Where the Deer and the Antelope Play August 21, 2011

Our trip north continued through Colorado and Wyoming on Day 3, and it was the best one yet! We began the day driving to Parker, Colorado to have breakfast with my aunt and uncle, Karen and Allen Miller. It has been 9 years since I have seen Karen (Joseph was 3 months old at our last visit) and 5 years since we’ve seen Uncle Allen. They have a beautiful home in a quiet community, and the view from their back deck looks toward Pike’s Peak. It was a wonderful time to reconnect with them, and our time was definitely too short. There was talk of an Alaskan cruise with Mom & Dad and a stopover at Fort Wainwright…what fun that would be! As we pulled away I found myself feeling a bit emotional. We do not get a chance to see them very often at all…my dad and uncle did not even grow up together…but as my eyes filled with tears, my heart was filled with love. And I marveled at the idea that I could feel such a heart-felt connection with someone else, just by the bond of a shared last name. Spiritually, I pray that I would feel that same connection to my brothers and sisters in Christ…those that I fellowship with regularly and those that I may just pass along the way.

Upward and onward we drove…a whole 60 miles…before I decided to make a surprise detour to Broomfield, CO to visit one of my very best high school friends. Without warning, I called information to get her phone number, called to let her know we were about 10 minutes out, then giddily rang her doorbell a few minutes later. Nothing like advanced notice, huh? As gorgeous and gracious as ever, she welcomed us into her beautiful new home, inviting J to head on upstairs to play with the guys and giving us the grand tour. Amazing and awe-inspiring is the view from nearly every window in her house. It was wonderful, wonderful to catch up with her, but alas, our time was cut short by the call of the road ahead. Once again, God was good to me, allowing me to spend time with one of my favorite people from the past, reminding me that He has placed people in my life all along the way that love me and whom I love. Even though Noel and I have only seen each other about 4 times in the past 22 years, I feel that when I really need her, she is a friend in the present, praying for me when distance will not allow anything else. I only hope that she knows the same about me. And on a side note…remember the picture at Balanced Rock from my sophomore year in high school? I took that picture with Noel.

Finally after hitting the road from Colorado Springs at 7:00a.m., we began our actual trip to Wyoming around 2:15 p.m. I guess we did more visiting than I realized, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

If you have never had the opportunity to drive through Wyoming, you should put it on the list of things to do. Wyoming is a beautiful state and is the very picture of the words to “America the Beautiful”. We saw the purple mountain majesties over-looking the fruited plains…with 3 cowboys rounding up their cattle at day’s end thrown in for good measure. We imagined, pondered, and tried to visualize the pioneers of old, making their way west, trekking across this uncharted territory. I am amazed at their spirit, their drive, and their determination to get to a new home, without truly knowing where they were going or what they would find when they arrived. It must have been over-whelming to make it across these wide open plains only to find huge mountains staring you in the face, but I think my great adventure may be quite like that. I am determined to make it home…not sure exactly how I will get there…not sure of what mountains I will face, but determined nonetheless.

And toward the end of our day, God rewarded us with a renewed sense of peace, encouragement, and promise just like He may have rewarded those pioneers of long ago. We drove through a small rain shower (though it took us a moment to figure out what this strange liquid from the sky was), watching as it developed over the mountains and headed our way, refreshment to the land and the animals on the bluff. And after the showers, I saw the most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen, bright and bold with wide bands of color…a blessed reminder that God is always with us.

 

Day 2

Day 2 found us traveling from Amarillo, Texas to Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Again, the drive was fairly uneventful with the exception of the beauty of Raton Pass and the change of scenery.  We did, however, pick up our 10th state in our geo-caching goal of all 50 states.

Another highlight of the day was stopping in Pueblo, Colorado to have lunch with my mother-in-law and her husband.  They have spent the summer camping in Fun Valley, CO and drove about 3 hours to meet us.  It was a nice rest for us and certainly good to see her for an hour or so before we have quite a long break between visits.

After finally arriving in Colorado Springs, Mom and I took the kids to Garden of the Gods where we walked the trails and took in the spectacular display of God’s handiwork.  Several times throughout the park, J commented, “God is amazing!”  and He truly is.  During our walk, we were able to see a large buck up close and personal as he was eating dinner.  Then high up on the rocky tops, we saw birds nestled in the crevices of the formations, tiny plants growing through cracks.  As I took in this majestic site, I couldn’t help but hear the words of the old gospel hymn “His Eye is on the Sparrow.”  With tears in my eyes, I felt the presence of the Lord surround me on that walkway through the gardens, reminding me that His eye is watching my every move and His hand is guiding my every step.

A funny ending to our trip to the Gardens….I really, really wanted a picture of the kids at Balanced Rock.  I had my picture made there back in my sophomore year of high school when I went on a choir trip. so I wanted to make sure they experienced it as well.  Unfortunately, I missed the pull-off parking area, so I thought I would just make a nice, easy U-turn (with an F-150 and Uhaul trailer) and go back up the road and park.  Well, the U-turn was no problem at the bottom of the hill.  There was a nice wide turn-off to the right, so I basically just whipped around there and headed the other direction.  Just as I started back up the small 2 lane road, Mom noticed a sign that said “NO trucks, NO trailers, NO vans” BUT I CANNOT AND WILL NOT back up a trailer and there were no turn-arounds in sight.  My only choice was to just keep going and hope for the best.  As we neared Balanced Rock from the other direction, we discovered the reason for the sign.  The road splits, and our lane now went through a tiny opening between two other rocks overhanging the road.  So here we were…Mom as white as a ghost…the kids giving advice on how to drive through it…and me  telling Mom, “just keep watching and make sure I don’t scrape the mirrors.”   It was pretty hilarious!  Fortunately, we made it all the way through…no problems…no incidents…only a few other tourists laughing between their evil eye looks.  The best part…I got my pictures!  I wish I would’ve taken a picture going through the gap, though, but I think reading this will give my husband enough troubles without visual aids!