Dave and Jan enjoyed a trip to southeastern Utah in celebration of their 51st anniversary between Christmas and New Year’s Day. The area involved is vast, and the signs of civilization are few and far between, so they knew they would need several days just to get an idea of what there is to be seen in that corner of the state. Canyonlands National Park was the focus of their interest, and it is well-worth seeing! So, even though snow was falling in Cedar City, and it was forecast to fall throughout the region, they made motel reservations in Moab, Utah and headed out for a great adventure. Along the way to Moab the road into the Island in the Sky area of the park was shrouded in clouds, so that area awaits another visit. After their stay in Moab, Wilson arch (south along highway 191) was the first hint of things to come.

A drive of around 22 miles from highway 191 is required to take in the scenery from the Needles Overlook in the Needles area of Canyonlands, but the area is full of beautiful scenery – even under somewhat cloudy skies. Highlights of the Needles Overlook in the park cover vast stretches of the colorful terrain through which the Green River and the Colorado River flow.

The other area Dave and Jan had the time to visit was the area where the Needles Visitor Center is located – 35 miles west of highway 191. Views from the Big Spring Canyon Overlook were well worth the drive.

With only small towns in the area for many, many miles, Dave and Jan stayed overnight in the colorful little town of Mexican Hat at the only motel which was open for the season. Thankfully, the motel also featured a restaurant where the anniversary dinner was the tasty but simple fare of (for Dave) a hamburger and fries and (for Jan) a Navajo Cowboy Hamburger on Fry Bread and a salad. Breakfast fare the next morning was a very tasty bowl of oatmeal (with brown sugar, raisins and walnuts) and toast.

The return drive home passed by Monument Valley on the way to Page, Arizona and Kanab, Utah.

The drive west over 10,000 foot Cedar Mountain took place through blizzard conditions, so Dave and Jan were glad to have acquired an all wheel drive Subaru before their move to Utah from Southern California. The trip was another revelation of the Lord’s creative genius in forming our planet – and then re-forming it by means of the waters of the Flood of Noah’s day. Enjoying, as we do, the beauty so abundant on our sin-cursed earth makes us wonder what the perfection of heaven will be like. But Dave and Jan are very grateful for the joy they have experienced during their fifty-one years of “heaven on earth”!