3/19/12
“When you see a new trail or footprint you do not know, follow it to the point of knowing.”
………Uncheedahd, Santee Sioux
When I was a girl and my family went camping, my dad insisted we find the furthest site on which to land, beyond other car tracks and away from civilized improvements. He would drive the Ford Falcon station wagon past recommended perimeters in search of a spot without trace of other humans. It added to the experience, he thought.
We would pass many other campers along our way and though we kids were always pushing to end the journey and start adventures, he would continue further, not settling till we arrived at a place where we would be untethered and uninhibited.
To my way of thinking, the destination almost always merited the prolonged journey.
I remember those kind of places.
Places that were above tree line, on the other side of the rope, usually out-of-bounds and always hidden from view.
Places that seemed remote and untouched.
Places that took effort to find.
Places that took time to reach.
Places inched to with persistence and curiosity and without flash and whim.
Places arrived at by mastering the skill of steadiness and small steps.
Places reached by narrow course and not broad swath.
Those are my favorite kinds of places.
Further on, far from where everyone else stops, splendid, unknown places.
Places that are still in reach. Just reach.
Your dad raised you right! That sense of exploring the unknown until it is known permeates your posts. Thanks for taking us along with you.
Always glad for your company along the way writingfeemail 🙂
Your dad certainly gave you the tools to lead an interesting adult life!
I appreciate that more and more the older I get Margie 🙂
So beautifully expressed and inspirational!
I remember going to some hard to reach places as a child. I remember being in our jeep cherokee as it climbed steep grades I didn’t think cars could climb, and waiting on the other side for someone to appreciate the view we found deep still water, surrounded by trees, surrounded by peace. We also got that cherokee stuck in the mud, but by scooping out the mud and filling the hole with rocks we got the car out.
Thank you for sharing and prompting memories of adventure and perseverance.
Memories of road trips and getting stuck in the mud seem like the ultimate childhood adventure. Glad you joined me on this one, buddhafulkat.
A beautiful post, both the text and the pictures, that touches us all with a longing for the very heart of nature.
I can never stay too far or too far away from nature, ShimonZ…..it is important for my soul. Thank you for visiting again.
Enjoyed the surprise ending and veiled but valuable advice. Your family had all the fun!
Glad you liked it. The older I get, the more I appreciate the fun we had.
Your Dad really helped you to be the person you are. This one is a really nice post, with some really beautiful pictures and as always some really beautiful words from you. Thank you for sharing your memory and taking us all along with you on this wonderful journey.
Always glad when you come along, Arindam 🙂
I agree that your Dad helped you become the person you are today. Reaching out further and further. Great post and fantastic pics.
Thanks Judith. I am not sure I appreciated it as I should have when I was young, but I do so today.
What a great lesson! Thanks!
You are so welcome, and thank you for taking time to visit here again 🙂
“Further on, far from where everyone else stops”. Happy trails.
Look forward to many more happy trails now that springtime in the Rockies is nearly here.
You are becoming my favorite poet.
Lovely!
Speaking of lovely, that is a very kind thing for you to say 🙂
I wish I’d had more outdoor adventures as a child. At least I get to go along with you through your words and pictures. Always lovely.
Thanks!
b
I do feel fortunate to have fond memories of family vacations…..and l also feel lucky to live where I have the opportunity to enjoy the beauty and solitude of mountains all the time. It grounds me, I think. Thanks b 🙂
Your writing brings the visuals to life. This is a lovely piece that reminds me of childhood adventures gone by. Thank you.
The pictures seem to bring the words to life in me, Michelle. Guess that’s a good thing. Thanks 🙂
Great post. As always, you mesh the photos and words beautifully. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, as always, Max 🙂
Beautiful post, all around. How lucky to grow up like that!
Our family went camping exactly *once*. My mother refused to ever do it again, but my brother and I remember it as one of the best times of our childhood…
Thanks for sharing your memories and majestic photos.
I bet it would be interesting to know your mother’s version of the story of the one-time camping expedition. 🙂
We went with another family – experienced campers – and I think she felt terribly out of place, city girl that she is. Washing the dishes in cold water might have been another part…and the bugs…and the hard ground under the sleeping bags…and…you get the picture. 😉
Lovely pictures and prose. You have a great blog.
Thank you Susan….that means a lot, especially coming from you.
Lovely! I always like going where no one else is.
I would expect nothing less from an alien like you Marvin 🙂
Wonderful. I love the idea: “not settling till we arrived at a place where we would be untethered and uninhibited.”
My family never camped, but instilled in me the same sort of curiosity/adventure. Only in my life, the unknown terrain was cerebral, not physical.
Never put that piece of insight together before. Thanks.
That is a true gift, Ally, and one that will enrich throughout your lifetime.
Great “dad lessons” are priceless !
Priceless indeed MJ 🙂
Your dad instilled an appreciation for exploring. I loved the last picture…aspens??…when we saw them in CO my mother was careful to instruct us that aspens only grow in the high altitudes. It made me appreciate, that when I see them, it would be because I/we have journeyed from our familiar surroundings to there. When my mother pointed them out, I think she was nostalgic for the aspens from her home state of WA where aspens also grow around the Columbia Basin and along the eastern slopes of the Cascade mountains. Another thoughtful and lovely post.
