Yosemite was just one of the parks on my itinerary for this trip. Right next door are Sequoia and Kings Canyon parks, which feature great scenery and giant redwoods.
Two of the largest trees in the world are in these parks, by volume and by height. General Grant (left) is in Kings Canyon and General Sherman (right) is in Sequoia.
Yosemite is one of the crown jewels of the US National Park system.
If you approach Yosemite from the south you enter through a tunnel, the second longest tunnel in the national park system. And then there’s a parking lot where you can get your first view of the Yosemite Valley and Bridal Veil Falls.
I’ve never camped in a National Park. So this road trip offered the opportunity to do that. The third evening into the trip I arrived at Mesa Verde National Park, in the southwest corner of Colorado.
Mesa Verde has a lot of archaeology going on, which is great.
I got an invitation to a California wedding, and I love road trips. So June on the calendar became reserved for a western journey.
First Stop was an early morning visit to Pikes Peak State Park in Iowa, overlooking the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers. I grew up in the shadow of this park, with many visits over the years. Now it was time to seek the top of the other eminence memorializing 19th century explorer Zebulon Pike.
After this, Jesus travelled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. – Luke 8:1-3 [NIV]
This is a reflection that I shared with my colleagues at IFES/USA:
When it comes to women and money for ministry in the Gospels, we’re often referenced to the sacrifice of the widow’s mite. But these verses in Luke 8 present a much more compelling picture. (more…)
With all of my overseas visits in 2023, it wouldn’t have been a complete travel year without a road trip.
The first stop, as I headed east, was the Marion Wade Center in Wheaton.
On the way back from Indonesia in August I made a stop in Japan to see our son Brian and his family and, hopefully, catch a glimpse of the iconic Mt. Fuji.
A visit to the Mt. Fuji World Heritage Center in Shizuoka was a very good place to start.
Just a month and a half before the 60th anniversary of his death, I had the privilege of visiting The Kilns, the home of C.S. Lewis in Oxford.
First stop was Holy Trinity Church – Headington Quarry, down at the end of this lane.
The longest trip of a busy travel year found me crossing the pacific. My last trip, I was just south of the arctic circle. This trip took me just south of the equator, 12 time zones away…
to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.
Nome is justifiably proud of its gold mining heritage and the story of The Three Lucky Swedes. Gold mining is still going on today, though not so much during the winter months.
In March the big stories are high school basketball tournaments and the Iditarod.
RADIOSCRIBE 