Homolovi State Park, Winslow, Arizona
Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you. ~ Proverbs 22:26-27
We’ve been corresponding with Blaine’s Aunt Sherri about our stop later this summer near their home in Kansas, which we’re really looking forward to! Her latest email had this (among other things) to say: According to your blog, your self-quarantine is pretty exciting! It’s great you can get out and explore new territory!
She’s certainly right! And as always, we find ourselves grateful to God, and continuing our thankfulness to Gov. Duchey of Arizona, one of the few states that have kept their Parks and campgrounds open! For the past several weeks, we’ve had to make a few changes and give up some of our plans (like the South Rim of the Grand Canyon), at least we’ve not become homeless and we’ve had some pretty great experiences that we would’ve missed otherwise.
Today we returned to Clear Creek to paddle.
We arrived about 8:30am and were in the water by 9:00. And the only other person around was a guy fishing off the parking lot, but he left the bank, got in his car and drove up to the far end of the parking lot as soon as we arrived. Not sure if it was COVID-19 nervousness, or he was done fishing, or just anti-social.
In any case, we were the only ones on the river until after noon, and because of that, the water was as smooth and reflective as glass! Stunning beauty!
It’s a very sturdy inflatable, so there wasn’t much chance of tipping. Whew!
It’s the reflection in the water!
We were about half way, when I thought I saw something move in the water along the canyon wall. (Years of being on constant spider-alert have made me aware of even the smallest movement – – even in my peripheral vision)
It turned out to be a baby bird! So of course, we had to rescue it, because there was no way it could save itself! We edged up real close and Blaine picked it up and I paddled us over to a slanted rock that was in the sun on the other side of the river and some greenery on it. Blaine set it down and it just sat there shivering! Poor thing! ☹
He was flapping his wings against the rock. It was soooo sad!
Blaine took a couple pictures while I lined up the boat and held us in postion.
You can’t tell from the picture how much he was shivering. : (
The good news is, when we returned, he was gone. Of course we’ll never know for sure what happened to him, but we are choosing to believe he flew away once he was rested and dry.
The second most exciting thing we did today, was try to play in the water. We stopped on a beach of sorts (complete with shells and cooked crustaceans) just before the actual end, so we could stand and walk around a bit, because certain parts of our anatomy don’t take kindly to sitting in the kayak for extended periods of time. Part of that time was spent wading in the river water. It felt cold at first, but legs and feet quickly adjusted and it wasn’t bad.
It’s not shrimp, that’s all I know.
Maybe someone was using them for bait?
Or maybe they had a picnic?
There were quite a few lying around.
Blaine began talking about leaving, and I suddenly decided I wanted to revert to my childhood before we left, so I stripped off my outer garments and plunged into the deeper side of the river. Whoooo-weee!!! It was soooo cold it almost took my breath away! I stayed in only long enough for Blaine to take his picture!
But surprisingly, once I was out, I wasn’t cold at all. And I actually felt rejuvenated! Fun times!!
Now really, when will that opportunity ever come around again?
That’s why I did it. 😊
Blaine says he was the smarter one, and stayed out of the water.
We found a great lunch spot for today, too!
“Just remember, it’s easier going up than coming down, dear!”
We were losing shade fast. : )
Several people passed us on the way back – many of them on SUPs (Stand Up Paddle), and one motorized boat that was going well over the speed limit and ignoring the “no wake” signs, and shucking common courtesy as they barreled by causing a wake that flooded our boat. Nice. Just when my clothes were starting to dry out.
Packed up and on our way home, we took a little detour on a dirt road to see where it might lead us. It was a whole lot of practically nothing and just a straight dirt road. Not interesting enough to keep our sense of adventure intact, so we went home.
It was getting hot anyway.
We began our day with beauty, and decided to end it the same way. Just before sunset, we drove over to the Little Painted Desert Park again and sat and watched the sunset transform the area. It wasn’t the most spectacular sunset we’ve ever witnessed, but nevertheless, it contained a beauty all its own and also offered up a sense of peace and tranquility. Hey! Maybe there’s a vortex here! 😊
Seriously though, there is nothing like experiencing the love of God through nature.