Sunday, June 2, 2013

The Grace of God's Abundant Nature

Sit back, relax and enjoy the journey….

Your journey begins in the White Mountains of Arizona – a land with pristine forests, meadows and streams.  As you wander across Interstate 40 and head through Flagstaff, Arizona, you are awestruck by the San Francisco Mountains, standing tall, the snow-capped peaks stark against the deep blue sky.  Your journey then takes you through Tuba City, Arizona, where the Hopi Reservation and Navajo Nation meet.  The deep history of these Tribes can be felt in the ancient red and beige rock formations.  Before you know it, you are crossing into Utah, where vibrant, yet muted, red rocks greet you.

You are surprised to learn you have entered Zion National Park – you’re actually there!  You learn that the rock formations are mostly Navajo Sandstone, dating back millions of years and that the Native people, the Anasazi’s, date back thousands of years.  It is no wonder Native People have such reverence for Mother Earth.  You find the intricate rock formations reach deeply inside you and touch your heart.  The little town of Zion is sweet with many shops to explore; galleries filled with colorful pieces of art, depicting the local scenery.  The Park itself is welcoming and breathtaking!  Rock formations carved out by the Virgin River for many centuries greet you, while the beautiful, little flowers that find their way to sunlight through rock crevices, amaze you!
 


 
Back on the road again, you wander northeast to find Bryce Canyon National Park.  You can’t imagine that these rock formations could be any different; yet, they are vastly different.  As you climb higher and higher in elevation, snow pellets lightly accent the amazing structures of this Park.  These structures silence you – they have a spiritual quality to them – you feel you have entered sacred ground.  You witness many amphitheaters filled with structures called hoodoos, spirals of sedimentary rock formed by weathering and erosion that range in color from beige to coral to orange.  Legend has it that these hoodoos are people turned to stone by the trickster, the coyote.
 



As you leave Bryce Canyon, you travel up and up in elevation toward Brian Head, Utah.  The snow thickens as you climb until you’ve reached the sky – a summit of 10,420 feet!  Breathtaking!
 


  
The next day, you awaken and you journey northbound through the center of Utah.  You’re surrounded by rolling acres of farmland, each with a backdrop of snow-painted mountains – farmhouses and barns sprinkled far apart.  As you proceed northeast, you enter Idaho.  Immediately you realize the scenery has changed.  It dawns on you that the color of the earth in each of the States you’ve traveled is entirely different – the red earth of Arizona is contrasted by the brown earth of Utah’s farmland and then contrasted further by the chestnut-colored earth of Idaho.  You see many huge truckloads of potatoes along the way.  Somehow, you know an Idaho potato will never be the same again – you realize that chestnut-colored earth imbeds nutrition into that potato for your own health and wellbeing.
 
Now that you have that long travel day behind you, you have much that awaits you today.  You travel through tiny towns that signify small-town America, where you see school buses on their routine runs and small shops opening.  You meander along the Targhee National Forest to the Bridger-Teton National Forest; once again, you’re climbing and then descending – into Wyoming.  The town of Jackson stops you in your tracks!  What could this be in front of you?  An arch of antlers?  You must get a picture - maybe two!  Then the kid in you arises as you see this cowboy on a bucking horse atop an old bar!  It’s the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar – oh, if it could only talk, what stories it would tell!
 



At this point of the journey, you realize you have witnessed so much beauty in nature that you think you must have seen everything by now – until you reach the Grand Teton National Park.  You then wonder how these massive structures were ever formed – how they landed in this most-perfect setting.  But you learn that these amazingly jagged peaks of the Teton Range are a geologic wonder, rocks nearly three billion years old at the core, some of the oldest rocks in North America, yet some of the youngest rocks in the world.

 


 
As you wander through the Park, you realize everything is at peace, gentle rivers flow, while Canada Geese nibble at the fresh, spring grasses and all is well.  You stop to take in one more breathtaking view and wonder how you will ever retain all of these precious moments.
 


 
Refreshed and energized by the beauty, you journey toward Yellowstone National Park.  Your interest is peaked because it’s something you’ve always wanted to see.  Once there, you’re very surprised at the sights you see – geysers, bubbling mud pots and gray land with skeleton-like trees.
 


