We spent the last three nights at a quirky, charming little VRBO room, tucked in the mountainal outskirts of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
It was far from fancy and somewhat tight quarters (with a harrowing gravel driveway that spun out our tires like an icy February in PA), but it was a perfect rustic home for our weekend in the parks.
After checking out of the Sequoia Room at St. Anna's House, we worshiped at Sequoia Bible Fellowship. We knew it was an Anabaptist congregation, but we didn't know what to expect until we arrived to see women wearing head coverings in the parking lot. As we approached the church building, we were greeted by some of the friendliest folks you could imagine, and after assuring me that our attire would not be a problem for them (we were wearing our road trip best, but it was a far cry from what these plain folks were wearing), we entered. The men and women were seated in different sides of the sanctuary, something I have only experienced once before in my life (courtesy of my Lancaster County Anabaptist surroundings) and something entirely unfamiliar to Kate and the kids. We sat in the mixed-seating area along the side, so we could stick together. We sang hymns in the loveliest unaccompanied four-part harmony. And then the service got underway in earnest, with various devotionals and discussion-based Bible study and children's time. After another lovely a cappella song, we slipped out the back door, almost 90 minutes into the service but just as the sermon was about to begin. A friendly, winsome man slipped out another door to thank us for attending, assured us that it was no problem that we needed to hit the road to our next destination, and acknowledged that their 2.5-hour service isn't feasible for everyone. His warmth and kindness were reflective of what we experienced from everyone we encountered, even as we navigated uncharted waters in an unfamiliar setting with unknown worship service dynamics, with Caleb most certainly being the only person in the building wearing shorts!! What a fascinating worship adventure in the midst of a trip full of adventures!! (I think the service might still be going.)
The peaches were delish.
We spent a few (cold and blustery) minutes admiring the rather grotesque collection of a few dozen elephant seals, basking in the sunlight on their favorite California beach. A normally odd and ugly animal is made even more odd and ugly during molting season, as their skin peels off.
Watching their blubber jiggle and flounce as they flop their way up the sand is a sight.
Some of us can manage cold and blustery better than others.
Giant rock protrusions in the ocean are an impressive sight, among the many remarkable things you can see along the Pacific Coast Highway.
When Kate and I visited California a few years ago, we discovered a picturesque clifftop vantage point above Santa Barbara to look over the ocean and watch a beautiful sunset. Though the spot is not well-known (or easily findable), we used the remarkable Google technology of pinpointing the location where we took a picture, with longitude and latitude data and all, to isolate the location and find it again.
The hike to our spot was long but manageable (especially in comparison to what we've done over the past two weeks).
Some fallen trees on top of the cliff became an instant natural playground...
...as well as a lovely photo spot for the kids.
Again with the views...
...and California sure does know how to do sunsets.
And the sun was gone on another simple, lovely driving day.
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