Day Three: Sacred Grove, Smith Farm, and Niagara Falls

Mom and I got up early to go to the Sacred Grove. No-one else was there, with the exception of a gentleman who walked past us on our way in. Halfway through, Mom and I went our separate ways to pray and reflect upon the events that happened there. The spirit in the grove was pristine and powerful, an experience heightened as the sun broke through the trees after we’d been there about 30 minutes. I took a bazillion pictures, but none of them does the grove justice.

After a breakfast of orange and cranberry muffins, maple ham, and an asparagus, tomato, and onion scramble, Mom and I headed over to the Book of Mormon publication site, where we took a tour of the original bookstore, printing press, and bindery for the Book of Mormon. Many original pieces and components were available for viewing, including much of the existing brickworks, handwritten manuscript, printing materials, and, of course, two first-edition copies of the Book of Mormon. The first round of our church continued with a brief stop at Alvin Smith’s grave and the Martin Harris farm, followed by a drive to the Smith home and farm. It was surreal to see some of the (reconstructed) places Joseph had lived and in which he had hidden the plates during translation.

Grandin Building

Martin Harris Farm

Alvin Smith Gravesite

Smith Log Home

Smith Frame Home

Two hours later, Mom and I arrived in Niagara Falls for our two-night stay at Bedham Hall Bed & Breakfast, Ontario. On our way, we stopped to buy tickets for tomorrow’s tour of the falls. The lady that sold us our tickets was a smooth talker and I couldn’t help but feel a bit swindled. However, we are only here for a short time and I didn’t want to take a chance that we would be unable to see the sights. Sometimes I really wish I had Internet access at home; I could have done more planning ahead without needing to do my travel research at Sinai or DePaul. Nevertheless, we were able to get the tickets and check in at the bed and breakfast just in time. Bedham Hall is a quaint site with a British feel (or at least what I think would be a British feel, having never been to Britain myself). Our room has a little sitting room off to the side that is the perfect place to write my blog.

Mom and I decided to walk down to the falls and have dinner so we could see the purported phenomenon of brilliantly lit falls after dark. Ask dusk approached, we took some photos by the falls and walked through the park alongside the falls. How many times can I use the word “falls” in one paragraph? We’ll see how my prose falls. Turns out I miscalculated both in the distance to the restaurant (Yukiguni) and in the quality of the restaurant. Hey, it was mentioned in the Fodor’s travel guide. Well, Mom wasn’t a big fan, but I did have one of the best spicy tuna rolls I’ve ever eaten. A somewhat disappointing dinner was followed by a severely disappointing walk down Clifton Hill to the sort-of lit falls. Mostly, it looked like there were a few colored light bulbs shining on billions of gallons of water. Sigh. I’m afraid it seems as though Niagara Falls is the Vegas of natural wonders.