From Prehistoric to Eternity

Vernal, located in eastern Utah, is a small town. But, a unique temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is located there. We decided to drive the three hours to see it this week. 

Originally built from 1898-1907, and known as the Uintah Stake Tabernacle, the building was used for worship services and large community events. After decades, the tabernacle became obsolete as the town grew. In 1994, Church leaders announced that the historic building would be converted into a temple for use by Church members in eastern Utah.  

We enjoyed very much the spirit we felt inside the Vernal Temple.

We went to the temple to perform proxy sealings for five couples, ancestors of Scott, who didn't have the opportunity to have their marriages sealed for eternity during their lifetime. What exactly does an eternal marriage sealing mean? This three-minute video clip taken in the Rome, Italy Temple tells more about this special gift from God. 

Click onto the above arrow to watch the video.

Elder William Walker says this about the sealing ceremony:  

"The sealing room in our temples is a very wonderful and special place. It's a wonderful and a remarkable thing to look into the eyes of a man and a woman who are about to be married. They love each other with all their hearts. When two people are getting married, they can't imagine the idea that this beautiful, loving relationship would ever end.

So it's an important part of the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that it doesn't need to end at death. This marriage can go on into the eternities, and a loving God intended it to be that way. So He gave us this power and authority.

It's actually what Jesus was giving the Apostles in Matthew 16:18-19, when Jesus put His hands on Peter and the other Apostles and conferred upon them the authority to have bound on earth and have it be bound in heaven. That's what was happening there. Jesus was giving the sealing authority to His Apostles. And that's utilized in the temple, in the house of the Lord, where a man and a woman can be sealed together for eternity."

_________________

Vernal is also known as dinosaur country, home to the Dinosaur National Monument located a half-hour east of town. Over 1,500 dinosaur bones have been discovered in the rocks and hills. Unfortunately for us, due to the federal shutdown going on, the visitors center of the National Monument was closed. 

Still, we enjoyed reading the outdoor explanations of this unique part of the world where dinosaurs once roamed. 

A park ranger explains what Dinosaur National Monument is all about:

You can also see this video posted on Youtube by clicking here

Farewell, Vernal. From the prehistoric to the eternal, you have it all!

Enjoying the Mesa Arizona Temple, Easter Pageant, and Friends

Scott and I had never been to Arizona. Yet, Scott's roots are in the Grand Canyon State.  

 

His paternal grandfather, Ivan Magnusson, met his future wife Cula Haws in Mesa, AZ, in 1919, a community that borders Phoenix. 

Ivan and Cula moved to Los Angeles in 1922 to find work. They continued to return to visit their families in Mesa, as well as the Mesa Arizona Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (seen in the background).

Taken from a home movie in about 1940, the Magnussons walk the grounds of the temple. Scott and I decided to take our own trip to Mesa last week! We wanted to walk those same footsteps.

Halfway in our drive was Page, AZ, where we stayed over night.

Page is home to the Glen Canyon Dam that creates Lake Powell. The dam, the bridge that crosses the river, and the hydroelectric power plant can be seen in the distance.

We read the display information at Page City Hall. We learned that the city was originally built to house the workers who constructed the dam and maintained the power plant.

Since first filling to capacity in 1980, Lake Powell water and electricity have helped grow and maintain the western states.  

The bridge to the right was erected first, before the dam, to transport the workers from Page and bring essential materials for the dam's construction. 

I always know that Scott will read every display in the visitor's center. So, we're never in a hurry!

Lake Powell is a renowned boating and fishing paradise. But, I cheated. I caught my fish in the gift shop! 

The drive towards Mesa was breathtaking.

Arizona is famous for its saguaro cactus. Saguaros can have a lifespan of 150 years or more, and have been a source of food and shelter for humans for thousands of years. 

Our trip took us through the Navajo Nation. We could see many Native American homes from the highway. 

We enjoyed the scenery as we neared the Phoenix valley. 

The Mesa Temple was dedicated in 1927. Its appearance is reminiscent of Solomon's temple in Jerusalem, lacking the spires that have become a mainstay of temples built since then.

In 2018, the temple closed for three years for renovations. Necessary upgrades were completed, and the grounds were enhanced and updated. 

Above the doorway to the Mesa Temple, and visible on all temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the inscription: Holiness to the Lord, the House of the Lord. 

We consider the temple to be holy, the house of God. Worship in the temple is a sacred privilege for us, and has been the source of many blessings for us, for our children, as well as for our ancestors.  

We greatly enjoyed our stay with our dear friends, Harvey and Rebecca Carter, who live in the area.

Our trip coincided with the annual Easter Pageant that's held on the Mesa Temple grounds nightly for two weeks prior to Easter. We arrived early to save seats, in the shade.

