Thanksgiving Day won’t arrive for more than three weeks, but a loooong weekend trip to Big Bend filled my heart with gratitude.
“Loooong” is an understatement. According to MapQuest, 573.17 miles separate my home in Coppell from the South Rim of the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park. Funny, but it only seems like 570.
Actually, the miles rolled by with speed and ease. I traveled with five friends—Carl, Peter, Sam, Steve and Terry. We cooked up this trip late last spring, while Carl, Peter, Steve, Terry and I stood around, killing time, waiting for the reception after the wedding of Sam’s youngest daughter, Melanie. By the time the cake was cut, this trip was a done deal.
We left on a Thursday morning and spent that night at the Gage Hotel in Marathon. It’s a historic wonder to behold. On Friday, we drove down to the park and hiked to the South Rim and back. Here’s a little-known fact: Hiking downhill is harder than climbing up. On Saturday, we floated 23 miles down the Rio Grande, through the majestic Santa Elena Canyon, where cliffs rise 1,500 feet above the river. That night, we drove back to Fort Stockton and then came on home Sunday.
I thank God for every mile and every moment of that trip. I can’t single out the greatest blessing, but here are some highlights:
• Food. Hey, we’re Baptists; we know how to eat. One night, it was either elk filets or chicken-fried steak with jalapeño/corn gravy in Marathon. Another, it was Tex-Mex in Alpine. For snacks, we chomped fresh jerky and homemade cookies and brownies, plus lots and lots of power bars.
• Mountains. Most folks don’t equate our state with mountains. They don’t know their Texas geography. The Chisos Mountains crack through the high desert plains, and hiking them feels surreal, like ascending an arid, green-brown version of heaven. The air on top is so clear out there, you think you can see from Mexico City to Denver.
• River. The Rio Grande flooded this year. Old-timers say they’ve never seen it so high. The river had shrunk back into its banks by the time we got there, but it still was full and swift. And in Santa Elena, trying to imagine how that river cut a canyon through limestone that deep bends concepts of both time and persistence.
• Cosmos. The stars at night are big and bright, deep in Big Bend. Us “city boys” can’t see many stars from the Metroplex. But out there, we looked up and observed thousands—millions if you include the humongous haze of the Milky Way. So many stars reminded us of God’s great, expansive infinity. And talking about The Shack under those stars humbled us as we considered God’s love for us individually.
• Friends. Ah, that’s the best part. Deep, abiding friendship. Laughter. Care. Shared prayer. Stories about our lives. Then more laughter.
God is good, indeed. And I am blessed.
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