on Thursday and came back late Saturday night.  Here are a few of the many pictures we took with some more commentaries along the way. (*Note: This post is quite long, so feel free to skim if you get bored*)

Christian loved riding the big train.  He watched movies and played with his toys the whole 7 hours.  It was quite a nice way to travel.  Don't you wish airplanes had that kind of space and comfort!

Our first stop was the Hill Cumorah and the Visitor's Center.  I was worried that my pregnant self wouldn't be able to hike to the top of the hill, but the Church always takes care of things and provided a nice driving route.  Christian was in heaven with all the grass (something he doesn't see much in NYC).  

The next picture was taken at the place where the Book of Mormon was originally printed.  We were given a nice tour by the missionaries and learned a lot of interesting things about the printing business.  It looked a lot harder than it sometimes sounds.

The Fall colors in upstate New York were gorgeous.  My favorite part of the whole trip was walking down this path from the Joseph Smith farm and then into the Sacred Grove.  The path was lined with trees and rustic wooden fences. Jonathon commented that "his senses felt more alive here than they ever do in the city."  We spend so much time blocking out city noise and smells that it was wonderful to take it all in.

These are our Family Pictures in the Sacred Grove.  It was very quiet and peaceful, just like I always envisioned it.  We read Christian his special story book about Joseph Smith and the first vision while sitting in the Grove.  It was a great experience for all of us.

We were also able to visit the Palmyra temple.  From the temple, there is a direct view of the Sacred Grove. 

During our trip, we were also able to go see Niagara Falls.  The Falls are only 1 1/2 hours from Palmyra, so we couldn't miss out.  They were incredible to see in person.  We spent the whole day at the park and did several very fun things including: a boat ride out to both the American and Canadian Falls, a trip to the Niagara Falls aquarium, and Jonathon even got to hike down to the American Falls and stand right in the mist.   

Christian was so cute in his little poncho, but when we really started to get wet, the boat ride wasn't quite as much fun for him. 

It was another gorgeous day (70 degrees and sunshine) and a great adventure.  This was Jonathon's view from the hiking trail by the Falls.