Dave and Jan headed for Pine Valley in southwest Utah on April 7, intending to camp for two nights and do some hiking in the mountains. When they learned that the campground hadn’t opened yet for the season, their plans changed – but not their desire to return to explore more of Pine Valley. So the opportunity to return came June 9-11. Though they hadn’t reserved a camp spot, and were told there were only two spots left upon their arrival, the spot they chose was almost perfect! Almost perfect because it required a little help from another camper to get Dave and Jan’s rig across the line between the gravel road and the paved road when the time came to leave the campground two days later. A four-wheel drive pull vehicle would have been helpful – but the front-wheel drive Highlander handles the trailer amazingly well most of the time!

They didn’t even need to leave their campsite for some beautiful views of nearby mountains!

It doesn’t take long to “set up camp” with their Kodiak Cub, so before dinner they enjoyed their first hike into the mountains on the Equestrian Trail – beginning perhaps one hundred yards from their camp.

The trail soon headed up toward the Summit Trail which travels along the mountain tops. The Summit Trail is a serious hike for another time, but hiking toward it provided great views of upper Pine Valley.

On the next day Dave and Jan headed up the trail toward Gardner Peak – a serious hiking challenge.

The trail climbed rapidly – providing nice views of the Pine Valley housing district – a bedroom community with no grocery store or gas station, just one nice restaurant serving steak dinners when it is open.

Reaching the rocky ridge toward Gardner Peak led to a nice meadow and some amazing rocks.

The top of the rocky ridge still left miles of trail to the top of Gardner Peak ahead, with the trail challenging to find and follow. And rather than heading up to the peak from the rocky ridge, the trail headed down behind (from the Pine Valley perspective) Gardner Peak, so Dave and Jan hiked another couple of miles before deciding that the peak would have to wait their discovery for another day. The view to the north revealed many miles of forest and distant peaks yet to be explored.

The day ended with a nice walk along the Santa Clara River Walk trail with its beautiful stream.

Dave and Jan are grateful for the chance to camp at Pine Valley – and will probably return from time to time to explore and enjoy much more of the Lord’s amazing handiwork in Southwest Utah!

While Dave and Jan were enjoying the visit of their daughter and family from South Dakota, the two families met up at the Jacob Lake Forest Service campground near the entrance to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Every visit to the canyon is another look at the Lord’s amazing ability to carve beauty with the force of water. Though the secular scientific community sees it as the work of the Colorado River over millions of years, the flood of Noah’s day probably best explains the amazing scenery of the Grand Canyon and the side canyons which adjoin it.

Silas enjoyed the view of local wildlife across the highway from our campground.

The visit at the canyon began with the exploration of the Roaring Springs side canyon and the short hike down the trail to Bright Angel Point – probably the most popular viewpoint at the north rim.

From Bright Angel Point the far wall of the Grand Canyon is visible in the distance – toward the the San Francisco Peaks which are just north of the city of Flagstaff somewhere around 75-100 miles away.

Andrew and the boys (Ephraim, Levi, Elijah and Silas) posed along the trail. Dave failed to get the whole family in a more posed setting because he was taking pictures with Alissa’s camera and phone before taking a few shots with his own equipment.

The next stop was a picnic lunch along the road leading from the north rim facilities along the Roaring Spring side canyon which is already a serious canyon in its own right!

The two families drove next to the Cape Royal portion of the Grand Canyon – back toward the entrance station driving north. Paved trails over flat canyon ledge territory afforded some spectacular views.

A prominent feature at Cape Royal is the Angels’ Window hole in the rock on a significant rocky outcropping. Looking carefully you may be able to see some of the people on the outcropping, but Dave got a close up of Andrew and the boys on top of the outcropping as well.

Another short walk on a branch of the paved trail to the south offered beautiful scenery – including a site for people who wish to hold their weddings at a very memorable location.

As anyone can plainly see (whether they agree with Dave’s perspective from a Biblical viewpoint or not), the north rim of the Grand Canyon is an amazing piece of real estate! Dave and Jan see in it evidence of the Lord’s creative handiwork even in His judgment of the sinful human race in the flood of Noah’s day!

