TWA:SW 37 Rescue at Joshua Tree National Park

Our next stop was Joshua Tree National Park, where the Mojave and Colorado Deserts collide against a backdrop of the Little San Bernardino Mountains in southeast California.

Although it’s one of the newer parks and not well known, it encompasses over 1,200 square miles . . . an area slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island!

Joshua Tree National Park is named for the “Joshua Trees,” which according to undocumented legend was the name given by the Mormon settlers to these strange plants. As the story goes, the trees reminded the pioneers of the biblical Joshua, who lifted up his arms toward heaven for hours and hours, interceding to God so the Israelites could overcome their enemies and safely enter the Promised Land.

Although they grow to be as tall as some trees (nearly 50 feet) and are long-lived like trees (can live hundreds of years), Joshua trees are really a member of the Yucca family, Yucca brevifolia. They are most abundant in the Mojave Desert and thrive at elevations between 1,300 and 5,900 feet.

Joshua trees bloom in the spring, typically from late February to late April, and they were bursting with blooms while we were there. If you want to visit, I highly recommend April for maximum color and beauty!

Besides enjoying the Joshua trees, the park is famous for rock climbing, hiking, camping, and star gazing (since the night skies are usually clear and very dark).

We marveled at the unusual rock formations in the park, known as “inselbergs” (a loan word from German meaning “island mountains”).

They are composed from igneous rocks that have been weathered over ions of time and are now beautifully sculpted into soft contours and smooth boulders, often stacked in whimsical towers that seem to pop right out of the desert floor!

Alan and I took a drive along the main road through the park on a cool, sunshiny day and saw many hikers climbing the rocks.

We enjoy hiking—and used to scramble up rocks like mountain goats—but it occurred to us that at our age it would be pretty easy to slip and fall, so we mostly kept on level paths and resisted joining in the fun of rock climbing.

But, really, doesn’t this look tempting? Alan probably could have done just fine, but he makes wise decisions that keep us out of lots of trouble I’d likely get myself into!

As we traveled, I couldn’t help scanning the distant hills to see if I could find climbers, and they were there, mostly looking smaller than ants on anthills!

About halfway through our adventure, we heard a helicopter overhead.

Helicopters make so much noise I usually hear them before I see them! This one seemed to roar out of nowhere and suddenly passed right overhead.

Police were already on the scene and stopped the traffic just in front of us to make space for the helicopter to land.

Before long, a second helicopter came to to the site. We could tell we were not going to be going anywhere for a while, so we started looking around, trying to figure out what was going on and praying for whoever needed an airlift from “Mercy Air.”

After a while, I decided to take a walk along the road. I was delighted to see that what had seemed like barren earth as we sped by really hosted a number of tiny but beautiful flowering plants.

Talk about blooming with grace and blooming where you’re planted!

The things I miss when I’m looking off into the distance at all that’s impressive and famous while failing to admire the humble beauty right at my feet!

My dad (after he retired and got smarter about life) often used to say, “Don’t forget to stop and smell the flowers!”

That day we did. So many times it takes trouble to make us slow down, doesn’t it?

As a flower lover, I was thrilled to discover all the tiny treasures and signs of new life. Life and beauty abound even in parched places. God is so merciful!

After about a half an hour, we saw one of the helicopters lower a rescue worker with a stretcher, load someone on and take them back up to the safety of the craft. Within seconds, they roared away, doubtless to a hospital emergency room.

I never heard what happened, but I thought about how we humans can lift our hands to heaven, just like Joshua, and ask for help. I thought about how we humans are spiritually in need of rescue. We are never going to be able to climb to heaven on our own and will just get injured if we try. We can die trying or accept help from Jesus, who knows the way and explained, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6). I am eternally grateful that our merciful God sent Jesus down from heaven to rescue me . . . and “whosoever will.” Have you asked Jesus to rescue you?

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! . . . Who remembered us in our lowly state, For His mercy endures forever; And rescued us from our enemies” (Psalm 136:1, 23-24 NKJV).

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:4-11, ESV).

TWA:SW 36 Abiding Places: From the Mojave Desert to the Salton Sea and Palm Springs

It occurs to me that I could take a year describing all the amazing things we saw on our Southwest tour of America, but I’m trying to finish before summer’s over, so I have to speed things up!

Therefore, I’m going to compress our travels across several biomes with some photos and commentary on what it felt like for a Midwesterner.

First, I must mention Humphrey’s Peak which is stunning and dominates the skyline for 80+ miles! At 12,639 feet, Humphrey’s Peak is the highest point in Arizona. We were able to see it on the way to and from the Grand Canyon . . . and even from the road beside the rim trail 🙂 Oh, the heights and depths of God’s love (Ephesians 3:16-21)!