Yes, the last two pics are of aspens…the gold taken in early October and the green in July. Thank you Georgette.
What a GREAT dad! And the photographs are outstanding, the second one — especially — is calling to me.
Happen to like that picture too, Laurie. It was taken in the Weminuche Wilderness in southern Colorado.
So beautiful dear Bella, Thank you for sharing these beautiful photographs and places that I haven’t been… Blessing and Happiness, with my love, nia
I am glad to share pictures of places I love Nia. And I love seeing the pictures of places you love where I have never been 🙂
How is it that you’re not on the payroll at the Colorado Chamber of Commerce? Or are you?
Now that’s a good idea, Al!
We all need to have fathers like you had … sharing life lessons that are shared internally and now via the blog world! I adore the photos!
Gotta love these mountains–beauty and lessons, both.
Beautiful words and photographs … always pure pleasure to visit you here.
Always glad for your visit, Elizabeth. And I always love my visits across the pond with you.
I was so excited to see a new post for you come across my email list, and quickly scurried to the computer so that I could see your beautiful photography.
Thanks, motherofwonder. I am always glad when you stop in 🙂
Hi Winsomebella!This makes me want to jump into all of these pictures! Very sweet post 🙂
Thank you…..jump right in:-)
Your posts are always worth the wait between them! What great memories you must have of those trips!
There are lots of crazy stories associated with those family vacations….some day maybe I will be inspired to share some of the more humorous ones :-).
Sounds wonderful! See where it lead you?
So many places, so little time :-). Thanks for visiting Sandy.
“When you see a new trail or footprint you do not know, follow it to the point of knowing.”
i suspect this is also what makes writing compelling. continue…
Stretching the intellect just a bit farther than the ordinary is worthwhile, yes?
I tell myself that I love living in Los Angeles, and I do, but certain things remind me of the joy of living someplace a little quieter, with lots of unexplored nooks and crannies so close at hand.
The good news is that words like those also remind me of that sense of joy at exploration (and discovery!), so that it’s not like the thrill is totally gone. Just waiting for its reminder.
I found my sense of discovery and joy increased after I hit the age of 50…..those child-rearing years were so full I did not fully appreciate certain things as I do now. Thanks, Deborah.
Gorgeous. I love getting off the beaten path and finding something unspoiled and untouched. And then lightly touching it. 🙂
A good point Kourtney–you gotta reach out and touch it once you are there.
Experience it, but leave it for others to enjoy too. 🙂
Heaven is within reach, if we should only persist far enough, patiently enough, observantly enough. With childlike enough hearts.
Great words Kathryn. And I must say that with each passing year my heart seems more childlike than the last. Must be on the downhill slope 🙂
Bella, you have the gift of words and photography. You marry the two so beautifully. The sentiment here is wonderful. Your Dad got it right, in my opinion. Beautiful.
Thanks LenoreDiane. As you know, I so enjoy your pics and sentiments too 🙂
Not only great pictures, but wonderful descriptions of places!
Am glad you liked this….thanks 🙂
Just beautiful, as always, Bella. How old were you before you appreciated being far away from those kids you passed (and wouldn’t remember now anyway)?
It was definitely quite a few years down the road before I had the broader view. Funny how wrinkles and time changed my perspective. Thanks, Elyse.
Beautifully written. Inspiring words, spectacular pictures. Discovery and wonder of places no one else takes the time to see and experience – I envy you and admire your dad for instilling this in you.
Thanks Phil. And my wanderlust just keeps on keepin’ on:-)
Beautiful thoughts to live by.
Thanks Susan……always happy when you stop in here 🙂
Wünsche dir einen schönen Abend ,es sind tolle Bilder von dir ,gefällt mir gut ich wünsche dir einen schönen Abend noch und viele liebe Grüsse Klaus
Ich bin Ihnen sehr dankbar (I think .:-))
What a great dad. And a fantastic adventure. This is inspired.
Thanks so much Barb 🙂
What a great example your father was. I can only imagine the beauty you’ve seen by pressing it a wee bit further.
Sometimes I just can’t help myself Patti….usually it turns out well though. Thank you for stopping in.
Es ist Samstag die Sonne scheint was will man mehr,Habe deine Fotos mir angesehen,ja wandern in dir unendliche schöne Natur,das muss herrlich sein,und wenn man dazu noch einen Vater hat,der einem alles zeigt,du bist ein glücklicher Mensch der einen Vater hat ,viele liebe Grüsse und schönes Wochenende wünscht dir Klaus
Your post reminded me of these lines from Browning’s “Andrea del Sarto”:
Speak as they please, what does the mountain care?
Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp,
Or what’s a heaven for?
Beautiful words, Steve…..glad you stopped in 🙂
I love how winsome are your pictures, your words, and you!
Thanks pegoleg!
An inspiring post – and one that I think relates to our inner selves as well as to physical places.
Glad you visited today ladyfi—heading your way next 🙂
Life’s journey should be like that, Bella, making us always want more of those places, even if those remote places are within ourselves. What a rich heritage you come from!