It was while Dave and Jan were camping at Duck Creek Campground in the mountains east of Cedar City several weeks back that they took a drive on dirt roads to view Cascade Falls – a small but interesting waterfall which flows under ground through lava tubes from Navajo Lake to an exit in a rocky wall along the Virgin River Rim. In the same area where the trailhead leads to Cascade Falls are trailheads going east and west along the Virgin River Rim Trail. Since that discovery there have been several hikes (and, in Dave’s case, bike rides) along various portions of the rim trail – with quite a few miles of trail yet to be explored. So on the last day of summer, thinking they might see some fall colors showing up among the aspen trees, the Balsleys hiked the section of the trail between the road from Highway 14 to Webster Flat and the site of the Dear Haven Campground (now closed for the season).

Though the aspen trees have only begun to turn to fall colors in the area, there were some beautiful hints of things to come at various places along the trail.

Along the trail there were distant views of the rocky features of beautiful Zion National Park.

The trail led to the Deer Haven campground, now closed for the season, but designed to host not only family campers but larger groups and organizations with as many as 250 campers.

Though the campground was closed, Dave and Jan made use of a picnic table to enjoy a picnic lunch. The knapsack on the table, by the way, has been hiking with the Balsleys for all fifty years of their marriage!

There were more trees in the area anticipating the fall season with beautiful displays of color.

The return trip provided some very nice views of the red rock formations beneath the rim, visible from the drive up highway 14 from Cedar City to the Markagunt Plateau some four thousand feet above the city.

Across the road, where the car was parked, is another section of the Rim Trail which Dave began to explore last week on his mountain bike until he had a flat tire, then another, around a mile and a half or two along the trail – so his bike ride turned into half a hike back to the car! So there is still much more to explore on another day. But Dave and Jan are very grateful for the ability and the many opportunities they have to be enjoying so many examples of the Lord’s creative genius in their part of the state of Utah.

Dave and Jan enjoyed another visit to Kodachrome Basin State Park in south central Utah the first week of September – this time with their trailer for a three-day, two night stay in the park campground. Kodachrome Basin State Park is just east of Bryce Canyon National Park, with views of Bryce from many parts of the state park. Rated as one of the best dark sky locations anywhere in the world, they enjoyed nighttime views of myriads of stars and the best look at the Milky Way they have seen in decades. It was a camping experience to be repeated!

Kodachrome Basin differs from many other parks by the presence of many rock pillars standing tall above the basin floor. Many pillars are well over fifty feet tall – some cylindrical and others pointed like a pyramid, some rising up from the valley floor and others rising above mesas and ridges. Where they are grouped fairly close together they create quite an interesting skyline.

The first evening’s outing led to Chimney Rock, a thick pillar structure standing alone on the basin floor.

There were many places where the basin floor was beautified by fields of colorful flowers.

Even the campsite where Dave and Jan were staying was quite scenic in its own right.

The longest hike for the trip was on the Panorama Trail – with three mile and six mile loop options and a side trip to Panorama Point. The three mile loop with the two mile side trip to Panorama Point and back was the choice for the day.

Dave and Jan are very grateful for the many fascinating places not far from “home” to be explored and enjoyed in Southwestern Utah – and for the time and resources the Lord has blessed them to enjoy in these “golden years” of their lives. With the Psalmist David they can say “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me . . . In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever” (Psalm 16:6,16).