Where The Grass Is Yellower

Hello everyone!

We finally have the time to update our blog!  We survived the 13-hour drive and arrived in Fremont, California last night around 8:30 pm.  We are now staying with David Fair and his family.  He is the deaf preacher at Mission Springs Community Church in Fremont.  We will give our presentation there tomorrow morning to both the hearing and the deaf members, and we pray that it will be good!  

Let's go back to Utah.  On the previous blog we said that we would visit Salt Lake City and Park City.  That didn't happen as planned, because we didn't want to drive a hour to go to both cities, and we wanted to enjoy the outdoors before being stuck inside of a car for 13 hours on the next day.  We googled up some hiking trails, and we found a place that had hot springs where we could hike for 2.5 miles one way, swim, then hike all the way back.  We decided to check it out, and it was really beautiful.   We enjoyed the long, hard hike (our bodies need a workout!) and the hot swim.  We didn't get pictures of us swimming because it was hard and we didn't want to get the camera wet.  

We got back to Ben/Kat's home that night, packed all of our things, and woke up in the early morning around 6:15 am, and after loading our car, left the driveway around 7 in the morning.  Then started the long 13-hour drive!  We did get to see a little of SLC from the highway, then we turned on I-80 east and stayed there through the entire state of Nevada (which is sparsely populated) and finally got into California in the afternoon.  We wanted to be able to see Fremont before the sun went down, but we didn't get to do that as the sun just dove right beneath the California mountains in the distance.  

This morning, we went with David Fair to a local "Mini-Rally" which hosted Luke Everett, the director of Rancho Sordo Mudo school in Baja California - his father was a missionary and set up a school for Deaf children in Mexico, so he is an inspiration to us.  We enjoyed seeing him speak, but we didn't get a chance to meet him as we had to go to a meeting and he was greeting the other members of the audience.  We hope we can meet him next Sunday as we will be in Mexico then, visiting the school aforementioned.  

We got the chance to share our mission trip with local deaf church leaders, and they were eager to hear about it and we passed out our business cards.  After the meeting, we went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant and then got back to David's house.  

We are ready to go to bed as when tomorrow morning comes, we'll present our mission trip to the members of the church here in Fremont.  

Enjoy the pictures below!  Keep on praying for us!  Thanks for your support.  

The hike to the hot springs.  The creek behind her isn't hot, but 2.5 miles upstream, it is hot!  

We were hoping the camera wouldn't fall backwards into the creek!  

After 2.5 miles uphill, we came to this oasis.  The pool to the left is actually very hot!  That's where we swam.   

After our swim. 

Sunrise in Utah.  Salt Lake City is in the background.  

I spy Alexa sleeping!  

An interesting stop on I-80.  We didn't get the chance to explore, but only to look.  Nothing compared to our experience in Uyuni, Boliva though.  That's where the real salt flats are!  

Guess why?  

That's us waving to you!  

636 miles to go?!  9 hours and 56 minutes and 11 seconds left?!  Yup, that's our trip!   

Welcome to Nevada!  There was nowhere we could pull over for a picture.  Same thing happened when we crossed the California border.  

One of the few beautiful sights on I-80 across Nevada.  Most of it was desolate!  

Road Trip Food #1 

Road Trip Food #2

Road Trip Food #3

Finally into the California border.  

The California border is very beautiful.  Stunning views.  We would love to live there!  

The sun going down fast after we passed Sacramento

A Fremont morning. 

Visiting the CSD campus

"Bear Hunt" by Tilden, a deaf sculptor.  

That's gotta hurt.  

On the way to Concord, CA for the Mini-Rally

Luke Everett speaking.  He's got great stage presence.  

Alex speaking to local deaf ministry leaders.  

Answerin' questions.