Day Four, Vacation

Thursday after the Festival of the Holy Trinity
June 3, 2010
Day four of the vacation

The Lord be with you

Today we left Las Vegas and drove to San Diego. Before I go into that I want to describe yesterday a bit more. I was so tied last night that I just didn’t have much in me for the blog.

The Grand Canyon was breathtaking. Pictures cannot do it justice. I will post a few more, but trust me, only seeing it can convey why it is called “grand.” We drove up to the southern rim and walked for two hours.

I mentioned a town on Route 66 that we stopped at yesterday. The town was in Arizona and named Seligman. Route 66 started in Chicago, IL, and ended in Los Angeles, CA. It was constructed in the 1920’s and became an important part of America, memorialized in the song “Get your kicks on Route 66” and the early 60’s television series “Route 66”. Along Route 66 the towns develop and prospered by serving the travelers. When the interstate highways went through many of these towns were bypassed. Interstate 40 went through Arizona in the 1970’s, bypassing Seligman. The town all but died. Route 66 was decommissioned, taken off the maps along with the towns, and no money was set aside to repair the road as it decayed. In other words, the road and towns were expected to fall apart and disappear. For ten years Seligman languished. There was no income. Even though some people wanted to travel old Route 66, they typically got lost as there were no markers. Then a barber named Angel Delgadillo, who had been born and raised in Seligman, helped form the “Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona. They petitioned the Arizona government to have Route 66 classified as an “historical” site. Once this happened, Route 66 got new signs designating it as “historic” Route 66. It reappeared on maps. Money was again available to repair the road. Those who live in Seligman, and so many other towns along historic Route 66, once again are making a living by serving motorists traveling through their towns. As I said, the story of Seligman is part of the inspiration of the Disney movie, Cars. Now Seligman is known as the birth place of “historic” Route 66. It is amazing what can be done with some faith, imagination, and dedication. It seems to me that we could all use such qualities.

We ate breakfast in Las Vegas, checked out, took a few more pictures, and headed out to San Diego. We made no unscheduled stops, arriving around 5:15 PM. Before long a cook-out was in full swing. We got to meet many members of the bride’s family, and a few others.

Below I’ve included a few more pictures from the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas, followed by a picture of Jake and Jeana (who are getting married on the 5th) with Jeana’s best friend and matron of honor, Jen Beatty between the two.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert