Heart Condition Part XII

Heart Condition Part XII

6/18/12

The angle of the sun always changes the picture of anything that it radiates off of and the reservoir and hills are no exception.  As most of have sung the song America The Beautiful and have included the famous words of “purple mountains majesty” in our chorus.  I never really understood that concept until I moved out to the western side of the country.  I was a wee lad when made trips out to Colorado to visit family and the colors of the mountains was the last thing on my mind at that time.

When I moved out to Colorado in 1992 I had found a great comforting friend called the mountain and all of its glory and with living in the south most of my life the word mountain means far away in an another distant region.  I fell in love with the mountains in Colorado and I still look at them with awe and wonder each day.  But on this afternoon trip I saw the colors of the mountains change right in front of my eyes which to this day is still plastered in my mind as one of the beauties of God’s creation.  Even there were plenty of hours left in the day the angle of the sun had changed enough to form a purple tinge on the distant peaks.  I stopped and looked at the view for a few moments before I got into the van to eat my sandwich.

The temperature had dropped a tad since our arrival on the mountain which as the reason why the little girls needed to be prepared for more clothes.  They calmly put them on and began to ask if they could go down by the lake to be close to the water and to see if they could see any fish.  The three older people in the van were not finished eating yet so they had to wait until our food was eaten and then put away.  This did not take too long but I can guess it seemed like an eternity to Rachel and Rebekkah.  After the food was put away neatly in its bags we said it was time once again to go play.  We opened the van door to a much cooler sky and then closed the doors behind us and with a sound of clicking of the electronic door lock the van was quickly secure.

Reality had finally set in with Bear as he was not so eager to leave the van as everyone else was but we knew and he knew that he could not be left inside the van for any length of time that would just not be right.  He slowly began to walk as his head turned from the side of the van towards the dirt slope to the reservoir.  He was reluctant but still willing to make the trek, but I knew he was thinking about the return trip up the hill this time.

It was only a few feet to the edge of the road which led down to the loading ramp for the small boats permitted on the reservoir.  One could get to the reservoir by many means but the road was the safest since it had no dirt, dips, or rocks to trip over.  As we turned the small corner leading down to the boat ramp one could see the groups of people fishing.  Continuing to the left of the road we came close to the edge of the reservoir.  It was a quick walk down to the water’s edge where rocks lined the other edges of the reservoir which Rebekkah promptly picked one up one of these rocks and threw it into the water.  She laughed when the water made a splash when the rock collided with its surface.  I quickly remembered when my father used to take me fishing in the small ponds in the south and how he taught me to skip a rock on top of the water; different way of making noise and motion on the water but still just as fun.  As we stood on one side of the reservoir the creek that fed the reservoir was to our left and the damn for the reservoir was to our right and both side of the reservoir had no access in or out of the reservoir.  The only thing that occupied the sides of the reservoir was families fishing.

We walked around the edge of the reservoir until we came to the place where the creek that feeds the reservoir enters.  The creek is not very big but is the continual source of water supply of the reservoir and its flow is nice and steady.  Some people will fish this part of the reservoir as well since there are fish in the feeding creek and winter does not even keep some of the people that like to be cold and fish away either.  The creek has a small bridge that crosses over it and then you can hike up the other side of the reservoir.  The opposite end of the reservoir where the dam is located a person can cross there and hike up the same hill if you wish.  We chose to take the bridge access side.

The climb to the top of the hill was considerably shorter than the one across the street and really did not give any breath taking views but it was the fact that the little girls had never been on this hill before and it seemed like a great idea.  After we crossed the bridge and began our way of the hill the girls took off ahead of us which made Bear anxious so he decided to try and free himself from the leash that kept him with Bonnie and I.  Bonnie let the leash go and Bear took off in the direction that the girls were heading.  It was not difficult to know where the girls were since the sounds of their voices laughing and calling out for Bear to follow them rang out in every direction, which was the catalyst for all of the open range cows in the area to take heed and show themselves from the patches of trees that were in front of us.

The little girls did not see the cows stand up behind them and was not going to happen since their backs were facing towards the cows.  They had no clue about the cows and the cows did their part by standing there and doing nothing, not even one moo.  As the girls turned around one of them let out a scream and the other one froze in her tracks.  One of the cows let out a gentle moo and continued chewing on some grass.  Both of them had no clue what to do so they both stood there until Bonnie and I go there.  The scream alerted Bear and he began to huff and puff and then gave one of his high pitched barks towards the cows which probably had a hard time even finding where the bark came from since the grass was taller than Bear was located.

It only took a few seconds for Bonnie and I to reach the girls and by that time the cows had lost interest in the humans that had invaded their resting area.  One cow had already laid back down and a couple of others had turned away and were finding a new location to lay down.  Bonnie and I reached the girls from behind and touched them on their shoulders.  Both of their sets of eyes were still homed in on the cows and what they were doing.  They knew that they were cows but it was the first time that either one of them had been that close to an animal in the mountains which is very understandable.  You can always tell a person about something or about a situation but until that person comes face to face with that situation or condition reality does not show itself.

After the cow incident the girls stuck pretty close to the adults and the teenager; a lesson learned by experience I would say.  The remaining hike up the hill was filled with trees.  Trees surrounded us and it was unique to see the sunlight coming through the trees from our right.  The girls said it gave them the spooks and asked how much longer we were going to be there.  I told them that there was nothing to worry about and that we would not be staying too much longer since the sun was beginning to set and the temperature continued to set along with the sun.

We continued up the hill for a bit longer hoping to see more animals or anything else of interest.  We eventually reached a small clearing that had nothing but grass and fallen dead trees, at this point we came to the conclusion that not much else would be seen and decided to turn around and head back down the mountain.  Everyone was satisfied with that decision and the trek began once again but in the downward slope.  The girls did not move too far away from us even though it was an easier walk and you could tell that their cow adventure was still lingering in their minds.

As we approached the spot with the encounter with the cows the girls quickly noticed that all of the cows had gone which when this occurred their braveness reappeared and they tromped right into the area and began to look around like they had just re-conquered land that they had lost to an enemy.  All of us took a short break in the area but Bonnie, Tatem and I did not move very much since we knew that where there were cows there would be cow pies.  Sure enough, Rachel was the first one to find one.  Rebekkah soon followed and their enthusiasm for the re-conquered land faded quickly and he moved towards the trail that lead back to the road.

With the exception of a few falls from all of us in the family the downward hike went without a hitch.  Bonnie and I continued our pulling up the rear positions and then bonnie asked me how I was feeling.  I was feeling great and had no pain at all.  She looked at me and said I looked tired but did not look bad in any way.  So I immediately wondered to myself of when she would stop with all of the questions about how I was feeling then; which question has never ceased to come from lips, even to this day she asks me.  The girls reached the bridge well before us and then Bear and Tatem reached the bridge shortly after.  Bonnie told the girls to not stay on the bridge and to go ahead and cross it which they promptly ignored and inched closer to the edge of the bridge staring at the water passing under them.  Our calls out to them finally were adhered to and all of them crossed and began to climb the ten foot hill that led to the road, which then brought more calls from us to stay away from the road.

The girls actually listened to us and stayed away from the highway that ran next to the parking lot where all the cars, trucks and other vehicles were parked.  It took Bonnie and I only a few extra minutes to reach the girls.  Tatem and Bear had already headed towards the bathrooms located just up a few yards and the girls acted like they should be next in line.  I took Bear when I reached the bathrooms and he and I went into the male side of things.  I finished and came out and noticed that Tatem was still in the bathroom since the same female family line had not diminished.  I thought to myself that it was a good thing that I was a boy.

After the girls had completed the bathroom run it was time that we started for home.  As we walked back to the van I began to take one last look around at the scenery.  One after another great view appeared into my eyes as I completed a circle of scenes.  The van was opened by the electronic opener and the girls began to climb into the van shedding their heavy clothes as they got closer to their car seats.  I remained outside while the girls got buckled into their seats.  I made my way to the front of the van and leaned against the hood.  I just stood there admiring all of the things that were occurring in that one area, it was a wonderful sight and I really did not want to leave.  Bonnie came over and asked me what I was thinking and I told her that we should make it a habit of coming up here more often and to see what God has given us to enjoy.  She agreed and then asked if I was ok, which I politely told her yes.

I walked around to the passenger’s side door and opened it up as Bonnie got into her seat.  I took a quick look at the girls and all three of them were ready to leave.  While I was standing on the passenger side I also closed the sliding door after Bonnie’s door had been closed.  Bear was in between the two front seats lying down and not thinking about moving for a while.  Bear was pooped and when he was on a trip and his tiredness caught up with him he would get in one position and stay there until we got home.  The van started with its normal ease and I clicked my seat belt into place.  I looked in the rear view mirror at the girls who were in their own worlds.  I put the van in reverse and pulled out of the parking lo and got ready to enter onto the highway.

A couple of cars passed in both direction and I took another look around before I punched the gas to enter the highway.  All went smoothly and in no time we were at speed and heading back down the Mesa.  There are many spots to stop along side of the road to get out and see the sites, but all of us were tired and declined each offer that the mountain offered.  It was the same road that we travelled up so the territory was a familiar one.  I cannot argue that the change of the leaves on trees is one of the most fascinating processes that I have studied and to see hundreds of trees signal the change in the weather patterns for the next four months is beyond my comprehension, yes we know how what happens and yes we can see the process occur if we stay and watch it transpire, but to fully understand the magnitude of this spiritual and natural time piece, just as the human heart beats it calling towards God Himself is a difficult one to experience.

There was a considerable amount of traffic on the highway due to the ending of the Apple Festival in Cedaredge.  The highway that we were on crossed the entire Mesa and goes to Interstate 70 which can take you to Grand Junction or any other town along that road.  For the people going home this route was the shortest and prettiest of their options, even though the people that came from Glenwood Springs probably would differ since they would take McClure Pass home; another road that I have not travelled before.

It was quiet from the back passengers and when I looked in the rear view mirror all the girls had joined Bear by falling asleep.  One driving this road had to be careful due to the fact that in the early afternoon the deer in the area like to cross the road to visit their watering spots and since they considered themselves as owners of the land, we had to watch out for them.  No major incidents with the deer had occurred and the trek into Cedaredge was mainly uneventful.

I think now about the road down the mountain and how it is paved with modern chemicals the path itself is still winding and curvy.  Danger from many sources can appear around each corner and one may never know how close an incident could have been after we pass the area.  How may times have we completed activities within our daily confines and never know what might have happened or what did happen to another person after we had left.  Each day of our lives is another opportunity that we learn about God and everything that He has in store for our lives but because of our routines we completely miss what God is trying to relay to us.  We must open our hearts and return to our spiritual communication lines and recognize the plan God has for us.  Our path will always be in front of us and the dangers will come from nowhere but we must have our communication with God in order for us to be led in safety.

DLB

Part XIII to follow….