Home Again

The road that we followed for seventeen days led us home at last and the adventures of our road trip are now good memories.




(Okay, I don't think Phil is actually going to remember that surrey ride with any kind of fondness, but everything else was fun.)


And so now we are home and our house is buried under a few thousand piles of laundry and camping equipment.

We aren't too worried about it though. In fact, I think I may just leave it alone for a few years and let it straighten itself up.

Every single park ranger and tour guide that we encountered seemed quite certain that if you factor enough years into the equation, lifeless disorder can eventually evolve into beauty, order, and vibrancy all on its own.



Seriously, the only disappointment on our trip was that at every point that we would see the most amazing thing that could only be the product of intelligent design, some paid park employee was right there to spout:

"And here you see this incredible (whatever). Truly it is mind-blowing how huge and complex and beautiful it is. Hundreds of millions years ago it just sort of happened. While it may appear to be purposefully created with jaw-dropping power and intricate detail, it was really just a random accident."

...they did not think it necessary to retain the knowledge of God.
Romans 1:28

Other than the sadness of repeatedly encountering such startling godlessness in the face of some of the most magnificent creation, we had a wonderful time together.


We had impromptu lakeside picnics, and we learned to make apple pie on a stick over a campfire.

We saw the summer wildflowers hanging on even as the turning leaves hinted at fall, and we learned that snow doesn't always wait for either of them to fade before it comes.


We hiked to the bottom of a roaring waterfall, and another time walked under a weeping rock and let water drip on our faces that may have been working its way through that rock since the days that the Columbus sailed.






We sat in a forest meadow at night in the middle of nowhere under more stars than we ever dreamed were hidden behind our city lights. We heard an elk's bugle call and - after sleeping together in a twenty-foot trailer for half a month - we learned who has a snoring problem and who sniffles the most.


And we learned to make it work.

We had time for relaxing,



and intellectual pursuits,


as well as enjoying the beautiful scenery.



We had a great time together as a family and are thankful for the protection, provision, and joy that God so generously gives us every day.

And now we just have to figure out where to go on next year's vacation.