After leaving our campground at Grand Canyon Village, we headed west across Arizona, crossing the Mojave Desert. The Mojave is the smallest and driest desert in America. It borders Death Valley National Park, which is the largest (for the 48 contiguous states), lowest, driest, and hottest national park in America and includes Badwater Basin—the lowest spot in North America (282 feet below sea level). To date, Death Valley holds the record for the hottest air temperature recorded anywhere on earth: 134°F on July 10, 1913.

Interestingly, the word “Mojave” is a shortened form of the Native American word Hamakhaave, which means “beside the water.” In many places the sand looked as fine as beach sand along coastal dunes.

However, there was no lovely water in sight . . . only miles and miles of desert all the way to the distant horizon, where purple mountains edged the sky.

Instead of bodies of water, there were bodies of sand looking like dry sea beds. Indeed, as in all places around the globe (including under the South Pole and on top of Mt. Everest), there is evidence that the Mojave Desert was once a shallow sea. I tell you, the Bible can be trusted! There was a world-wide flood at one time.

But today, the Mojave Desert seems desolate. Nothing like the sugar sand beaches along Lake Michigan where you can dig in your toes and find cool water beneath you. Where you can make drip castles. The sand in most areas of the Mojave is hard packed, and the mountains—although they look like huge sand castles— are sandstone, not sand.

I know my friends who live in the Southwest seem to love living there, and I was taken with its unique, wild beauty.

But I constantly feel like I’d suffocate if I lived there. Or dry up and blow away like a tumbleweed. I’m glad God has created all sorts of environments and “abiding places” for people with all sorts of temperaments, sensibilities, and needs!

But, as for me . . . I felt a palpable sense of relief as we came over the mountains into California and started to see green again.

I remember flying over California as a young person and seeing a beautiful body of water in California that I never knew existed! What was it? How was it possible that I’d never seen it before? I learned that it’s the Salton Sea.

It’s a landlocked body of very shallow, highly saline water. In the 1950s and 60s it was a popular tourist destination for swimming and boating, but today it’s mostly just a scenic area for hiking and marveling over the salt-strewn beach and layer of white crystalline salt that covers everything.

Aqueducts bringing water from the Sierra Nevada Mountains

The area around the Salton Sea has become fertile farmland, thanks to huge aqueducts that pump water from the Colorado River.

The Colorado Aqueduct

Southern California is a paradise of orchards and farmland—an incredibly lush and fertile area of America. According to a U.S. Survey from 2010, California uses 38 billion gallons of water per day (from all sources), which I assume has only gone up in the past 14 years).

Did you know that California is the largest sub-national economy in the world? If it were an independent nation, it would rank fifth in the world: United States, China, Japan, Germany, and then California . . . ahead of India, the UK, France, Russia, etc, etc!

I felt in awe of its beauty and productivity.

I was also painfully aware of the importance of water. Water is life! Were it not for the aqueducts pumping billions of gallons of water into California, it wouldn’t be the paradise that it is! For those of you who know me and our family—our son Jonathan has started the “Aqueduct Project” to help funnel some of the abundant spiritual resources found in America (and other first-world nations) into less developed countries so that they too will have access to the Bible and can learn about the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the water of life for human souls (John 6:35).

After a huge day of driving, we arrived at a beautiful RV park in Palm Springs surrounded by palm trees and walls of blooming hedges. I could feel my whole body relax. We had reached an oasis in the desert! I thought about how David must have felt when he was hiding from King Saul in the wilderness, looking for water and a safe place to camp—and the huge relief he must have felt when he reached the Springs of En-gedi.

As I snuggled into bed, I thought about how good it is to have water, and how we need to share the water of life with others. I thought about how grateful I am that Jesus calls all of us to abide in Him, where we are filled with living spiritual water that gushes up like a fountain and gives us joy . . . and fruit. Fruit we can share with others as we abide in Him. Thank you, Lord, for giving us the spring of eternal life in Christ!

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5).

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).

TWA:SW 35 Antelope Canyon: In the Cleft of the Rock

“Whatever you do, don’t miss Antelope Canyon!” Randy advised.

He and Julie had been out West a few years earlier, and they thought Antelope Canyon in Arizona was possibly the highlight of their entire trip.

I’d never even heard of Antelope Canyon, but after their advice, I looked into it.

Antelope Canyon is just a couple of hours from the Grand Canyon’s south rim.

Antelope Canyon belongs to the Navajo Nation.

You can only visit if you make an advance reservation.

And reservations are very expensive.

No one is allowed to roam free.

