San Diego

Us with Tayler, one of the cute Beehives in our ward.

Today we road tripped along with the Young Women in our ward to visit the Mormon Battalion Historic Site. This place was very, very impressive! I loved it. 

The view from outside.

The site pays tribute to a battalion of early Mormon saints who enlisted in the U.S. Army and walked from Iowa to San Diego during the Mexican-American War. They thankfully never saw battle, but they went through more than their fair share of challenges. It was amazing to learn what they endured and what they later contributed to American history.

Phillip Garner

To make the trip even more personal, my dad let me know beforehand that we have three ancestors who served as members of the Battalion. My great-great-great grandfather, Phillip Garner, and his brothers William and David were enlisted Battalion soldiers. Phillip left his wife Mary behind with eight children and a ninth born while he was away. Yikes. In Santa Fe he and others fell into bad health. Phillip left with one of the Sick Detachments that walked to Pueblo, Colorado. While there, these members learned the fundamentals of desert farming and later brought their skills to the saints in the Salt Lake Valley, allowing the early LDS settlers to grow crops and survive. Good story. I'm proud to be a Garner. 

The outdoor hands-on area.

The museum itself offers free guided tours from sister missionaries. Then at the end there are all kinds of interactive displays. Shelby was in heaven. We played games, looked up our ancestors' history, took photos with the old-fashioned camera. Then we went outside to pan for gold, do laundry, and build with bricks. Next it was up the stairs to check out the San Diego skyline. We even caught a peek of San Diego harbor, where my grandpa Garner sailed out during his Navy service in World War II. San Diego has some serious Garner family significance!

Panning for gold.

Gold! Or, in Shelby's words, "sparkly pieces"!

Laundry. How do I get Shelby to do my next load?

After enjoying the Mormon Battalion story, we wandered over to Old Town San Diego to explore. It was a beautiful warm day and we enjoyed seeing the sites. 

Watching the blacksmith at work.

This is Haley, another cute Beehive.

We had such a good time at the museum that we stopped in again after our time in Old Town. I could hardly drag Shelby away. 

This time she borrowed a waterproof apron and really got cookin'.

 

Making brick houses.

Bye!

The plan afterward was to stop at the San Diego Temple. But - not surprisingly - both kids fell asleep on that short drive. So we bid farewell to the young women and headed home. It was a super peaceful drive. I love the scenery along that stretch.

We had a good day!