North Rim/Jacob Lake rain get away!

 We just wanted a quick, beautiful getaway!  We got a one night stay in a little cabin at Jacob Lake and spent a day at the North Rim.  And...it rained!  We got everything we had hoped for!  Beautiful walks at the Grand Canyon and at Jacob Lake, rain falling and beautiful views and fresh, rain washed air, and forests and flowers!  It was GOOD!  The day we got back we had a fun "Pie and beer - Pioneer Day" family dinner at Juge's.  We had great food and fun times playing her Pioneer Cranium game.  No pics. 

Summertime walking & riding, Liberty Village and Kayenta Art Village

 I just recently started riding my bike again!  I had it tuned up last year for my birthday, but with school starting too early for me to ride in the morning, I just never did ride.  Now I'm not going to be going back to school and I have time in the summer, anyway, so I have started riding again.  It's hard, but I'm glad to be "back in the saddle again!"

Another thing I'm getting back to with Paul is walking in the hot summer evenings at the golf course.  We were getting to where we were just watching movies in the evening or playing games.  Getting out to walk is a much better thing.  The golf course is much cooler, especially when they have the sprinklers going and you can walk through them!  I'm glad we remembered this nice evening ritual and are reviving it!  If we find golf balls, we play hand golf too!  

A couple of other places we've enjoyed are Liberty Village and the Kayenta Art Village!  Love getting out to enjoy new places!

Pine Valley Picnic and erosion

It was a last minute thing.  It looked like it was raining up in Pine Valley, so we changed our plans, grabbed our stuff and food and drove up to have a picnic.  It had rained, but was done which was good so we could eat outside at the Heritage Center.  Then we went down and got ice cream.  After that we decided to walk up the road a ways into the valley and see how they were coming on digging out the lake.  The rain from that day had been doing more erosion damage.  Until some plants start growing over on the burned areas, it just keeps on washing down and causing so much damage.  So very sad to see this beautiful place in  such bad shape.  The dam is washed out, the lake is just a place full of sludge right now that they are trying to clear out, but it keeps filling up.  Rocks keep getting washed down the hills from above.  It's going to take several years to restore it to something like it was before.  There are still a lot of trees that survived at least.  It was still a lovely picnic with the fresh rain washed air.  

illumibot evening at the Opera House...cool!

 On Tuesday, July 7, from 9 pm to 10:30 pm, outside the historic St. George Opera House is transforming into a massive, glowing canvas!  We're thrilled to welcome illumibot to town!  They will be lighting up the night with their jaw-dropping projections mapping technology.  As part of their national "illumiBeast" summer tour celebrating America's 250th anniversary, expect to see massive, mesmerizing patriotic tributes alongside breathtaking visual displays!  We went to watch this and it was really cool!  

Thank Goodness for Cedar Mountain/Lava Point

 We are so thankful that we have Cedar Mountain to get away to.  Pine Valley is pretty much on hold for the next year or more while the figure out how to put the campgrounds, picnic areas and lake/dam back together after the fire and then, even worse, the erosion it caused afterwards.  So, when we need to get away, we head for Cedar Mountain.  Today was one of those days.  After we got our morning stuff done, we picked up Bean and with a stop in Cedar for a KFC meal we drove up to 5-Mile Picnic area just out of Parowan and had a great lunch.  Paul and I did a little exploring around the site and found some sort of old stone oven. We also drove up to see Yankee Meadow Reservoir.  It's really low, but still very beautiful.  It made me want to go kayaking.  After that we drove over the mountain and enjoyed the beautiful display of meadows of purple flowers in Cedar Breaks.  We stopped there at the picnic area for our candy bar dessert.  We also stopped in at the Visitor's Center.  We saw lots of other flowers along the road, at the picnic spot and also at the Visitor's Center.  Their annual Wildflower Festival is going on right now!  After that we drove down the mountain and back home.  It was good to get to the mountains!  I kind of nodded in and out on the drive home.  

On Friday we went on another picnic...this time at Lava Point which is up by Kolob Reservoir.  It's actually a part of Zion National Park.  There's a beautiful overlook, a picnic area and a campground.  It was a nice day for it being a little cooler than here and especially in the shade where our table was. Afterwards we drove over to Kolob Lake but only as far as the road was paved since we were in our rental car.  Out truck is STILL in the shop.  Paul's foot has graduated to where he can now wear a regular shoe for part of the day.  It's making good progress, but we between the foot and the truck we are feeling like we are sort of wasting the summer away a bit with not any very exciting adventures.  I think it's time to take a trip...somewhere!   (The sunrise shot was on my morning walk on the Red Hill today!) 

Independence Day

 The 4th is on Saturday this year which would make it so people wouldn't get a week day off from work, so some places closed on Friday.  For me it did not matter...it just made me want to celebrate for two days!  On Friday Paul, Bean and I went to see the new Angel/Wonder studios movie, Young Washington.  It's a terrific movie and made me thankful for men who were called by God to do a work to help America/The United States become a free land where the gospel could be restored and where finally, all people could be free.  Today we are having a little get together with Ferf and her kids who are down visiting with her.  Moss and Christie and family asked to join us for the too.  Lots of good food, good visiting and fireworks (by the city) and a few that Brynnli and Ryan will bring.  I got up this morning and took my walk on the Red Hill and felt blessed to live here and be free.  I also posted an old picture I took and have as a side thing on this blog.  I found more pics of flags that I or others in the family have taken.  And I thought of the song we used to sing long ago in week day Primary: 

I love my land America with blue skies big and wide;

I love my land America with seas on either side. 

The prairie corn grows tall and green, the wheat is amber gold;

The rivers run from mountain peaks where the stars and stripes unfold.

I love my land America, and as long as we are good, 

the Lord will bless America, in love and brotherhood.

Here are the pics from our gathering.  The fireworks pics never turn our very well in the dark.  We also celebrated Kai's birthday as part of the evenings fun!  Good times with good folks!  We enjoyed meeting Kennis' friend, Aliya, and also Jared's daughter's Shelby and Koda.  

Kaibab car camping

 So, our truck is still in limbo...to repair or total?  We wanted to get away for a little camp out and decided we could do it in our Pirus but only on a great dirt road not too far from the paved road.  We knew the right spot and got the tent and all of the other needed stuff packed up.  It was a full load.  We left Wednesday morning and drove to Cameron Arizona to start the trip off with a Navajo Taco (we split one) for lunch at the Cameron Trading Post.  So delicious! After lunch we drove over to see the Little Colorado River Gorge where we visited the different viewpoints. It is so deep! Then we drove back to Jacob Lake (with a stop at Lonely Dell Ranch - no fruit ready to pick there) and after some ice-cream and cookies we went to get our camp set up.  We found a great spot just off the road a little ways near the Murray Lake Trailhead of the Arizona National Scenic Trail.  We actually camped right next to that part of the trail.  It was a great spot with no hazards for our lowrider car to get there.  It has been awhile since we tent camped!  We thought about just camping under the stars but it was a little breezy so we decided to put two cots in our tent and use our air pads on top of them along with our down backpacking quilts.  It worked out well.  It was a full moon night, so it was good to be in the tent to make it a little darker!  It was cool and quiet.  We played some card games in the evening until bedtime.  In the morning it was pretty cool, so we stayed snuggled in our beds for a little while.  When it was time to go, we stopped in a Jacob Lake and then headed home through Kanab and then Zion.  We stopped off in Kanab to see their new reservoir.  It's a nice lake that has a trail all the way around it and lots of different sports activities along the side.  Zion was as breathtaking as ever on our drive through.  Paul still can't walk too far, so we only did a little walking during the whole trip.  Soon he'll be on the mend and we'll be able to do more!  This was a great little get away and we needed it!  Someday we'll get our truck back or get another one.  

Fun times with Bean - mini golf!

 

 We always have fun when we take Bean and go mini golfing. 

Getting out on Cedar Mountain - Paul still has his boot on!

 I'd rather be camping...but the check up only gave Paul another two weeks in his boot.  So, Friday we were ready for a day away.  Cedar Mountain is close and cooler, so we opted to go there for a drive and a picnic.  We first drove over to check on Navajo Lake.  It is lower than I think I've ever seen it, but still beautiful!  We saw lots of flowers blooming and found out there is a little lodge/general store and little rental cabins.  Who knew?  Not us!  We checked them out and enjoyed the find.  

Next we drove around the the mountain and stopped off to see the stream by Aspen Mirror Lake.  I love that spot.  Then we continued on over to a great little picnic spot near some ginormous lava piles.  It was a peaceful, unhurried picnic...so nice.  More beautiful flowers there.

 Next we drove on around and to Cedar Breaks.  I always love to go there.  They have the best store and it is just so beautiful and awesome!  Paul took a little nap in the Chessman Overlook parking lot, and Bean and I took a little hike along the ridge trail there.  Then we went to the Visitor's Center. I got a Jr. Ranger book this time.  We walked a tiny trail and saw lots more flowers!  

Then it was time to head down the hill.  We took the Brian Head way.  We drove some side roads and discovered a historic steam engine from Brian Head's past.  It was used to power lumber mills at several sites around the area from 1903-1939.  Very interesting to see it sitting there among today's giant "cabins".  Then we went down the hill to Parowan and stopped in for shakes/root beer float at the Dairy Freeze.  Then we headed home.  It did us the good we needed to be up there in the cool mountain air and among the forest beauty!  And, it made me want to go camping.  

June fun!

 Drive to Pinto - we just had some time in the afternoon and wanted to get out of the house and see some pretty.  Driving to Pinto did it for us.  Loved the old homes, scenery and history of this little place.  The stones in the monument are from the old chapel that was built in Pinto in the beginning years of the little place.