The Perfect End to a Perfect Trip

We started our day with a 70 mile drive on Los Angeles freeways.  And, it actually wasn't too bad.  The traffic moved along nicely for the most part.  The smog was awful.  It was thick like fog.  Gross.  When we arrived at the Los Angeles Temple--#13 on our trip--it was still gray outside.  When we came out, though, the sun had burned through and it was lovely.

The Los Angeles Temple is one of the oldest temples.  It was dedicated in 1956 and was the first in California.  It is the second largest temple at 190,630 square feet.  It is truly lovely.   Eileen was able to do 61 baptisms and 1 confirmation.  They kept her very busy!

 This pool and the gardens really added to the beauty of this temple.  It is located right on Santa Monica Blvd in the heart of Los Angeles. 

There is a visitor's center at the Los Angeles temple and they have this Christus statue with a sunset background.  

Our next stop was the Newport Beach Temple--#14.  This temple is also quite similar to Sacramento's temple.  One thing that was really beautiful was the mural in the ordinance room.  Like most temple murals, the surrounding area geography is taken into account.  For this temple, the mural covered all four walls and it was a scene at the ocean.  The rear wall was a seaside bluff with foliage and rocks, the front was the ocean and the sides were ocean, beach and rocks.  The carpet was the color of sand.  It was stunning!

After our temple session, we decided to go ahead and stay the night in Newport Beach.  It is only a 6 hour drive home from here.  We went to Target and bought beach towels and chairs.  We found a motel 4 miles from the beach.  We stopped for clam chowder in a bread bowl and some shrimp cocktail then headed for Newport Beach.  

We thought it pretty good to have started our trip at the Statue of Liberty at the Atlantic Ocean in New York and to end it on Newport Beach at the Pacific Ocean in California.  

We have had a wonderful time.  We have laughed and cried.  We have played hard and strolled leisurely.  We have taken planes, busses, trains and cars to places far and wide.  It has been an unforgettable journey.



Temple #11 and Temple #12

We left Las Vegas early this morning but not before having breakfast with my best friend from childhood--Lynnette Beyer Williams.  She and I were also roommates in college.  It was so much fun to see her again and to get caught up a bit.  We didn't take any pictures--Bummer!

We decided to take a longer drive and add the San Diego Temple to our trip today.  What a beautiful temple.  It looks like a castle sitting next to the freeway.  This is the view from the freeway while driving up to the off ramp.

This temple has a very unique design.  It is in a figure 8 shape only with angles instead of curves.  In the middle, there is an atrium where flowers are always planted.  There are seats there for quiet contemplation.  The atrium is surrounded by glass so although the flowers are outside, the seats are inside, thus allowing for enjoyment of the air-conditioning.  

It was a beautiful day in San Diego.  The temperature was 73 with a slight breeze.  We were enjoying it immensely.  We happened into a grocery store for a few minutes and one of the customers said that it was nice to be in the store since it was soooo hot outside.  Really?  Our short stay in San Diego was perfect.

We hit the road again and drove to Redlands for temple #12.  The Redlands Temple is very similar in design to the Sacramento Temple.  It was nice to know where things were and how to get around. 

We arrived in the early evening and stayed until after dark so we got some nice pictures.  The landscaping was especially beautiful.  There were several crepe myrtle trees in bloom.  

Just behind the recommend desk is a stained glass window depicting the First Vision.  Here is a history of that window.

After the first chapel was built in San Bernardino, Calif., in 1933, a large art glass window depicting the First Vision and over a dozen small windows or icons showing various aspects of Church history were installed. . . .

In 1960, it was deemed necessary to sell the building — windows and all — because it had no off-street parking for the growing wards.
Once the building was sold, San Bernardino Ward Bishop Charles W. Eastwood tried to buy the First Vision window but the pastors of the Protestant faith that had bought the building would not allow its removal. Finally, in 1978, after repeated requests, a new pastor allowed it to be taken if it would be replaced with amber glass.
Some time later, the icons were also obtained and put into storage.
Brother Eastwood and his wife, Laurie, became the custodians of the window and began to search for an artisan to restore the dirty and broken panes of art glass. Sister Eastwood, daughter of famous Latter-day Saint artist Minerva Teichert, had a special interest to see these works of art preserved. . .

The First Vision window was finally installed in the Pacific Chapel in San Bernardino and unveiled on March 7, 1979.
When the Redlands California Temple was announced, Sister Eastwood initiated efforts to obtain the window for permanent display in the temple.
"I felt impressed that this exquisite piece of art should be in the temple," recounted Sister Eastwood. "In the temple thousands will enjoy its beauty and message."





Las Vegas Temple-#10 and Hoover Dam

We started another beautiful Las Vegas day by visiting the Las Vegas Temple.  This temple is similar in design to Chicago and Dallas.  It is really beautiful.  It is up on a hill in Las Vegas and overlooks the valley.   It was a warm day in Las Vegas but the grounds around the temple have plenty of trees for comfort.  We even saw a bride and groom there taking pictures. 