However, the guides are very knowledgable and personable, so they’re worth their hire!

They also keep you safe, which isn’t something you’d think you need, but you do!

On the surface above the canyon, everything looks dry as a bone.

You’d never guess there are wondrous caves underneath!

How does it happen?

Antelope Canyon is one of several very unique “slot” canyons.

There are holes or “slots” on the floor of the desert where light can filter down inside.

This allows the most astounding play of colors and shading.

This is all well and good, unless there’s a torrential downpour, which does occur on rare occasions.

Because the desert floor is mostly sandstone here, the water can’t penetrate.

So, it runs downhill looking for a crack or crevice and picking up sand and debris along the way.

(The passageway is at the bottom center of this photo.)

The result is a flash flood of water swirling through tiny passageways.

Over time, the raging waters carve out intricate passageways.

The grit and sand caught in the flood actually serve to smooth and polish the surfaces of the rocks until they look like exquisite pieces of pottery!

There are two tours available.

The Upper Canyon has a mostly level pathway with more beams of light shining directly into the canyon.

The Lower Canyon is a more difficult hike, requiring climbing up and down 5 flights of “stairs” (ladders).

In some places the passageways are very narrow with no level footing. (Note pathway here in middle.)

However, Lower Antelope Canyon is over twice as long and in some places 120″ deep, so there are many more opportunities for spectacular views!

(In the middle is the pathway with shoe prints. It’s hard to stay oriented!)

Also, if you just go by the names, the Navajo People call Upper Canyon Tsé bighánílíní, “the place where water runs through rocks.” 

They call the Lower Canyon Hazdistazí, or “spiral rock arches.”

Alan and I chose the Lower Canyon, and we were overwhelmed by the subterranean beauty—unlike anything we’d ever seen above ground on Earth!

Beginning our descent into Lower Antelope Canyon

(All the photos on this blog are from our trip in 2022 to Lower Antelope Canyon.)

(Note the uneven surfaces!)

So, what’s with all the rainbow colors underground?

Land forms above the area of Antelope Canyon

I don’t have a definitive answer for that question.

In this unfiltered photo (which I took above ground), you can see most of the rainbow colors are present within the mineral composition of the rocks.

I think much of the effect is from brilliant sunlight casting light and shadows on the rocks.

This is basically the same photo, but in this one I used the “enhance” option (on my i-photo, free-with-computer program). This intensifies the colors, but it doesn’t actually change them.

In this image, I opened up the light setting (on my same, no-upgrade app), which allows us to see more texture with a slightly less intense color experience.

In this photo, I’ve enhanced both the amount of light and the color intensity. BUT, I didn’t change the colors. They were already there!

Here’s a photo taken from outside (note the grass that can grow here). The camera picked up the walls of the cave (which whited out the deep blue sky), so the colors aren’t so intense, but they’re still there.

I’m convinced that most of the variation in color comes directly from the intensity of the light shining on each surface.

With bright sunlight shining directly on the surface, most of this particular area is very similar in color.

From deep inside the cave looking up, the light makes some areas a brilliant yellow but lower folds in the rock are pink and even checkered with maroon and green at the bottom.

We may not often examine people the way we do rocks, but each person is like a sandstone sculpture!

The colors are all there, but they change in brilliance depending on the dance between Sonshine and shadows in our lives.

We are carved by countless flash floods coursing through the corridors of our hearts.

We are smoothed by the very grit that drives us crazy!

We’re tossed and turned until sometimes we can’t tell up from down!

My son Jonathan says God takes all our dreams and turns them upside down to make a tossed salad!

But, I’m okay with that! The Bible says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

I trust Jesus to use all the storms and pain to cleanse and smooth me so I’m “a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21, ESV).

Why do I trust Him? Because He has always been faithful and kind to me. What King David wrote in the Psalms is still true today: “The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works” (Psalm 145:9).

Finally, I want to discuss our need for shelter and safety.

About twenty-five years ago, an international tour group was caught by a flash flood.

Although there wasn’t much rain at Antelope Canyon, there had been a thunderstorm seven miles slightly uphill.

Eleven tourists were trapped and drowned in a raging flash flood.

Since that time, more security measures have been added.

The tour agency is extremely careful to cancel tours if there’s any possibility of a flash flood.

But, as with most of life’s adventures, there are always risks.

We can try to play it safe, but Jesus warned us, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it” (Mark 8:35).

If you haven’t already, will you please give your life to Jesus and see what He does?

There’s a whole world of spiritual beauty you’ll never find if you try to “play it safe.”

Please, please take good advice, study the Bible, and explore the depths of God’s love!