Dave and Jan recently enjoyed a visit from their daughter Alissa and her husband (Rev. Andrew Crandall) and four sons. Because Dave and Jan’s son, Stephen, and family moved to Cedar City in November to assume ownership of the Top Spot Drive Inn and Gas Station, a visit from the Crandalls brought the whole family together in the same place, resulting in some good times for all. This was the Crandalls’ first time to see the house Stephen and family live in, so it provided an opportunity for some family photos – like this one taken on the stairway in Stephen and Meagan’s house.

Top to bottom, and left to right: Jan and Dave Balsley, Meagan and Stephen Balsley, Levi C., Erin B, Ryan B., Elijah C., Andrew and Alissa Crandall, Silas C. and Ephraim C.

Ephraim, Levi and Andrew spent time putting a puzzle together, and Andrew displayed a finished puzzle which held together when he lifted it up by its corners from the table where it was assembled.

The Crandall boys enjoyed finding fossils in a wash within easy walking distance from Dave and Jan’s.

The Crandall family enjoyed finding “who dunnit” as they played several games of Clue together.

Both families enjoyed some meals at Stephen’s restaurant, but only Alissa captured a meal with a photo. While Stephen was running his business, both families headed out to nearby Three Peaks for a picnic and some rock climbing and a game of hide and seek among the rocks in the park. Can you find the boy hiding in the rocks? And a telephoto lens brought Alissa up close from her spot a hundred yards up on a ridge!

Some good meals were enjoyed by both families, and there was a belated birthday recognition for Alissa.

Dave and Jan are grateful that the Crandall family is willing to make the lengthy trek from South Dakota to enjoy the amazing beauty of Southwestern Utah – making such a family reunion possible. And there was more to be enjoyed – like the Air B&B stay the Crandalls enjoyed in the Page, Arizona area, and the camping trip the senior Balsleys and Crandalls enjoyed at the north rim of the Grand Canyon. But we’ll save some of the story for the next edition of the Cedar City Balsleys – thankful for the joys which come with family life, especially for families who enjoy a common relationship with the Lord as our family does!

The Cedar City area offers many opportunities for fun family outings – many of which these days are spent primarily with Stephen and Meagan’s children, Ryan (8) and Erin (5), while Stephen and Meagan tend to the business of managing the Top Spot Drive Inn Restaurant and Gas Station. So Dave and Jan enjoyed a recent hike up a wash near their house where there are fossils to be found! Here are two rocks with fossils in them from Jan’s collection.

Ryan and Erin enjoyed success in scouring the wash in search of some fossils of their own.

As a part of the celebration of Cinco de Mayo, Cedar City held an event which included a “slow roll” around several downtown city blocks which were blocked off for the occasion. Dave and Erin and Ryan took it in on their bicycles while Jan walked to keep an eye on Erin.

On another evening, when Meagan was helping with restaurant duties, Dave and Jan took Ryan and Erin to nearby Three Peaks County Recreation Area for a barbecue meal and some hiking on the rocks.

There are many things to see and do in southwestern Utah, and Dave and Jan are looking forward to spending some time with not only their son Stephen’s family, but also their daughter Alissa’s family. As Dr. James Dobson famously observed, nobody ever arrived at the end of their earthly days saying “I wish I had spent more time in the office”! Dave and Jan are grateful for the blessing of their family!

You have probably heard that “the best made plans of mice and men are often going awry.” Well, it wasn’t exactly a case of a “best made plan,” but Dave and Jan decided to go camping at Pine Valley southwest of Cedar City in Utah. When they arrived in Pine Valley they discovered that the Forest Service Campground in the valley was still closed for the winter season (though it was now spring – the second week-end in April). So they drove south and west a few miles to Gunstock State Park. The state park, nestled among beautiful red rocks, appeared to be primarily a park for water sports and fishing, and the campground was under construction (or re-construction, as the case may have been). After checking on some camping options north of St. George (at Silver Reef and the town of Leeds), they ended up at the KOA in the town of Hurricane.

