Dave and Jan returned recently from a very enjoyable camping vacation trip to the East Sierras – blessed again to be able to be awed by the amazing beauty of God’s creative handiwork up so high. Though Mammoth Lakes area campgrounds were mostly filled to capacity, Dave and Jan were able to book a two-night stay in the immediate area at Coldwater Campground where they camped several years back.

Nearby lakes include Twin Lakes, Mary Lake, George Lake, and Horseshoe Lake – each accessible along the roads in the region. But Crystal Lake is only accessible by hiking trail – so it was one of the destinations for one of the many hikes they enjoyed.



The trail above the lake, toward Crystal Crag, provided many views of the several lakes in the Mammoth Lakes region.

The ridge high above Crystal Lake, at an elevation of around 9,000 feet, provided some awe-inspiring views of the higher peaks which are so abundant in the Sierras.

Of course, they also provided some views of the steep descents to the valley floors below (as well as a forest fire burning on the horizon not too far from beautiful June Lake)!

On another day in the Mammoth area, while Jan was doing some errands in town, Dave took a ride on what was billed as a mountain bike trail. Too many vehicles on the “trail” – which was actually a dirt road – had turned the ride into a lengthy sand trap! But it was rewarding to get to see some of the locals along the way.

Much more enjoyable for a bike ride in the area were the miles of paved trails combing the town and climbing up the grade into the basin where the lakes were located, so Dave enjoyed two rides in one day.

And we’ve only “scratched the surface” of a very pleasant two-week stay in the Sierras – so we’ll revisit the subject in another blog or two. Hiking almost every day of the vacation, this was one of the best camping vacations Dave and Jan have experienced in the regions of our beautiful nation “up so high”! As Dave observed to a fellow-hiker in a flower-strewn meadow in another place on another day in response to his observation that the area was beautiful: “The Lord does nice work!”

Dave and Jan returned July fourth from a week-long visit to South Dakota to spend time with daughter Alissa, husband Andrew, and their four boys.The fourth boy, Ephraim Andrew Crandall just make his public appearance June 16th, so it was great to have the chance to begin to get acquainted!

Alissa’s pregnancy led to Ephraim’s birth right about the date the doctor had projected – for which we are very grateful to the Lord! She was soon “up and running” (well – walking) and capably caring for her newest charge – as has been the case with each of the boys. In this picture she was on an evening family outing to “the beach” along the shore of a lake in Huron which is fed by the James River.

With four boys under the age of six there is almost always activity around the Crandall household, and Dave and Jan were able to get in on much of it during their visit in Huron. There were Lego towers to construct (like this one with Silas) – and to far more rapidly “deconstruct”!

There were parks to visit – like the Rocket Park with its ladders and slides.


There were kayaks for the boys to enjoy at the lake (as Levi is doing here).

There were stories to enjoy and games to play at the Huron Public Library.


There were cars to play with – like the one Elijah was playing with here.

There were rasberries to be picked in the family’s back-yard garden – as Levi is doing here.

There were kites for Jan to fly – something she hadn’t done for around fifty years!

And, of course, there were meals to enjoy.

Dave and Jan are very grateful for the Lord’s gift of family and the opportunity to pay another visit to the land of “great faces, great places” in South Dakota.

Though we (Dave and Jan) have lived back in Southern California for eleven years now, there are always new developments popping up around us, and there are always more things to explore that we haven’t seen before. One of the ongoing developments in Brea is a new segment of a lengthening bicycle trail which Dave has enjoyed using several times in recent weeks since its official opening. “The Tracks at Brea” has taken several years to complete, and has cost millions of dollars (because the land had to be cleansed of chemicals used when it was home to railroad tracks) but it has turned out very nicely.

Wildflower displays along the trail have been quite scenic these spring months.

A fellow cyclist recently told Dave about a nice trail ride in the Angeles Forest, so he and Jan headed up the San Gabriel Canyon Road in mid-May to see some things they had never seen before.  Preoccupied with the loading of his bike on the car, Dave forgot to pack the cameras he had intended to take – but Jan captured some of the trip with the camera on her cell phone. San Gabriel Reservoir is one of two man-made lakes in the canyon – providing some of Southern California’s water supply.

Farther up the canyon we ascended out of the “May-gray” cloud cover which is characteristic of the season.

There were some pretty impressive floral displays on the road-cuts as we climbed higher into the canyon.


Near the point where the road has been closed for some time because of landslides there is a nice Forest Service campground – Crystal Lake Campground (no pictures). With a name like Crystal Lake, it seemed worthwhile to walk the trail to the lake, but it was more than underwhelming to say the least. In better times its waters were described as crystal clear – but drought conditions have stolen its claim to fame.

