Ohio Part 2 Kirkland

Friday we headed up to Kirkland to see the church sites. It was about a 2 1/2- 3 hour drive to the Kirkland Temple. I have been there once before with my family in high school, but it is always nice to go back. This was Eric's first visit (and the kids) and they really enjoyed it. I went before the church finished the restoration of the other building like the hotel, Whitney store, Whitney home, the saw mill and visitors center. So it was really neat to see it all finished.

The Kirkland Temple

We first headed to the Kirkland Temple (which is owned by the RLDS) because they closed sooner. We took a tour of the Temple. Our guide was really good. She was very knowledgeable on the history of the Temple and took her time answering our questions and showing us the different rooms and pictures of the Temple. It's always cool being in place of the earlier saints and where some of my ancestors stood. Next we headed to the LDS visitor center where we watched a new movie about the historic sites before heading on our tours. As I was watching the movie, I saw someone that looked so much like my cousin that I had to ask my parents if it was him. Yup! Sure enough, my cousin Travis was able to be part of the movie explaining about the church. It was really cool to see him!
The two sister missionaries that took us around the grounds were very sweet. One was from Utah and the other was from Russia. A family that was also there with us was from Ireland. It was fun to hear their accents! As we went from building to building, there was such a difference in reverence compared to the grounds at the Kirkland Temple grounds. Being on dedicated grounds where the Prophet Joseph Smith and the earlier saints once stood, was an overwhelming feeling of love, appreciation, adoration and faith for what they went through. It was a very peaceful feeling all around!

The town hotel

A room upstairs in the Whitney store

The kitchen in the back of the Whitney store

The Whitney home

We were able to see the Whitney store. Upstairs is where the School of the Prophets was held. In that room came the revelation of the Word of Wisdom and other doctrine that we have today. There was also a room where the Prophet Joseph and his family stayed in and the kitchen where Emma cooked for any and all from the town. We also saw the Whitney home and the sister who was giving us the tour told us about the restoration process a little bit. The church had done extensive testing on the color of paint the buildings and homes that were in Kirkland. Yellow was a very rich color. It showed wealth to the owners because it was a unique color that costs more. I found it very interesting.

The Whitney Store

Mail back then didn't require a stamp because the person receiving mail, paid when they picked it up.

School of the Prophets room

We were able to go to the saw mill where the logs were cut for the Temple. We also learned that the townspeople would sell their ash from their fireplaces for money. The ash was then turned into a ash "rock" that was then sold to England and China to be used to make fine china plates and dinnerware. And then in return, some saints gave their china to be smashed and used in the outside coat of the Temple to make it sparkle. The Whitney's also owned the sawmill in town. The surrounding forests were so peaceful and beautiful!

The pearl ash "rock"

After the tours, we decided to stay in town so we could go to Amish Town the next day. We found dinner at the Jalapeno Loco Mexican Restaurant. It was very tasty! We were all very hungry! Katie ordered the churro dessert. It was AMAZING! We then headed to our hotel we booked earlier that say. When we pulled up, it looked ify. We checked in and got to our "non-smoking" rooms. Ours was a little smoky but doable. Katie and Joel's room was terrible. You couldn't even walk in without having your eyes sting and throat itch! Joel called to the front desk and explained the problem. Katie has asthma that is triggered by smoke or smog, so staying there was out of the question! Luckily, the owner let us out of our reservation and we called another hotel up the street. They had two rooms left. Apparently the state fair was in town, so we were lucky to get a room. It was a two room suite that had 2 queen beds and a pull out couch bed. The kids slept on the couch bed, (Marisol opted for the floor on cushions because it was "darker") and the adults bunked up on the beds. It had a very nice breakfast in the morning and a pool. Unfortunately we weren't able to stay and swim. I did however go and see the pool. As I walked in, my lungs filled with the humidity of the air! I felt like I was drowning. yuck! No shower needed that morning.

After breakfast, we checked out and headed up the road to Lake Erie. I have never seen the Great Lakes. It is a state park (that was free) with a great beach leading to the lake. It was a nice breezy day and the water was warm and salt free! The rocks all around were perfectly round and perfect for skipping. We didn't swim because we didn't bring towels. If we would have known how nice the water was, we would have spent the day at the lake! Maybe next time. After about an hour and two bags of rocks later, we got back in the car and headed to Amish Country.

Lake Erie