I promise you’ll be okay, even if He turns your world upside down! I can promise with confidence, because Jesus promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5.)

Just as He has done for every person who repents from their sins and asks Jesus to be their Lord and Savior, He does just that!

He makes a way for us.

He is the Good Shepherd, who leads us all the way and protects us on our journey.

We can share Paul’s confidence “that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

And that—at the end of our pilgrimage—“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).

And all the way, He hides our souls in the cleft of “the Rock”—which is Himself (1 Corinthians 10:4).

Psalm 61:1-4 (NKJV)—

Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.

TWA:SW 34 Trying to Get to the Bottom of the Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site—a true treasure!

It encompasses an area of almost 2,000 square miles.

4.73 million visitors came last year (2023) to take in the majesty of this world wonder!

It’s ranked as the #2 most visited national park in America in recent years.

The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long.

At its widest point, it is 18 miles across from rim to rim.

The Colorado River runs through the bottom of the canyon,

and at its deepest point, the Grand Canyon is over a mile below the rim: 6,093 feet deep!

Alan and I visited on our recent Travels with Allie adventures, and we had a fabulous time hiking along the Southern Rim Trail.

We had a couple of gorgeous days with perfect weather, and all the photos (except those from the Colorado River taken on my son’s trip, which will be obvious to you) were from that visit.

But, just for the record, this visit was my fourth trip. I went as a child with my parents. I went after graduating from college. I went with Alan and our children when they were little. And this time, we went as a retired couple.

Every time we went, I wanted to hike down to the bottom, or ride on a donkey down, or go white-water rafting . . .

but on every trip, time, or money, or child care, or allergies and motion sickness for Alan, or aging issues, made it impossible to fulfill my dream of getting to the bottom of the canyon.

I think it would take a week or a month or a lifetime to really know this vast canyon well.

After 60+ years of wanting to experience more, I’ve made peace with the great privileges and pleasures I have been able to enjoy over the years!

My son Jonathan was able to go on a study trip while white-water rafting.

He shared awesome photos and wonderful stories of all he learned on that trip.

What a blessing to have my children get to experience some of the awesome things I always wished to do but didn’t!

For sure, one of main reasons I blog is wanting to share with others what I’ve been able to do that some others may not.

But, I can only share what I know.

Or, what I’ve studied and seen from afar!

In a thousand lives—maybe a million lifetimes—we could never learn all there is to learn or understand all there is to understand!

I have to make peace with the limitations of my life.

My spiritual mom taught me this verse to help me find contentment despite all the mysteries I cannot fathom:

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

Isn’t that comforting?

God illuminates many things for us—although at different times and seasons in our lives.

Over time, we learn a vast amount about life, and we can share those experiences with our children and other loved ones.

However, we never learn it all, and we never “get” it all.

Our lives end before we’ve solved all the mysteries.

Still, the Lord provides all the clarity we need to understand his laws,

and all the power (through faith in Christ’s redeeming work in us) to obey them.

Isn’t that enough?

“And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

TWA:SW (33) Paradise Valley Today, But What About After Death?

From The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, we headed straight to Phoenix to visit some dear friends.

“Straight” sounds fast, but there are always mountains to overcome, so everything takes longer than you’d think . . . just like all of life!

The closer we got to Phoenix, the greener life became.

The huge water resource for northern Arizona is the Colorado River, so a different system from the Rio Grande, which flows through New Mexico.

The Colorado River is about 1,450 miles long and drains nearly a quarter of a million square miles.

As a watershed for some of the southwestern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, it passes through five states and part of Mexico before entering the Bay of California.

So much of the water is used for irrigation in California’s Imperial Valley that sometimes the Colorado River dries up before it reaches Mexico (much like the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico).

As we drove north toward Phoenix, we could see that there was still some water in their creeks, although there were no raging rivers like we saw in our travels through the North.

Picacho Peak, Arizon

How to provide enough water for people is doubtless one of the most serious problems in the Southwest!

With a population of over 1.6 million, Phoenix is Arizona’s biggest city, but we really by-passed it in order to visit our friends in Paradise Valley.

Although its relatively small, Paradise Valley is Arizona’s wealthiest municipality.

It reminds me of Palm Springs, California, or Boca Raton, Florida . . . lush and tropical . . . a true oasis in the desert.

Paradise Valley has made headlines in the Wall Street Journal as a premium place to buy real estate, and it’s become one of Arizona’s premier tourist destinations.

As the locals say, “There’s a reason why we call this paradise.”

Our friends know the Lord blessed them with this home, which they bought before the real estate market went crazy.

True, it’s the most glamorous home I’ve personally stayed at in the last 50 years, but Vittal is a very hard-working pathologist with uncanny investment sense, and he earned, saved, and made his money fairly.