This sign probably wasn’t necessary. We weren’t even slightly tempted!

The road through the canyon made for an interesting drive – and must have been a challenging and expensive undertaking!

Back in the area of the San Gabriel Reservoir the bike trail Dave was told about was actually a very nice private (gated) paved road along the San Gabriel River. Dave enjoyed the 15-mile round trip along a very beautiful river to what was apparently a Forest Service residential development, while Jan exercised Lola (her Shih Tzu), but we have no pictures of the area, so we’ll have to return another time for the rest of the story – because there is always more to discover and enjoy, both far and near – like colorful flowers in our own front yard!

Dave and Jan and Caroleen (who is on a break from her college studies this week) headed to Chantry Flats, a popular hiking destination in the Angeles Forest in the mountains north of Arcadia on March 21. It turned out to be one of the best hikes Dave and Jan have experienced in Southern California. The day began with a cloud cover which never completely dissipated, but it made for a very comfortable temperature for a hike of around six or seven miles. Jan and Caroleen posed for a picture at Dave’s request – not because they were tired – as we were just beginning the steep descent into the canyon where Sturdevant Creek is a prominent feature.

Floral displays were probably about at their peak throughout the hike – beginning along the trail on the way down the hill into the canyon.

The first river crossing was made over a rather quaint-looking bridge well above the stream.

Tiny flowers, like these, served as something of a welcoming committee all along the trail.

The U.S. Forest Service created quite a few scenic dams along the canyon trail stamped with dates from the 1960s- always made much more attractive when there is water cascading over them.

Sturdevant Falls is a favorite destination for probably most of the hikers who travel into the canyon – with a fall of somewhere around 40 or 50 feet into a sizable pool at the base.


The trail to the top of the falls took us to new territory for us (Dave and Jan had hiked to the falls years back) – and beyond the point where most of the canyon’s visitors continue to hike.

The trail above Sturdevant Falls continued to display numerous attractive smaller water falls.

Plant life along the upper trail grew in great abundance and variety and beauty.







The Forest Service posted a little dose of humanism-inspired thought along the trail for our consideration.

What we thought we were seeing, instead, as we enjoyed a beautiful day on the trail was the beauty and ingenuity of the hand of not ourselves but of our incomparable Creator!
24 “O LORD, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; The earth is full of Your possessions.” Psalm 104:24 (NASB)

Though spring hasn’t yet come to much of the nation, it has arrived in Southern California. There are signs on the roadways in Brea saying that we are experiencing “severe drought” conditions – restricting watering to one day a week. But the Lord has been doing some watering in our area, so the hills are greening up and the flowers are breaking out all over. Dave and Jan enjoyed a hike last week at Chino Hills State Park where the California Poppies were on display.


While our daughter Alissa and Andrew and their three sons were with us we took a walk to Craig Park, stopping along the sidewalk on the way home to take pictures of flowers at a condo-complex where the corner features beautiful floral displays during most of every year.

One of our favorite places is our own yard where quite a variety of flowers are in bloom now.

Among our favorites are the “Peruvian Lilies” – Alstroemeria – growing in various colors.

Jesus famously said, “Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe You?” (Matthew 6:28-30). And so He has – and He will!

Because Dave and Jan live only around 35 miles from son Stephen, his wife Meagan, and their son Ryan (for whom Jan provides childcare two or three days each week), there are numerous opportunities to connect with Stephen’s family – like the visit to nearby Craig Park one January day where Ryan worked on his horsemanship skills.

But opportunities to connect with daughter Alissa, her husband Andrew, and their three sons Levi, Elijah and Silas are far less frequent because of the fifteen hundred miles or so which separates Southern California from Huron, South Dakota. So it was very nice to have Andrew and family pay a visit to Southern California in mid February for a time of family reunion.
(Caroleen Suzuki, Meagan, Ryan and Stephen Balsley, Dave and Jan Balsley, Silas, Alissa, Levi, Andrew and Elijah Crandall in front of a blooming Chinese Magnolia tree in Brea)

Even Dave, Levi, Andrew and Elijah got to practice their horsemanship at Craig Park.

Alissa and Silas chose to accelerate things with a ride on the Craig Park motorcycle!

Elijah had a chance to explore the wonders of the Dandelion’s seed head on the way home.

The older cousins had fun climbing sand piles at beautiful O’rien Park not far from Stephen and Meagan’s house in Foothills Ranch (a division of Forrest Lake, CA)

Of course, no trip to California would be complete without some time at the beach, and the February weather was just what South Dakota visitors were hoping for in such a trip.

Laguna Beach has always been a favorite beach destination for Dave and Jan since beginning their honeymoon there forty five years ago.

