A FREE DAY

I have so many unrecorded events I get to catch up on this month. As I anticipated my Saturday filled with the blessing of watching General Conference and also trying to accomplish my normal Saturday errands, I remembered a beautiful day a couple of months ago that had "no hands on it." What could we do with it that would be special? Casey had just had her foot surgery and was totally laid up. So we picked up Mackenzie and Kayla and headed to the newly opened "Mormon Battalion Museum" in San Diego.

They have positioned this covered wagon so the back is open to the big veranda in front of the Mormon Battalion building and you can walk in and imagine that you must live out of this space for months on end.

The first thing we did was visit Old Town in SD which is the area the Battalion building is in. We went quickly through some of the displays and shops and had lunch. Here Mackenzie and Kayla danced on the Fiesta band platform while we waited to eat. Mackenzie is so thoughtful and kind to Kayla--the perfect big sister most of the time.

The Museum itself has been totally redone to resemble the old government building the Battalion helped to construct once they reached San Diego. Inside we were so pleased to see that besides the interesting displays and artifacts, they had a wonderful presentation that looked like they had borrowed some Disney Imagineers to help them use technology to make the show interactive. It was very good and entertaining. We have a real interest in the Mormon Battalion because two of our ancestors that we know of participated in this march: Philander Colton and his young son, Charles, who stowed away to become the youngest member in the Battalion. To our surprise, these two were specifically highlighted and part of the true story told during the presentation. It made it all the more special for us.

Kayla is trying to figure out how you pump your own water. It was a very warm February day and a little splashing felt good.

Mackenzie is trying to get water in another way from a well. The Battalion members helped dig wells that were used for years by the settlers here.

Battalion members were dismissed in San Diego and made their way north eventually meeting with the Saints in Salt Lake or going all the way back to Winter Quarters as Philander Colton did to get their families. Some of the men stopped at Sutter's Mill to work and earn their way home. A few of them participated in the discovery of gold. The Museum has its own stream to pan for gold. We even found a couple of nuggets. Mackenzie's bright eyes mostly found the tiny bits among pebbles and rocks.

Here is an observation tower where once they observed who was approaching their building, friend or foe. Now you can look out on Old Town and see the different landmarks on all sides.

Kayla pans for gold. The apron helped a little.

She liked this little gold rock better than any of the other stones. Who cares what it is worth!

Papa gives Mackenzie a hand. Once she found gold she was quite persistent.

The statue honors these hardy men who made this long march under terrible conditions. We would recommend a trip to this place to anyone who has a free day or wants to combine it with other sights in the San Diego area. Allow about 1 1/2 to 2 hours for the full museum experience.

At the end of the day, we couldn't resist buying the girls the thing they had begged for at the very start of the day. They were so good and so fun to take on our little trip.

Mom had a less stressful day and was all smiles when we got home.

Ethan didn't know that he had missed out on a fun day and we brought him a little present, too. We are very grateful to our ancestors, that sacrificed so much that the church could prosper and that we could have the gospel such a strength in our day.