WEDNESDAY, 9/19

WEDNESDAY, 9/19:

     What a difference a day makes!  Woke up to the Pacific coast, surrounded by palm trees and  surf sounds & sensations, and went to bed in 45 miles from the Grand Canyon, surrounded by the sights and smells of a pine forest.  And we traveled almost everything in between, in four different states! (went into Arizona twice).  Of course, crossed the desert, including a quick lunch at Baker, CA.  I had my heart set on an In ‘n’ Out Burger, as we’d never had one while in Calif.  But, alas, this little desert town didn’t have one.  They should put one in – they might attract some tourists away from Barstow for a meal stop!  Going east on this stretch of desert afforded us the view of some low-lying mountains on the horizon in front of us – they were pastel earth-tone hues.  Quite lovely, actually.   Broke up the monotony of the sagebrush & scrub.  Bill especially thought they were beautiful.

     Passed Las Vegas, which we felt no desire to stop at.  At one point, the temp outside read 105.  We were both glad our A/C worked now!

     Shortly after we crossed the Arizona border (the first time), we went through the Virgin River Gorge, a spectacular stretch of road the likes of which neither of us had ever seen!  Huge multi-colored boulders on either side of us, almost touching the highway.  They were so huge, it was almost like going through a tunnel.   It was so unexpected, and we just had our mouths agape.   These are the serendipitous things that happen on a road trip which you’d never even know about if you just flew to your destination, or if each destination were along an interstate.

     Continued with similar rock-studded scenery, though less spectacular, into Utah, skirting Zion National Park , and finally back south into Arizona again. Terrain changed gradually as we climbed, from high desert & chaparral to more and more pines (we’re beginning to recognize the specific changes in each ecological community now, having been educated and seen the transitions between zones several times now).  By the time we reached our destination, Jacob Lake (Kaibab Kamper Village) at nearly 8,000 ft, it was nearly exclusively Ponderosa Pines.

     The RV park is like we remembered it from three years ago . . . lovely, very quiet and peaceful, in the midst of the tall pines.  When I got out of the truck, the fresh fragrance of the pines was absolutely heady!  I’ll never get used to that scent, or take it for granted!  And it was very cool!  First thing we did after we aired out the RV was to change into jeans and long sleeves.

     Got set up easily, explored the RV park a little, made a sandwich for dinner, read some, and went to bed.  Drove about 550 miles.  Before we left this morning, we earnestly asked the Lord to go before us on our journey today, to smooth the way before us for our safety and an incident-free trip, arriving with daylight, if possible.  He was so gracious & generous to answer those prayers, and gave us even more – like that stretch of magnificent scenery thru the river gorge.

     We left 8 weeks ago today.  In lots of ways, seems longer than that – we’ve become so used to living in our little cozy RV, being outside most of the time seeing what new adventures & explorations await us each day.  I remarked to Bill as we were setting up, it seems like we’ve come full circle.  Started out in the Colorado mountains, and now we’re back in the pines – maybe not true mountains (I remember that this entire area is an uplifted plateau), but certainly the equivalent elevation and associated flora, fauna, and fragrances!