Two weeks ago, Candice and I made a two day trip down to Ohio. We visited Cedar Point Amusement Park and Kirtland. The picture above is of the Kirtland temple which was completed in 1836. The temple is beautiful and very unique inside (where we were not allowed to take pictures).
This table is on the second floor of the Newel K. Whitney store. Joseph Smith would have met around this original table with other early Church leaders. Several revelations were received here and the spirit is incredible at these sites.
This is the room where the School of the Prophets met. This is the room where members would spit tobacco and smoke until Joseph Smith received the section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants. Several other important revelations were received here and many early leaders were trained in doctrine as well as linguistics, mathematics, etc.
This is the John Johnson home in Hiram, Ohio (50 minutes south of Kirtland). Joseph and Emma Smith lived in this house for a time and it was here that Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon received the revelation of the degrees of glory contained in D&C 76. It was also while living in this home that Joseph Smith was dragged outside, beaten, and tarred and feathered. He preached a sermon the next day and a few days later his adopted infant died of exposure from the traumatic night.
There is a small cemetery just south of the temple. Several early church members are buried here including Joseph and Emma Smith's infant twins.
This is outside of the Newel K. Whitney store. It was the center of town and Newel K. Whitney became the second bishop of the Church and gave crucial financial support to the impoverished church.
This is inside the store. Because of meticulous record-keeping, they were able to stock the store as it would have looked in that day. The first bishop's storehouse was located to the right of this main room. Interesting fact learned on the tour: the term, "the whole nine yards," refers to a spool of yarn. When someone wanted the whole spool, they would request the whole nine yards.
This is the Newel K. Whitney home where Joseph and Emma lived when they first arrived in Kirtland.
Here we are at Cedar Point amusement park. It has been voted the best amusement park in the world for the last 11 years by Amusement Today. The ranking is well-deserved. This place is crazy.
This ride is called Millennium Force. A few years ago it was voted the best steel roller coaster. The initial drop is a beast, the ride is 310 feet high and reaches speeds of 93 mph. Good ride.
This crazy ride is called the Maverick. Check out this initial drop. It is actually a 95 degree angle meaning you fall more than straight down and feel like you're going to fall out. The same ride also randomly stops in a tunnel and then shoots back up to 70 mph. Fun stuff.The biggest beast of them all was the Top Thrill Dragster of which I posted the video below. Here is a really cool link to a video taken with a camera mounted on the front (starting at 36 seconds into the movie). That's what our view was like on the front row. Wow. I think I'm done with roller coasters for the next few years.
Overall it was a great trip. We were able to balance fun with an extremely rewarding historical and spiritual experience in Kirtland. The history of the Church during this period is fascinating and we recommend that everyone learn more about it and visit if you get a chance.
