I've always found the purest evidence of God in creation...sometimes it's easier to find marks of a holy higher power in trees than people. During this vacation, I encountered God in both.
The first day we drove to the highest overlook within the Davis Mountains State Park...approximately 5,000 feet above sea level. You can almost see into Mexico from that height. Much of the area had recently been ravaged by a grass fire and to prevent the annihilation of the state park and the historical town of Fort Davis, the county had to conduct a controlled burn. Mountains once covered in flowers and trees, now draped in black ash and blue-grey fire retardant powder. The average rainfall in the area is under 20 inches. It has not rained in the mountains since last September. There are burn ban signs everywhere. Smoky the Bear will beat your ass if you so much as light a match.
Saturday Brandon and I spent the day at the McDonald Observatory. It's operated by the University of Texas and various astronomers at NASA. That night we attended a "star party" at the Observatory amphitheater. It doesn't get fully dark until almost 10 PM. At the peak elevation, around 6,000 feet, the McDonald Observatory is located in one of the darkest areas of the world. When the stars appear, it's the entire Milky Way galaxy. One of the scientists had a green laser with a wand about a foot long. When he turned the laser on, it was like the mother of all light sabers. The beam wobbled around the atmosphere as though it was actually touching the identifiable constellations. The array of diamonds twinkling in the midnight blue ocean is mesmerizing. The thrill of it is like dancing with God as he dusted the sky with lights. We looked at stars giving off light that's thousands of years old... In all likelihood, the stars have already exploded into vast nebulae, and we're just now seeing the light from their youth...moving forward allowing us to glance up and marvel at it. The feature of the night involved peering through a telescope larger than a sumo wrestler to see Saturn on the other end of the lens. Saturn. Like 7th grade Science class textbook, Star Trek rerun Saturn... rings, moons, everything. This planet, whose diameter is 110x that of earth, was right before my eyes. Spectacular.
Sunday was my birthday and it began with a hike in the mountains. [The family of the student I teach called me and my little Jacob sang me happy birthday, which by the way, is the ONLY way the wretched birthday song should be performed. Period.] From the mountains, Brandon and I descended to Balmorhea State Park, known for its natural springs. A pool was constructed around the largest spring so catfish swim freely, scuba divers come from miles around to explore its 25 foot depth, and children cannon ball off of a diving board into schools of minnows. We waddled our sunburned selves back to camp later in the evening and sat down to enjoy our dinner when I heard a noise in the shrubs....and out wandered a beautiful mule deer. Brandon tossed a piece of hot dog bun on the ground which she ate willingly and took a step toward us seeking more. Within minutes, she was eating out of our hands...gentle and friendly. I fed a deer. A doe, a deer, a female deer!!
I shared the entire adventure with my Brandon...whom I adore wholeheartedly...whose hand fits ever so perfectly in mine. The perfect traveling mate... We laughed until we nearly cried, watched the stars appear from within our tent, scaled mountains, and made friends with nature. I couldn't have asked for a better getaway.
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