Palo Duro Canyon

(A stock photo because we aren't photographers)

Today was the longest drive. We left about thirty minutes past our expected departure time, but we made good time nonetheless. We had a fairly good trip and stopped outside of Dallas to see a friend who had a lovely snack spread for the kids.

We arrived at Palo Duro and immediately began making dinner in our cabin. The kids worked on their binders while they waited for our pasta and salad. We ate, the kids cleaned the dishes, we got ready for bed and told some stories after we prayed. The sun setting over the deep red canyon cast a beautiful glow over our small campsite. We loved that our kids could appreciate the serenity and simplicity of our surroundings with minimal complaints.

We were struck by our vulnerabilities in nature, being isolated. The solitude brings with it peace, yet fear crept into us with the echoes of the silence within the canyon walls. Being surrounded by noise and constant activity makes us feel invincible, but the quiet surroundings had left us alone with only our thoughts as they ran rampant. We were able to settle our thoughts to a point where we could make sense of our musings and at the same time hear and appreciate the subtle whispers of the canyon.