Finding Andromeda

What’s up everyone?

ME: Andromeda courtesy of Bioware

Recently I have been jamming out on the old Xbox.  I have been playing Mass Effect: Andromeda an action RPG from Bioware.  I know. I know.  Don't worry there will be no spoilers here.  The jist of the game is about a group of Milky Way Races (Humans, Asari, Turian, and Krogan) go into cryosleep and travel across dark space to colonize the Andromeda Galaxy.  You are task with finding new homes for the colonists, exploring new planets, meet native Andromedans and work with them for the greater good.  Of course there are obstacle that get in the way and hinder your progress.

You’re asking yourself, “What does this have to do with anything?”.  Well I’ll put it in more real world situation.  Think of it this way.  Packing up everything that you have and moving half way across the country.  It doesn't have to be this dramatic.  It could be anywhere you are not familiar with.  This example just happens to be what we did.

My beautiful bride received a job offer for a promotion that would really help out in advancing her career.  The problem, it was out in Chicago.  And to tell you the truth.  I’ve never really been a huge fan of Chicago, still not that sure.  We weighed our options, talked with friends and family and finally came to a conclusion.  We were going to pack up, leave the familiar behind and head to the unknown.

It would be nice to be able be put into cryosleep on long trips and then wake up when you reach your destination.  Unfortunately for us that tech is not available yet.  Even though the passenger of the vehicle will most likely fall asleep at some point during the trip.  Probably more than once.  The good thing is that you get to check out the scenery and see the sites.  On our migration east, we did stop and see some of the sites.  To be honest.  I would have liked to have seen more, but we were traveling with our pup.  I felt bad having him cramped up in the car, so I wanted to get to where we were going as fast as I could.  And I was a little stressed out about driving through place I was unfamiliar with.

  Once you reach your new home thats when the integration starts.  For some people it easy.  For people like me its a little harder.  Our first week was interesting to say the least.  We had to figure out our surroundings. What stores were what and how to find them.  By weeks end, the reality of the move was setting in.  We were completely on our own here.  Our family and friends were a long distance off.  We had to make it on our own.  Luckily for us, our neighbors were gracious enough to invite us to dinner.  Unfortunately for us, they didn't speak english very well and I hadn’t spoke Spanish since High School.  Yeah this is how it would be if you landed on an alien planet.  Trying to communicate with each other and not understanding what each are saying.  Just shaking your head like idiots and hoping you didn't agree to do something incredible stupid.

Slowly you venture out of you comfy abode and explore your surroundings.  The more you do it the more you discover.  Your small bubble becomes gigantic as you allow new people in and share their experiences.  Eventually what was once unknown and scary becomes familiar and normal.

Everybody has their Andromeda moment.  For some people like my brother and I.  It was moving to a new city in a new state.  For others it could be as small as starting in a new school.  You may not know whats ahead of you or what to expect. The important thing is how you deal with the experience.  Yes, it can be scary, but as you move forward and experience new things it becomes exciting.  They say every journey starts with one foot out the door.  Take this time to find your Andromeda moment and experience something different.

Until next time, let the unknown become the known.

Thanks for stopping by.

Josh

Historic Nauvoo

What’s up everyone?

Today we are headed to the sleepy little town of Nauvoo Illinois and checking out its history.  Never heard of it? Thats ok.  If you are not a member or associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS / Mormon)  then you probably don’t realize the significants it played in U.S. History.  Nauvoo lies on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River about 270 miles from Chicago.

A little background.

  In 1838 tension and conflict reached it zenith among the Mormons and Missouri settlers.  In response to this and conflicting reports the Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs signed Executive Order 44 also known as the Extermination Order.  The Mormons were labeled as enemies of the state of Missouri and either had to be exterminated or driven out of the state.  With a kill on site order, with no repercussions for the act, Mormons fled across the Mississippi River and found sanctuary in Quincy Illinois.

The Mormons knew that they could not stay in Quincy for to long and searched for a new place to settle.  Funds were raised and they eventually bought the town of Commerce on the banks of the Mississippi.  The town was surrounded by swampland and thick trees.  Not much of a paradise by any sense of the word.  They built canals to redirect the two springs that drained in to the swamp and cleared the trees from the area.  Joseph Smith (founder and leader of LDS Church) rename the town Nauvoo, a Hebrew word meaning beautiful. 

