Tag: vacation

An abundance of blessings

We have just felt so blessed on our trip west. So I decided to make a list of some of the special blessings we have noted. The messianic blessing promised to Israel and received also by the church is pronounced in Isaiah 65:23 (NIV), “They will be a people blessed by the Lord!” We have certainly felt His care and provision on this vacation. Here’s a small list to celebrate the last Sunday of our vacation.

It was a special joy to connect with loved ones on the West coast. At the beginning of our trip, we so enjoyed our stay with our son-in-law’s parents in Eugene, OR. We had not seen them since the wedding. We were also happy to meet Mark’s brother, Bill and his wife Fatima for the first time. Then at the end of our trip we had the privilege of seeing our nephew’s wife, Kim and their son, Lincoln, who is not quite 2, in Seattle, WA .
We sighted so many animals on this trip including elk, moose, black bear, grizzly bear, pica, prairie dog, ground squirrel, marmot, mule deer, and mountain goat. I’ll be blogging more about this.
We had unusually good weather – very few clouds on our trips to places that usually have clouds like Olympic National Park and Mt St. Helens. We had almost no rain at all.
We found safety while driving about 3100 miles in a little cherry red Nissan Versa the trunk of which surprising swallowed our large suitcases perfectly. We had a couple close calls on the road, but God rescued us.
We worshipped on August 15 with Staters and it was communion Sunday at their church. It is special refreshment for me to be able to receive communion while on vacation.
We were able to find places to stay that were quite nice. The first night at Glacier was a little problematic because there was a state fair in Kalispell. Montana. But we ended up at an East Glacier guest house, the most luxurious housing of the trip. It was only available because the person renting it missed a plane for that evening.
We repeatedly commented how much we enjoyed traveling together. We work together while we travel. JoAnne plans, reads tour books and maps and navigates. I drive, handle luggage, and make choices that she hasn’t already figured out. For us, it was a joy to be away from our routine, away from our responsibilities, and doing something we love for vacation – seeing national parks. It is a great way to celebrate our 40^th summer together as a married couple.

Tags blessings, vacation

Americana Journal

A Rural Railroad Surprise

We had stopped to get gas in the middle of nowhere. As I pumped gas, I looked to the left of the station and noticed a small railroad station and yard, only a couple tracks and a sideline or two. But they looked like they might belong to a branch line or a tourist railroad. So I walked up the street and checked it out. The pictures show what I found. It was obviously rather rural as the mule deer ate right beside the tracks. I found a couple websites for it too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4alxKVJ4eVk and http://www.trainweb.org/rosters/WURR.html.

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Tags locomotive, railfan, vacation

Americana Journal

Hell’s Canyon – the scariest drive

Post author By pastorkelvin
Post date August 27, 2010

Let’s just say that we figured out why they call it Hell’s Canyon. Getting down in and back up the other side, even one branch of it took hours and involved the scariest driving in all of our Northwest adventures. The switchbacks came one after another, stacked one above the other in tiers. I downshifted the Nissan into second and at one point into first. About then a double –yes double– grain tractor-trailer came roaring up the switchbacks – what would happen if you met him on some of the sharpest, blindest corners, I don’t even want to speculate. I can’t imagine why doubles are allowed on this road!! Did I mention that there were few guardrails or stone barriers? The area is very arid yet the steep mountainsides are range land and we actually saw cattle on them. I don’t know how the beef cows have any energy left to grow after all it would take to move around the canyon sides. There were fences too, but the ranchers must have had climbing gear to build them. We really didn’t get all the way down to the Snake River which forms the very bottom of the canyon; we crossed a tributary river called Grande Ronde.

Before we began the drive down, we drove to one of the overlooks to view the scenery. The area is very remote and getting to the overlook involved a 40 mile country drive one way. It was our first experience at seeing the slippery metal cattle crossing grates across the main roads, an experience we would repeat many times. Every mountain stream and river looked like a super-sized version of a Pennsylvania trout stream—pure clear water, often with that greenish cast of a spring run-off. The canyon itself is vast in its scope and depth. It is definitely grand enough to invite comparisons with the Grand Canyon itself. There are few canyons in that league. This one was much more complex in structure if that is possible; involving a large number of tributary canyons. It did not have such precipitous sides as our experience of the South side of the Grand Canyon. The rock here is much more eroded and has some sparse evergreen covering. We spent some quiet time at the overlook while JoAnne sketched and I observed the flowers, scanned the canyon, and watched for birds with my binoculars.

