Fun with the kids

This is probably volume one of “Fun with the kids” but maybe I can come up with other titles later on. Jana, Josiah, Lilly, and Jeyanthi arrived last Wednesday evening at the Portland airport. Ginger was with them and they all were returning from their vacation in Texas. Since then we have enjoyed a house full of grandkids.

Today we spent a few wonderful hours in the sun at Wallace Marine Park in West Salem. It is on the west bank of the Willamette River. The pictures of the Josiah and Lilly on their bikes are taken on an old Union Pacific Railroad Bridge over the river that has been converted to a pedestrian bridge.

A couple of silly kids – Jey and Lilly.

Fun in the Willamette River

We found this Sunflower growing out of a crack in the sidewalk. There must be a sermon illustration in this.

Blessings.

Numbers

We’ve been home six days and I have my garden irrigation finished – just in time for the rain today! Though it won’t rain very much. Been with friends in four different group meetings plus church Sunday. Joyce and I took Ginger to the airport yesterday morning so she could join Korak, Jana, and the kids in Texas for a week of vacation. They will all be back here next Wednesday. Can’t wait. We still need to wash and clean the RV and the pickup as well as get the house ready for kids to eat and sleep and play.

So here’s some facts and figures from our trip for those who like such things.

3,888 = total miles traveled in 26 days

2,858 = miles towing the RV

337 = total gallons of diesel burned

11.57 = miles per gallon

12 = number of RV parks we camped in

$4.39.9 / gallon = most we paid for fuel (at a run-down Texaco in Tonopah, NV. Didn’t buy much)

$3.89.9 / gallon = least we paid for fuel

That’s about it. So blessings on you. I’ll try to post while the kids are here – with pictures.

 

 

Reflections on the Utah Adventure

We are home. Arrived at 7:00 on Friday the 6th. After we left Hurricane, Utah Sunday, it west on I-15, skirt around Las Vegas, and north on highway 95 to I-80 at Reno. In Reno (actually in Sparks) we met with Ron and Nikki (and daughters Erin and Elizabeth) for a great breakfast and lots of  “catching up conversation.” Ron was my youth pastor in Grants Pass.

We stayed two nights in Corning, CA just to rest from our vacation (!) and catch up sorting all the tourist brochures we had collected. It was close to 100* on Wednesday and was going to be 103* on Thursday. We got out of there.

Last night we were in the wonderful front yard “camp ground” of our friends Mike and JoAnn in Grants Pass. It was good to visit with them, with Joyce’s brother and his wife, and with some other former church people.

Here are a few reflections on our adventure to Utah.

We traveled 3,888 miles – I think. I’ll do a better calculation in a day or so. I’ll also figure fuel mileage and that sort of thing for those who like numbers. We were gone 25 days.

Weather? Fantastic. Mostly cool. Mostly sunny. There were some clouds and a little rain. This was in Moab with thunder storms in the distance. The rain didn’t bother us. The last few days it began to be hot but we survived it okay. In fact we only used the RV air conditioner the last 2 or 3 days. We couldn’t have asked for better weather.

My favorite camping place was Fruita Campground in Capitol Reef National Park. It was dry camping but was a very nice, quiet place to stay.

My favorite Park was Arches because of the size and diversity of landscape. There were short hikes for people like me and long hikes for those able to do so. And a person could see a lot without even hiking. Bryce ran a close second because it was so beautiful – much more so than any other place. But it was mostly viewpoints unless you wanted to hike down into the canyon. That, of course, meant hiking back up.

For the record Bryce Canyon is not really a canyon. It is the edge of a plateau. Zion National Park should be called Zion Canyon because it is one. The Virgin River runs into it at the top end, through it, and then on to (someplace).

We did lots of up-hill-down-hill driving. Of course that is to be expected in the mountains.  I have decided I don’t like pulling the fifth wheel along high mountain roads with steep drop offs and no guard rails. We did our share of that and I sweat quite a bit! One place was called the Hogback on Scenic Highway 12 in Utah. Just enough flat on top to put two lanes of highway (narrow lanes, I might add). Then drop off on both sides for about 10,000 feet – more or less. Honestly, I have no idea how far down it was because I wasn’t looking.

The Lord was gracious to us. Everything went well and worked well. We saw some amazing creation. God set things up to leave some wondrous beauty for us to behold. What an imagination God had/has!

One last thing… here’s the picture of my drenching as the wall of water is coming. This on the Colorado River raft trip. See the camera in my hand? All ready to take a picture but all I could think was, “I wonder how bad this is going to be.” Of course this picture was taken by a professional on the bank. The next picture after this one showed ALL white water with a  little blue raft showing through.

There is lots to do around the farm now. Got to get out there and put in my garden irrigation system.

Blessings.

 

Zion National Park

Saturday we drove the 23 miles from the town of Hurricane to Zion National Park. They do not let private vehicles drive the scenic part of the Park. We were told all parking was taken at the visitor’s center so we parked in the town of Springdale, rode the shuttle to the Park entrance, walked in, and caught the Park shuttle for or tour. I really enjoyed not driving. We got off at each scenic stop, stayed as long as we wanted and caught the next shuttle which came in less than 10 minutes. Each stop had a covered place to sit and wait.

