Dave and Jan enjoyed another visit to Kodachrome Basin State Park in south central Utah the first week of September – this time with their trailer for a three-day, two night stay in the park campground. Kodachrome Basin State Park is just east of Bryce Canyon National Park, with views of Bryce from many parts of the state park. Rated as one of the best dark sky locations anywhere in the world, they enjoyed nighttime views of myriads of stars and the best look at the Milky Way they have seen in decades. It was a camping experience to be repeated!

Kodachrome Basin differs from many other parks by the presence of many rock pillars standing tall above the basin floor. Many pillars are well over fifty feet tall – some cylindrical and others pointed like a pyramid, some rising up from the valley floor and others rising above mesas and ridges. Where they are grouped fairly close together they create quite an interesting skyline.

The first evening’s outing led to Chimney Rock, a thick pillar structure standing alone on the basin floor.

There were many places where the basin floor was beautified by fields of colorful flowers.

Even the campsite where Dave and Jan were staying was quite scenic in its own right.

The longest hike for the trip was on the Panorama Trail – with three mile and six mile loop options and a side trip to Panorama Point. The three mile loop with the two mile side trip to Panorama Point and back was the choice for the day.

Dave and Jan are very grateful for the many fascinating places not far from “home” to be explored and enjoyed in Southwestern Utah – and for the time and resources the Lord has blessed them to enjoy in these “golden years” of their lives. With the Psalmist David they can say “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me . . . In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever” (Psalm 16:6,16).

When Dave and Jan arrived at the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage in December of 2020 it was Jan’s hope that they would enjoy a cruise to Alaska, but the Corona Virus pandemic had most cruises on hold. So, as an alternative, they decided to go to Kentucky where Answers in Genesis developed a creation museum some years back and then, more recently, the Ark Encounter. They decided to drive to Kentucky, pulling their Kodiak Cub trailer behind their Toyota Highlander. The dates they settled on for their trip were August 9 (Jan’s birthday) through August 21 of 2021.

Because an avalanche in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado closed portions of I-70, the most direct route to Kentucky from Cedar City, Dave and Jan chose to drive I-80 on the trip east, returning on I-40 for the trip west. Stops along the way east included the KOA in Rock Springs, Wyoming; Buffalo Bill Ranch State Park in North Platte, Nebraska; a motel stay in Platte City, Missouri; and O’Bannon Woods State Park in Indiana.

Arriving in Kentucky, Northern Kentucky RV Park in Dry Ridge, KY became their “home away from home” for the next three nights.

After arranging lodging for Jan’s dog, Lola, the first visit to the Ark Encounter occurred on Friday afternoon/evening, August 13. In addition to the ark itself, a gospel concert series lasting forty days and nights was occurring on the premises, so the 2500 seat auditorium was humming with activities throughout each day. The ark grounds are beautifully landscaped, and they include food services, a zoo (with a petting zoo section), a large zip line, and a colorful playground for children.

The ark, the largest all-wood structure, was built according to the dimensions revealed in Genesis 6:15 (450 feet long; 75 feet wide; 45 feet high), using the expertise of Amish carpenters because of their experience with wood construction. The ark is filled with informative exhibits on each of three decks, envisioning every conceivable angle of the experience of Noah and his family and the animals. The first deck included storage options for food and water for the ark’s inhabitants, and features for waste-removal. The second deck featured wooden cages with life-sized examples of the animals which would have been on the ark. The third deck included living quarters for Noah’s family, along with numerous exhibits explaining the exit from the ark and the expansion of the human family on the refashioned earth. Dave and Jan stayed through the evening concert, making Saturday a full day.

Following a Sunday morning worship service with Dry Ridge Baptist Church, and dinner in the trailer, it was time to take in the Creation Museum further north about 40 miles near Kentucky’s northern border. Like the Ark Encounter, the museum is filled with exhibits detailing the scientific case for special creation and explaining innumerable details which demonstrate the credibility of the Biblical creation account. High-tech animatronics and artistically arranged dioramas make the museum a work of art, and beautifully landscaped grounds provide a beautiful setting for the museum and all the detailed information which it contains.

