May 15, 2015

May 15, 2015

Hidden Gems!!!

Today was a day filled with hidden gems.

It was an unexpected day where we did things that were not in the plans. None of the places we went today were where we had envisioned ourselves. I had never even heard of the places we went today.

Yet, we were so blessed and it was one of the best days we had so far.

The day started out at Seminole Canyon State Park. I had found the park on the Texas State Park website by chance. We had pulled in at night so we did not get a good chance to see the park. We woke up to a beautiful cool morning. We found that this park was indeed a gem. It was absolutely beautiful.

We decided to go to the Visitor’s Center to see if this was a place that we should make the time to stay and visit. We met a very nice lady on the way who happened to be the camp host. She has a passion for this particular area. She recommended a certain trail to hike. Once we got the Visitor’s Center, the ranger gave us the same advice. So we decided to go for it.

The ranger let us have a backpack for the kids that was full of trail guides and nature books and a compass and binoculars. The kids were so excited.

We drove to the trail head and started our adventure. The trail started out flat and easy. Once we turned off to the canyon rim trail things began to get a bit more interesting.

Think sudden drop offs with no safety railings.
Think gravel paths that have rocks where you can lose your footing.
Think deep canyons and overhangs.

I was a little bit panicked at first yelling at all the kids to stay back. It was nerve racking. I got better as the trail went on. The views were breathtaking. At one point we rounded a corner and saw a deep canyon in the distance. I immediately thought of the canyon of the crescent moon in Indiana Jones. It looked exactly like it. It just had a little bit more green than in the movie.

It was a great time of fellowship with the family as we hiked up and down and then up and down again. It was about a 2 ½ mile hike in the heat. It was also very windy. There was no shade but with the wind it was bearable. Everyone enjoyed themselves pointing out the plant life and the wildlife. We saw butterflies, lizards, very long millipedes, a lot of cacti, and different kinds of plants. The kids carried the field guides and found most of the things on the list. They had so much fun. So did Carl and I.

Towards the end of the trail we were all getting tired. Little ones started dragging and we all started eagerly seeking for the van. The van never looked so good. And hot water never tasted so good either.

We went back to Visitor’s Center to return the backpack and had another long discussion with the ranger He recommended three places where we could see the Rio Grande and Mexico. He said there were several pull offs where we could get a great view of Mexico and the Rio Grande. He also recommended that we check out the Star Party at McDonald Observatory near Fort Davis, Texas. We had planned on staying at Fort Davis anyway so we planned on attending.

We got on the road and did indeed check out the pull offs that the ranger recommended. We were able to get a spectacular view into Mexico and also the highest bridge in Texas that goes over the Pecos River. It was an amazing sight to see. That is probably the closest I will ever get to Mexico. It was exciting.

We drove into Fort Davis and found that the state park that we wanted to stay out was completely booked. We found a commercial campground and they had space. We normally do not like commercial campgrounds. We are used to state parks and military campgrounds. It was not my most favorite site but since we were staying one night I was not concerned. We unhitched the camper and then headed to the observatory. The plan was to eat at their café before the program started.

We got there in plenty of time to get tickets and eat dinner. We even had time to explore the gift shop and the exhibit hall.

The program started at 9:30 and they started right on time. We all walked outside only to discover cloudy skies and lightening filling the skies. It was quite beautiful and breathtaking.

Unfortunately the bad weather postponed the telescope viewing. Every time they opened the telescopes it would start to drizzle. It was a little frustrating. They offered people rain checks but since we will most likely never return, we stuck around hoping that the weather would clear.

They offered a lot of programs inside the visitor’s center. They had a program on powers of 10, how to find satellites in the sky, and a very interesting slide show on things found by telescopes. We had an enjoyable time.

When we were all heading inside to watch the programs when the weather cleared for a very small window of time.  Carl and I somehow got separated and he ended up with Alex, William, Nathan, Caleb, and Tirzah. I had Esther, Daniel, and Sam. It just so happened that we ended up behind everyone. As we were walking past the telescopes we saw that they had opened up the telescopes. I tried to reach Carl. There was no cell service on top of the mountain. I even sent one of the kids to try and get him. It was all to no avail.

Esther, Sam, and Daniel, and I were able to view Jupiter and a binary star. It was incredible. We were able to see the stripes on Jupiter and its moons. When we saw the binary star it really did look like one start but when you looked closer, it was actually two. I have never seen anything like this in my life. I am so glad that some of us got to see it.

Right after we went inside the storm they were tracking shifted and they had to shut all the outside activities down. We were able to take advantage of the only clear window of good weather of the night. We were so blessed.

My only regret is that the whole family was unable to see it as well.

Again, I was astounded by the heavens that were on display for us. Between the glimpses of stars in the breaks in the weather and the storms that were producing all the lightening, we were treated to an amazing display of God’s handiwork. God has certainly been showing himself to all of us during this adventure. I had prayed that God would show himself to us mightily and he has certainly been answering that prayer. Some of the things that we have seen are just so incredible that there are no words that could describe them. The pictures do not come even close to the beauty we have seen. I have taken so many pictures but to see them in real life is truly the only way to understand how beautiful this country is.

Today was a day where the plans we had fell by the wayside in favor of following the advice of locals. It turned out to be a very good decision. We were so blessed by what we saw today. We would have missed everything we did today of we had not been willing to listen to those around us. The conversations we have with people afford us opportunities to be a witness to others but it also allows us to be blesses through them. I am so glad we listened to those God placed in our path.

I have seen such JOY in my children’s faces during this journey. They are learning so much and we are building memories with them that will last a lifetime. This time has been so special and I pray that as the journey continues that our family will grow even closer to one another and to the Lord.