Carved in Stone

We had a great day at Mount Rushmore – it is such a wonderful feeling to visit a place that you never thought you would see in person.  I had the same feeling in Rome, Venice, New Zealand and Gettysburg.  I had that feeling on the day we entered the MTC and almost every day as we served our mission in Pennsylvania.  There are hardly enough descriptive words to explain this feeling.  Luckily, we have some remarkable photos to share and those who know me best can understand the depth of feeling as we experienced this awesome site.                 

Crazy Horse Monument was incredible too, but in a different way.  I did not find it inspiring in the least, but it sure was LARGE – an impossible feat, that is slowly becoming a reality.  The crazy thing is that thousands of years from now people will still admire Mount Rushmore and maybe by then Crazy Horse will be finished!!

Mostly for the Kids

Do you know how I know that Papa loves me?  The other day we passed a place called Bear Country USA in South Dakota, and I said it looked like a fun place.  He immediately turned the car around and we drove right in!!  Here are some of the pictures we took.  Can you spot a funny sleeping bear cub, a reindeer, a mountain goat, a badger, an elk,  a grey wolf and artic wolves, an otter,  a black bear and a grizzly bear?  We had a fun time but we wished you all were with us to see these animals!!  Lots of love and see you soon!  Abby and PaPa

Exploring My Roots

I remember when I was a little girl that I was intrigued by the fact that my mother and grandmother were born in a far away place called Scottsbluff, Nebraska.  I don't remember either of them giving me any details, so until today Scottsbluff was nothing more than an interesting name for a place I probably would never see.  We attended church this morning in the large Chimney Rock Ward full of friendly people. Our impression was that the church is strong here on the plains. Scottsbluff is full of natural beauty - the bluffs jut out of the immense flat prairie, and they are unique in the many formations made by wind and water.  Both the Oregon Trail and Mormon Trail followed the Platt River through Scottsbluff.  Our pioneer ancestors saw these bluffs years ago and I felt a connection to them as we took a short hike on top of the bluffs. I am so grateful to have been able to see this place and learn more about it.  It is part of our family heritage of which I am very proud.

The Long Way Home - Part 2

Hi to all from the center of the US!!  We are having a great trip!  There is something cool to see and do every day – wish I could spend the rest of my life having something cool to see and do each day.  We loved Chicago: the city, the food and the people were amazing.  At a famous local pizza place, we had great conversations with the people sitting on either side of us!! That has never happened to us before – not even on a cruise ship!!  Guess there is something special about delicious pizza that makes people more interesting, sociable, and FAT!!

We found Winona, MN to be beautiful when the sun shines, and it was fun to go “cemetery hunting” for my Palubicki relatives.  We found many, and thus Winona felt like a special place to me.  Sioux Falls, SD was DREARY, cold and not scenic at all, but the next day as we approached The Badlands, we knew we were in for an amazing day.  The weather was warm, the sun was blazing and we got tons of wonderful pictures. 

I awoke this morning very excited to fulfill another item on my Bucket List (seeing Winona was also on the list- check!!) We drove the 25 miles from Rapid City and about 10 miles from Mount Rushmore we were engulfed in dense fog.  We would not be seeing any giant Presidents carved into a granite mountain today!  Drat!  We drove down to Custer State Park instead which was at a lower elevation and had a great day driving along the Wildlife Loop – we saw herds of antelope, a gaggle of wild turkey, many deer, the friendliest wild donkeys imaginable, and buffalo from every vantage point;  far away on the mountaintop, and two feet away from our car window!  Considering that the outside temperature was 42 degrees, it was a great day to spend in the car.  Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be much warmer and sunny, so we will try for Mount Rushmore again.  Wish us luck, everyone!

One can’t make this sort of trek and witness the beauty of nature as we have and not feel so grateful and awed by it all.  What a great experience!!  We wish you could all be with us.  We send our love.  See you all very soon.  Abby and Papa

The Long Way Home

Hi Family!  We are on the road again-back in the car, snacks galore, listening to The Work and the Glory tapes, and playing one handed solitaire.  The Fall colors are awesome!  For any of you who want to follow our progress, here is our itinerary: Our first day was spent in Kirtland seeing the church history sites which was great. The temple is so pretty but it felt strange entering a temple in sweat pants and being led by a tour guide. This temple served as a meeting house and school but some very spiritual events happened here. The Spirit of God was written for the dedication, and the Reorganized Church takes pride in that - it is continuous playing wherever we went.

Today we toured the home of President Garfield in Mentor, Ohio. He was assassinated after only 200 days in office. His home was very pretty and we learned a lot about him.  We are driving to Chicago now for two days, then to Winona, MN for a day so I can do some genealogy, then overnight in Sioux Falls, SD, then three full days at Mt Rushmore.  Then we head south-one night in Scott's Bluff,NB for more genealogy and then to Denver for a night. Then to Albuquerque for two days, Carlsbad Caverns for two days, Tucson and HOME!!  Because we only have the iPad, we might not have a chance to check in daily, but you can email us using gmail and our phone is almost always with us.
We hope you are all well and happy. We will be so happy to see you!!

Love to everyone. Mom and Dad

Fabulous Fall in Mill Hall

Hello to Everyone!  I wish you were all here with us here in PA to see the Fall colors and ooh and aah with me.  I am so glad Lynn was here – she was really impressed with all the beauty of this area.  As we drive across country next week on our way home, we will probably see more color – what a perfect time to take a road trip!!  We have spent time this week visiting the less actives, saying goodbye, and revisiting some of our favorite places in the near vicinity.  Central Pennsylvania has really captured our hearts!!  There couldn’t be a better place to serve a mission – I think every missionary feels that way about their mission, but it is really true for us!                 

So in tribute to Fall, I am sending some pictures of the valley tour Lynn, Rose Ann and I took last week.  Also some photos of the scenery on my daily walk.  Enjoy!!