The trip home included stops at Piney River RV Resort in Tennessee; Lake Dardanelle State Park in Arkansas; Foss State Park in Oklahoma; and the KOA in Grants, New Mexico. Dave and Jan are very grateful to the Lord for their fifty-plus years of happy marriage, and for the opportunity to celebrate their relationship with such an interesting and informative road trip and their museum experiences at both the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum.

Among the many things Dave and Jan enjoy about Cedar City is its proximity to so many beautiful places. Just east of Cedar City is Cedar Breaks National Monument. Though the Balsleys have visited Cedar Breaks numerous times, they only recently took the hike from the normal visitors’ center (currently under re-construction). It was definitely a hike to be repeated.

Among the interesting features of the area is the presence of many Bristlecone Pine trees. Some Bristlecone Pines have been around for up to 5,000 years (according to the “experts”), and the park service indicates that Bristlecone Pines in the Cedar Breaks area are up to 2,000 years old.

Of course, there are also many beautiful flowers to enjoy at the monument.

Another nearby area of interest to Dave and Jan is Kolob Canyons – the western portion of Zion National Park. But just across the highway from the canyons is a country community, New Harmony, backed on the west by an interesting looking range of mountains. So a drive to New Harmony led to the New Harmony Trailhead with its picnic area and a series of trails – some of which lead up into the mountains which await discovery at another time in cooler weather.

And the view of the Kolob Canyons area from New Harmony is something to enjoy on its own!

Dave and Jan have been enjoying short (three-day) camping trips to various points of interest in Utah’s southwest and even into eastern Nevada. But it is very nice to have some beautiful areas to explore with only a short drive. In all of it the truth of the second verse of the hymn “I Am His, and He Is Mine” resonates for the Balsleys – “Heav’n above is deeper blue; earth around is sweeter green! Something lives in every hue Christ-less eyes have never seen”!

Dave and Jan enjoyed a week-long visit with Stephen, Meagan, Ryan (7) and Erin (4) July 2-13. It was the best chance they have had to spend time with Stephen and family for some time, and it was nice that it began over the 4th of July week-end because Cedar City is a very patriotic community and Meagan loves fireworks. The families (along with Pattie Shew, Dave and Jan’s former neighbor from Brea, CA) took in two city fireworks displays – one in St. George on the 3rd of July and one in Cedar City on the 5th. And Ryan enjoyed using grandpa’s small camera to take pictures of the 4th of July parade (on July 5th in Cedar City).

Ryan also took some interesting night-time pictures of the Cedar City fireworks display at the airport.

Stephen’s family enjoyed Cedar City’s Aquatic Center on some of the city’s warm summer days. And they also enjoyed cooling down in the water of Coal Creek which flows through town not far from Dave and Jan’s house.

Because Ryan and Erin like to climb rocks, Dave and Ryan hiked to the top of a red rock ridge close to the house.

What summer visit to Cedar City would be complete without a visit to beautiful, nearby Cedar Breaks?

A more recent discovery for Dave and Jan is the interesting trail to Cascade Falls – formed by a stream which flows for a mile or two from Navajo Lake through lava tubes to the place where (when water flows) it falls into the canyon below the colorful and beautiful Virgin River Rim. The cascade was dry, but the hike was invigorating!

The final scenic outing took the family to Kolob Canyon where a short hike provides views of the amazing rocks.

Dave and Jan were happy for the opportunity to share the patriotic atmosphere of Cedar City and some of the scenic beauty which surrounds them with Stephen’s family during the fourth of July holiday season – and they look forward to more opportunities to introduce family and friends to the beauty of “color country” in Southwest Utah. If the Lord can use the judgment of the Flood of Noah’s day to create such beauty, what will the perfection of heaven be like?

Dave and Jan had a conversation with a local man in Cedar City some time back in which they first heard of the Tushar Mountains east of the City of Beaver – just over fifty miles north of Cedar City. His reference to Mountain Goats which can sometimes be seen in the area with binoculars was particularly captivating, so the day came recently when they decided to do some exploring in the area. What a pleasant surprise to discover, just over sixty miles north, an alpine environment – including another ski lodge area at around 10,000 feet elevation. The area has been described as one of Utah’s best kept secrets – so don’t tell anybody!

A sign on the skyline trail told of the presence of Mountain Goats in the region – though Dave and Jan were disappointed not to have seen any during their hike on the Skyline Trail.

