It’s
two weeks ago tomorrow that I arrived in Durango. As Chris and I headed into Durango from the airport
he made a stop at a local department store.
As
he pulled into the lot, he exclaimed, “Oh my gosh!! It’s John’s truck! What is he doing in town?!”
Of
course I had no idea who John was, but judging from Chris’ reaction this was a
pretty unique event or happenstance or, perhaps, an appointment.
We
entered the store and there stood John at the cash register. After quick introductions, Chris went to take
care of his business and John and I conversed.
It turns out he knew of me, of course, as Chris’ brother-in-law, but
also from my blog a couple of years ago ( www.hanson-road-trip-america.blogspot.com
). John is originally from Pittsburgh
and he’d read my blog about our visit to Pittsburgh in July 2012.
There
quickly developed a sense that he and I would meet again and we parted company.
John’s
comment as we departed was, “I’ve been in town too long, I gotta get back to my
place!” I didn’t fully understand his
statement, but yesterday I learned a lot more of what is behind a statement
like that.
John
and I subsequently spoke on the phone and agreed to get together soon. The intent was for me to come out to his
place. John is the supervisor of a water district in this area and he is
responsible for operations and maintenance of the Lemon Reservoir. He has held this position for 37 years and is
a subject matter expert when it comes to water, use, protection and myriad
other details.
So,
yesterday morning (Sunday) I headed into Durango. I had studied Google Earth the night before,
locating the reservoir and where I’m staying and found that, as the crow (or
maybe an osprey) flies, it’s only ten miles to John’s house. The only way to do that distance is to hoof
it over some 10,000 foot plus mountains!
The vehicular route is about 25 miles. I decided to drive!
So,
I started up the valley to Lemon Reservoir.
The scenery is magnificent. Some
areas with wide, verdant pastures cradled by granite cliffs and mountains
covered in ponderosa pines and naked aspen trees (it’s very early spring
here). The road twists and turns as one
expects of a mountain road and climbs steadily, though not dramatically.
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| Uncommon sign |
This first picture is telling of what the day was to bring. Not an avalanche in a routine sense, but rather an avalanche of beauty, tranquility and friendship!
I
arrived at the home of John and wife Patricia and was greeted warmly. Their home sits approximately level with the
rim of the dam itself and is the last habitation before actually reaching the
dam. We went inside for a few minutes as
they outlined a plan for the day.
This
day was to prove to be an incredible story of three individuals beginning from
a common starting point (my brother-in-law Chris is their good friend) and
develop the beginning of an amazing relationship in the course of a number of
hours.
We
organized necessary gear for a hike which was to ensue and headed out for a few
miles drive to the next reservoir, Vallecito.
Upon arrival, Patricia parked the vehicle and we geared up with water,
backpacks, walking sticks and dogs, then set out. John and Patricia were slightly dismayed as
there were three other cars at the trailhead, but we were to see only two folks
for the next 3-4 hours. The surroundings
were amazing. I am posting a few
pictures with this particular post to endeavor to display the beauty.
As
he hiked, we talked. I don’t know if it’s
purposeful or not, but John and Patricia take turns talking to a visitor. It’s really quite engaging as it enables the
two to delve into meaningful conversation.
But, there are certainly times when the three of us would converse
together also.
 |
| Vallecito Reservoir |
 |
| John and Patricia |
 |
| Patricia and me |
We
talked of life and experiences and faith and divine appointments. It was really quite a magical time that was
unfolding and I think the three of us all recognized this without saying a
word.
And, there were more than a few
moments I simply stopped where I was at and appreciated the moment, soaking in the
beauty and serenity and tranquility.
These were spiritual moments.
John
and Patricia taught me about the osprey that inhabit this area.
They talked of the 300-500 year old Ponderosa
Pines, the water, the wildlife and the
Missionary Ridge wildfire in 2002. The scars from that huge fire are readily
apparent as there are entire individual mountains that still lay stark and bare
of growth. In all that I heard yesterday
about the fire, to me, the single most fascinating thing about the fire had to
do with the moisture levels near the reservoir.
 |
| Pair of Osprey |
 |
| A very old and very large Ponderosa Pine |
Let
me try to explain. As the fire topped
Missionary Ridge to the west of the reservoir, the flames were roaring as high
as 300 feet into the air. As the fire
engulfed the magnificent trees, the trees literally exploded with a bang. The area was a warzone.
There were helicopters and planes and people moving every
which way in efforts to control the beast.
As the flames raced down the mountainside, the fire reached an invisible
boundary surrounding the reservoir approximately, on average, 200-300 feet from
the water’s edge. John explained to me
that this boundary was created by the airborne moisture from the reservoir and
it served to protect a boundary of trees around the lake. It’s an absolutely amazing sight to see the
total devastation that ensued as the fire raced down the mountainside and then
a necklace of trees around the lake.
Wildfires like this
create their own weather systems. This
fire actually generated a small tornado at one point! So, the fire reached the moisture protected
boundary and jumped over the lake approximately ½ mile or so, jumped over the
moisture boundary on the other side and raged up and over the next mountains to
the east.
But now, back to our
hiking and conversations. We stopped for
lunch at a gorgeous spot; just check out this picture.
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| No reservations necessary, come as you are! |
At one point I commented
to John and Patricia that I thought I had a really nice backyard at home, but
it doesn’t really compare with theirs!
All told I would
estimate that we hiked about six miles.
Upon returning to the car, we did some drive tours around the reservoir, to some
other streams and such and finally, way back to the Granite Peaks Trailhead. This trailhead sits on the southern boundary
of the Weminuche Wilderness area. The
beauty and magnificence of the surrounding area borders on being overwhelming,
but what an incredible way to be overwhelmed.
Late in the afternoon, we
returned to their home and enjoyed a cup of tea and more conversation as the sense
of uniqueness of the day and the sharing continued to press in on each of us. I was invited to join them for dinner and
accepted.
I simply cannot
overemphasize the sense of wonder we all felt at the events of the day. I was invited into their world; a world of
peace, solitude and tranquility that few will likely ever get to experience,
and in my experience I was blessed to begin to get to know two individuals at a
level that oftentimes evades us all.
 |
| 'Til we meet again my friends!! |
I’m left with a sense of
wonder at the day, a sense of wonder at the “chance” meeting (it was a divine
appointment!) the day I arrived in Durango.
I’m left to consider the master plan that guides our lives and directs
our paths and I simply must thank the God I serve for this marvelous
opportunity!!
I do consider this trip a
spiritual journey. On Saturday evening I
was considering where I would attend church on Sunday when I received the call
from John. As I reflect and consider, I
was given the gift of a truly amazing time of worship, thankfulness and
fellowship yesterday that only God could have planned.
Blessings!
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