Utah Vacation Continued (Natural Bridges)...

Wed April 28
We started the day by repairing the dune buggy brakes then broke camp and traveled to Goblin Valley north of Hanksville, Utah. There wasn’t much to see but the “goblins” were quite different from anything else we have seen. We also finished the day with a serious dune buggy road off from Temple Mountain Road a few miles past the turnoff to Goblin Valley. There was an old mine shaft where we turned around to return. What has made today less than ideal has been a steady very high wind that is blowing sand everywhere and making a lot of the drives, both on and off the highway, somewhat miserable.
Thu April 29
Today we traveled to Natural Bridges National Monument. It continues terribly windy and downright cold. We got a few groceries in Hanksville and spent some time at the Hite Overlook on Lake Powell. When we got to the Natural Bridges overflow camping area Dave had problems leveling his motor home and so we helped him correct the problem while Gene and Lynn and Darwin and Pam toured Natural Bridges but did no hiking. We and the Gardners then watched a movie while the Liljenquists played games and we went to bed for a cool night (it got down to 26 degrees).
Fri April 30
This morning Gene, Lynn, Darwin, Pam and Laurene drove the loop around to Bluff, Utah and back in Darwin’s pickup while Dave, Bonnie and Leo toured Natural Bridges. We hiked down a demanding .6 mile rocky trail with stairs and ladders to under Sipapu Bridge. We then went to view the Horse Collar Anasazi Ruin and the Kachina Bridge overlooks. Finally we hiked down to under the Owachomo Bridge and returned to the visitor’s center to view a film about the formation of natural bridges and the general Southern Utah landscape.

Southern Utah Vacation (Capitol Reef)...

Sat, April 24
We left to travel with Dave and Laurene Gardner to southern Utah for a two-week vacation. Gene and Darwin Liljenquist and wives were ahead of us. All went well until a rest stop just south of Tremonton, Utah when Dave noticed a low back tire on our motor home. As it turned out it was flat and I had left our spare at home. About an hour later with help from Good Sam Club Emergency Road Service we had a new tire and were on our way. We arrived at the campground in Capitol Reef National Park in the area known as Fruita about 6 PM and got the last two camp sites available.
Sun, April 25
We relaxed most of the day and did a few little “down time” tasks. In the afternoon we took a hike up the Fremont River Trail to the lookout from the campground. It was easy to start and then climbed steeply to the lookout about 1 ½ miles up the trail. There were nice views of the Fremont river canyon and the canyon to the west where the scenic drive from the campground goes. In the evening we watched a movie and turned in.
Mon, April 26
Today we took a drive of about 110 miles, 70 miles of which was dirt road. The scenery is typical of much of southern Utah with some spectacular canyons and rock formations of many colors. Along the way we stopped at the visitors’ center, visited the historic Fruita school, viewed Indian petroglyphs and visited the tiny Behunin Cabin where a pioneer family of ten lived. We then left the main highway, forded the Fremont River and began our journey up the Hartnet Road. The main points of interest were the Lower and Upper South Desert Overlooks and the Upper Cathedral Valley Overlook. We then started back toward camp on the Cathedral Road and stopped at the Gypsum Sinkhole, the Temples of the Sun and Moon and the very unique Glass Mountain.
Tue April 27
Today’s drive of about 70 miles took us down the scenic drive south of the campground. We first stopped for a hike down Grand Wash. We then stopped for a look at Cougar Rock and lunch. After that was a hike down Capitol Gorge at the end of the paved road for a look at pioneer register engravings on the canyon walls. We then began a long (about 20 miles of mostly first gear), very rough road south through South Draw and eventually back to highway 12 at an elevation up over 9000 feet. There was still snow along the road and a huge pine tree was blown down across the road just yards from the highway. Luckily there was a way to drive around it. It has been quite cool and very windy all day and it was very chilly on the drive home. To take some of the fun of the day away we found that a prior fix on leaking brake fluid on our dune buggy had broken again and we had to make most of this very difficult and sometimes steep road as well as the drive back to camp with little or no brakes. We finished the day with a delicious pot luck dinner with some very long and delicious hot dogs supplied by Darwin and Pam.

