So far this summer, we’ve spent nearly four weeks in the camper, enjoying friends and embracing solitude. On our latest trip (we got home last night), we rode about 130 miles all together on our four-wheelers. Please understand that most of the ‘roads’ we ride on are rock-strewn paths through the forest, not fit for even a four-wheel drive pickup. Our rides give a new and deeper meaning to the idea of a road less travelled. We like to putt along, stopping often to hike or just sit and absorb the stillness. We are rewarded by a whole host of surprises and beauty.
*A deer resting in the shade of a stand of pines, so totally unimpressed with my presence that he allowed me to notice him, stop my bike, back up for a better view, call Karl on the walkie to summon him back to see my new friend, and for us to take lots of pictures.
*Crossing a small creek running across our path, then meeting up with that creek again a few minutes later as it tumbled over a cliff in a jubilant dance to a deep green meadow.
*The gift of seeing a herd of about thirty elk, mamas and babies, as they crossed a meadow high up along the Continental Divide.
*The view from the top of peaks and ridges that allow us to see for miles and miles and somehow gain a tiny grasp of how majestic and grand our world is, then looking down at our feet to see butterflies sunning themselves.
I’m comforted by this mixture of reminders. We are tiny and insignificant compared to mountain vistas and infinite skies yet surrounded by a created world so suffused with intricate detail. I’m comforted as well by understanding that our God sees the big picture yet doesn’t ignore one small detail. In the grand scheme of things, I am of little consequence to the world, but dearly loved and considered by my creator.
Oh, one more thing about our trip. We had a ‘beary’ good time in camp as well!