$he\'s out of uniform!$

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Tags canyon, Quiet spots, vacation, views

Journal Joy Notes

A Word and a song for our Northwest vacation celebration

Post author By pastorkelvin
Post date August 27, 2010

One of the purposes of vacation is to be able to think about God’s work in our lives in a way we don’t think to do during regular work times. So JoAnne and I try to take time to read Scripture. On a driving intensive vacation like this one (we covered about 3100 miles in 2 weeks), sometimes she would read to me as I drove. We also occasionally sang. In the majesty of this area, the song, “How Great is Our God” was a natural choice. Second was “This Land is Your Land, This Land Is My Land.” In bear country they tell you to sing anyway, but it comes natural when you are followers of Jesus. It wasn’t very long before we discovered a favorite Psalm too, one that that seemed to describe so well our experience with nature and with God on this trip. We read it over and over—Psalm 104. I have inserted subtitles that related to our travels.

Ps 104
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
For the sunny mountain heights

O Lord my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.
2 He wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent
3 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
and rides on the wings of the wind.
4 He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.

For the great rivers and the seaside

5 He set the earth on its foundations;
it can never be moved. 6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
7 But at your rebuke the waters fled,
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
8 they flowed over the mountains,
they went down into the valleys,
to the place you assigned for them.
9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;
never again will they cover the earth.

For all the mountain creatures and the birds

10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
it flows between the mountains.
11 They give water to all the beasts of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 The birds of the air nest by the waters;
they sing among the branches.
13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
14 He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for man to cultivate — bringing forth food from the earth:
15 wine that gladdens the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine,
and bread that sustains his heart.
For the great evergreen forests
16 The trees of the Lord are well watered,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 There the birds make their nests;
the stork has its home in the pine trees.
18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats;
the crags are a refuge for the coneys.

19 The moon marks off the seasons,
and the sun knows when to go down.
20 You bring darkness, it becomes night,
and all the beasts of the forest prowl.
21 The lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.
22 The sun rises, and they steal away;
they return and lie down in their dens.
23 Then man goes out to his work,
to his labor until evening.

24 How many are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number — living things both large and small.
26 There the ships go to and fro,
and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

27 These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time.
28 When you give it to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they are terrified;
when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.

For the volcanic peaks
30 When you send your Spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works —
32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

Grand doxology

33 I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord.
35 But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more.

Praise the Lord, O my soul.
Praise the Lord. NIV

Tags joy, vacation

Americana Journal

The deepest blue

Post author By pastorkelvin
Post date August 26, 2010

Crater Lake was a surprise to both JoAnne and I. Even though we had seen pictures, what we experienced surpassed our expectations in so many ways.

We did not realize that it was located at the top of a mountain. By the time we reached the lake, the landscape stretched downward for miles in all directions. We later learned that Crater Lake was formed by the collapse of a huge mountain in the Cascade chain, Mt. Mazama, which was originally taller than Mt. Rainer, the tallest today.
We did not realize that one of the most rigorous hikes we would take on our vacation would be from the rim down to the boat ride on Crater Lake and back to the car. All the sides of the lake are still precipitous cliffs. The boat ride is located at one of the most “hikeable” spots. But the trail down takes a half hour and contains multiple switchbacks.
We were surprised by a hot day, even at the high altitudes. By the time we reached the boat, the captain assured us that the ride was “air-conditioned.” He was referring to the refreshing breeze off the cool water created by the movement of the power boat. JoAnne was missing her sun hat which she had left behind in anticipation of the breeze.
The variety of the formations of rock surrounding the lake was more than we expected. One formation looked like a castle perched on the mountainside. Another is called the “phantom ship.” It is an island created from a very old lava upflow. Some spots contained interesting geological formations. One had misty waterfalls tumbling into the clear lake. Then there is Wizard island, the extinct volcano on one side.
The shear immensity of the lake was a real shock. Our mental picture was of a body of water a mile or so across. What we encountered was gem of a lake six miles across. Then the guides tell you that this lake perched at the top of the world is the 7^th deepest in the world at about 1900 feet deep. The facts are staggering.
The height of the cliffs surrounding the lake was unexpected too. In some places the mountains rose a couple thousand feet above the lake. Everywhere, they were too steep for climbing without technical equipment. We were told the lake only filled about half the pit created when the mountain collapsed.
Most of all, we were amazed at the color. The deep blue of the lake is inspiring, shocking, intriguing, almost haunting. It was the bluest lake we had ever seen. We learned why when we learned that Crater Lake is the clearest lake in the whole world. That fact combined with its depth results in its mind-boggling jewel blue.

