Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Dear all

Chronologically this post shouldn't go here as we visited this park today and i have many other photos (by the way, i love my camera, thanks for the recommendation Franci) of the last several days.  However, the Bryce Canyon deserves an exclusive post and i do not want to get too behind with chronicling our trip.  We found the scenery so breathtaking, even moreso than the Badlands.  

This is a lesser known National Park.  I, Judy, had never heard of it before we embarked on our road trip.  It has amazing colours and rock formations - many look like extensive fortresses atop other layers of rock, other formations have rocks precariously balanced on top of each other, yet others are rock arches, and the park is so vast.  Additionally, one can see the orange coloured rock miles and miles after leaving the park.  We also saw interesting wildlife but i captured only one animal on film.  Black bears and cougars are occasionally sighted.  At the uppermost point of the park the rangers had removed all the trash cans because of a recent bear sighting.  

The beginnings of the vividly coloured landscape as one gets closer to the park boundary.

An arch on the access road to the Canyon.

This is truly the colour of the rock; not photoshopped.

A close up of some of the formations.  At one of the many viewpoints along the roads is a formation named 'organ pipes' which i wanted to photograph for Opa Snoek but i didn't come across it.  There are so many places to stop.  We also could have walked miles of trails but at 33C there was little incentive!

Another view.

This a tame walking trail.   Most were very steep which is no surprise since we were at around 10,000 ft and at view points it was a sheer drop down.  Not good if you are afraid of heights.  We saw quite a few groups of horse treks.  Instructions went like this; the horses are trained to walk close to the edge, please do not scream as this will frighten the horses, if you are scared please close your eyes.  

It kind of defeats the purpose really.

This photo shows the strata well.

We saw many interesting plants and trees.  This one is good for Lord of the Rings or Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz.

This is either a pronghorn or an elk.  We have no North American animal experts in our family to identify the beast.  

Another amazing arch.

This looks like some sort of animal's head.

This was the tiny tourist town of Bryce appropriately in a western theme, just before the entrance to the National Park, 

The rocks to the right of the pathway are petrified and selling for between $5,500 - $7000.  Inside the little stores pictured above were a plethora of rocks, minerals, fossils, carvings, antiques, etc.  

We met an elderly customer who had been many times to Chch on business, and a retailer and his wife who had visited chch as recently as November.  What a small world.

Troy has a penchant for a wide variety of hats.  He has been asking for a stetson since we began the journey so we acquiesced.

One final picture of this beautiful landscape that God created.  A verse from one of the selections in the blue Trinity Hymnal  comes to mind when i think of this marvellous creation;

He built the earth, He spread the sky, and fixed the starry lights on high.

Wonders of grace to God belong, repeat His mercies in your song.

Until the next post, 

The travelling Snoeks

Continuing west

It occurred to me that in two days we have visited three pastors and their families, a holy segment of the trip.   Our next stop was at Bob and Sarah and family in Illinois, where they moved to, last year.  We got a tour of their home and a delicious wholesome lunch, as per Sarah's customary fine cuisine.  It was nice to see them settled and happy in their new location.

Bob and Sarah and children outside their new abode.

The next stop was Bob and Coleen and co. in Minneapolis.  Our relationship goes back a long way; it was almost 20 years ago we first met them in Wellington.  I especially appreciated Coleen's regular phone calls the first few months after our move to CT 14 years ago.  Thanks, Hannah and Tom for vacating your beds so that we could all get a good night's sleep.

Bob and Coleen smiling even after they had survived us gate crashing for the night.

After a hearty breakfast, we departed for South Dakota, first stop Sioux Falls which wasn't so impressive, so we decided to push on west. 

Sioux Falls which is the biggest city in South Dakota.

 This is a completely different part of America.  At the quaint motel we stayed in, one guest was happily cleaning his rifle in the car park.  Pick-ups are ubiquitous here.   The speed limit on the never ending highway heading directly across the state from east to west is 75mph but you could easily go a lot faster.  Montana and Wyoming get the nickname of big sky country but SD could equally earn the title.  There is a particular beauty about the terrain.  Thousands of acres of grasslands stretch as far as the eye can see.  At different points you can see dirt mounds with prairie dogs atop.  The odd tree seemingly struggles to survive.

A bison that Ron spotted taken with the zoom as it was fairly far from the road, hence the slightly fuzzy picture.