So here are some views of Zion. This is the Great White Throne to the right with the Organ in the center foreground.

This is the Court of the Three Patriarchs – left to right, Abraham Peak, Isaac Peak, and Jacob Peak. Jacob is the white mountain in back of Mt. Moroni. If all this sounds religious it is because they were named by church guys – Mormon church guys who came and settled this area. In fact, Brigham Young sent people out to settle the land, establish communities, and spread the (Mormon) Word. The very name “Zion” is because the canyon looked to them like a place of eternal rest and solitude.

It is interesting, as you tour the exhibits or watch the orientation movie they very frankly refer to the “Mormon settlers” who came to do this or that or who settled here and this is his cabin or his picture or his orchard. Do we hear that in other places? We do hear about the Whitman Mission or the Methodist Missionaries but in general the settlers who came west were simply pioneers – no reference to their brand of religion. Just an observation.

(I wonder why the freedom from religion people haven’t raised a fuss over this?)

At the end of the scenic drive (I think it was 13 miles) you can keep walking on a nice paved walkway for another mile. This is The Narrows where the walls of the canyon begin to come together. To go any further you have to wade in the Virgin River. Some people do – for another 5 or 6 miles until they can almost touch both sides. That is if the water level is low enough. If you are wondering, I didn’t!

There is even an arch on the side of one of these mountains. See it almost in the middle of the picture? The green above and below it are trees. It is amazing where trees will grow.

Like Arches and Bryce there are so many more pictures to show but not enough space to post them all here.

Joyce commented that we should have started with Zion and worked our way up. As magnificent as this place is, It was a little disappointing after seeing Bryce and Arches. But I understand it is an entirely different kind of place and certainly amazing. Awesome even.

We are on our way home. At the present (Sunday evening) we are in Beatty, Utah simply because it is a place to spend the night on the way to the Reno area.

Blessings.

 

Friday, May 30

We departed Bryce this morning. I opted to go around to the south rather than go through Zion or take the northern route. (One way or another we had to get to the western side of Zion because that is the way home!) The southern route looped down through Arizona and we stopped to see Pipe Springs National Monument on the way. It is a natural spring the Paiute Indians used for years – until the white man arrived. Mormon settlers built a “fort” over it, the US government tried to regulate the land and it was all a big mess. Anyway, it is in a Paiute reservation now.

We are in Hurricane, Utah now at Willowwind RV Park. Tomorrow it is Zion!

I think the wi-fi connection is going to be slow so I posted the last several days in segments. And not too much for each day. Enjoy.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Thursday was an overcast day. I think that made for better pictures – it certainly was cooler than it could have been. We drove through the Park rather than take the shuttle. Parking was only a problem in one spot. We drove to the end of the road – about 17 miles. The best views are near the beginning. At the end of the road you can see some odd rock formations but it is mostly views of the distance.

Bryce is awesome. I’ll simply post some pictures. You can ogle them and wish you were there. Or maybe you have been.

See those people hiking down there? See the trails winding along way in the distance? I could have done that. Only problem is I would have had to hike back UP. It seems the escalator wasn’t working that day.

Beauty beyond imagination. And to top the day I went to a rodeo. It was very “small town” but kind of fun.

Wednesday, May 28

Our trip to Bryce National Park was a lot of up and down. We topped one summit at 9,600 feet but it was an easy climb. We started from a high elevation but I don’t know what it was.

On the way we stopped at Anasazi State Park. Anasazi is a name for the people who lived in this area from about 100 AD to 1200 AD. This is a Navajo name for them. They are also known by other names. This is one of their houses. They also had baked earth houses above ground.

We arrived at Ruby’s Inn RV Park late in the day. It is close to the visitor’s center so I drove up to get some literature and we planned for the next day.

Tuesday, May 27

I may be giving you more information than you want to know but part of the reason for this blog is for my own record.

We left Sliprock and Moab about 9:30 Tuesday morning. It was a great week. The drive to Capitol Reef National Park was fairly quick and uneventful. The Park Ranger admitted that Capitol Reef is the most inaccessible of the National Parks. A 4-wheel drive is necessary to see very much of it. We drove to the end of the road (about 12 miles) and saw steep cliffs and some interesting shapes.

We found a camping spot in Fruita Campground near the visitor’s center. The campground is located in an area that was settled by early Mormon pioneers. They planted lots of fruit trees (hence the name) and developed a small community there. This has been my favorite camping spot so far. No hookups but only $5 for us Senior Citizens.

John Wesley Powell mapped this whole region in the middle of the 1800s. He referred to the canyons, arches, towers, and ridges as a “most improbable landscape.” Yes, it is.

Sunday, May 25

Sunday was rainy until early afternoon. We attended worship at a Community Church in Moab. As visitors they gave us metal water bottles even though they knew we were from out of town. Kind of special.

Later in the day the rain stopped and we did one last thing in Arches. I hiked most of Park Avenue, so called because the rocks on the sides look like big buildings.

Speaking of the rain… It really didn’t effect us much. The dirt in Slickrock RV Park was more like sand so it dried out quickly.

