As I have written about in earlier posts, Yellowstone National Park was on our calendar for May through October. Our planned 5-month stay involved working for Yellowstone Association in their Old Faithful bookstore, where we were looking forward to reacquainting ourselves with old friends and meeting some new folks. Well, as life would have it, a change of plans is now in the works as some unforeseen medical tests needed for Terry have caused us to postpone our trip. Given the abundance of excellent doctors and medical facilities in the San Diego area, we feel it prudent to stay put for the time being.
Now for the positive news. A cancellation here at San Elijo State Beach has allowed us to stay right where we are for the next 30 days (thank you so much Bill). During this period of waiting for test results and possible other procedures needed, we plan to stay near metropolitan areas in California. We still have so much to explore in California, so we will most likely do just that once June rolls around. The beauty of this lifestyle is the ability to quickly shift gears, allowing us to move a few things around on our bucket list.
Although we will miss friends who we were very much looking forward to spending time with, we believe things happen for a reason, even when the path forward is unclear. Staying in California feels like the right thing to do at this moment and with faith guiding us, how can we go wrong?
Since Yellowstone was to be our destination, I feel it only fitting to honor this first national park with a few photos that were captured during previous visits. If you haven’t been yet, what are you waiting for? It is a magical place even during the winter. And while you are contemplating a visit, check out this fabulous photography blog site featuring the hunt of the Yellowstone red fox in the winter. We have seen a video of this and it is amazing!
Given our change of plans, if any of you out there have spent time in northern California and have some memorable experiences or recommendations for places to stay, we would love to hear about them.
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Paint Your Landscape 
Sorry for the circumstances that are creating the delay in going to Yellowstone. Hopefully all will turn out Ok and that you will still get to enjoy some time there. It is a special place that I know will always call me back for a visit.
Thanks Ardythe. We are optimistic but feel we need to be prudent. We are disappointed that we will not get back to YNP this year and were looking forward to reconnecting with so many people. We will just have to go back at a later date.
We will keep Terry and you in our prayers. It sounds like you are in a good place, physically and medically. Sending happy thoughts your way. Love you both.
Thanks Les. Love to you and David.
Will definitely miss seeing you Lu and meeting Terry, but being ever optimistic know we will see you soon. Knowing everyone who has received this blog will have their prayers coming your way ( I know mine will ) and we will have our own Yellowstone prayer chain going. Take care and please keep us posted. Best to you Terry and look forward to meeting you in the very near future.
Love Joyce
Thanks so much Joyce. We are really disappointed that we will not be making it to YNP this year but feel we are doing the right thing by staying where we are. Prayers are so powerful so they are always welcome. Thanks again and enjoy your time in the mountains.
While I am greatly disappointed in not getting to see you two this summer, I am glad that you are doing whatever needs to be done for Terry. Knowing you, you will get the best care for him that’s possible. As for Northern California, there are lots of beautiful places to visit, and if you travel up the coast, you will find some of the greatest scenery in California. I haven’t done a lot of exploring in Northern California, but I’ve always wanted to see Redwoods National Park and Lassen National Park. There are now a lot of “wine countries” in Northern California, even some in the foothills of the Sierras. You two seem to have a pretty good nose for great places to visit, so even if someone doesn’t come up with specific locations for you, I know you’ll have no trouble finding places to visit.Take care and know that God will keep both of you in his loving arms.
Joan, We had looked forward to seeing so many friends in Yellowstone and as the end of April approaches, it is just now being to settle in that we will not be there. Having said that, we believe we are where we should be and we are optimistic about the future. If we have to be away from YNP, California is not a bad gig, so much to see and so much beauty.
Though it adds a bit of stress to your life, we’re so happy that you are staying on top of things. God put you in a great place for excellent health care and has provided you with a marvelous place to Be. Life is good, even with a few bumps along the way. You are in our prayers. Love to you both, Jan and Bob
Thanks so much Jan and Bob. We feel we are doing the right thing, although we were looking forward to seeing several friends in Yellowstone. Are you back home now or still in South Carolina?
I am sad to hear you won’t be coming here this summer. i was looking forward to visiting with you, but we sometimes don’t get what we want because things change in our lives. We will miss you dearly, but hoping that Terry’s tests come out good, and that maybe you will still be able to visit us in the near future. We will be here till at least october minus the month of june as we have to go home and see what has happened to our house after the break in. I miss you.
Hi Mary Jo. We are really disappointed as we were looking forward to catching up with so many people but Terry’s health has to come first and we feel that we should stay closer to this area, where there are many excellent doctors and medical facilities. Please say hello to everyone for me and hopefully we will be able to visit soon. I hadn’t heard about the house break-in and hope all is well. Take care and give my best to Gil. Lu
okay now i feel we know more of what’s going on. cal. is a great place to be when you have health issues and to explore. wish i could remember some of the great places we visited in northern ca. when we lived there. i know there is a crazy castle that is on hwy 1 but brain cells went south when i got ready to write, the zoo in san fransisco was always a great place to visit, of course fishermans wharf, BUT that was many years ago, but still like san fransisco. the redwoods are awesome . , the delta area is a good camping area. take care you two and have safe travels.i know that every year that we miss heading north we still miss it so much, i think the mountains will always call us!!! hugs one more time charlie and kay
Hi Kay and Charlie, We believe we are in a great place should Terry need further treatment but we are optimistic that all will be well. Thanks for the recommendations in San Francisco. We have not been in many years and always loved the time we spent there. Hope to see you both again someday. Until then, be well.