Theirs is a beautiful love story of two people from India who came to this country and were able to make “The American Dream” come true.

Bougainvillea

And, that’s one of the things I love about America.

It’s still possible to work your way up from poverty to wealth by giving it “all you’ve got” and using your talents and gifts.

Like the story in Matthew 25, I believe God gave them “ten talents,” but they used their talents wisely and are enjoying the fruit of their labors! “For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance” (Matthew 25:29).

Maya and Vittal are incredible hosts! Maya prepared about eight absolutely scrumptious Indian dishes. (I still need to get her recipes!)

They entertained us royally for a couple of days and had a wonderful guest house where we could have stayed, although Alan preferred staying in our Sanctuary (due to their darling doggies; Alan has pretty severe asthma.)

Talk about a room with a view!
(Camelback Mountain in the background)

There home was so mind-bogglingly beautiful that I couldn’t help comparing it to what our heavenly home might be like! “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3).

Just what will heaven be like if life on this earth in Paradise Valley is so incredibly wonderful?

That evening, Vittal took us even further up the mountain to watch the sun set over Paradise Valley.

The sunset was stunning!

As night fell, I began to think about life after Paradise Valley. What about after we die?

Two nights ago, Alan and I watched an excellent documentary about near-death experiences. Whether or not you believe in life after death, I wish you’d watch this film. It’s fresh off the press (2023) and fulfills the IMDb summary, “After Death explores the afterlife with the guidance of New York Times Bestselling authors, medical experts, scientists, and survivors that shed a light on what awaits us.”

Before the night falls on our lives, let’s explore what comes afterward, as I believe there is life after death based on the teaching of Jesus who rose from the dead, and also corroborated by thousands of people who have had near-death experiences.

Will you also entrust your life to Jesus, who promises an eternal, resurrection life after this life that will make even the most beautiful homes seem like cottages?!

“Thomas said to Him [Jesus], ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’.” (John 14:5-6).

TWA:SW 32 Giverny of the Desert: Arizona-Senora Desert Museum

As a flower lover, I found myself very disappointed a few times during our trip by missing the peak bloom season for wildflowers, such as the blue bonnets in Texas and poppies in California.

However, I was also caught off guard a few times by unexpected joys.

As it turns out, the peak bloom season for desert wildflowers in southern Arizona starts in mid-March,

and after the torrential downpours from yesterday, the Arizona-Sedona Desert Museum was alive with color!

In the desert, flowers pop whenever they get the chance, and this day was their BIG CHANCE!

Every direction and at every turn my eyes danced from garden to garden.

It reminded me of the potpourri of colors, shapes, and textures from my all-time favorite garden, Giverny (Monet’s estate outside Paris).

Each garden space was worthy of sitting for awhile.

Each setting spurred me on to meander more,

to see what else could be found.

I didn’t mention this last week in my post about Saguaro National Park, but the saguaros are the largest cacti in the U.S.

The largest saguaro on record was about 300 years old, 40 feet tall, had 45 arms, and weighed 3,000 pounds!

It was a perfect day for learning all about prickly stuff!

Prickly Hedgehog Cactus

Of course, we weren’t the only ones out looking for prickly pleasures that morning.

Butterflies were sipping nectar from the Mescal Bean Bushes.

Hummingbirds were humming among the purple penstemon.

Bees were busy on the Hairy-seed Bahia.

The Desert Bluebells were busy being beautiful.

And everywhere, flowers were basking in the sunshine!

The Arizona-Sedona Desert Museum also has a petting zoo . . . of sorts . . .

Red-crowned Amazonian Parrot

Really, this “museum” (mostly outdoors) has all sorts of exhibits in addition to their native gardens (which include some plants that can be naturalized).

Ruby-throated hummingbird resting in the Hummingbird Aviary

They have wildlife exhibits, where you can see many of the indigenous creatures that often can’t be found by causal hikers:

Mountain lion asleep in the sunshine.

Bobcat giving himself a morning bath

A (nocturnal) grey fox trying hard to get a good day’s sleep.

A coyote trying to decide if he should wake up or not . . .

A Mexican grey wolf, already thinking about what to catch for breakfast.

A lazy javelina snoozing under a shrub.
I think he was dreaming about breakfast coming to him . . .

For rock hounds (like me), the museum has excellent displays of native minerals.

Each specimen is displayed with name and information on where it can be found in Arizona.

Arizona’s state mineral: Wulfenite

Aragonite Crystals

Peridot Crystals and Necklaces

Calcium carbonate stalactites hanging in a cave

They also have a cave (of sorts) where you can see close up the delicate formations.

