A Day Chalked Full of Beauty

Our first sight on the agenda were the Chalk Cliffs, so named of their stark white coloring, which were definitely magnified by the morning sun. We were on our way to an historical mining town called St. Elmo. As we were travelling upstream along the Chalk River we came across Chalk Lake where we skipped stones and absorbed the crisp, unadulterated mountain air. Continuing we turned off where the river became Cascade Falls. It was as if the river had much to say. The boisterous waters found their way through every depression and fissure as it continued further downward out of our sight. Such a reminder of G-d’s Word, the Living Water, and it’s ability to find us at our lowest low ever flowing downward and smoothing out the ruff edges, refining us along the way.

Even the leaves of the aspens were singing in a light papery way a melody of their own. Every part of creation seems to have it’s own voice encouraging us to praise G-d. We are tasting anew the meaning to the verse, “Before the rocks cry out…”. The deeper you enveloped yourself with nature, you can’t help but join in with the chorus.

Greeted by chipmunks upon chipmunks we arrived to St. Elmo, said to be haunted. The only weird noises we heard was an hysterical women screaming and laughing as she tried to get a chipmunk down from her leg. That was entertaining. Strolling through town, checking out the late 1800 structures caused the imagination to surface. Although mining seized in 1936 and the town vacated in 1940, there was much to explore and the Miners Exchange was currently operating as a general store. A plus on our list and a creative addition to photos.

Lastly, we stopped in Beuna Vista and climbed the Barbara Whipple trail to photograph the Collegiate Peaks: Princeton, Harvard and Yale. Side by side they each rose to above 14,000 ft.

In all this majesty you feel quite small and yet, to realize it was all made for man, for each and every one of us. Overwhelming and awe-inspiring aren’t sufficient to describe the emotions. To top it off, a perfectly seemingly chalk painted sky which transformed moment by moment as the night bid farewell and our lids began to close.

****Wrote by Mom since Clay wasn’t feeling the creativity tonight! 🙂