So here we are leaving Linda and Bob's house for the MTC.
Andrew was pretty excited and very ready to get on his way, but not before we stopped at In and Out Burgers.
We said a quick goodbye at the curb as is the routine now and we went straight to The Creamery to sooth ourselves with ice cream!
Andrew has already written saying how glad he is to have made the decision to go on a mission.










We went from there to a few days of sunshine in Palm Springs. We spent two days hiking in the Joshua Tree National Park. Palm Springs really has an origin in a canyon with a rushing spring and ancient palm trees and a white sandy beach. It was cool and beautiful. We hiked up above the oasis to find the Pelton trail but we gave out before we could find the trail head. The ranger said he thought it was named after a local doctor and it is used as a horse riding trail.










This road into Palm Canyon went right thru this huge rock wall. Al is standing above the oasis and all the palm tree tops.
It almost felt like a South Sea island!


The weather was perfect.
We were so in need of a break from the gray skies.







There are amazing rock formations and hidden canyons that cattle rustler used to hide their ill-gotten herds in. In this one, they had dammed up a stream to have water for the cattle.

This is a Joshua Tree. It's about the only thing growing except some brush. We saw a few cactus in another part of the park.