On a day when temperatures in the valleys of the area were typically in the 90’s, it was very refreshing to enjoy cooler temperatures which almost called for long-sleeved shirts or other warmer garments. Jan was well prepared for the cool air as she searched in a mountain meadow for Elephant Head Orchids.

U.S. Forest Service information on the area stated that the best time to see wild flowers in the region is late July or early August, so Dave and Jan were happy to find some very nice displays of wild flowers as they hiked.

A picnic lunch is always most enjoyable in a flowery mountain meadow along a crystal clear stream.

Dave and Jan are not down-hill skiers, but for those who are, the Eagle Point Ski Resort welcomes winter visitors.

There’s far more to explore than a day’s hike can begin to reveal, but it is great to know that such amazing scenery is revealing the creative genius of the Lord only an hour or two away from home for Dave and Jan – and for those who come to visit Dave and Jan in southwestern Utah’s “color country” (as their former neighbor Patty Shew from Brea did in recent days).

Dave and Jan enjoyed a visit during the third week of May with their daughter Alissa and her husband, Dr. Andrew Crandall, and their four boys – Levi (10), Elijah (8), Silas (6) and Ephraim (4). They arrived from Huron, South Dakota on Tuesday evening, May 18, having stopped overnight at a Presbyterian camp in South Dakota (because Andrew is a Presbyterian pastor and had access to the camp), followed by a long day on the road on Tuesday. There were many things to enjoy with family the next few days – including visits to local parks, like the Main Street Park just a few blocks from the Balsleys’ house where Ephraim and his brothers enjoyed the spider web.

A visit to St. George the next day included a picnic in a park where an artist had created a very large guitar.

Next came a visit to a display of dinosaur tracks at the Johnson Farm Dinosaur Discovery Center.

A visit to the Thunder Junction amusement park was a fun experience for the boys – and the adults as well!

Friday, May 21st, was a good day for a visit to the Valley of Fire in southeastern Nevada because unseasonably cool weather made for a good experience in a beautiful and increasingly popular location which can be very warm in spring and summer and early fall months – which explained a trail sign which warned against the advisability of a hike!

The Crandalls started toward home in South Dakota via Yellowstone Park and other points of interest in Wyoming on Monday, May 24th. Because they were pulling the tent-trailer Dave and Jan gave to them after purchasing their Kodiak Cub trailer, the Balsleys traveled north with them one day to help with any questions they might have about camping in the tent trailer. So both families enjoyed an overnight visit to Rockport State Park north of Heber City, where everyone spent part of the evening riding on the historic Heber Valley Railroad between Heber City and Vivian Park.

As Dr. James Dobson observed years ago, “No one comes to the end of their life saying ‘I wish I had spent more time at the office.'” Dave and Jan are grateful for the children and grandchildren the Lord has placed in their lives, and they enjoyed spending time with Andrew and family exploring so many fun and interesting places in the Cedar City area!

“Behold, children are a gift of the LORD” (Psalm 127:3), and “Grandchildren are the crown of old men” (Proverbs 17:6).

Dave and Jan enjoyed a visit from Dr. Carl and Nancy Laney, friends from seminary days, in mid April. When the Laneys headed back to Oregon they drove west from Cedar City to Panaca, Nevada, then headed north where they passed Cathedral Gorge State Park. Because they sent back a picture of the gorge, reporting on the facilities available for campers at the park, Dave and Jan headed for an overnight visit to Cathedral Gorge with their curiosity aroused.

The park was well-worth a visit, with nice camping facilities and interesting geological formations around most of the perimeter of the gorge – created largely by the impact of water on the fine soil of the gorge over the passing years.

A four-mile hike takes the hiker around much of the perimeter of the State Park with many interesting views.

Some of the most unusual geological features of the park include the narrow “slot canyons” in many park locations.

Some of the slot canyons go back into the rock walls for one or two hundred feet and tower high above the hiker for many feet as well, creating the sense which many people have told of experiencing during their visits to some of the cathedrals in Europe – which may be the reason for the word “cathedral” in the name of the gorge and the park.

From the canyon floor there is also a trail which leads up to the Miller Point Overlook – an overlook which is also accessible from the highway north from Panaca, providing a very nice bird’s eye view of most of the gorge.