Shortly after paying the park admission fee at the entrance booth to Badlands National Park, we were greeted with the most magnificent scenery we have ever experienced.  Photos or video clips don't do it justice.  The road snakes through thousands of acres of rock formations both close to the road and way into the distance.  We travelled perhaps 30 miles through this scenery.  The vastness is indescribable.  What a great way to spend $15!

We spotted these goats looking as if they were wondering how to make their way off the mountain.

Later in the afternoon we drove to Mt Rushmore which for those who aren't familiar with it, is a giant rock sculpture of 4 presidents - Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Jefferson.  While it is an impressive feature, especially if you remember that it was sculpted in the 1930s, it took second place to the Badlands.   

The scenery through the Black Hills of Dakota where Mt Rushmore is situated, is beautiful; majestic rock and no shortage of stately conifers.   Log cabins here and there enhance the beauty.

Finally, we visited Wind Cave State Park and did a cave tour gradually going down about 120 ft.  Thankfully an elevator eventually took us back to the top.  When we emerged from the ground about 90 minutes after heading down into the earth, we were confronted by torrential rain, thunder, lightning and hail.  This park has about 140 miles of caves that are accessible to the public, and each year another 2 or 3 miles are discovered.  What is unique about these caves is the very delicate boxwork and popcorn like formations.  Eliot or Ron will give you the rundown on how it forms if you are interested.

Troy looks as if he has as much hair as a woolly mammoth but Eliot is directly behind him, hence the additional mop.

I have such silly sons.

Till the next post

Judy

On The Road

After a busy few months, we (Ron, Judy, Eliot and Troy) are finally en route to New Zealand.  That last week prior to our departure, it seemed as if we would never get to the end of all the packing and organizing.  However, after some goodbye lunches and dinners with dear friends, and plenty of help to load all our earthly possessions, we set off a few days ago headed for Canada.  

Newtown Bible Church were a fantastic help with loading the container.

What a ton of stuff we have collected over the years.  

My piano weighs about 400 lbs.  The new owner of our house kindly brought a few strong relatives and friends to help move the piano into a truck with a lift gate and then into the container.  

Two dear friends helping to leave the kitchen in a reasonable state for the next owners.

We managed to collect almost all our belongings in Brookfield.  At the last minute we remembered a complete dinner set that had been stored in the attic.  Since the truck had just departed with container in tow, we tossed the box in the car and it has a happy new home in Canada.  About an hour after being on the road Ron announced that we had left the bird feeder behind.  It was a special gift that i had received for mother's day one year, designed to foil any squirrels' plans of getting to the seed and it has done just that.  We have had many cute little visitors and all their friends and family; blue jays, cardinals, American goldfinches, sparrows, chickadees to name some.  Let's hope the new owners keep the cylinders full of bird seed.  As a side note, ron's aunt, who shall remain nameless, puts vaseline on her bird feeder pole and has great delight in watching the squirrels tumble to the ground.

Ron (and Eliot, when he is allowed) is very happy driving a roomy rental - Chevy Suburban - with plenty of capacity for all our baggage.  Since we are flying business class from LAX - thanks to accumulated air points from all Ron's business travel over the years - we have a generous baggage allowance.  When we arrive in Christchurch it will be winter so we each have a summer and a winter bag.  

Thank goodness for the ample space in this Chevy Suburban.

Canada has been a very special place for us particularly these last 14 years during our sojourn in the U.S.  We have had many enjoyable camping holidays with the Canadian Snoeks.  There has always been a warm welcome for us at various relatives' homes in Toronto and environs.  This last time was no exception.  All of Ron's 7 cousins (with additional family members) came to a potluck meal, along with his uncle and two aunts.  We are truly sad to leave them all.

One of the groups of friends and relatives scattered around and in Art and Nettie's house the night before we left Canada.  

A lunch stop in Canada at Tim Hortons which is the Canadian equivalent of Dunkin Donuts.  I much prefer it since they make fresh coffee every 30 minutes or so and have more healthy food options.   Apologies for the uncharitable face from T.S. and that is not short for Troy Snoek.

Last night we met up with dear friends, Bill and Hazel at a restaurant in Grand Rapids, MI.  It was wonderful to catch up and reminisce after several years.  Bill was the pastor of our former church in Newtown, CT, before he left to pastor a congregation in Ohio.  

Bill and Hazel and us at a restaurant in Grand Rapids.  

