A few weeks back, my friend Lori contacted me on a Friday afternoon and wanted to know if I had plans for the evening. She was wondering about exploring Holla Bend Refuge or Petit Jean. She said she checked the weather and it looked like rain from 1:00 until who knew when. Her words, "Ugh! Darn it! " My response, "We could still go." (There was only a 90% chance of rain.) Lori's response, "Well....yeah. It would be kinda crazy...so I guess we now know who the crazy one really is." ( I'm not crazy, just optimistic.)
We talked a little later on the phone and decided to go to Petit Jean despite the chance for rain and storms. And, I'm so glad we did.
Every time I go to Petit Jean, it brings back memories of times past. Jackie and I rented cabins up there several times just for a short get away. We hiked the trails with our boys and stayed in the cabins where there were no tv's or phones. If you ask them today what was their favorite vacation, they would both tell you when we rented a cabin or camped.
As Lori and I topped Petit Jean mountain, of course we had to pull over at the first overlook to take pictures. The valley below us stretched for miles and miles. There's nothing like a view from the top of a mountain. We then went to Mather's Lodge, checked out other points of interest in the area such as an old CCC building, a couple beautiful waterfalls, watched a family of geese waddling along the water's edge and then continued our wandering. We drove to Winthrop Rockefeller's Farm, but sadly, due to Covid-19, the gates were closed allowing for no admittance. We made the full loop around the mountain and wow, are we glad we did! Wildflowers were planted along the highway in a beautiful array of vibrant colors. Their beauty was breathtaking.
We started our journey about 3:00 p.m. and never thought our wandering would take us through sunset. Time flies when you're having fun and we were sure enjoying our outing! Our day ended and God blessed us with the most beautiful sunset. He gives us the desires of our heart. We arrived home just in time for the bottom to drop out of the heavens. God is so good!
May you be blessed today and always and remember to open your eyes to your surroundings, you may be surprised at what you see.
Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
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