God's Water Park
We live on a small foothill on the edge of the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We have a view of the mountains on a clear day in the winter. I can see the woodlands out my front window and out my back window. A small mountain river runs along the edge of our property, and at night, we enjoy listening to the frog chorus that puts on a concert around our pond. Even so, I tend to forget how close I am to the mountains.
Yesterday afternoon was hot and sticky, and I decided to take my children swimming somewhere. We voted for a place about which I knew nothing, but that my neighbors had promised was a great place to go. We were not disappointed. We took the back road out to Scenic Highway 11 and headed toward the lake. To our left was a turnoff that had always intrigued me. For years, there was nothing there but an unmarked dirt road. Since I had seen men with fishing poles heading in that direction, I assumed it was a place to go trout fishing and thought nothing more about it. These days, the turnoff is well-marked and a gravel parking area has replaced the muddy drive. We parked the car. The girls grabbed their towels, and we headed down a steep, narrow path through the woods.
As we neared the bottom of the trail, the sound of running water got louder. To my surprise, and my children's delight, we were face to face with a child's dream, a 100-foot rock water slide! The river bed was smooth and hard, and the water rushed down into a series of pools at the bottom. Two young boys were sliding down the rock carried along by a smooth stream of water which narrowed into a rushing waterfall that landed them into the first pool.
Delighted, the girls ran to the bottom of the slide to investigate the pools. The first pool appeared to be no more than 3 feet deep at any point. The second pool had a huge rock face on one side and a sandy beach on the other side. The water was deep enough along the rock face side for the children to grab a rope, climb up the rock and jump in. I sat down on a rock and watched the children as they explored the area, played in the water, and finally brave the long decent of the water slide. For two hours, they alternated between the pools and the water slide.
Eventually, I rolled up my pant legs and waded in the shallower pool jumping from rock to rock and braving the narrow "bridge" that was made by a railroad tie someone had put there. It was cool by the water side. The sound of the rushing water and beauty of the trees, the huge rocks jutting out the mountainside and the movement of the small fish swimming in the water had a calming affect on me. I didn't want to leave, and neither did the girls. Even the 2-foot water snake we saw in the second pool did not persuade the girls to get out of the water.
As I sat there watching the children play, I thought of the expensive water parks I had seen in various places where we have traveled. The fees to get into these places are high, the noise level is beyond what I can tolerate. There is rarely any shade, and the children come home smelling of chlorine. Here practically in my back yard is a child's dream come true: two pools, rocks to jump off, a 100-foot water slide, a place to warm yourself in the sun, a little bit of beach, and places to explore nature. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun, and God always does a better job than man when it comes to thinking up fun things to do.
Yesterday afternoon was hot and sticky, and I decided to take my children swimming somewhere. We voted for a place about which I knew nothing, but that my neighbors had promised was a great place to go. We were not disappointed. We took the back road out to Scenic Highway 11 and headed toward the lake. To our left was a turnoff that had always intrigued me. For years, there was nothing there but an unmarked dirt road. Since I had seen men with fishing poles heading in that direction, I assumed it was a place to go trout fishing and thought nothing more about it. These days, the turnoff is well-marked and a gravel parking area has replaced the muddy drive. We parked the car. The girls grabbed their towels, and we headed down a steep, narrow path through the woods.
As we neared the bottom of the trail, the sound of running water got louder. To my surprise, and my children's delight, we were face to face with a child's dream, a 100-foot rock water slide! The river bed was smooth and hard, and the water rushed down into a series of pools at the bottom. Two young boys were sliding down the rock carried along by a smooth stream of water which narrowed into a rushing waterfall that landed them into the first pool.
Delighted, the girls ran to the bottom of the slide to investigate the pools. The first pool appeared to be no more than 3 feet deep at any point. The second pool had a huge rock face on one side and a sandy beach on the other side. The water was deep enough along the rock face side for the children to grab a rope, climb up the rock and jump in. I sat down on a rock and watched the children as they explored the area, played in the water, and finally brave the long decent of the water slide. For two hours, they alternated between the pools and the water slide.
Eventually, I rolled up my pant legs and waded in the shallower pool jumping from rock to rock and braving the narrow "bridge" that was made by a railroad tie someone had put there. It was cool by the water side. The sound of the rushing water and beauty of the trees, the huge rocks jutting out the mountainside and the movement of the small fish swimming in the water had a calming affect on me. I didn't want to leave, and neither did the girls. Even the 2-foot water snake we saw in the second pool did not persuade the girls to get out of the water.
As I sat there watching the children play, I thought of the expensive water parks I had seen in various places where we have traveled. The fees to get into these places are high, the noise level is beyond what I can tolerate. There is rarely any shade, and the children come home smelling of chlorine. Here practically in my back yard is a child's dream come true: two pools, rocks to jump off, a 100-foot water slide, a place to warm yourself in the sun, a little bit of beach, and places to explore nature. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun, and God always does a better job than man when it comes to thinking up fun things to do.
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