For those who long for water, there’s even a lovely aquarium . . . nothing native here now, but perhaps a reminder that at one time this area was under water!

Sea horses doing the tango

What a perfectly wonderful day marveling at all the bright and beautiful (and strange) things God has created!

“Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it: ‘I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness,
and will hold Your hand'” (Isaiah 42:5-6 NKJV).

TWA:SW 31 Saguaro National Park: Rainbows in the Sonora Desert

I wasn’t expecting anything special on our visit to Saguaro National Park, but it turned out to be a spectacular day drenched with sunshine, downpours, incredible clouds, and rainbows. Who would imagine that one of the only days it rained on our trip would be in the desert? I took hundreds of photos, culled them down to my favorite 100, and then cut them in half again . . . but still way too many for a blog post. However, I thought if I kept my mouth shut and just let you scroll, you could see the best I have to offer in a few minutes. Our tour started and ended in Tucson, Arizona. We spent some time at visitor centers, gawked our way around a six-mile gravel road—the “Hahokam Loop,” which had fabulous views, and then (after most of the rain was over) took a short hike up Signal Hill before heading back to Tucson. I tried to keep the photos in chronological order; the rains truly did come and go, and it could be clear out one side of our RV and stormy out the other! If you hover over any photo with your pointer, it should tell you a bit more information, but otherwise, please just scroll and enjoy the beauty of this special day God gave us.

(Yes, the roads take people in and out of the park a couple of times)

All the rain and beauty made me think about how much we need both sunshine and showers in our lives to keep us blooming.

Isaiah 35: 4-7—

Say to those who are fearful-hearted,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Behold, your God will come . . . and save you.”

⁵ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
⁶ Then the lame shall leap like a deer,
And the tongue of the dumb sing.
For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.
⁷ The parched ground shall become a pool,
And the thirsty land springs of water . . .

TWA:SW 30 “The Wild West”

I had every intention of writing about Saguaro National Park today, but the journey from Las Cruces, New Mexico, to Saguaro NP (just outside Tucson, Arizona) was so fascinating that I can’t skip sharing about the trip!

Heading west on I-10

I was texting back and forth with Kathy Fernald (from last week’s post—she’s a rock star at editing blogs, BTW! 🙂 ), and she pointed out that New Mexico isn’t always barren.

Orchards waiting for spring in New Mexico

Duh! Michigan can look pretty sad in March too.

New Mexico “Mesa” (flat-topped hill or mountain)

It takes the touch of spring rains to bring everything to life!

Although we didn’t experience spring rains until we reached Saguaro National Park, I couldn’t stop snapping photos!

The desert has sweeping landscapes.

Broiling skyscapes.

Breath-taking mountains rising from the desert floor.

God-sized boulders that only He could stack with such frivolous perfection.

Talk about texture and design!

And color.

The Southwest is a pastel paradise!

Creosote Bushes blooming in Texas Canyon, Arizona

And, the desert wasn’t totally devoid of flowers when we visited.

There were some beautiful creosote bushes blooming in the sand and rocky crevices.

I stand corrected (and chagrinned).

Indeed, America’s Southwest is also stunning!

Is there any natural space on Earth that hasn’t been painted with beauty?

So, why did I name this post “The Wild West”?

Because there’s still a lot of “wild” out west!

Not only untamed ghost towns—but untamed land.

We studied about what “The Dust Bowl” was like back in the 1930’s, but it’s an entirely different (and unsettling) experience to get a little taste of what it is like!

Dust storms are still an every day (or at least regular) occurrence in the drought-ridden areas of the Southwest.

View out our front window trying to travel through a dust storm.

Here’s part of the account from my journal that day:

Debris left behind after a dust storm blew across the road

Tumbleweeds blew across the road.

“Dust Devil” sand and wind storms lurked in the distance, some crossing our path.

The wind made our Sanctuary rock from side to side, and it took Alan’s complete attention to keep our RV in the right lane!

I worried about Alan’s stomach, since he has some problems with motion sickness, but he seemed okay.

Mountains  would rise from the soft rolling hills, marking stark outlines against the horizon.

Dust storms in the distance looked like brown fogs between our road and the mountains.

We had to close the vents because the dust was so thick it affected our breathing. We could almost taste it. 😦

The beautiful blue skies got strangled by what felt like a sickening, yellowish-brown, creeping plague.

Within seconds it got hard to see—almost like heavy fog.

We wondered if we should pull off the road, but nobody seemed to slow down at all, and the truck in front of us became a dim shadow.

We did slow down a little, but we were also afraid of getting hit from behind.