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Tags Crater Lake, national parks, vacation, views

Journal Joy Notes

Fun with Staters

Post author By pastorkelvin
Post date August 20, 2010

$Gail\'s boat$

$Jones\' & Staters at Proxy Falls$

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The gift of hospitality is certainly among your gifts, Gail and Sue! Our son-in-law’s Dad and Mom hosted us in royal fashion this past weekend. We relished home-cooked fresh salmon –super– and enjoyed a very tasty new grain pronounced “keyno” – I have no idea how to spell it – that their son Bill’s wife, Fatima, brought over to Sunday dinner. (Ever since our time in Morocco, JoAnne and I enjoy trying new foods.) Saturday we took a most enjoyable trip to the Cascades, hiking to Proxy Falls, stopping at Belknap Lava beds and Clear Lake too. It was another exciting taste of the volcanic Cascades. Later Sunday, JoAnne and Sue cemented their friendship with a six or seven mile walk around the U of Oregon campus (where Mark went to college and grad school) and then back to Staters.

We talked lots and perused pictures of our children with delight. We discovered that Sue is a fantastic scrap-booker. Sunday morning we attended their Presbyterian church where we deepened our family bonds by sharing the Lord’s Supper together. Mark’s Dad, Gail, also took me trout fishing on the McKenzie River. We floated down for about four hours while Gail piloted expertly to avoid the rocks and anchor us in the best fishing spots. It was an artificial bait only section and we did catch and release. I found out I can still handle an open face reel, case a fly rod, and catch trout. In fact, I was quite successful with his fly rod, landing four trout with it. At one point we had two fish on the line at once. The kind of boat Gail has is especially invented for the purpose of float fishing on the McKensie and Rogue Rivers. The oars were not solidly fixed as we are used to in a row boat in the East. Instead, they have a ring to keep them from sliding all the way out and a sleeved section where the boatman can slide them in and out as needed to avoid hazards. At the end of the float, I felt like one of those rich guys a hundred years ago who had just been guided down the river by a professional guide.

Each morning, I enjoyed a quiet prayer time in Staters enclosed garden. Even vacation can be too busy if one does not set aside time to reflect, read and pray. It was a great place of retreat.

JoAnne and I were so very thankful to have been the recipients of Sue’s and Gail’s care and love.

Tags hospitality, vacation

Journal

Adventure is fast paced

Post author By pastorkelvin
Post date August 19, 2010

What a whirlwind pace we are setting. Tonight we are in Bend, OR. We have visited three national parks so far (Olympic, Redwoods, and Crater Lake), as well as Mt. St. Helens which isn’t one yet. We also toured the lava beds of Belknap crater and Proxy Falls; and I fished for trout on the McKenzie River. But with so much going on and lots of driving in between– over 1000 miles so far, there has not been much time to blog. And besides, we have only been able to get a true working WI-FI connection two or three nights so far anyway.

Tonight, I did fix the resize problem I had with the new camera so I will now be set to write more and make more picture galleries. I redid the Seattle gallery to test it and it now has five pictures that work instead of the one that took forever. We have taken hundreds of pictures so far.

Tags national parks, vacation

Journal

Anniversary Adventure

Post author By pastorkelvin
Post date August 13, 2010

It feels weird to be on vacation for more a couple days. But I am glad it has finally begun. I’m writing this on the plane heading for Seattle, WA (Aug 11). Even one of my friends at church Sunday said to me, “Pastor, I think you’re getting worn down.” It is true. I think I have noticed some effect in my writing too as it has seemed harder to be creative. I told JoAnne, “I think I will rest whenever possible on this vacation. I hope the travel part of it will not make it too busy. Sometimes on these kinds of travel vacations it is easy to try to see too much.

To me, vacation is a kind of annual Sabbath. The OT feast schedule had one feast in it that was a whole week long. One of the main purposes of Sabbath is rest. Physical renewal and spiritual renewal go together. A break from the usual routine is re-creating. So I believe annual vacation is a necessary part of the rest we need. JoAnne and I are taking a longer one this year, and one that involves plane travel to celebrate our 40^th anniversary year as husband and wife. Keely and Mark sponsored a great party for us at church this past month. So now it’s time for our own way of celebrating – seeing some national parks.

I hope to blog some as the days go by, and I bought a new camera to help keep it interesting.