When several tries to enjoy local kids’ water parks turned up dry in California’s extended time of drought the back yard wading pool was called upon to fill the bill.

And, of course, where there are kids there will be plenty of toys for both kids and adults.

We thank the Lord for the blessings and joys which come with family life – and are grateful as well for the members of our extended family and the even larger family of God!

A popular Christmas song describes the Christmas season as “the most wonderful time of the year.”  That is a fitting description of the season from our perspective for at least two reasons – (1) because the birth of Christ is the most important birth which ever occurred on our planet; and (2) because our wedding anniversary follows close on the heels of Christmas day – the 29th, which marked 45 years of marriage for us this time around.  Perhaps I should add a third reason.  My sister Susan was born on Christmas day a few years ago!

Christmas for our church family is always a time of festive decorations because of the influence of Mrs. Fender (widow of Leo Fender of Fender Guitar fame).

We enjoyed a visit from Stephen and Meagan on Christmas day.  And their son Ryan is beginning to catch the excitement children feel at the celebration of the birth of Christ!

We enjoyed a numerous Christmas specials leading up to Christmas, including the packed-house Christmas concert in the newly refurbished auditorium of St. John’s Lutheran Church in nearby Orange.

A house around the block in our neighborhood had a familiar Christmas decoration on their front lawn.  It was illuminated by a spotlight, but the spotlight was casting a shadow on the wall behind it.  A large cross is a regular feature against the front wall of the house, and the spotlight created the shadow image of Joseph and Mary bowing at the cross – a fitting reminder that Jesus, more than any other child ever born, was born to DIE as a sacrifice for our sins!   As Jesus explained, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

In celebration of our 45th anniversary we drove up the coast to San Simeon for an overnight stay before heading up the coast highway (Highway 1) to the Monterey area.  It was a beautiful day for a drive along that very scenic coastline!

We enjoyed a short hike up Salmon Creek flowing through one of the many side canyons which beautify the coast highway route.

Though we have driven it many times, we never tire of the beautiful scenery so plentiful along the central California coast.

In the Monterey area we enjoyed connecting with each of Dave’s three sisters and members of their families for meals and walks and bowling and lots of visiting.

Christmas is, for us, a wonderful time of the year!  The coming of Christ to earth radically changed the trajectory of life for all who have trusted Him as their Savior.  As Isaiah predicted (9:6) ” . . . and His name will be called Wonderful . . .”  He is certainly that to US!  And, in addition to all that He means to us, we are very grateful for the added blessings of marriage and family!

Our pastor, Joe LoMusio of Temple Baptist Church in Fullerton, spoke November 22nd on Psalm 100. He focused on verse 5 where we were reminded that God Is Good, His Mercy Continues, and His Truth Endures. On the strength of those thoughts he encouraged all of us to “Have a GRATEFUL Day” on Thanksgiving Day – and every day!

Though the famous 1621 celebration of the Pilgrim settlers and the Indian chief Massasoit and around 90 of his people was not described in the original accounts as a celebration of thanksgiving, it is well known as the “First Thanksgiving in Plymouth.” In Mourt’s Relation, Edward Winslow wrote of that event: “although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.”

And so, for us at the Balsley household in Brea, we are grateful to be very “far from want” and are very well-aware of “the goodness of God” in the abundance which we enjoy today and so regularly throughout the year!

An attractive decorative reminder of the Lord’s blessings in our lives at this season of the year came from our church’s “Fall Festival” where Jan was given this fall arrangement with its significant spiritual symbolism.

We also enjoy beautifying the inside of our house with the intricate design of the blossoms of the Bird of Paradise plant which beautifies our front yard.

For over a year now it has been a pleasure to share our home with another resident artist (besides Jan), Caroleen Suzuki, whose artistic skills are being sharpened as a result of her art studies at Fullerton Junior College. Her recent line drawing depicts our living room in the background of this photo in amazing detail.

Though Mom Baden has joined Dad Baden in glory, she left for our ongoing enjoyment and edification this stained glass depiction of the countless blessings flowing down from the Lord in heaven for those who will receive them. The small plaque below the picture provides the explanatory text from II Corinthians 4:6: “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

So, for these and many other reasons, we are having a GRATEFUL day.  We sincerely hope that you have such a day as well!

Dave and Jan are very grateful to the Lord that, after over a year of back and sciatic nerve pain, Jan is able to take to the trail again and enjoy the beauty of the Lord’s creative genius with no more pain. And we enjoyed much of it on our recent vacation trip to South Dakota and Idaho, but there is plenty to enjoy much closer to home as well. So on Monday, October 19 (2015) it was off to the Whitting/Limestone Wilderness area just a few miles from where our son Stephen, with Meagan and Ryan, live at Foothills Ranch. Like many areas in Southern California, the canyon rim is crowded with pricey houses.