So far after leaving CT,we have passed through MA, NY, Ontario, MI, IN, and are currently in Illinois.  On long trips we often see how many different license plates we can spot.  Thus far we have been too busy with crosswords (me), clash of clans (Eliot), candy crush (Ron), reading and ipad games (Troy), and a competition between Ron and Eliot for maximum fuel economy.  No points for guessing who has won the competition so far at 23 mpg.  Who always wins games in our household (except 'Set')?

Troy would be going into high school if we weren't returning to NZ.  It is customary to celebrate the transition here with a graduation ceremony.  Americans love to celebrate.  Troy attended a small local Christian school for the last 18 months.  Here he is giving the class speech and generally looking handsome.

There were only 4 students in the 8th grade class.

Until the next post,

The US Snoeks, almost to be the NZ Snoeks (except Eliot)

2 weaks left

Well.

I am amazed and delighted that we are now so close to beginging this next stage of life.

The house sale looks like it is going ahead, the contract is clean and has been confirmed by both parties. The inspections are all passed etc. We are just waiting on the confirmation of mortgage finance.

We have a place to live in Christchurch - kindly provided by a colleague from work. With rental properties so tight its a real blessing to be able to know 2-3 months out that we have a place already arranged. We can't move in for a while after we get to New Zealand but we wont have furniture for 2 months anyway!

We even have bridging accommodation arranged thanks to the Watsons!

When we made the decision to return to Christchurch we felt very tentative about it. Since then many things have worked out to help make us feel we are being responsive to the Lords direction, rather than just directing our own course.

Some more updates. Judy is still feeling well, although the hot weather slows her down a little. To put that in perspective the hot weather slows me down a LOT. We have shifted attention from preparing the house for sale to getting ready for the move. We have a good supply of boxes and wrapping material from 14 years ago. Some of you will have received emails from me 14 years ago mocking Judy for saving the boxes, the cardboard padding, and even ironing the packing paper flat! I guess I still think that was pretty funny, but as in nearly everything, I now am the beneficiary of her foresight.

We have maybe 50% of the house packed. I suspect that as we delve deeper into the various corners of the house that I might need to revise that percentage downwards. Fortunately I do have a new stress management tool available.





 There is a little more mud on it now :-)

Judy has also had some delightful stress management in the form of her piano pupils. Indeed they  have been a great source of pleasure over the years. Lessons have finished now and we pray that each of you find a new teacher to develop your undoubted skills.
A bunch of her piano families unbeknown to her, arrived after one of the children's last lessons this past week.  They presented her with a photo album with several snaps of past recitals and other piano related photos, and some gift cards. Cards from the children were delightful including the spelling errors.  

We are sure that none of these pupils are thinking "No more lessons this summer"!

As we count down the days before we head out to LA, we also have been reflecting on 14 years of life in the USA. It was good.

Some of it was very good. Bill and Hazel taught us so much in the short time we had with them. The congregation of Newtown OPC also extended our understanding of being in the body. Many friends we have made over these short years have made an indelible mark on our lives. America is a beautiful and blessed country. Don't credit all the bad press it gets (both internally and externally).

This brings me to the subject of sadness. Initially I was going to write that we are sad to be leaving but have no regrets. That seemed to be the right thing to say. Thinking about it a little, I can't say that at all. The opposite is true -  I'm not sad to be doing what I think is God's plan for me and my family. I have a hundred and seventy four regrets though.

speaking of numbers - how do you make Seven even?

Remove the "S".

One more! There are 10 sorts of people, those who understand binary and those who don't.

We attended Eliot's graduation ceremony in an enormous theatre and because our assigned seats were at the top almost in the back row we could have taken a picture of any student (800 graduated) receiving their degree (actually, the folder itself is empty - they receive the certificate in the mail later) and said it was Eliot.  Except, he had decided to wear flip flops, which helped us identify him, only barely though.  Thus, Judy took new photos at home of him with his graduation paraphernalia.

The weeks ahead look like this:

June 17th we drive west (via Canada, another very special place!), We hope to see some of the sights as we drive to the airport in Los Angeles, leaving the USA on July 3rd. Eliot will be coming with us to the airport so we are looking forward to unbounded strangeness.

Once we get to NZ - I don't really know. Our container arrives in NZ on August 19th and will take some time to clear customs I think so we will be living out of our suitcases for a long time!