 After our temple excursion, we decided to take a trip out to Hoover Dam.  There is a new observation bridge that was built and it is awesome.  Not only does is provide a great place to view Hoover Dam, it lessens the traffic over the dam between Arizona and Nevada.  This is a view of Hoover Dam from the bridge.

This is a view of the bridge from the observation deck on Hoover Dam.  There is enough concrete in Hoover Dam to build a 3"x 4' sidewalk all the way around the world at the equator!  That's a lot of concrete.

Hoover Dam is definitely an operating dam.  It provides electricity for a large region but the main purpose is to control the water flow.  Prior to Hoover Dam, the locations on the Colorado River were subject to the ebb and flow of the river in order to grow crops.  With Hoover Dam, that water flow can be regulated.  Since 30% of the fruits and vegetables consumed in the United States are grown in the Imperial Valley of California, it is rather important that the region has a consistent water flow.  The reservoir is quite low this year.  The tour guide said that they are in the 12th year of drought.  He suggested that we all drink beer and wine to conserve water.  We decided we should pray for rain.

It was breezy but it was a hot breeze.  The temp guage on the car said it was 111 degrees outside.  We didn't melt but it sure felt like we were.  It was still so worth it!

Las Vegas!

We left Kanab this morning and were once again treated to some beautiful sights.  We passed this red mountain range and the clouds were sitting at the foot of the mountains.  The pictures just don't do it justice.  It was truly beautiful.

A big storm came in again and we were treated to another heavy rainstorm and lightning show.  That was followed by this beautiful rainbow.

St. George, UT was right on our way to Las Vegas, so we stopped by the temple to take some pictures.  Because today was Pioneer Day, the temple was closed and we didn't have plans to stay there.  The pictures were a nice option.

We arrived safely in Las Vegas and spent a delightful afternoon with Valorie and Alayna Bohman.  They took us downtown to visit the Bellagio Gardens and to see the Monet Exhibit.  Both were wonderful.

We also saw a few things on the strip.  Here is the Eiffel Tower!

After our visit downtown, they took us to the Red Rock Canyon which has spectacular rock formations.  BLM has put together a lovely scenic drive through the area.  There are hikes available but a Las Vegas afternoon in July is not ideal hiking weather.  Although, this afternoon was a very comfortable 95 degrees with a slight breeze. 

After dinner, Eileen and I headed back downtown to see Phantom of the Opera.  It was wonderful.  The theater was specially designed so that the audience is part of the show.  We were sitting directly below the chandelier. 

One of the walls in the theater.  It is designed with boxes and mannequins dressed in period costume.  Both walls were decorated like this. 

After the show, we walked back to the Bellagio and watched the fountain show.  We have video. It was really fun!

Grand Canyon

To give you an inkling of how beautiful this day was, Eileen took 245 pictures.  Don't worry, they won't all make the blog!

We stayed the night in Kanab, UT which is very near Zion's National Park.  The red mountains are spectacular driving out of town.  We saw beautiful meadows and pine forests.  There were aspen groves shimmering in the sun.  It was unbelievably beautiful.

We even saw a herd of buffalo.  All of this before we even got to the Grand Canyon.  But that was just the beginning of the beauty.

We decided to visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon as that fit into our time schedule better than visiting the South Rim.  Several people have told us that the North Rim is their favorite.  We loved it. 

This is the view from just outside the lodge.  We could have stayed here all day and just gazed at the canyon, but of course, we didn't.  There were some hikes available and we are glad we took them.  In all, we hiked about 8 miles.  The skies were filled with puffy clouds during the morning and early afternoon and then we could see storms coming it.  It was awesome.





We hiked out to Cape Final and brought our lunch with us.  Good choice!  This is the view from our lunch spot.  Just to the right of center, you can see a storm coming.



This outcropping of rock is where we sat and ate our lunch watching the storm come.  We were the only ones here for about 40 minutes while we ate.  Our timing was perfect as we met several people on the trail.

We also hiked out to Angel's Window.  It is a really cool outcropping with a hole in the middle.  On the way out to stand on the outcropping, there is a sign warning about lightning.  The sign said that if you feel your hair stand on end and feel a charge and can smell ozone, get under the shelter of the trees, but not the tallest tree!  While we were out on Angel's Window, Eileen put her hand in the air to point at a beautiful spot in the distance.  When she did so, the air charged.  We looked at each other and our hair was standing straight up.  Time to go!  You can't see Eileen's hair too well in the picture.

More views from our hikes.

A big tradition at the North Rim is to watch the sunset from the lodge.  It was really, really crowded and smoking is allowed on the patios, so we decided to hike just a short distance down from the lodge.  It was lovely.  The canyon literally changes colors during the sunset.  Certain outcroppings will be in shadow and then a few minutes later, they are ablaze with light. 

A beautiful, beautiful day.