We're home again but what a trip we just had!

We left last Thursday on the Harley to visit family in Blackfoot and Pocatello, Idaho. A fun and uneventful ride. Everyone was well. My sister works for Marriott so they give us a wonderful deal on rooms! And, they are always beautiful facilities, well maintained, clean, and comfortable! Thanks to them!!!

Friday we rode to Idaho Falls to visit that beautiful temple passing farm fields and rolling hills. Hopefully the harvests have been plentiful! The temple has just opened again after being closed for remodeling. Beautiful enormous murals fill the temple from the baptismal font through to the Celestial Room. We felt so at home visiting that House of the Lord. I hadn't been there since I was a teenager going to the temple for baptisms from my hometown. It was a long, tiring bus ride to get there then. Now, it's a wonderful ride to be there again.

A quick bite of lunch and off again. More rolling hills with grand mountains in the background. Farm land is so beautiful but it's a hard way to make a living. The hazards are many and the payoff can be non-existent! We pray for the farmers and ranchers who indirectly feed us all!

After a short ride to Rexburg we spotted the temple sitting high on a bluff overlooking the valley. Next time you eat a delicious potato you can wonder if it grew in the ground around here, the land of "Famous Potatoes". Another beauty filled temple. After baptisms, confirmations, initiatories, and endowments we were relaxing and basking in the quiet peace of the Celestial Room.  One of the sealers walked directly up to us and asked us if we'd like to participate in sealings an offer too good to decline! He recruited some others and off we all went. During the sealing session we all learned that he is the father of a member of our bishopric back home! Fun!!!

A nice dinner at Fresco Kitchen & Grill recommended by the staff at the SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Rexburg. wonderful meal! The Salmon was delicious and plentiful too!

After spending a quiet and well rested night at the SpringHill Suites by Marriott we were off again.  This time southeast into the grand mountains seen from a distance yesterday, and around Palisades Reservoir. Stef noticed planes landing on the water. We wondered if they were bringing in fishermen but just then they lifted off without stopping. Maybe they were seaplane pilots getting their water landing endorsement. Nope, just then we could see the planes more clearly, they were firefighter pilots getting a fresh load of water to help extinguish a nearby fire. The mountain that we could see was on fire with the green, gold and orange colors of fall. But over the ridge and out of view the dry tinder was on another kind of fire. Hope they can extinguish it without the loss of too much life and property!

Just as we arrived at the Star Valley temple a firefighting helicopter was lifting off across the street to head out to another fire! The west is very dry this year and the least little provocation results in another fire.

Inside the temple was peaceful and calm. We enjoyed the ordinances of the temple and our time there serving our family and a few others as requested.

Our route home took us out of Wyoming to Monticello and then to Preston and Franklin before leaving Idaho to head back into Utah. Another gorgeous ride through rolling hills and into beautiful canyon country, alive with the dying colors of fall. It was about 9:00 p.m. by the time two exhausted temple travelers arrived home and pretty much headed straight to bed! With plans of our next adventure fomenting in our minds!