It's a Small World After All

Our 2010 summer vacation continues. After a few nights in Arizona, we have been hanging out in the beautiful state of Utah. First Moab, then Bryce Canyon, and today we are in Zion National Park for a few days. To say this place is picturesque is a complete understatement. At every stop, Corran, Cindy and I have enjoyed hiking in the national parks. We have seen lightning shows that take your breath away. We have been off-roading, river rafting, and tomorrow we are trying horseback riding. However, in the midst of all of this activity, in the midst of the raw beauty of our surroundings, what has struck me the most has been the human connection. Maybe it is because we are all on vacation, but our family has been blessed to meet so many wonderful people on this trip that is has been a genuinely moving experience. There are a lot of European travelers in Utah and my son has found friends from different nations at every stop on our journey. Not speaking the same language has not stopped any of them from making friends. It has been downright inspiring. Last night, we went to a BBQ place in Bryce Canyon that had a western themed show. Because there are only three of us, we shared a table with another family - Jan, Gwen, Marta and Simon. They are from Belgium. By the end of the night, our two families were great friends. It is difficult not to like people that you are sharing a meal (and a bottle) with. I think that is why so much of Jesus ministry happened around the table. It is a natural environment for sharing with one another. When this trip is over, we will have a lot of wonderful memories and a lot of great photographs. Seeing some of the beauty that we have seen certainly is inspiring. I think of the words of Psalm 136, "O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever. O give thanks to the God of gods for his steadfast love endures for ever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures for ever; who alone does great wonders for his steadfast love endures for ever; who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures for ever; who spread out the earth on the waters, for his steadfast love endures for ever." But, enjoying being with people that are different from us culturally has been the greatest blessing for me on this entire trip. I have cataloged a year's worth of sermon illustrations, I think. The fellowship of friends is still one of God's greatest gifts.
     My waxing rhapsodic is over...for now.

The Cameron Moon

Summer vacation is in full effect, and for some strange reason, my family and I chose Arizona and Utah in July. I guess we did not get enough heat in Orange County this month. Last night, we made a last minute decision. We left our RV park in Williams, Arizona and stopped in Cameron, Arizona for the night. Cameron is essentially a tourist stop - gas station, shop, gallery, and RV park. It was clean and respectable, but not a lot to do, except...

Cameron is right on the Little Colorado river, so we enjoyed walking along the gorge of the river. But, the real highlight came when the sun went down. We experienced a 360 degree lightning show. My son popped popcorn, we sat outside in our beach chairs and enjoyed the show. It was beautiful. I couldn't get a picture of the lightning, but I did get one of the beautiful moon.  It reminds me that good things can happen even when it does not fit into my schedule. It was a great surprise.

The Answer - 2

Oh, yeah. In all of the excitement about the "Ursus arctos" from my previous blog, I almost forgot to mention. Bishop was absolutely beautiful. This was Nature's Cathedral. This was something. I have attached a couple more photos just to whet your appetite, knowing full well that pictures cannot begin to capture the majesty of a place. Enjoy.

The Answer

There is an age old question about what a bear does his or her business. I am happy to report that I have been eyewitness to the truth that, yes, a bear does take care of business in the woods. Two weekend ago, some friends and I, with our families, took a short fishing trip to Bishop, California in the Eastern Sierras. It was spectacular. Follow this link to see some Facebook photos. But, back to the bear. The last day, maybe 15 minutes before we get in the cars and go home, everyone in our campsite starts yelling excitedly, "There's a bear, there's a bear." I turned around, look across the river that runs through our campsite, across a meadow on the other side, and sure enough, about 100 yards away is a full grown brown bear. He scratched his back on a tree, and then he did his business in the meadow, answering the proverbial question with a resounding "Yes." And the angels sang. Well, maybe not, but there was excitement in our camp. It is always helpful to be reminded when we are camping, hiking, etc. that we are in somebody else's house. Some of the creatures might be o.k. with having visitors, as long as we are respectful. But, others, well, if they tell you that they want to have you for dinner, that's exactly what the mean. Either way, it was a great trip with some of the best people that I know, in an inspiring place. Who could ask for more?

Tomorrow, I am leaving for a two-week vacation. The family is taking the RV to Moab, Utah. I will try and ride some of the trails I rode as a young man. We will see what happens. I will blog as often as I can as sort of a travelogue. Vaya con dios!