Dave and Jan headed for another camping outing the second week of September to the Petrified Forest State Park near Escalante, Utah (130 miles distant). The park includes a reservoir and several trails up to scenic views and numerous examples of petrified wood which are native to the area.

An evening hike on Thursday led up through colorful rocks to a plateau where many of the areas’ examples of petrified rock were visible – along with views of the reservoir and the nearby small town of Escalante with its population of around 900 people.

On Friday morning Dave and Jan took a hike around the reservoir – beginning with a trail on the rocky dike, continuing across wet soil conditions on the back side resulting from recent higher water levels.

Friday afternoon involved another hike to the top of the plateau for a closer look at the beauty of many of the petrified logs which were scattered across the ground and down into some of the canyons.

A short but more strenuous hike down into the Sleeping Rainbow canyon provided many more examples of the colorful petrified wood which make the State Park a popular destination for campers.

When the Lord Jesus was challenged by Pharisees in His day to silence His disciples, who celebrated His arrival in Jerusalem on “Palm Sunday,” He responded with the words: “I tell you, if these become silent the stones will cry out!” At the Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, trees which have turned to stone are crying out in praise of the One who has placed amazing colors in the petrified forest which is on display. And the surrounding terrain is also displaying the Lord’s creativity in the landscape at the park.

Dave and Jan are enjoying the opportunity to explore the beauty and variety of the southwestern part of the state of Utah. They are grateful for the ability to see the Lord’s hand in all that He has created!

Dave and Jan are happy that their son Stephen and family “escaped” from California two years ago to live in Cedar City. So it is an opportunity for a “family reunion” when daughter Alissa and her Crandall family make the trek to Utah from South Dakota where they live in the city of Huron – a trek they have made each year since Dave and Jan moved to Utah. Though Dave wasn’t as quick with the camera as he should have been during Andrew and Alissa’s visit, the camera did record a few fun times with family members along with a good family photo (with Alissa the photographer). Let’s start with a look at all six grand-children on the front lawn of Dave and Jan’s house.

One of the things the Crandall boys enjoy doing is exploring caves on the Maragunt Pleateau. Two or three years ago Andrew introduced the family to Mammoth Cave, a lava tube cave with a large entrance and several smaller exits hundreds of feet away. This year he led his family on a tour of Bowers Cave, a smaller lava tube cave a few miles away from Mammoth Cave, but Dave forgot to take his camera along for the cave tour – though the only thing the camera would have captured was the small opening with a tall metal ladder providing access to cavers.

Another of the things the Crandall boys enjoy doing is creating “dams” on Coal Creek (flowing through town near Dave and Jan’s house). Here are some dam builders, mud bathers (Elijah), and the project managers (Andrew and Alissa).

There are many trails to hike in Rainbow Canyon, just over or around the nearest ridge from Dave and Jan’s house, so one day’s adventure included a hike into the canyon with the Crandalls where some of the boys climbed canyon walls with Andrew while Alissa, Jan and Dave chose an easier route up a wash to the trail which climbed one of the many ridges in Rainbow Canyon.

Hiking down one of the many washes to the canyon floor led the hikers by an interesting rock formation, which Jan and some of her lady friends have named the Honeycomb, a formation which Ephraim and Silas and Andrew climbed and posed on long enough for a photo.

The Crandalls’ visit to Cedar City concluded with a family dinner on Jan’s birthday (a date which Jan shares with Kathleen, good friend and neighbor), so Kathleen was included in the family picture taken on the front porch.

Dr. James Dobson observed that no one ever says, as he lies on his death bed, “I wish I had spent more time at the office,” but many have wished they had spent more time with their families. Dave and Jan are very happy to enjoy happy family relations with both Stephen and Alissa’s families, and are always happy for times the families can spend time together – even though there are many miles between them much of every year.