Saturday and Monday, May 24 & 26

Canyonlands National Park is divided into three areas. One is the Maze which is on the west side of the Colorado River and accessible only by 4x4 or hiking. The other two areas are south and north of Moab. We went to the southern one – Needles – on Saturday. It was a 140 mile trip round trip. I’m not very impressed. To see very much you have to hike quite a ways.

Newspaper Rock was before entering the park. Lots of petrographs left by very early peoples. No one knows why or what they mean.

Monday we went to the north part of Canyonlands called Island in the Sky. Only about 70 miles round trip. More impressive.

About 10 miles from this park is Dead Horse Point State Park. We were told it was very impressive at sundown so we stayed. Wow!

Yes, that is the Colorado River winding around down there.

 

Today is Thursday

We are in Bryce National Park – actually at an RV Park just before the Park. We have been Wi-Fi deprived and the upload here is very poor so I am not going to put much on.

We left Moab Tuesday morning and drove to Capitol Reef National Park. We stayed in the Fruita Campground for five bucks. Wednesday we drove here, toured the Park today and tomorrow we leave for Zion.

I’ll think my connection will be better there and I’ll post some pictures.

Blessings.

The Upper End of Arches

Friday we slept in and I recovered from my big day. Then it was do a little grocery shopping and fill the truck with diesel ($3.99 a gallon).

After lunch we went to the far end of the road in Arches and worked our way back. Our first stop was hiking to see three different arches.

Joyce even went part of the way.

Tunnel Arch

I was surprised how many people were on the trails. It was like walking in the mall! I estimated there were 250-300 cars in the two parking lots.

This is Pine Tree Arch.

This is the one I really wanted to see – Landscape Arch. In 1991 a portion on the right side fell. Now they won’t allow anyone to go under it. It is the longest arch in the world. By the way, it found out that to be called an arch 1) light has to shine through it, 2) it has to be at least 3 feet by 3 feet, and 3) it has to be naturally made. There are over 2,000 arches in Arches National Park – and more outside the Park.

Just to prove I was there. I also have a selfie.

Skyline Arch

Sand Dune Arch

The way in and out to see Sand Dune.

Broken Arch. This was as close as I was going to get. By this time I was tired.

Thunder and lightening was predicted for Friday and Saturday. As we were completing our day the storm began to move in.

Before too long there was lightening in the distance. I would have loved to capture some with my camera but that was impossible. On our way out of the park we were in the middle of it – hard rain and lightening. Back at the RV Park it HAD rained but had stopped by the time we got there. The “dirt” around here is not too bad after a rain – just don’t step in a MUD puddle.

And that completed our Friday – back to the RV about 6:00. Tomorrow will be… well, we’ll see.

Blessings.

A Exciting Day

Thursday was a exciting day for me, laundry day for Joyce. Since she didn’t want to do these things she was okay with staying behind and taking care of some household chores.

First off, I went on a half-day 4x4 offroad excursion – with Melissa and Old Blue. Here they are.

There were two other people with us – supposed to be 2 more but they didn’t show.

We went to part of Arches National Park that 98% of the people never see. The reason is the road getting there. Our main destination was Tower Arch. After we turned off the paved road it wasn’t too long before this road…

…became this road…

…and this road…

…and this road…

You get the idea. I had lots of fun letting another driver bounce someone else’s car over huge boulders. We never bottomed out but the tail did drag a few times. An interesting side note: this is a 2000 Ford Excursion with 1,000 miles less than my 2000 Ford F250 – 169,000 to 170,000.

This is what we went to see – along with too many other odd shaped rocks to post their pictures here. Tower Arch. The arch is in the middle of the picture with the tower behind it.

These are the March Men.

And simply wild back country. God’s creation is so varied and interesting.

After the 4x4 trip I was dropped off for a raft trip down the Colorado River.

To raft the Colorado has always been a dream. Now understand, this was NOT the Grand Canyon or a lot of big rapids. It was a half day with a couple class II rapids, but it was the Colorado. We were in an oar boat (meaning our guide rowed, we road). But our guide managed to make it interesting. As we approached the first rapids I decided to take some pictures. After all, what could go wrong? I grabbed the safety rope with one hand, my camera in the other and knelt on the bottom of the boat so I wouldn’t be thrown out. Here is the first picture I took.

Just to my left was a big roller (wave) that was bigger than the guide anticipated (maybe 4-5 feet high). We hit it head on. The front of the raft went up with water pouring over everyone including me (and I was in the back). If I was a professional photographer I probably would have snapped a couple pictures of the deluge coming at me. But me being me, I hung on tight and wondered if were going to flip. We did not flip the raft but we did flip a lady out. She hung onto the safety rope and the guide hauled her back in. Everyone was throughly soaked including me. My camera was wet so I didn’t try to take any more pictures until we stopped for lunch. But it seemed to be okay. Here is lunch set out on a rocky beach. Joyce will be happy to show you the rock I took back to her.

A father and son were along on inflatable kayaks (they had a different name for them but I don’t remember it).

I’m writing this Friday but it won’t get posted until Saturday morning.

Blessings.