I wasn’t sure which direction my wife went. We were staying overnight in a state park, in country we’d never been before. She went for a walk with our dog soon after we unloaded our gear, and an hour or so before dusk. We’d been driving the entire afternoon and all of us looked forward to stopping and settling in for the night. While I searched for an outlet and organized my CPAP machine, I looked over at our daughter and it dawned on me that she probably craved time alone too. So, I finished what I was doing, put my shoes back on, kissed the top of her head and encouraged her to call if she needed anything. I identified the most worn trail and headed that way thinking my wife would have done the same. Our cabin wasn’t fancy, or even typical for most state park cabins we’d stayed in before. It had a pair of windows on three sides, a kitchenette, a small bathroom, a concrete floor and cinder block walls and was shaded by a huge grove of Oak trees. It was hot, humid, summer day and we were on our way to Omaha to drop our daughter off where she was meeting up with a bunch of other teenagers and guides from across the country to live and camp in the hills for two weeks.
After walking for fifteen minutes, I found myself ascending a gentle ridge, high above the forest canopy. I noticed a pond in the distance, secluded and mostly in shade, with very little beach. The trees were so close to the water in some places that many had collapsed into it, lying on top of each other and making it feel even more wild. In a small clearing visible through some trees and lit by the sun, I saw a few people standing in front of the pond. I scanned slowly and eventually identified my wife and a minute later noticed our dog splashing in the water nearby. I yelled her name and waved. She turned, looked up towards my voice, and waved back. I didn’t see a clear trail that descended the hill and through the forest towards her, so I continued along the ridge. Eventually it led to a worn rocky overlook with views in all directions. A few other people milled about, or sat on rock ledges, looking, and talking quietly. We’d never been to Nebraska, and it was much different than I imagined. It felt familiar.
After forty-five minutes, I returned to our cabin. My wife was already back with our dog and she and our daughter chatted while assembling dinner. Our daughter was nestled on top of her bag, with one of her books. They’d already laid out all our sleeping bags and pillows on the sleeping platforms, with each of our duffel bags lined-up close by while the last of the sun filtered through the trees. It was cozy and the gentle smells from outside drifted in from the open windows.
Songs :: Never Stop by Jackson Browne, You Got Something by J.J. Cale, Copperline by James Taylor, and Watching the River Run by Loggins and Messina
© C. Davidson