October 1992 marked our first autumn living in Vermont. Up to that point, the farthest east I had been is Washington, D.C., and no farther north than Cooks Forest State Park in western Pennsylvania. But as the leaves began to change in late September and peak in early October, we…
My wife’s work as an Administrative Assistant for the Reformed Baptist Network requires her to attend the annual General Assembly. This year it was held in Riverside, California. Aw, shucks! Now, we couldn’t fly all the way to California and spend just the three days required for the conference, now,…
I wouldn’t necessarily call it a favorite path, but the Hennepin Feeder Canal Trail is frequently used and enjoyed. We access it about a quarter mile from our house, hence the frequent use. The trail is nice because it’s flat and straight—in other words, easy! From the trailhead near our…
As 1992 dawned, I was certain I had descended to one of the darkest times of my life to that point. For a variety of reasons, I could no longer continue serving the church I had pastored for the previous 4 years, and December 31, 1991, was my last day…
Several days ago—before the sub-zero deep freeze enveloped our area!—my wife and I wanted to add a few miles to our annual hiking total. At the beginning of the year, we signed up for the Hikers 365 Challenge with the goal of hiking 365 miles in 365 days. We began…
As one might deduce from the name, Mississippi Palisades—a wonderful state park about an hour from our home—lies on the Illinois shore of the Mississippi River. It’s aptly named “Palisades” on account of several cliffs rising high above the river. We first discovered the park nearly two decades ago and…
Like many people this time of year, I got to looking at the calendar and compared how much time is left in the year with how much “vacation time” I have available. More than I’ll use, it seems, but thought I should make a stab at it! I did feel…
Last Saturday, the sun gleamed brightly off the snow, beckoning me to step outside for a brief hike. At the same time, the wind chimes hanging on the back patio played furiously in the blustering wind. To go, or not to go. That was the question. I needed the exercise,…
A recent first for us, in between a couple of conferences, my wife and I spent a few days in Gulf Shores, Alabama. As the name implies, the town is right on the Gulf of Mexico a few miles west of the Florida-Alabama border. We’ve been to the gulf before,…
For many, the exciting anticipation of seeing the peak of Mt. Denali (or Mt. McKinley) ends in disappointment. At an elevation of 20, 310 feet, Denali is the tallest mountain on the North American continent. And of all the mountains on the planet, Denali ranks but third in prominence and…