 
Then, while you await the entrance of Old Faithful, you enjoy an ice cream cone with Huckleberry Ice Cream, something everyone talks about in this area of the Country!  And then it happens!  Old Faithful, once again, puts on a show for everyone!  It happens at approximately hourly intervals.

 

Having now gone through four National Parks, you feel a tremendous pride to be a citizen of this Country.  At each Park, you hear languages from around the world – all just as awestruck as you at the beauty before you.  You realize the huge amount of labor that is required to manage these Parks, yet you feel grateful that your Country finds value in honoring this amazing nature and sharing it with all.
 
After your visit to Yellowstone National Park, you wander around the town of West Yellowstone and it feels invigorating to know how many people find their way to this town from all over the world; this time, you get to share in that excitement and you’re very grateful!
 
A new day begins and you leave Wyoming and head toward Montana, which is wide-open territory with, yet again, more beauty, more nature and more to see!  In order to visit Glacier National Park, you head north to Columbia Falls – on the way there, your travels align Flathead Lake, a most pristine and lovely drive.  You then come upon rows and rows of cherry orchards.


You’ve now seen the vibrant rock sculptures of Zion National Park, the spiritual hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park, the jagged rock masses of the Grand Tetons National Park and the geologic surprises of Yellowstone National Park and you wonder how you could still see something more and something different.  Then, you enter Glacier National Park.  This Park imparts a feeling of longevity, a feeling that this scenery is steeped in history, in geology and in beauty.  Once again, you are awestruck by the simple beauty of rock, water and sky.  You see glass-like waters and waters rushing – rushing from the constant influx of snow melt and you know deeply that this is all a part of the plan that happens on God’s time and per God’s plan.  Once again, you are in total amazement by such beauty.





 
Your National Parks Tour may have come to an end but your journey is still alive and you continue onward.  You leave Columbia Falls, Montana and head westward toward Washington State.  Along the route, you see the beauty of many Montana lakes and White-tailed Deer eating their morning grasses and then the flight of a Bald Eagle, his head stark against the morning sky, flying briskly over a lake with so much determination.  In your heart you know that, in this moment, all is right with the world.

 
For your next stop, you arrive in Leavenworth, Washington, a Bavarian town, filled with much to see and much to do!  The little shops so quaint with German flair make you feel as though you’re in Europe!  You enjoy a delicious German meal at Café Christa and in your mind, you ask your German Grandfather, whom you never had the opportunity to meet, to let you know if this looks like the town where he grew up.  You begin to eat your meal and a song begins to play in the background – it touches your heart instantly and deeply – you realize it’s a German song your Father sang to you as a child.  You haven’t heard the song in over 40 years.  All you can remember from the song is the refrain: “Val da Rih, Val da Rah, Val da Rih, Val da Rah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, Val da Rih, Val da Rah….”  You later learn that the name of this song is The Happy Wanderer and the beginning lyrics are:
 
I love to go a-wandering
Along the mountain track
And, as I go, I love to sing
My knapsack on my back!
 
How appropriate!  Here is a YouTube version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQRzTtkIP64
 
 


The next morning, the staff at the Alpen Rose Inn prepare a nourishing breakfast for you; then you head out to “do the town!”  It’s fun, invigorating and beautiful!  You realize, you are still on the “mountain track!”
 
Later that day, once again you are climbing in elevation, through Stevens Pass and the Snoqualmie National Forest – such beauty!  You then reach Bellingham, Washington – your farthest destination!  Bellingham is a beautiful, Victorian-like town with lots of energy and outdoorsy people!
 
When it comes time to head homeward, you leave Bellingham very early in the morning but still hit the Seattle/Bellevue, Washington rush hour head on!  Once beyond the thick of things, it’s time for the fast-track home!  Today, you head for McCall, Idaho – a long journey.  You cross the width of Washington State and then venture into Idaho – on the way, you come through the Nez Perce Indian Reservation and you feel the depth of the rich history of these Native People.  You stop in a store to linger for a little while, just to feel akin for a moment to the history of this Tribe.

 
Again, you are mountain climbing and following switchbacks into Idaho – the scenery is unbelievable.  You follow the Salmon River into McCall, Idaho and find the river is rushing with the lifeblood of the winter’s snow melt.  The town of McCall is vibrant with energy and has so much to offer.  An outdoorsy town situated on the Payette Lake, McCall is brimming with lots to see and do.  Being at an elevation of over 5,000 feet, the next morning, you find the mist soon turns to sleet and then to snow, which only adds to the beauty of the town.  You wander through the downtown area and then come upon the Ponderosa State Park and you picture the vibrancy of the summer months to come.
 
