Imagine what your house and property would look like if there were 12 1/2 FEET of rain every year! I would imagine that you would probably have some moss growing on your roof too!

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Bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the east by the Hood Canal and on the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca , the Olympic Peninsula is anchored by the majestic Olympic Mountains. No other place in America can match its diversity in terrain and weather in such a compact geographic area.

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Just looking at Mt. Ranier you would never guess that this is an active volcano. But it is just as active as Mt. St. Helen was before it suddenly began to stir from its long sleep.

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At 8:32 AM, Pacific TIme, on May 18, 1980, the volcano known as Mount St. Helens exploded sending ash and mountain dust around the world and killing 57 people.

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After driving close to 60 miles, once near the National Park, we arrive at the Johnston Ridge Observatory Visitor Center, almost directly in front of the North face of the mountain.

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Family—we are constantly reminded of the importance of the family unit to everyday living. How much more important it is to those who are undertaking a treacherous journey, as were the settlers who by the hundreds of thousands in the 1830s through the 1860s started out from Independence, Missouri to find a new life in the far west.

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Now I know why they call it Jackson HOLE! Oh my word! The town is surrounded by mountains, right in people’s back yards! It’s really cool—totally flat, and then whoop— 45º angled mountain!

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I’m not describing ice cream, or a non-chocolate cookie, or even a nice Hawaiian shirt (just kidding) I might buy. So what’s so awesome that it’s the best word?

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It was coming to be our last day in Yellowstone National Park and we wanted to get as much out of the park as we were able. We had already taken in many of the popular sites and many of the sites off the beaten path as well. But what were we to do about finding a place to spend the night?

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If you really want to share in our Yellowstone experience, you need to look at this week’s photos on abj.smugmug.com. The album is called Van Trek August-2 2013. Even then, it’s impossible to convey the truly awesome marvels of God’s creation that we saw this week. Art kept saying, “I never thought I’d see this in person.”

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Close Encounter, the movie, was concerned about aliens visiting us from outer space. They met with we humans at Devils Tower. Everyone was impressed by the humans. But in our visit to Devils Tower, we were impressed with the awesomeness of our Creator God!

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Strange title, but it fits. Living Legend regards the monument to presidents that made an impact on our country and Deadwood is a gold rush town that went bust.

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We had planned to just drive through the Badlands, but since we arrived mid-morning, we decided to check in at the campground ($8 for seniors, and no admission fee to the park), near the eastern end of the loop, drive through, see Wall Drug, and go back along the loop in the evening, stopping to watch the sunset.

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Our visit to Nebraska was pretty much limited to Omaha. After visiting Union Station, and doing some letterboxing in a cemetery, we drove north along the Missouri River, which is the eastern border of the state, crossed the river again, and spent the night in Yankton, South Dakota. The next morning we drove up to Mitchell to see the Corn Palace, which is truly a unique enterprise.

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There are many folks who would agree with that statement and who would apply it across the board. There are other folks who might agree with the basic thought but who would selectively apply it. But what’s the correct stance to take? Is there a correct stance?

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