Pass Creek Hike - Part Two

We ate our lunch of sandwiches in the shade by camp Loristica and then started up the trail. 

We had to rest a few times before we got to the pass.

It was worth it!  What a beautiful Sound of Music meadow at the top!  Golden Delicious ran across the meadow with her arms outstretched.  We were on top of the world.

After a rest, Grandma, Granny Smith and I returned the way we came to get the suburban and shuttle it around for the rest of the crew.  They headed down Bear Creek Canyon - off to explore new territory.

And they all lived happily ever after.

Pass Creek Hike

The Spy Twins are working on their hiking merit  badge.  Grandpa is their merit badge counselor and Grandma, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and I decided to tag along on their first hike.

This area of Idaho is beautiful, BIG country.  The weather was perfect, too.

There is a cave we hiked up to first.  The trail was a little (VERY) steep.  But we all made it!

The cool air coming out of the cave was a real treat.  We rested and then drove up past camp Loristica to start the next part of the hike.

Intro to the Big City

We headed into San Francisco the next morning.  The golden gate bridge was shrouded in mist. 

We stopped for pictures at some old army bunkers by the edge of the bay.  

Granny Smith and B headed back up the trail and found a rattlesnake crossing the road!

The Great Trip of '09

On pain of death from Miss Golden Delicious, I have committed to recording our California trip - without any more delay!!  

 I will skip the pictures of driving, driving, driving, and the yummy breakfast we had with family in Winnemucca (because I don't have pictures of that....) So the trip will begin when we arrive in Rhonert Park, CA, home of Gravenstein and ... Oh no! No alias for lovely wife!.....I will create one.....Pixie crunch? No.  Grimes Golden?  I don't think so.  How about Cameo, Sweet Alford, or Pink Lady?  We will go with Cameo until further notice.

Let the games begin!

We stayed at the Doubletree, with Alaskan Wild Berry and C. (who are you, C?? this alias stuff is hard work, I may just go to initials...)

The pool was great and it was a good sleeping spot after our daily events. 

Big Springs Float

Beautiful, clear water, sand hill cranes calling goodnight, and mist on the water at the end of the float.  Perfect.

My Birthday

This was my best birthday in years!  To quote Gravenstein, "look at all the LOOT I got!"  I am spoiled.  First, I went out to lunch with the family, and then in the evening we had brownies and ice cream with mom and dad and Grandma.  

Braeburn gave me a bottle of Martinelli's with candy bars - yum!  Mom gave me a beautiful crabapple apron with my NAME embroidered on it - only the best!  Grandma gave me little pruning scissors for my garden.  I'm going to check them out this morning cutting off strawberry runners.  The Spy twins and Granny Smith were busy all day in the shop.  Nova Spy made me a leather belt buckle with my initials on it.   Prairie Spy made the beautiful "Crabapple Farm, Welcome" sign that you see in the picture, and also a sign that says, "mom i love you".  Granny Smith made me beautiful leather designs and a tiny red sail boat for the bathtub.

Dad came back from Tennessee with the most fabulous finds from an antique store there.  He gave me the tin eggs sign with "chicken chowder" and "Hen chow".  The sign is going to be installed in the mud room today.  And best of all, a butter press so I can make beautiful pats of my own golden butter.  The top of the butter press has two stalks of wheat on it.  Perfect!

And to top it off,  I talked with both my brothers.  

Thank you everyone for such a great birthday.

Object Lessons

There is not much of a warning before the huge drop of Mesa Falls.  The water goes a bit faster as it tips towards the edge, but until you are right on the brink, there is no way to tell how deep and far it really is.   By then, it is much too late to do anything.

There is a tree that is right on the falls that has amazed me for several seasons.  I like to go back every year and make sure it's still there.  I always expect that the water will have carried it away.

This time I noticed that the tree is growing out of a rock.  It's roots are sunk deeply into the rock and there is no way to erode the tree's foundation.

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that is is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

Helaman 5:12

 

But spiritually, If you were carried downstream by the water, and didn't heed the warning signs, and were swept over the falls all is still not lost.  Alma teaches in the book of Mormon that the Lord, through the Atonement, can snatch us from destruction if we repent.

I love the word snatch and imagine a person being swept over the falls with nothing to save him from the sharp rocks and destruction at the bottom.  And then to have the Lord reach out and snatch him and put him on safe ground again.

Nature is full of great object lessons.