Dave and Jan enjoyed a visit from Andrew, Alissa and their four boys (Levi, 9; Elijah (7); Silas (5); and Ephraim (3) at their new home in Cedar City.  For Andrew it is something of a vacation break from his pastoral ministry at First Presbyterian Church in Huron, South Dakota.  So it seemed like the perfect opportunity to visit Cedar Breaks National Monument at the top of the mountain range just east of Cedar City.

Cedar Breaks is something like a miniature version of the more popular (and crowded) Bryce Canyon National Park, but it is certainly well-worth the visit.  Like many of our nation’s national monuments, it is awesomely beautiful!

Andrew’s family lined up along the safety rail placed by the National Park Service to keep visitors from tumbling to their peril into the depths of the canyon.

Jan joined the lineup for a second group photo.

Following a picnic lunch the group hiked the loop trail from the Cressman Ridge Overlook which took them through beautiful forests, with some snow patches remaining from the past winter, and a pleasant stop at a small Alpine Pond.

Cedar Breaks National Monument – a very nice place for a refreshing “break,” only around 25 miles up beautiful highway 14 from Cedar City (dimly visible in the distance in the photo below).

Dave and Jan feel blessed to be so close to such clear evidence of the Lord’s creative genius – even on an earth whose surface was reformed largely by the Flood of Noah’s day as recorded in the first book of the Bible (Genesis 6-9).