Though the KOA was just to the east of Interstate 15, it was located in a very scenic area. Thursday evening, after dinner, Dave and Jan hiked into a canyon just south of the campground and followed Quail Creek to the reservoir where Quail Creek State Park is located not far from some very scenic cliffs. On Friday morning they crossed under the freeway to Red Cliffs, a very popular destination for hikers. All of the parking at the Forest Service campground and parking lot was filled to capacity, but there is a large dirt parking lot west of I-15 where there was plenty of parking, and a trailhead leading to many of the trails in the Red Cliffs area.

The hike on the White Reef trail was an enjoyable hike to the north toward Silver Reef, once a silver mining town but now a sparsely populated upscale housing community.

The White Reef trail eventually connected with a trail heading back to the south along the Red Cliffs after passing over a small creek which flows southeast through the valley between the White Reef and the Red Cliffs.

A picnic stop at the Forest Service recreation area offered this additional scenic view before completing the hike by returning east along Quail Creek to the dirt parking lot where the hike started.

After their evening dinner Dave and Jan headed back to the Silver Reef area for an additional short hike on a well-used trail with some beautiful vistas of the mountain regions surrounding Silver Reef.

As Solomon wisely observed (Proverbs 16:9), “The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.” So it was – but Dave and Jan were pleased with the way the Lord’s direction turned out. They’ll plan again for another camping outing to Pine Valley sometime soon – wondering as they do how their plans will compare with the Lord’s direction!

When Dave and Jan’s son Stephen’s job with the German Zeiss Lens Company in Sherman Oaks, California came to an end the family thought it would only be a short time before another job in the digital camera industry opened up. Months later Stephen, Meagan and kids visited Cedar City over the Fourth of July week-end and liked what they saw. When Stephen checked for job openings in Cedar City he learned of a restaurant and gas station which was for sale. When he checked into it he learned that the owner was the man who had built Dave and Jan’s house. So one thing led to another and Stephen moved his family to Utah in November of 2021 to begin taking over the historic Top Spot Drive Inn on Main Street in Cedar City. Now five months into the experience, Stephen and Meagan recently celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary with their employees at Top Spot!

Stephen and family have plugged into the life of Calvary Chapel in Cedar City. When Meagan chose to attend a Friday/Saturday women’s retreat sponsored by Calvary Chapel, Ryan and Erin spent Friday evening and Saturday with Dave and Jan. So it seemed like a good opportunity to head with the kids to St. George (fifty miles south) for a fun time at Thunder Junction – a dinosaur themed children’s park in southwest St. George (which Dave and Jan were introduced to by their daughter Alissa and family, who were visiting from South Dakota last year)..

On a warm day in St. George (80 degrees on April 2nd) Thunder Junction’s water features were a hit for Ryan and Erin and many other children enjoying the park on the same day.

The park includes many other interesting recreational opportunities for fun-loving children – including zip lines for the more adventurous (like Ryan) and the less adventurous (like Erin).

Ryan and Erin and Grandma Jan enjoyed a ride around the park in its colorful railroad adventure.

And there were many other things scattered around the park to catch any child’s attention.

Dave and Jan are enjoying having Stephen, Meagan, Ryan and Erin once again living close enough to allow for the fellowship and fun which families living in the same community are able to enjoy. And they are looking forward soon to another planned visit to Utah from Andrew, Alissa, Levi, Elijah, Silas and Ephraim from their home in Huron, South Dakota. Family life is one of the Lord’s rich blessings for human beings on our planet – and it is greatly enriched by the common faith the Balsleys and Crandalls enjoy.

Dave and Jan learned of an icy waterfall in the area of Parawan (around 10 miles north of Cedar City) from a new neighbor. So they decided to check it out on Saturday, March 12th. The hike to and from was only around a mile and a half, and the weather was beautiful (if cool), but the trail was snowy and icy (in some cases) and muddy in places.

The hike took them through some pleasant forest areas, over some bridges, and along a small stream, and there were even some benches and picnic tables along the trail.

Dave and Jan enjoyed a picnic lunch – on a dry bench – before making their way into the canyon where the trail became a little more challenging and the ice became more prevalent.

The view of the falls was spectacular! And, yes, that is a man at the upper left corner of the falls. He had climbed up the ice (with special equipment), and his girlfriend was beginning to make the climb as well.