Thanks

I found out that time is fleeting this week. In fact I have lost some time in my life I will never recover. I have learned to laugh at what one can't remember because you don't have to be responsible for it. I have learned how important it is to love when you have the moment with friends and family. For a few brief hours I lost them all. I am so thankful for those that came to help when the need was there and for the Priesthood blessing and all the prayers that were offered on my behalf that brought me back from some unknown place, a place deep within me that I do not know where or how I got to and from. I realize now more than ever that life is so fragile. I love my family and wish to see them advance in the gospel plan. I know a lot of prayers were said on my behalf. I feel they are what made my recovery complete. Yea, I lost a short amount of time in my life but I gained a great deal of insight into what is important to me, my family, friends and my faith. I'm better now and grow stronger every day. I'm posting no pictures of this episode as I understand it was pretty scary to observers on the outside. I was apparently lost within myself, walking the hall of the deep mind. I can't say it wasn't fun because I can't remember much. But I am glad to be back to the halls that are more familiar to me, back to the arms that say, "I love you Grandma, Mom, Friend or Honey." I realize now that it could have all been gone and that I could have been trapped in that place forever. I hug a little longer, kiss a little deeper and savour every moment that I get to spend with you all. It just means a lot more to me now. I love you all. Thanks again for your prayers.

Extended Chicago Stay

By Monday evening, prior to our scheduled flight the next morning, we had observed several clues that staying a little longer would be beneficial so we changed flight plans to fly back to Utah on Saturday, February 27th. This left us here with Lindsy and Ben and kids for the remainder of Ben's Mom's stay and another week beyond. We sincerely hope this did not infringe on her ability to enjoy her stay. We tried to be out and about as much as possible, visiting the nearby Brookfield Zoo, The Chicago Auto Show and the Chicago Art Institute. We also made a second trip to the Field Museum and spent an enjoyable evening on Broadway in Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theater for the stage play "101 Dalmatians" over the remainder of our stay. We are becoming pros at riding the CTA and have done a lot of walking as well to get to and from train stations and to and from destinations.

The weather has remained quite cold with considerable snow but nothing like the Northeast U.S. has seen. We have continued to help out with Carter, the twins and with several new miscellaneous and home repair and cleaning projects.

On Sunday, February 14th the twins were blessed here at home while Ben's Mom was here. Carter was ill for a couple of days this week since Ben's Mom left but he seems to be feeling better. We will really miss holding, loving, playing with and caring for the kids. Dad has probably held and fed babies more and changed more diapers in the last month than he did for all of his own kids combined but he begs to differ. This Grand parenting is like starting all over again except we get to spoil kids and let parents deal with the consequences this time around.

On our last evening here we went to a fine steakhouse near Lindsy and Ben's called the Golden Steer for dinner. We had Tenderloin en Brochette followed by a slice of cheesecake. The service was friendly and efficient and the atmosphere was pleasant. Every serving, but especially the meat, was exceptionally delicious.

And now the time has come to go back to our own home. We miss all the families back there, especially baby Taylor. It has been nice to keep in touch on Skype from time to time. Our prayers go with Lindsy and Ben to be equal to the task they will face in the coming weeks and months.

The Big Move

Jan 8 through Feb 13, 2010
We packed for the duration and drove to Utah, stopping in Salt Lake to see if we could help Duane and Julie with a dead television receiver (no luck). For three days after the first weekend we helped pack all Lindsy and Ben's household belongings from their third-floor apartment into three freight pods on the curb at their apartment in Provo. We then spent another couple of days cleaning the apartment. During this week we occupied Brendyn O'Donnal's bedroom (thanks Brendyn). On Saturday morning, Jan 16th, we took off in Lindsy and Ben's Toyota Sienna for Chicago, leaving our car in Laurie and Evan's back yard. Nearly three days later we arrived at the Hartsock's new home in Forest Park, a suburb west of Chicago. The drive was long and largely uneventful except for dense fog that last 500+ miles. For two days we shopped and prepared for the family's arrival on Jan 20th by air at Chicago's Midway Airport. At the same time we arrived back at the house from the airport the moving pods were being delivered and we, along with help that Ben had been hired, carried all contents into the house within the next two hours. From there it was a couple of weeks of setting up shop in a new home, unpacking, hanging pictures and etc. Within a couple of days after arrival Ben rented a U-Haul truck and he and Dad went to Ben's recently deceased grandmothers house in nearby Elmhurst and brought home a number of pieces of furniture. But additional furniture, a 46" TV, baby accessories and lighting was purchased and assembled to furnish the house since not a lot of furniture was brought from Provo and now the family had nearly doubled in size within the last month and they had considerably more space. Then there were a number of additions and fixes that the house required that occupied a lot of time, particularly without the usual complement of tools. How the landlord had lived here for 29 years with some of these problems is amazing. I guess they just needed a McGiver. After confirming local electrical codes an unswitched electrical outlet had to be added to the living room (there was no unswitched power anywhere in that room), a defective light switch had to be replaced, a dead electrical outlet had to be wired, a problem that intermittently set off false alarms, occasionally in the middle of the night, from the smoke detector had to be corrected, the newly installed DSL internet was configured, a water leak in the humidifier on the furnace in the basement had to be fixed, the front storm door was fixed so that it would latch when closed, a tub drain was fixed, a clogged sink drain was fixed and a "taller" shower head was installed in the master bathroom.

