Never before had I ever witnessed, or more likely noticed the colors of the sky as the sun was setting in the direction that our family and bus were heading towards. We were just a few days into our journey and although there were many more sunsets to witness this one best stayed in my mind and in a way defined our journey.
Bam Bam was parked in a free campsite not far from Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado and there were no signs of other people's existence besides the primitive road we had driven on and a small fire-pit. Mo had found directions to this place and this was our first spot of free camping other than a couple of highway rest stops, so although the isolation was a little disconcerting we certainly appreciated the only sounds being made by the winds or the kids playing. The smell of sagebrush growing from the hard packed dirt made us forget about the salt air back from home.
We didn't know at the time that we were setting up a routine for much of the trip. The kids got time to play on their own or with us while we set up camp and made dinner. Maggie would pretend play on her own creating worlds with princesses, magicians or any other character that she would want to become from one of her many books. Quinn would persuade one of us to play some baseball with him. Then after dinner they would spend time working on their Junior Ranger badges as we had briefly visited Mesa Verde National Park to get our plans in order for our exploration of the park the following morning.
Bam Bam faced back towards the park overlooking some fields before mountains rose up hiding the cliff dwellings where natives of the land dwelled thousands of years before Europeans found their way to the East coast of what was to also become our land. As I looked towards those mountains I tried to look at them as if I were an ancient pioneer wondering what fortunes or opportunities awaited my family as we traveled further West.
As we drove on the main road looking for the primitive road leading to our campsite we passed a fenced in field where some horses wandered. Mo spotted among the few horses one that was colored white. She told the kids a game we could play called, "First on that White Horse," Simple game where the first person who saw a white horse would call out, "First on that White Horse." I would come to dominate that game mostly because I did most of the driving and had the opportunity to look around more than the others.
The story around the game is more important than the game itself. I forget how the whole story goes but something a little like this. The white horse is a reminder, or reincarnation of someone special who has passed into the next life. Having lost her father in her twenties, Mo sees and thinks of her father when she sees a white horse. I like to think that the kids will change the game a little when they are older. Instead of a white horse they will look for a white VW camper bus and think of their mother and myself.
With all our chores done for the night and waiting for the sun to settle down for the night we all started to settle in the bus for the night. Instead of just reading a story for the night we did things a little different that night. Mo and Quinn hunkered in together 'downstairs' working on some math books we had brought with us. Meanwhile Maggie and I climbed up to the top bunk together.
Being a little tired from a day of driving and exploring other parts of Colorado I wasn't in the mood to read anything to Maggie or work on her math. Instead I encouraged her to read to me. She was very excited about the opportunity to read to me. She choose to read Alice in Wonderland. No significance behind the story there, just pleasurable to listen to her tell me about a little girl chasing down a white rabbit.
As I listened I grew more and more tired, losing track of the story but finding pleasure in her narration while overhearing Quinn rattle out correct answers below us. With my eyelids growing heavy I looked past Maggie wearing her headlight and through the unzipped canvas. I've seen more glorious sunsets in my life but never seen these colors so well defined. Just above the darkening landscape was a sea of red. Not a pink red, but really a red that had no accompanying colors. Then in a clear line above the red the sky was as white as a cloud on a bright day. There were no clouds however. Above the white layer in the sky there was a third color. That color also dominated it's area leading to the heavens. It was a clear blue, a blue that we would see later in some of the lakes, a blue that sits in the corner of our flag except there were no stars yet in that field of blue. It was if our country had not yet been united or settled but waiting and calling to us.
The red, white and blue sky made me think about what our country means to us. I felt privileged to live in a place where I could have the freedom to have moments like this one and looked forward to more moments. I remained silent while the others went on with their activities. I hoped to spot the white horse somewhere in the distance as I gazed at the country's color in the sky. I prayed for our safety on our journey. I gave thanks for our family. I wished more people could see these colors so well defined.
The rest of the journey I never saw those colors so well defined again. There were a few similar nights. Instead I saw those colors in all the places we visited in America. Now sitting here back home waiting for spring to arrive in Maine, I miss the journey of exploring America. Bam Bam is out of storage and back in our driveway and although I know we won't have a journey like last summer anytime soon, I feel that we can still discover the real colors of America even around us. That night's sky has stayed with me. Now I pray for the safety of our country, I pray those colors will stay as beautiful. I hope that others will see the beauty of those colors, and that they can do so as I did, accompanied by family.