 
 
 
As much as you may want to stay in this town, it’s time to head southward; next destination, Ogden, Utah.  Once again, you’re following beautiful switchbacks and the South Fork of the Salmon River – amazing scenery.  You reach the town of Boise, Idaho, which is bustling with the lunch crowd.  You cross the Snake River so many times, you’ve lost count!  It’s a long drive and you finally cross into Utah – one more State closer to home!
 
You find Ogden, Utah to be a sweet town and you enjoy a wonderful meal at the Prairie Schooner, where you dine under the stars in covered wagons.  Well fed, you get a good night’s rest to make the trek southward through Utah to reach Flagstaff, Arizona by dinner time.


 
Flagstaff, one of your favorite towns, is always bustling.  Being so close to the Grand Canyon, you can always find people from around the world walking around the town.  You enjoy a wonderful meal at a Latin Restaurant, Criollo’s.  After a good night’s rest, you eat your breakfast at your favorite spot, Macy’s, also a favorite of the locals.  You wander through the shops and galleries of Flagstaff, one of your favorite things to do and then you hop onto Interstate 40, homeward bound!
 
You arrive in the beautiful White Mountains and the area is full of activity because it is the Memorial Day weekend – many people come to the White Mountains to get out of the heat, to hike and fish and enjoy the outdoors!
 
Your journey has included many sights, much beauty and a new lease on life.  In the process of clocking over 4,000 miles, you pass so many acres of farm land; you see many farmers in their fields, way off in the distance, where the only way you can tell there is a farmer at work is by the huge wake of dust behind the tractor.  You see farmhouses so far back into the fields, you wonder how long it takes to get to them.  You see so many irrigation systems along the way – too many to count!  Since this is the planting season, some of the plants are not visible and some are only tiny sprouts; yet the huge irrigation system makes its way across the acreage very slowly, appearing to be some large spider-like creature, gently offering a life source of water to the food Americans will eventually eat.  You gain an appreciation for all the farm workers across the land, as you pass cherry, peach and apple orchards, vineyards, potato fields, grain – oh how many fields of grain you pass, beans and many other plants.  You realize you would not survive without all those hands at work in the fields.  You are thankful and so grateful.  You wonder just how tired a farm worker is at the end of the day and how long it takes him or her to reach home.


 
Flora and fauna abound on your journey and you realize how much joy they bring you throughout the day.  For as much as the flora offers in the varied colors, shapes, sizes and beauty, the fauna offers its own varied colors, shapes, sizes and beauty, as well.  From Columbines growing out of rock crevices in Zion National Park to the little Chipmunk who joined everyone watching Old Faithful release its power at Yellowstone National Park; to all the farm animals (cows, sheep, goats, bulls, long-horned steer, horses and pigs) and birds along the way (the Bald Eagle, many Magpies and many, many Hawks).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

You find appreciation for all the workers along your path who run grocery stores, gas stations, hotels/motels, restaurants – the lifeblood of your Country.  For small-town America and its citizens, who often pay the most for gasoline, who drive so far to the local grocery store; to all the Town, City, County, State and Federal workers who keep your Country running, re-routing traffic in Stevens Pass in Washington State to protect drivers from the potential of falling rock, due to the heavy snow melt coming through the rocks – moving boulders off train tracks that had fallen through the night.  All of these people go to work each day in order to make our lives easier, our roads safer, working along highways and byways, while cars quickly pass them without acknowledgement.  You find such deep gratitude on this journey for workers across America, your beautiful, beautiful land.
 
For this, for all this, you give gratitude, deeply felt, for your safety, for all the joy you experienced, for the newness, the expansion of your breadth of knowledge, the appreciation of many more things than you could ever imagine.  You realize, God's abundant nature, something you've always found to be overwhelmingly beautiful and amazing, is yet even more than you can take in as a mere human.  You thank God for every moment, for every snapshot your eyes captured, you thank God for your sight, for your capability to journey on, the strength and stamina that only He could provide in order to make your journey one of memory, one of fulfillment and one of peace.
 
Thank you, Dear Lord, with all my heart.

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