It all comes and goes so fast! We would see a storm in the distance but not really know whether it would hit or not, or when, since the winds are unpredictable and dust devils form and dissipate willy nilly.

I think if we really tried to avoid them altogether, we’d never get across the desert, so it didn’t seem realistic to simply stop every few minutes. In the flow of traffic, all of a sudden we’d be enveloped and not know what to do, so we’d keep going straight ahead, straining to see and praying we wouldn’t hit the vehicle ahead of us or get hit from behind.

One of my photos out the front window when visibility had become 0% focused on the devotional we read each morning (Our Daily Bread) rather than on the road (since there was nothing to focus on outside the window). These booklets include daily Bible readings, study notes, and stories with applications for how to live based on the Bible. I didn’t realize my camera had caught this image until reviewing my photos later.

But, what a perfect reminder: In a crisis, turn to the Bible! When the sky is clouded and the path so full of whirling dirt and dust that it’s hard to see, pray for guidance but don’t give up! Keep going straight and trust the Lord to see you through! I know He will, because He always does for me! (Not always what I want, but something good to help tame the “wild west” in me. 🙂 )

“Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.”
Psalm 113:2

TWA:SW (29) Grand Relatives and the Rio Grande

When my beloved cousin’s daughter, Kathy, said, “Sure!” I had no clue how much I was asking or how much they were giving. Kathy and Sam live an hour White Sands National Park and almost on our way. They’d spent a day helping us on a mission building project in Aqua Prieta, Mexico, some years back, and I always thought it would be fun to see them again.

Twilight in Las Cruces, New Mexico,
nestled at the base of the Organ Mountains

“Could we spend a couple of nights visiting you and seeing some of the sites in your area?”

Somehow, they found the grace to welcome us with open arms, although I found out later they had literally (like the night before) just returned from seven months in the UK, where Sam was on sabbatical, researching the effects of heavy loads of organic matter on dissolved oxygen in streams.

See those beautiful smiles? They were keeping secrets! Sam had to leave the next day on a trip—also their 25th anniversary. I’m sure they knew we wouldn’t stop had we known all this. I am still totally embarrassed and overwhelmed by their graciousness, but we had an amazingly happy visit. I have no clue how they had the energy and kindness to be so hospitable, but somehow they pulled it off! They are simply amazing!

Beyond having a royal tour of the area, we ate fabulous Mexican food! I am working hard trying to learn how to make refried beans and Mexican rice as glorious and gooey! (If you’ve got any winning family recipes to share, please do!)

Gazebo and Basilica of San Albino in Mesilla, New Mexico

While Sam and Kathy toured us around, we learned a little more of their backstory.

“Love one another as I have loved you”—Jesus 🙂

They met because of their 10-year college reunion, after a couple of near misses (living in the same dorm sophomore year and taking a class together senior year).

Sam is a three-time Fulbright Scholar, studying in South America and Europe as well as the USA.

A field of watercress from Sam’s most recent Fulbright Fellowship research in England

Each time Sam was researching and teaching in the area of water availability and quality (my attempt to simplify).

(Dr.) Sam is a professor of Watershed Management at New Mexico State University and also directs the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute in its mission to assist in solving water resources problems.

Campus of New Mexico State University

Sam served at one time as the president of the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR), which advocates for all 54 of the water institutes in the US.

(Fish in an aquarium where we ate lunch)

Needless to say, he’s passionate about how to provide life-giving, fresh water to help sustain life on this earth!

Rio Grande on the day we visited—one of the world’s most threatened rivers.

The Rio Grande is the fourth longest river in America (1,896 miles) and is effectively the drainage basin for a 336,000 square-mile area.

The Rio Grande originates in Colorado but runs through arid lands, and since the mid twentieth century, not more than 20% of its water ever makes it to the Gulf of Mexico.

Most of the water is siphoned off for reservoirs needed to irrigate farmland and hydrate cities.

Due to drought and overuse, the spring we visited (2022), there was little more than a trickle of water flowing in some areas, and none in others.

Aerial view of Albuquerque in July, 2022, where a 5-mile section of the Rio Grande ran dry. The Rio Grande was dry for a 50-mile stretch in the Rio Grande Valley for the first time in 40 years (Wikipedia; Public Domain).

The Rio Grande is “over appropriated,” meaning more people need water than there is water to be given, and the area from Las Cruces to Ojinaga has become known as “The Forgotten River” because it runs dry so much of the time.

The desperately dry state of the Rio Grande River during our visit

Nevertheless, I think Sam has highly admirable attitudes toward water usage. I asked if he thought we should all stop drinking dairy milk and switch to oat milk (which requires less water to produce).

