CHURCH
On Sunday we arrived at Bryce Canyon National Park (which actually
isn’t a canyon but an amphitheater).
While we drove through South Utah we couldn’t find a church (besides
Mormon ones) to go to. So, when we got to our campsite we held our own little
service. Curtis welcomed us to the
Shasta RV Christian Church and then gave the announcements (“there will be a
hike to Sunset Ridge at sunset”) and the opening prayer. Sadie chose the song (Open the Eyes of My
Heart Lord). Erik led us through
Proverbs looking at verses about wisdom vs. being a fool. And, I gave the closing prayer.
The views at Bryce are amazing! There are hundreds of hoodoos in the
amphitheater. Here are some pictures:
RAIN
The first night at Bryce we had a lot of rain and some thunder too. The kids kept going outside with the broom to
drain the rain that was collecting on the RV awning. The next morning Erik went out to get his
hiking boots (we leave the boots under the RV because they are pretty dirty)
and somehow, even though the boots were under the RV they were completely full
of water. My boots were drenched as well
but weren’t holding water. The kids’ boots
however were perfectly dry. Lovely!
On Monday we hiked two miles down to the “Hat Shop” where we found
Hoodoos with rocks on top of them (they looked like hats). While we were down there we saw dark storm
clouds in the distance and thought we should get started back up to beat the
storm. We raced the storm all the way
back up with the thunder getting louder and louder. We made it to the top and had just sat down
at the shuttle stop (which was covered) for about two minutes when the rains
began. Now, we are Oregonians so rain
doesn’t bother us but this wasn’t any old rain.
It was an instant downpour. All
20 of us at the bus stop crowded together as close as we could to the center of
the shelter so we wouldn’t get rain on us.
And then, it started raining harder!
And harder! And then, the hail
came. As we ran to the shuttle bus the
hail was actually hurting us. By the
time we got back to our campsite the storm had passed and it looked like it had
snowed with all the hail on the ground. Unfortunately,
Erik had set our wet boots on the picnic table so that they would dry while we
were gone. Instead of drying they got
wetter and filled with hail. (Today is
Wednesday and they are finally mostly dry).
The "Hat Shop"
The rest of Monday we spent in the RV playing games and reading. During the day and night four different
thunder storms passed through. Rain is
really loud on a metal roof. But, I’m
not complaining… an RV is much drier than a tent! As usual, Curtis slept through the whole
night and didn’t hear the rain at all.
And, his bed is closest to the roof!
HIKING
Tuesday was a beautiful 75 degree day.
The guys and the girls went on separate hikes. Erik and Curtis hiked the five mile “Bryce
Amphitheater Traverse” while Sadie and I hiked the three mile “Queens/Navajo
Combination Loop”. Each of our hikes
took us down into the bottom of the amphitheater and we got to walk around the
hoodoos. Sadie’s and my hike went to a
hoodoo that supposedly looked like the Queen Victoria (we didn’t see the
resemblance). Interestingly, our two hikes
crossed each other’s and Erik and Curtis tried to hide from us in hopes that we
would walk right by them. Silly guys!
Lots of switchbacks!
ALONE-TIME
Today I woke up and was filling a little bit like I needed some
space. It’s been almost three weeks that
we have been on the sabbatical and while I love my family very much I realized
I hadn’t had any real alone time. Erik
has done a few hikes by himself and a couple of 50 mile bike rides to get away
and it just hit me today that I needed that too. So, I had been planning on hiking the rim of
the canyon up to Bryce point with the kids.
Instead I informed everyone that I would be doing that hike alone (there
were no complaintsJ). I started out with just my I-Pod and a bottle of water on the four mile
round trip hike. My I-Pod is a shuffle
and I can’t see what songs are up next.
I turned the I-Pod on and thought I would be listening to my favorite country
songs but instead my favorite version of Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) was
playing. After that it was like God
hand-picked the songs for me. As I walked
along the rim of the canyon looking at all the hoodoos I listened to songs
about God’s majesty, his amazing creations, how great he is and even a David
Crowder song that talks about the flowers and the trees and even the canyons
making a joyful noise to the Lord. It
was the perfect hike and exactly the time away that I needed! I will be remembering this and looking for
other alone-time hikes as we move on.
BREATHING
We live in McMinnville with an elevation of about 300 ft. Yosemite’s elevation was 4,000 ft. and
above. The Grand Canyon was almost 8,000
ft. and Bryce is 8,300 feet. Needless to
say we are definitely feeling the elevation!
Hiking up-hill makes everyone gasp for breath. If I walk too hard and fast up-hill I get
nauseous. After hiking we are all wiped
out. All I know is that when I get back
to McMinnville and am walking my normal walking route up the west hills in town
I had better feel amazing!
CANYONS
Canyons are definitely beautiful but they do have a major
down-side. When you are camping at the
top of the canyon ALL hiking trails go DOWN into the canyon. Then, after you have been hiking for quite a
while and are getting tired you get to hike UP out of the canyon. It is totally opposite of most normal hikes I
have been on.
NEXT STOP
Tomorrow we will be packing up and heading to Arches National
Park. The Pros of Arches are that this
is the place Erik and I have been looking forward to seeing the most. And, the elevation is lower!
The Cons are that the weather will be between 90 and 100 degrees! And, there are no showers! With limited water that the RV holds we will
be doing some creative bathing/showering.
Wish us luck!
