The Bluth Trail

January 16:
The day Mr. and Mrs. Bluth began their journey. The morning consisted of saying goodbye to family, packing the car, and leaving Idaho.

We traveled as far as Little America, Wyoming where we rested in Little America. If any of you have ever driven through Wyoming then you have heard of this waterhole in the Sahara Dessert. Not only is this hotel/truck stop famous for their 50 cent ice cream cones, but also for having the most billboards to advertise their accommodations. Next time we travel this trail, I will be tallying up how many billboards are in the state. It truly made me excited to stay and even though we never did see the granite showers in the truck stop area, the hotel provided a good night's rest.

One of the most exciting things we saw in Wyoming was just outside Cheyenne where the price of gas was $2.39. After seeing the price of gas in Chicago, Mrs. Bluth might actually consider living in Wyoming. Maybe.

January 17
Arrived in Kearney Nebraska.

Now this was exciting for Mrs. Bluth because before she was known as Mrs. Bluth, she was Sister Lee who served a mission at the Mormon Battalion Historic Site in San Diego. General Kearny is remembered for his contributions to the Mexican-American War and that includes having an army of 500 Mormon men that was known as the Mormon Battalion. Kearney, Nebraska provided a hotel, but also a chance to remember 18 months that changed the life of Mrs. Bluth.

January 17
News that we woud not be able to move into our new apartment until Monday allowed us to enjoy the trail and gave us an opportunity to visit Winter Quarters in Omaha, Nebraska.

We were given a wonderful tour from a beautiful Sister Missionary and Mrs. Bluth got her picture taken with the part of the tour that talked about the wonderful men from the Mormon Battalion. Mrs. Bluth had a hard time not taking over at this part of the tour, but gladly added a few additional insights. The picture is of poor quality and you can't fully see the joy that is felt by Mrs. Bluth.

The Winter Quarters Temple is across the street and it was a beautiful day that allowed us to walk around the grounds.

We continued on the trail by crossing the Mississippi River and entering Iowa.

Another Mormon Battalion flashback was seeing Council Bluffs.

Council Bluffs is where many saints were camping on Indian territory after their exodus from Nauvoo. It was here that about 500 men followed the counsel from their Prophet Brigham Young and enlisted in the army. This act of faith had great impact on the church as the church received funds to help all the Saints move West, but most importantly it reminded the Saints that obedience of following a Prophet of God brings forth blessings.
The Council Bluffs that Mrs. Bluth is familiar with looks a little more like this

Feeling the need to sleep in every State along the way inspired us to stay the night in Davenport, Iowa.

The hotel was a great bargain for a newlywed couple and it even had a swimming pool that provided great entertainment and allowed us to move our muscles after sitting for too long in the car. There was no diving board which was the only disappointment and another time we will have to have a diving/belly flop competition.

January 19
We only had a few hours on the trail which meant we could sing the entire time without our throats getting sore. In the few hours we admired more water towers, farms, and the increase in gas prices. Finally we could see the city and for the first time it all became real for Mrs. Bluth that she was moving to Chicago.