He said no, not necessarily. He thinks sustainability should be determined region by region. If you live in Michigan where there’s lots of room and water for cows, he thinks it’s okay to drink cows’ milk.

That was a bit reassuring, although the barrenness of this desert region was almost overwhelming to me, and addressing the global need for adequate fresh water is something we all need to be a part of . . . not just scholars and researchers!

I was struck by the contrast between deserts and fertile farmlands . . . and the fact that the most critical difference is whether or not the area has enough water.

Quail on a fence railing. Las Cruces, New Mexico

How are you doing as far as having enough hydration? Are you getting enough to drink?

What about spiritually? Is your heart full of joy, or do you feel dried up and abandoned?

The psalmist worded it this way, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1, ESV).

“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is” (Psalm 63:1).

If you find your soul resonating with these thoughts, then I would like to invite you to reach out to Jesus Christ, who taught, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely” (Revelation 21:6).

Curve-billed Thrasher. Las Cruces, New Mexico

How will He do this? Jesus was talking about spiritual water and spiritual life. In the Bible (John 4), Jesus told a woman that he could give her “living water.” She thought he meant water from a well, but “Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water [from the well] shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13-14).

We cannot survive on this earth without water, but we cannot experience everlasting life without Jesus. If you want eternal life, please ask Jesus to fill you with Himself—the real, grand river of life! He will provide all the grandest relatives you could ever want: a father (“Our” Father, God), himself as our brother (and the “firstborn among many brethren), and a global family (the children of God). You’ll have the best of both—grand relatives and the grand river of life flowing though you!

“He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out;
they ran in the dry places like a river.”
(Psalm 105:41)

TWA:SW (28): White Sands National Park—Whiter Than Snow!

What do you think? This reminded me of my grandchildren sledding down a snowy hill in Michigan this past winter.

This photo makes me think of all the times we’ve had to drive on slippery winter roads!

However, all these scenes aren’t of snowy countrysides!

They were taken on a pleasant, sunny day on our visit to White Sands National Park in New Mexico!

But, maybe I should back up just a little! After a couple of weeks exploring Texas, we made it across the border into New Mexico.

Our first stop was Carlsbad Caverns, and from there it’s only a several-hour drive to reach White Sands National Park.

However, in those few hours, the scenery changed dramatically! Instead of wilderness and scrublands, we began to see evergreens and ranches.

There had been a fierce wind all day and a storm during the evening after we left Carlsbad. Overnight, the temperature dropped precipitously (and unexpectedly) to below freezing. Alan accidentally left on the water heater, which we took as a gift from God, since it kept our pipes from freezing! 🙂

Cloudcroft, New Mexico, elevation 8,676 feet

Our trip to White Sands took us over a snowy mountain pass . . .

and through a mountain tunnel.

Elevation makes such a difference! Before long, we were back to arid wilderness again,

with painfully dry river beds and lifeless grasses.

There were a few signs of life, but we had to look long and hard to find them!

White Sands National Park is one of America’s newest parks (2019), but it’s unique and unforgettably beautiful!

The park covers 227 square miles and is part of the largest gypsum dunefield on Earth.

The reason “white sands” looks like pristine snow is that it’s not really sand in the usual sense.

It’s an immense deposit of gypsum crystals.

This dunefield is about 30 feet deep, and some of the dunes are 60 feet high.

Scientists estimate this vast area of resource weighs over 4 billion tons!

Gypsum is used for construction, agriculture, art, food products, medicines, and cosmetics, (etc).

You can buy a pound on Amazon for about $10 . . . (2000 pounds times $10 times 4,000,000,000+ . . . Does that mean the net worth of this park is 80 trillion+ dollars?? We could get out of our national debt . . .). 🙂

So far, the U.S. government has designated this national treasure as a national park to be protected and enjoyed by all!

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people are coming from all over the world to enjoy it!

We took time for a picnic lunch and a little hike.

Totally exhilarating!

If you go, be sure to have water and good protection from sun, wind, and possibly cold!

And, of course, gear for sledding if you’ve got room to pack such!

I’ve been thinking: There is something bigger than our national debt and there’s something worth even more than 80+ trillion dollars. Do you know what?

It is we, the 8+ billion people in the world who’ve sinned and strayed away from God.

We owe Him a debt that’s impossible to pay through good works or trying to be perfect.

By some miracle of grace I’ll never comprehend, God loves every one of us in this world so much that He sent his perfect, beloved Son, Jesus, to die so that we could be redeemed from our debt of sin, not “with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

All we have to do is come to him in repentance and faith, for “as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7).

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” Isaiah 1:18).

“Jesus Christ . . . is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 1:5-6).