The LDS people were very industrious, using the land to the benefit.  Nauvoo became very prosperous and its population exploded.  At its height, it rivaled Chicago for the largest city in Illinois.  Not a small feet.

As the saying goes, “All good things must end.”.  This was true for the Mormons of Nauvoo.  Old prejudges would soon resurface and cause turmoil for them.  Once again drawn into conflict with their neighbors.  Joseph Smith was cited with inciting a riot, due to an order to dismantling of an anti-Mormon newspaper that was reporting false information.  Joseph decided that he would turn himself in for his alleged crime.  Joseph, his brother Hyrum, and about 15 other made their way to Carthage Illinois to stand trial.  Joseph and Hyrum were immediatly charged with treason against the state of Illinois instead of the being charge with causing a riot.  Joseph, Hyrum and three other were placed in the Carthage Jail.  The night of June 27, 1844 a mob forced their way into the jail and made the way upstair to were they were being held.  Gun shot rang through the doors and from the windows.

Hyrum was killed almost immediately from a gun shot to the face.  The bullet hole still remains in the door today.  Joseph, after take several shot, either fell or jumped from the window to the ground below.  In the end Hyrum and Joseph were dead.  John Taylor was shot several times but survived and Willard Richards was miraculously only had his ear grazed by a stray bullet.

The city of Nauvoo continued to prosper after the death of Joseph Smith.  But tension from surrounding communities continued to rise.  The Government of Illinois, under the pressure of its many people, revoke Nauvoo charter.  Leaving Nauvoo without a legal governing body and disband their militia.  With heavy hearts the LDS people felt that they were no longer welcome in Illinois.  They decided to leave Nauvoo and head out west.  In February of 1846 the LDS people loaded up wagons with essential to survive the trek west.  Leaving everything else behind.

Now a days, Nauvoo has become a quite farming community of about 1,100 people.  The historical area of Nauvoo is now owned by the LDS Church and The Community of Christ Church.  The LDS church owns the majority of the sites and The Community owning the Joseph Smith’s properties.  They worked hard to restore the building back to the way the looked when they were initially built.

Most buildings are free to enter, with a few exceptions.  For a small fee The Community of Christ offers a walking tour of their builds that allows you to enter their sites.  Otherwise you can wonder the outside for free.  All buildings have friendly staff ready to tell you all about the people who lived and worked in Nauvoo.

There are two visitor centers on the site.  The Historic Nauvoo Visitors’ Center (operated by the LDS Church) and the Joseph Smith Historic Site Visitors’ Center (operated by the Community of Christ).  I didn’t get a chance to explore the Joseph Smith Visitor’s center so I’m not sure what is all there.  At the Historic Nauvoo Visitors’ Center you can find displays on the history of the Mormons and the history of Nauvoo.  On the outside of the building lies the

the Women’s Garden.  A garden filled with 13 bronze statues celebrating the roles of women.  In the spring the garden is in bloom with tulips.  Unfortunately for us, its still cold as crap here and nothings in blooming yet.

You can also pick up free tickets for rides and shows at the visitors’ center.  I would suggest at least taking either the carriage  or wagon ride.  We ended up doing both.  Each one tells you a different story about the life and time of the residence of the town.

There are many building to explore as you wonder about the town.  These happen to be my favorites: The Family Living Center, Seventies Hall, Browning Home and Gunsmith Shop and Webb Brothers’ Blacksmith Shop.

At the Family Living Center you can see demonstrations of barrel making, making rope, use of a loom, candle making, bread making and if you luck spin thread.  All important activities people of the time need to survive in Nauvoo.

Being a gun enthusiast the Browning Home was my favorite.  I had know idea that Browning Firearms start in a simple gun smith shop in Nauvoo.  Inside the home are three case full of Browning arms.  Inside of the gun shop cases of tool and weapon used at the time.

The Seventies Hall was originally used for small church services and lectures.  Now it contains excavated artifact from the town after the people left.  There is also a folder of names of residence of the town.  My family is recorded in this folders.  But they share the same name as someone else in town.  Knowing that my family migrated long after the fall of Nauvoo.  We believe that they mixed or combined the two records together.

