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A New Driver Behind the Wheel - More Adventure!
We're back home after our 10-day trip to DayStar Academy, 900 miles from our
California home, located near Moab, Utah. The trip was full of new
and interesting events - we always seem to find adventure wherever we
go! The purpose of this trip was to attend the annual Mission Projects, Inc. board
meetings and of course, to spend some time with our son Daniel, who's studying as a Junior
there.
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Heading east two weeks ago, we played tag with
snowstorms over the Sierras, then across the Nevada and Utah
deserts & mountains. Most of the time temperatures were well below
freezing, and the snow was dry & powdery, so the roads weren't too slippery. The
desert hills and mountain cliffs look so beautiful highlighted with snow, compared to
their dull appearance the rest of the year! We detoured through Capitol Reef
National Park, which rarely gets snow. White snow highlights on red rock ledges
really add a lot to those majestic cliffs and formations! The photo below was taken
from the sunny side, which had no snow.
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Daniel was
delighted to see us when we arrived on our third day of travel. He showed us his
room, which he shares with two roommates in the basement of the dean's
house. His part was quite tidy, but the rest was a mess! We
moved into a comfortable guest room - with good heat, thankfully - it was a chilly 16° F
outside!
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DayStar main campus building with majestic
Parriott Mesa looming grandly above.
Friday and Sunday we met with about 20 members of Mission Projects, Inc. (MPI) for our Board
meeting. Other years Daniel has disliked our "Bored" meetings as he called
them, but this time he joined us and really enjoyed hearing the reports and
discussion. I showed pictures of our mission trip to Chiapas last year, then about
the current activities of our sponsored laymen taking the Gospel to remote, unentered
areas throughout Mexico.
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Now that we look at the picture, it does look like a
"bored" meeting!
Sabbath afternoon was fun. Daniel drove us to Arches National Park,
about 30 minutes away. Diana stayed in our guest room to rest, and Harold Beavon, an
elderly member of MPI, rode in the passenger seat. We met the rest of the MPI folks
by The Windows, driven there by Jerry Harris and Bev Christensen in the DayStar vans. When
we first arrived, it was overcast, with sun shining on the snow-covered LaSal mountains
off in the distance. We had sunshine at first, then it began snowing from time to time.
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| Daniel and Harold
hiked to Delicate Arch viewpoint, then we went to Devil’s Garden, where snow covered
shelves and sides of the red rocks and the ground below. I rode in the back seat and
waited about half an hour as Daniel and Harold hiked past several arches to long, thin
Landscape arch. It got pretty cold, as temperatures were in the low 20's. The other vans
arrived as we were leaving. Just then the sun peeked out from below the clouds as it was
setting, casting a brilliant glow on the snow-covered rock formations. |
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| As we headed out of
the park, the two DayStar vans fell in behind us. Our van just can’t help leading
caravans, and as we've done for the past 3 years, it was ready to lead the MPI folks
behind us clear to Chiapas, Mexico! Daniel pulled over so we could enjoy the rainbow of
sunset colors in the sky, and the other vans kept on going. Jerry told us later that when
they realized I wasn’t driving, they saw no need to follow! We drove down a snowy
road to see the sunset better, then headed out of the park. |
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Daniel kept
looking at the sky and rock formations, and several times got off the edge of the pavement
on the narrow road, but otherwise he did great! It got dark quickly as we
headed back to the school. Just before we arrived, Harold asked Daniel how long he
had been driving. He was surprised that this was only Daniel’s third time driving on
public roads! Daniel just got his Learner's Permit 5 weeks before. He drove
us 100 miles, and he really enjoys the freedom and feeling of power being behind
the wheel!
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When Daniel first started driving on public
roads, I was a terrible back-seat driver!
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Eventually I relaxed and took a nap as
Daniel drove us back to the school campus after dark.
Sunday we had meetings again all day. This time Daniel took his mom
and his roommate Ricky exploring a dirt road beyond Potash, hiking along a sandstone ridge
and shopping in Moab, 30 minutes away from DayStar Academy. Meanwhile, the rest of
us finished up our meetings.
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