The production's cast mingles with the audience prior to the show. (Oops, I photo bombed the photo of a family visiting with a Roman soldier!) 

Scott liked his visit with a Jerusalem Pharisee and a shepherd woman. 

The Mesa Easter pageant is titled, Jesus the Christ. Here's what it's all about.

To see a longer version of the above video, click here.  

Scenes from this year's Jesus the Christ.

Rebecca and I were childhood friends in California.  We share many happy memories together. 

You can tell we haven't changed a bit.

Farewell, Mesa Temple. 

Our last sunset in Arizona. This was a trip we'll always remember.

Lewis and Clark Caverns

This past weekend we visited and explored the Lewis and Clark Caverns in southwestern Montana, located in the Lewis and Clark State Park.  The best part of the tour was that we were able to explore these caverns with some of our grandchildren and their parents.  

We didn't know anything about the Lewis and Clark Caverns prior to touring the caves, nor had we even been in a cavern. It was a wonderful learning experience for us.  Check out the video below to get an overview of this unique creation.  

You can also view the video by clicking here

You can learn some of the historical background, discovery, and information about the cave by clicking here or onto the link below:

https://backyardmontana.com/adventures/lewis-and-clark-caverns/

Enjoy photos we took of the day: 

Here we are waiting with the grandkids to enter. What will it be like inside? 

Not seen here near the entrance, but we sure saw them were the bats roosting on the ceiling of the cave and flying around!  

There was a lot of stooping, bending, and sometimes crawling throughout the tour. 

Watch out! Don't hit your head on a stalactite! 

The light seen in these photos is only from electrical lamps that were added in recent years.

It was a bit creepy... Especially at the point when the ranger turned out the lights. 

Pitch dark, not a hint of light. 

A real geological treasure and wonderland!

Amazing what water, minerals, air, and rock can do with each other over millions of years.

The above formation is called, "cave bacon".  

I took this picture so I could send it to my brother, who loves bacon.  

Our Visit to Mt. Rushmore

This past week, Scott and I took a road trip to South Dakota to see the Mt. Rushmore monument. It was a memorable trip to a historical site and an experience we'll always treasure.

On the first day of our journey through Wyoming, we stopped at Independence Rock, a landmark for the pioneers traveling west on the Oregon, Mormon, and California trails. Many of these emigrants carved their names on the huge granite rock in the foreground and to the left behind the marker. 

Mt. Rushmore features the faces of four presidents of the United States who were prominent in the founding and preservation of our nation: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.

The monument was sculpted by Gutzon Borglum. The project officially started in 1927 and ended in 1941, just prior to our entering World War II.  Projected to cost about $500,000, the final cost was just under $1 million.     

Scott made sure he packed his binoculars to see the details of the sculpture.

We enjoyed visiting the museum and learning the details of how Mt. Rushmore came to be.   

Of all the things we learned in the museum, I was most surprised to learn that Gutzon Borglum was born in Idaho, the son of "Mormon" Danish immigrants. 

Sadly, Gutzon passed away shortly before completion of the project from complications from surgery, at age 74. It was left to his son, Lincoln, to finish the Mt. Rushmore memorial.   

Because we were visiting Mt. Rushmore during the off-season, many restaurants, shops, and stores were closed in the small town of Keystone, where we stayed.  We were happy that there was one restaurant open.  We'll give Boss' Pizza & Chicken a 5-star review! 

After lunch, we toured the town of Keystone (it's one street long!) and we returned that night to enjoy the lighted view of the monument. 

Miraculously, of the hundreds of laborers who blasted and carved away the mountain into what has become a national treasure, no one lost their life or was seriously injured during the project. 

We stayed two nights at the Roosevelt Inn (right).  It wasn't until our second day that we noticed right next door the Magnuson Grand!  (We wondered if they would have let us stay there free?-- probably not, since we spell our name with two "s")

We experienced a tender mercy on this trip. This was the view of the mountain the day we arrived and the day we left Mt. Rushmore-- completely obscured by fog and clouds.  

This clear photo was taken of the monument in the same spot as the above photo.  It was a blessing to be at Mt. Rushmore on the day that we were....not a day earlier nor a day later!  

On the journey home, we stayed a night in Casper, Wyoming, and visited an air and war museum, located near the airport. 

This photo is of a Russian MiG fighter.

As we drove home through Wyoming, we couldn't believe how wide open the state is.  We've always heard that it is one of the least populated states, and we saw for ourselves that this is indeed true.  

"Don't say 'I can't' on this work. 

The 'I can'ts' are unknown in the world's work and unremembered in history." 

--Sculptor Gutzon Borglum