In the Blacksmith shop they talk to you about the building of the wagons used for the exodus of Nauvoo.  The wagon were 3 feet by 11 feet and could hold up to 2000 pounds.  You will also be treat to a demonstration of horseshoe making.

Of course the biggest draw to the city is the Nauvoo Temple.  The temple started construction in 1841 and completed in 1845.  The temple was used less then three months before the city was abandoned for the exodus west.  The temple was set ablaze by unknown assailants and the ruins eventually toppled by a tornado.  The remaining stones were scattered and used by the locals.

In 1999 an announcement by then LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinkley stated that the temple would be rebuilt.  The exterior of the temple would be built to the same specs as the original with a few modern tweaks.  The interior would be made to the specs of modern LDS temples.  The Nauvoo Temple was rededicated in 2002 to the delight of its members.

We had a lot of fun exploring the town of Nauvoo.  We met a lot of nice people as we went along who want to share in the history. There is still tons of things to do and see that I did not get to tell you about.  They do put on a nightly shows as well as re-enactments and pageants throughout the year.  

With the current state of affairs in our country its hard to not to think that history can repeat itself.  Prejudges and fear can drive people to do crazy things.  Be kind and friendly to those that you don’t understand.  Everyone has their own battles.  Only you can choose to help or hinder their plight.

Learn from the mistake that came before.  Until next time.

Josh

St. Paddy's Day In Chicago

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day I told Josh that I wanted to be the one to share about how to celebrate Chicago style. So this week you get to hear from the biggest Irish fan of all, Me!

As part of a more than fifty-year-old Chicago tradition, the Chicago River is dyed green for St. Patrick’s Day. The actual event doesn’t necessarily occur on St. Patrick's Day and is scheduled for the Saturday of the closest weekend. The tradition of dyeing the river green arose by accident when plumbers used fluorescein dye to trace sources of illegal pollution discharges. The dyeing of the river is still sponsored by the local plumbers union. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) outlawed the use of fluorescein for this purpose, since it was shown to be harmful to the river. The parade committee has since switched to a mix involving forty pounds of powdered vegetable dye. Which looks like a rust colored powder. Though the committee closely guards the exact formula, they insist that it has been tested and verified safe for the environment. Furthermore, since the environmental organization Friends of the Chicago River believes the dye is probably not harmful, they do not oppose the practice. Fun Fact; In 2009 First Lady Michelle Obama, a Chicago native, requested that the White House fountains be dyed green to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

As soon as I heard about this time honored tradition I HAD to experience it first hand. This event attracts approximately 400,000 people to the city. If any of you know Josh at all,  you would know that any crowd is not his favorite so I knew he wouldn’t be up for this adventure. So I enlisted my Chicago Bestie Steve and his partner Jeremy to take a train downtown at 7am on a Saturday to get first dibs on front row seats. The majority of the Chicago river dyeing happens between Columbus Drive and Michigan Avenue. So this is where we had to be…. an hour before, I meant it when I said front row seats. We were freezing since that morning it was a ‘feels like’ temperature of 8 degrees. But we stuck together and watched the crowds shuffle in to watch. At this point we were happy to have our orange, green and white beanies to keep our heads warm.

A large barge with people cheering floats down the river with what I can only describe as what looked like fire hose nozzles flowing with Ninja Turtle Ooze. Men in white coveralls start scooping orange vegetable dye and dumping it over the sides. It is spectacular to watch the dark water turn fluorescent green in a matter of only 10 minutes. Courtesy of the small speed boats manned by the plumbers union. They continued to circle up and down the river to stir the mixture completely. As the bag pipes played and the barge floated right in front of us the crowd cheered on and Steve and I waved our Irish flags with pride! It was really something special.

Next was the parade. After such a fantastic spectacle of a color changing river the parade left me wanting. The floats were frankly simple and really didn’t impress. I did enjoy the one single float with Irish dancers. Other then that it was a let down. Amid the now hundreds of thousands of people we continued to hope there would be something impressive about parade route, there wasn’t. Honestly we spent more of our time at this point people watching. Now that was a sight. I’ve never in my life been in a crowd like this one. I expected there to be drinking but I couldn’t believe the number of people (including high school aged teenagers) smoking pot. If the wind shifted just right I felt like I was getting a contact high. We also observed a couple wasted people throw up everything they had in them. And this was all by around 12:30.