We are grateful to Carl and Nancy Laney for the heads-up regarding Cathedral Gorge State Park. It was a nice find! As Dave observed to a hiker we met along the way on one of the park’s trails (and he agreed) – “The Lord does nice work!”

Because Dave and Jan’s California grandkids have birthdays just a week and a half apart in April they drove to California to take part in the joint birthday party for Ryan and Erin at the home of Dr. Bruce and Connie Seymour (the other grandparents) in Long Beach. Those in attendance included the Seymours, Ryan and Erin’s parents, Stephen and Meagan, Meagan’s sister and family (Chip, Heidi, Zerlinda, Benjamin and Amos Clampitt). The Seymour’s back yard became the party scene.

Ryan had just turned seven, and he was happy to be reunited with Jan’s dog, Lola on the occasion of the party.

Erin, who turned four a few days after the party, was quite enthralled with a bubble machine on the day of the party.

With two birthdays to celebrate a little creativity can make the birthday cake serve for both of the celebrants.

And with two birthdays to celebrate there was an abundance of birthday gifts to be opened by both Ryan and Erin.

And what kids’ birthday party would be complete without a chance to hit the pinata, so cousin Benjamin took his turn as Stephen looked on and Benjamin’s father, Chip, made the process more challenging by keeping the target moving!

On Sunday evening, the day following the birthday party, Dave and Jan joined Stephen and family for a visit to the Glendale Galleria, a popular shopping center in Glendale, not far from Stephen’s family’s home in Burbank.

It’s fun to watch grandkids as they develop over the passing of the years. What directions will their lives take in the years ahead if the Lord’s return is delayed long enough to see them into adulthood? Only the Lord knows, but perhaps Ryan will turn out to be another famous artist in view of his re-creation of one of the works of Picasso!

Dave and Jan met Carl and Nancy Laney over fifty years ago when Dave and Carl were students together at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. Carl went on, after earning his M.Div. degree at Western, to earn a Th.M. degree there and then a Th.D. degree at Dallas Seminary. He has spent the past 40 years teaching Bible and other subjects at Western, and has authored numerous books (15-20?) and led many study tours to Israel. Though the Balsleys and the Laneys have lived in different states since seminary days, they have kept in touch over the years. So it was a pleasure to have the Laneys pay a visit to Cedar City for a few days of great sight seeing and hiking and fellowship in the Lord.

Bryce Canyon National Park is one of Utah’s national treasures only around 70 miles from Cedar City. Filled with multi-colored “hoodos,” the park stretches for many miles and includes many vista points for those who wish to view it from the top – but it also includes numerous trails for those who want to hike down into the canyon for a closer look.

The following day the drive went north through the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument to the Capitol Reef National Park – with great scenery all along the way through many miles of amazing rocks and beautiful forests.

The final full day with the Laneys was spent driving through the amazing rock formations of Zion National Park, then hiking at Kolob Canyon (which is Zion National Park West) – located just 20 miles south of Cedar City.

As you can clearly tell, the Balsleys and Laneys had a great time exploring the beauty of southern Utah – both families deeply grateful for all the evidence of the Lord’s amazing creative genius so evident in the region.

Dave and Jan have enjoyed camping since the beginning of their marriage. They purchased a Western Field 8 by10 foot tent with wedding gift money and camped in it for 33 years – until a horse ripped the top open at a Kampgrounds of America campground at St. Mary’s Lake in Montana’s Glacier National Park. For the next ten or fifteen years they enjoyed a used tent trailer they purchased in Pomona, California. In their senior years they have purchased a “camping trailer” – a Dutchmen Kodiak Cub to make “camping” more comfortable.

Snow Canyon State Park would probably be a national park in any other state than the state of Utah. Located in the red-rock country near St George, in southwestern Utah, this park enjoys mild winter weather and seldom receives snow. The park was named after early Utah leaders Lorenzo and Erastus Snow.

Dave and Jan have always enjoyed exploring the Lord’s creativity on their camping outings – and exploring Snow Canyon just 45 miles south of Cedar City near St. George, Utah was another great example of the Lord’s creativity!

Jeremiah 10:12 (NASB)
¹² It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens.