Day Five: Wednesday, 14 July, 2010

We had just a short drive (relatively) scheduled for today, so I wasn’t too cranky about getting on the road late. From Cedar Rapids, it’s only a couple of hours to Nauvoo, Illinois, our next stop, and we arrived there in time for lunch. We crossed the Mississippi River at Ft. Madison on what appeared to be a World War I-era bridge. I didn’t mind paying the toll if it meant they would keep the bridge from collapsing while I was on it.

It was hot today. And sticky. The term sweltering comes to mind. I lived in the Phoenix area for a couple of years, so I know what hot is, but it has been a long time since I felt something like this. In Phoenix, when you walked outside it was like stepping into a wall of heat, like what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego must have felt. In this case, however, the humidity was the worst part of it. Anytime we left our air-conditioned car or any building, I would have to wait a minute or so to see because my glasses would fog up. I didn’t know this until after we came in for the night, but the high for the day was 111 degrees with 85% humidity.

We’re still alive, though.

All the heat sapped our strength to the point that we checked into our bed & breakfast in the afternoon, and opted for a nap before heading back out again. After dinner we headed down to the main field, where there was a country fair going on. Delia tried most everything offered: walking on stilts, handcart pulling, period dancing, playing graces, stick pulling, what have you.

When the sun went down, the Nauvoo Pageant began. It was a great show! Great performances by all. The song and dance numbers were perfectly executed, the stories were soul-stirring, and the finale, where they turn on the lights to the temple on the bluff behind the stage, was jaw-droppingly dramatic.

More to come from Nauvoo tomorrow, and here’s hoping the weatherman is right and it will be cooler.