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.