I’m a mountain and prairie girl. I’m a Caribbean Sea girl. I’ve never been a desert girl, and I know very little about it, but here we are spending two months in the Arizona, sitting beside the Colorado River in the desert. It’s a whole new world to explore. In our little ‘back yard’ area (we’re at an RV park with other snowbirds) we have the polite and funny company of a covey of quail and one fearless road runner. I’d never actually seen a road runner before except the one that avoids Acme bombs left by the Coyote, so it’s fun to watch him and get to know him. I think he looks a little less intelligent than his cartoon counterpart, but what do I know?
A few days ago we took our first four-wheeler ride on the desert. (Saw a coyote but no bombs.) It’s certainly a different kind of riding than we are accustomed to in the mountains – the rocks are augmented with powdery white dirt which makes climbing even small hills a fun challenge. We didn’t take a map, but really, when you can see the horizon all around in a 360 degree arc, I’m not sure how a person could actually get lost. Anyway, we found a road that led us to the very top of the tallest peak around. Locals call it P Mountain since there’s a big P painted on it, but the internet calls it Black Peak, elevation 1,594. Nearly 1600 feet above sea level is nothing compared to the mountains we are used to, but since our trailer is currently sitting at 474 feet, we climbed 1,120 feet from the base to the top. Pretty steep going. A little scarier coming back down. Oh, but worth it. The view of the valley from up there was stunning.
It was a perfect first ride of 2021 and a perfect illustration for me of how to carry out one of my new year’s resolutions. I want to spend this year embracing joy. I want to delight in the details of the little fluff on the quail’s head and the silly way the roadrunner looks as he passes by. I want to follow a map-less road and stand on the peak and see the bigger picture. The grandeur and wonder. I intend to laugh and smile and KNOW that despite what the news says, God is God and He loves us.
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