The box canyon was surrounded by some very scenic rock walls high above the falls.

On the way out of the canyon, after passing the more treacherous parts of the trail where there were some large snow-covered rocks to negotiate, Jan had the unfortunate experience of an icy fall of her own. Slipping on ice, she reached out to break her fall and ended up breaking her wrist. So she is sporting a pretty blue cast for the next few weeks – until around shortly before “Easter.”

In spite of the broken wrist (a “clean break” according to the doctor), Jan said the hike was worth it. She continues her normal activities for the most part in spite of her injury – even playing the organ for our church’s worship services with one hand (fortunately, her right hand) and one foot on the pedals! She is practicing the Apostle Paul’s admonition in Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say , rejoice”!

After many years living in the mild climate of Southern California, preceded by many years in the desert heat of Tucson, Arizona, Dave and Jan are happy to be living back in snow country at the 5,700 foot elevation of Cedar City. The snow in southwest Utah comes with some frequency during the cooler months of the year, but seldom in large enough quantity to make life difficult or dangerous. And it is beautiful to see. Here is Cedar Mountain and the foreground with a fresh dusting of white.

Snow, of course, offers great possibilities for recreation which grandchildren always enjoy!

Snowy days challenge Grandma Jan to come up with some indoor activities for Ryan and Erin like their creation of pine cones coated with peanut butter and sprinkled with bird seed to feed the birds.

Picnics in the back yard will have to wait when very many inches of snow pile up on the picnic table.

Dave enjoys the chance to get some exercise when there are driveways and sidewalks to clear of snow.

And living on a corner lot offers extra exercise for those who enjoy the exercise of shoveling snow.

And fresh snow even provides some spiritual lessons in view of the Psalmist David’s thought that the Lord is able to cleanse sinful hearts who turn to Him, making them “whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7)!

Dave and Jan have some neighbors who moved into new homes in their neighborhood this past fall who share their interest in exploring the beauty of the area. So they invited Kathleen, who recently moved to Cedar City from Riverside, California, to join them for a recent hike. They decided to head for Zion National Park. During the winter months the crowds are far smaller, so there were an abundance of parking places, and no necessity to ride a shuttle bus into portions of the park often restricted to shuttle traffic only. From the visitor center, they chose to hike the Guardian Trail.

The Guardian Trail climbs around 350 feet in its 3 and 1/2 mile round trip, with lots of scenic views along the way across the Zion valley, and an excellent view of the Guardian overlooking the valley below.

A picnic lunch at the trail’s upper end was closely supervised by one of Zion’s many native residents.

Scenery in Zion National Park is breathtakingly beautiful in almost every direction – as many are aware!

A week later, Dave and Jan hiked from their front door up the Ghost Flats trail – in a little cooler weather.

Dave and Jan are very grateful for the innumerable hiking options in the Cedar City vicinity. With the author of the 104th Psalm (v. 24) they say, “O LORD, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; The earth is full of Your possessions.”

Among the many places in the Cedar City area with its amazing red rock formations and beautiful mountain scenery are some areas a little warmer and drier. During the cold and snow of winter months some warmer and drier locations can be welcome for their recreational opportunities.

St. George, of course, is on the edge of the Mojave Desert where such scenic places as Snow Canyon and Zion National Park are available to enjoy with a drive of only an hour or less.

But even closer to Cedar City is a county park surrounded by many square miles of country managed by the Bureau of Land Management. A ten mile drive takes Dave and Jan to the Three Peaks county recreation area where there are opportunities for picnicking, camping, hiking, bike riding, shooting, rock crawling (with motorized vehicles designed for the challenge), horseback riding and just enjoying a little change of scenery.

With the local trails Dave and Jan enjoy walking and hiking near home a little on the muddy side, they decided to try hiking at Three Peaks. The Rocky Peak Trail leaves from a campground which is being renovated for the coming camping season, so it took a little time to locate the trail, but it was a nice find.

The top of the peak provided 360 degree views as well as a good place for a picnic lunch.

Dave and Jan are very grateful for the many opportunities to enjoy the Lord’s creative handiwork in and around Cedar City – and for the good health to take advantage of it all even in their senior years.