Though drought has plagued the area for years, the promise of rains because of El Nino conditions has many local residents justifiably concerned about the possibility of losing the footing to their houses if rains become heavy.

There are, of course, some of the wealthier residents of the area who like to build their “castles” high on the hills and far away from other residents. Though it may not be evident, this photo was taken with a telephoto lens from about a mile away across a wooded valley.

At the base of a tree on the way up the canyon we were welcomed to a “Happy Hiking” experience by the display left by a local troop of Girl Scouts!

Two women we met along the trail saw us reading trail signs and wondered if we were familiar with the area. They told us of the hike into Red Rock Canyon and recommended it highly. It turned out to be a welcome recommendation!

The trail into the canyon was only six tenths of a mile, but there wasn’t much evidence that it was heavily traveled. It lead into an increasingly narrow canyon with red sandstone walls.

The canyon walls appear to have been carved by a talented master craftsman (Whom we are blessed to know in a personal relationship)!

The canyon includes some fairly ornate carvings in its walls – reminiscent (in miniature) of some of the cliff dwellings which have been the homes of Indian tribes in various parts of the southwestern states.



The canyon is essentially a box canyon where – happily – people appear to have observed the request posted on signs that they not deface the natural beauty which was so apparent all around.





We are grateful for a beautiful day (after some unseasonably hot weather in recent weeks) to be on the trail once again, enjoying the creative genius to be found both near and far in every part of our country.

Happy hiking indeed!

Dave and Jan enjoyed time with family (their whole family) during their recent trip to South Dakota. But their visit there took a little over a week (with travel time to Camp Rimrock), so they had a few days to do some exploring on the return trip to Southern California. The plan was to visit central Idaho where they had recently heard good reports about the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. So that is the direction they headed – driving through Wyoming (on I-90) and Montana (on I-90 and I-15) to Idaho, stopping overnight at a very nice KOA south of Livingston, Montana. Their first stop the next day along scenic route 43 from Montana into Idaho was a picnic lunch stop along the Jefferson River.

It was past mid-afternoon when they arrived at their destination – the little town of Stanley, Idaho at the north end of the Sawtooth Mountain Range.

The town sign says Stanley has 63 residents. There were many more than 63 during our visit, but winter months make the town rather austere – with significant mountain passes to be negotiated on any route out of the town. So there must be some buildings which sit unoccupied during winter months, because there are a fair number of structures in the town.


An evening drive along Highway 75 south of town provided good reason to want to stay and explore for a while!

After a night of rest at Elk Mountain RV Resort (and some tasty peach pie from their cafe), we drove west to Stanley Lake. The air was a little hazy, but the area was beautiful nevertheless.


The biggest part of the day was spent hiking to Sawtooth Lake on the Iron Creek trail – the longest hike Jan has been comfortable to enjoy since the Lord graciously relieved back and sciatic pain she endured for a little over a year.

It didn’t take long to learn why the mountain range is called the Sawtooth Range.

Beautiful Alpine Lake was a nice short side trip several miles up the trail. At the lake we met some fellow-hikers who offered to take a picture for us with the lake in the background.

The lake is one of numerous mountain gems in mountainous regions throughout the Western States of our amazingly beautiful country.

Late summer days were already showing a display of fall colors in the undergrowth on the forest floor – with many Aspen trees about to display golden glory in days just ahead.

With fall months coming on, there were still some nice wild flower displays to be enjoyed along some of the creek beds fairly high in the mountains.

The next lake we arrived at didn’t have a posted name, so we thought we had arrived at Sawtooth Lake. But the description Jan had read said it was a large lake, and this lake didn’t qualify. So we are guessing it may have been “Lower Sawtooth Lake” – but it was a very nice lunch spot.


We almost started the return hike, but Dave is always curious about what is around the next bend – especially when the small lake didn’t sound like the like we might have expected. And, sure enough, just over the next rise we discovered the real Sawtooth Lake.

We were grateful that the rain which the weatherman had predicted didn’t materialize while we were on our hike, but the breeze at the lake was a little bit “nippy.”

The rain did materialize during the night, and there was fresh snow on all the higher mountains, so we decided it was time to head south, but we definitely hope to return (perhaps next summer) to the Sawtooth National Recreation Area to do more exploring of the Lord’s amazing handiwork in central Idaho!

Some time back Dave’s sister Susie made the observation that we take nice vacations. We are very grateful to the Lord that we live in such a beautiful country and that she was absolutely right! It was a nice vacation!!