And then there was the fun part. We love holding, feeding, changing, bathing and generally caring for two beautiful little girls, Emilia and Avery. There is also playing with, changing, dressing and caring for a very cute and intelligent little two-year old boy, Carter. He knows the entire alphabet, can count to ten, has an amazing vocabulary and is full of energy. He says the most endearing little prayers all by himself, is courteous and is very loving toward his new sisters. But don't get me wrong, this little angel is still a 2-year old some of the time!

Besides a lot of strolls around the neighborhood and to and from shopping for exercise we have had a good foot of snow to shovel. For entertainment we went the see the Blue Man Group at the Briar Street Theater in Chicago. That was the most different and amazing show we have ever seen. We also spent quite a bit of time viewing around the area from the Skydeck on the 130th floor of the Sears Tower in downtown Chicago. On the Skydeck there are clear plexiglass cubicles extending at least 4 feet from one side of the building where one can step out and look straight down to the street below if you aren't "chicken" (many people were). In the process we have learned how to get around on the public transportation system. The "blue line" CTA train comes within a few blocks of Lindsy and Ben's home and goes to downtown where one can transfer to a number of other lines or buses. We have also gone with the family to the Shedd Aquarium, The Museum of Science and Industry and the Field Museum, each of which one could spend literally days exploring.

The first weekend here we also visited Bonnie's first cousin, Steven Carson and his wife in Bloomingdale, a high-end suburb another 20 miles northwest of Forest Park. They had a beautiful home with a back yard on a golf course and treated us to dinner and an episode of the Glenn Beck Show that they had TiVo'd once we discovered we had common political and patriotic beliefs.

Ben began work the first week of February and just got his first paycheck yesterday. He has a reasonable commute on the "blue line" CTA train and has been getting home before 7PM. Ben's mother arrived today from Oklahoma to help out for a week and we will be flying back to Utah next Tuesday. From there we will likely head for home within a couple of days. It has been quite an experience and we sincerely hope that our efforts have helped with the relocation and caring for little ones. It will be a great challenge for Lindsy and Ben and especially Lindsy after all the family help has gone home. It is our prayer that they will learn to manage on their own and that some help can be arranged locally.

Trip to StGeorge

We took a trip to StGeorge to get warm. Really we went to see some of our dear friends. Murray and Collene. They lived behind us in Salt Lake many years ago. It was a lot warmer than it was here in Inkom. This is the second trip to renew old friend ships. We took some drives to see the area. Had a great time . I hope we will be able to return soon.

Oct. 26,2009

We have been home for a while. We have been busy doing the things that seem to pile up around home. This place is a full time job to maintain to Leo's standards. Cleaning up the branches that come down at the slightest breeze and cleaning up dead boxelder bugs around the house in the fall occupy a good share of time.

We have done some traveling to see Leo's half-brother and their family on the occasion of his 80th birthday followed the next day by he and his wife's 50th wedding anniversary in the tri-cities area of Washington state. We continued from there to southwestern Oregon to visit old friends, Crater Lake, the Redwoods in Northern California and the Oregon coast. On the way home we got to see our first great granddaughter. That was a real treat. She is so cute.

Leo has been a big help to me this week. He has helped me with canning. Most recently we canned pears, plums and the razor clams we brought back from Alaska. I know it isn't his favorite thing to do but what help he has been. He has the motorhome almost repaired from the accident that happened in Canada on our trip. We are just waiting on parts to finish. I have learned that I can love even deeper than I thought I could. We have enjoyed each other's company this last few weeks. Retirement is great.

I have been home long enough that I'm ready to go where it is warmer though. I am ready to go again.