After this once in a lifetime experience I have to recommend EVERYONE watch the Chicago River be dyed green. Not only was it fun to watch but it’s just something you’ll never see anywhere else! It makes me so happy to live somewhere so unique and deep rooted in tradition and history. So for anyone looking for a one of a kind adventure, we have a room for you!

Hope you St. Paddy's day is as green as ours! Until next time.

Thanks

Erin

PS Don't forget to check out Route to Adventure for their take on St. Patricks Day.

What's With The Weather?

What’s up everyone?

There is a saying back were I come from.  “If you don’t like the weather wait five minutes.”  And that is fairy true in the state of Utah.  The weather seem unable to make up its mind.  Here in Chicagoland its a little more predictable.  Usually it either hot and humid or bone chilling, cut you to your core cold.  Nah! There is more to it than just those two extremes.

Recently we have been experiencing some strange weather.  A week or two ago, we were up into the seventies and the next day we woke up to snow on the ground.  Strange days have come indeed.  With these atmospheric anomaly happening, I figured I would take the time to talk to you about the weather here in Chicagoland.

I have come to the conclusion that there is two major factor that contribute to the climate out here.  One being the lack of mountains, or a large hill for that matter, and of course the mighty Lake Michigan.  Yes.  I do acknowledge that there are other factors, such as urban heat effect, but I feel these two have the most impact on the area.

The topography is different out here than that of the west.  For the most part it flat and I mean flat.  The highest elevation in Illinois is Charles Mound.  It comes in at a whopping 1,235 feet (376m).  Unfortunately its not even large enough to be consider a hill, just a large mound.  To give you a little bit of a comparison the highest elevation in Utah is Kings Peak at 13,534 feet (4,125m).  Mount McKinley (Denali) at 20,320 feet (6,194m) is the hight point in the United States.  So not much of a blip on the topography scale.

There is a reason why they call Chicago the windy city.  And no, its not just because the politicians out here are a bunch of blowhards.  Without mountains or higher elevation to brake up the wind its free to run amok and build pulverizing speeds.

When these winds get too out of control that is when we get a truly deadly force in the form of tornadoes.  One thing that I never really thought about was that Illinois was prone to have tornadoes.  One average the state is hit with 64 of them annually.  According to data collected from 1998 through 2007.   A few days ago we had one touchdown in the town of Ottawa about an hour drive from where we live.  Tragically three people had lost their lives and massive property damage.

That got a little more solemn than I meant it too.  Needless to says it gets really windy here.

Like many places that have large amounts of water it gets really humid here.  Especially during the summer.  That brings us to the effects Lake Michigan has on the climate of Chicagoland.  I’m from the desert, so I never really understood what people meant by humidity.  Back in Utah we have a dry heat not a lot of moister in the air.

I know many of you are think, “Well whats the difference?”.  To give you a better understanding think of it this way.  Picture an oven and a sauna.  Dry heat is more like the oven and tends to draw moister out of things.  Wet heat is more like a sauna with the constant presence of water around you.  It tends to feel more “sticky”, like you just worked out and your clothes stick to your sweaty body.  Personally I like the dryer heat, but lets face it wet or dry they are different face of the say coin.  Heat is heat.

Of course the lake plays a major component to the amount of precipitation that we get here.  On average the northern part of the state receives less than 32 inches and the south receives more than 48 inches a year.  When it rains it really rains.  Large heavy drop tend to be the norm for most of the storms.  Couple that with thunder and lightning and you have a light show not to be missed.  I would not recommend standing out in it though.

We have been lucky since we moved here.  We have not experienced the infamous Chicago winters.  Lake Michigan is a cruel mistress with her lake effect in tow.  Averaging 36 inches in the north and 10 inches in the southern part of the state.  For us it has been fairly mild winters.  With that being said it does get cold in the winter.  The temperature are, for the most part, tolerable.  Its the wind that gets you.  The wind chill is what cause it to feel much , much colder than it actual is.  BONE CHILLING COLD!

For the most part the climate of Chicagoland is nice.  There will be extremes regardless of were you live.  I may have exaggerated a little, but not much.  Illinois is a long state and the weather differs depending on were you’re at.

If the weathers good get out of the house and enjoy it.  Until next time.

Thanks for stopping by.

Josh