The Beauty of His Creation

Sunday, September 14 found part of our team taking a 2 hour van ride to explore the grasslands.  We had been told that the best time to visit the grasslands is in July and August, but with a former teacher in town visiting for the week and a desire to go, we asked our Foreign Affairs Office to arrange a ride for us. (Click on the pictures to view larger images.)

We were blessed with a beautiful day; sunny and clear.  A perfect fall day.  We headed east to the Huitengxile Grassland, or the "Yellow Flower Valley," named after the fields upon fields of sunflowers.  The sunflowers were no longer in full bloom, but we could imagine what they looked like just a month before.  We still had a great sense of awe when driving along the fields.

We also drove through the second largest wind farm in Asia.

One of the great benefits of visiting a tourist area in the off season is avoiding the crowds.  We paid a small fee and spent 2 hours hiking through the park.

  

 

 

For those counting at home, I am wearing 4 layers.
You know I love my layers.  The wind will get ya!

We found this lively crew adding new boardwalk to the trail.
It reminded me of my days working on the Superior Hiking
Trail in Duluth, Minneosta.

We found raspberry bushes!  We trusted the berries when we
saw the workers eating them like they were candy.  We limited
ourselves to only a few.  Delicious!

 

 

It was a joy to feel like I was hiking through the bluffs at a State Park along the St. Croix River in Minnesota or Wisconsin.

After our hike, we enjoyed a Mongolian meal for lunch at the restaurant and invited our driver to join us.  We also enjoyed the entertainment of the goats outside basking in the sun. (No goats were eaten during this adventure.)

This day and this outing was such a tremendous gift.  The Father knew I was missing the fall season back in the States, and He blessed me with more than I could have asked for.  He knows what we need and when we need it, and He is gracious to provide for us.