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.

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”!

Dave and Jan are very grateful this Thanksgiving season for the Lord’s leading and provision for their son Stephen and his family (Meagan, his wife, 7-year-old Ryan and 4-year-old Erin). When Stephen’s employment with Zeiss Lens Company in Germany as a cinema technical sales specialist at the cinema lens demo center in Sherman Oaks, California came to an untimely end, he applied for many positions in his field of specialty. After months without any job prospects, Stephen and family visited Dave and Jan over the fourth of July weekend in Cedar City. Liking what they saw, Stephen checked for jobs in Cedar City and found a restaurant for sale, so he decided to check on it. When the owner (who built Dave and Jan’s house) spoke with Stephen and made the connection with his parents, he invited Stephen to visit the restaurant to check it out. He did check it out, and is now in the process of taking ownership of the iconic Top Spot Restaurant and Gas Station in a prime location on Main Street in Cedar City.

Finding housing in Cedar City is a stiff challenge. Places which are up for rent typically have lengthy waiting lists, and potential renters have to pay a fee to get placed on the list. But Stephen found a property management company in nearby St. George, Utah which had a listing in Cedar City with only one other person in line to rent it. So Stephen applied and was given the opportunity to rent the house beginning November 1st. The house is large (4,000 sq. ft. – including an undeveloped full basement), but located in a fairly new housing development in a good location and well-suited to the family’s needs.

After living in a big city townhouse for the past two years, with no yard, Ryan and Erin are really going to enjoy their spacious new “digs” with its fenced yard and its lawns in both the front and back.

And there are nearly unlimited opportunities for adventure in the beautiful area around the city!

Dave and Jan are very thankful to the Lord for His direction and provision in all of these details. The Balsley families are trusting in the Lord to make paths straight for Stephen as he learns the myriad of details involved in running a restaurant and gas station business – seeking to trust in the Lord with all of his heart, not leaning on his own understanding, but acknowledging the Lord in all his ways (Proverbs 3:5-6)! You are welcome to pray as well for the Lord’s direction and rich blessing in this new adventure.

An annual event Cedar City citizens look forward to each fall is the Cedar Livestock and Heritage Festival. For Dave and Jan this was the second time to experience the event. It began on Friday evening at the Cross Hollow event center (which Dave and Jan did not attend), but Saturday’s parade down Main Street, with the sheep parading through town, is an annual highlight of the event, with many other activities taking place at the Event Center. Decorations in town anticipate the event for the weeks leading up to it.

The parade features many indications of the region’s agricultural and animal heritage. Antique tractors not only participate in the parade, but compete at the Event Center in tractor pulls which test their ability to pull heavy loads as far and fast as possible.

Other vintage vehicles participate in the parade as well.

Among the farm machinery appearing in the parade are steam machines which add moisture to downed hay in a dry climate.

The sheep in the 2021 parade had apparently not rehearsed their part sufficiently. The crowd waited a while for the sheep to appear. When they did appear they seemed intent on traveling in circles rather than the straight line intended for them by their shepherds. Dave and Jan didn’t witness it, but they learned that late in the parade route the sheep headed by the hundreds into someone’s back yard to add interest to the event! Their behavior called to mind the Bible’s comparison of sheep with human beings when it says (Isaiah 53:6) “All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him [i.e. Jesus].” How loving of the Lord to bear the burden of human wanderings!

At the Cross Hollow Event Center, after the parade, tractors and horses pulled their loads, shepherds showed the trailers they live in during their attention to the sheep during summer pastures in the mountains, and vendors displayed their wares.

The Cedar Livestock and Heritage Festival is a very interesting event – one of the many things Dave and Jan enjoy about living in Cedar City.

Dave and Jan have been really enjoying the fall colors the Lord has put on display again this year. Cedar Mountain, visible from their house, was once again showing its colors for all Cedar City residents to enjoy.

Adding to the color of the season was a very fun visit from John and Linda Luginbuhl. John has served as pastor for more than thirty years now at Grace Bible Church in Gallup, New Mexico – formerly known as Gallup Baptist Church, where Dave and Jan served for eleven years decades ago. So the Balsleys and the Luginbuhls enjoyed several days of exploration in the color country of Southwest Utah – including visits to Kolob Canyon (Zion National Park west) and Zion National Park (proper).

Driving between Cedar City and Bryce Canyon via Highway 143 provided some brilliant color displays.

A drive along the road to Yankee Meadows included both colorful trees and fascinating rock formations.

It also provided an interesting encounter with some of the many sheep which spend their summer months on the mountain before heading down Main Street in Cedar City’s heritage festival in late October.

Beautiful Bryce Canyon National Park is always a fun place to introduce to visitors from out of the area.

And not far from Bryce Canyon is Kodachrome Basin State Park with its own unique features.

This morning (October 12) delivered eleven inches of fresh snow, so there is lots of variety in God’s handiwork for our enjoyment – and Dave and Jan are definitely enjoying it all!

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.