Davis: Plenty of time left for summer fun

This column often focuses on enjoyable family destinations, with consideration for both cost and accessibility. This is particularly so during the summer months, when families are more inclined to be out and on the road.

This week, however, we are focusing on destinations that, though relatively inexpensive and close to home, are not for the faint of heart or the mobility challenged.

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Grandson Jason, who lives in one of those places that is as close to paradise as one can find on earth, (half an hour from the Gulf Coast town of Destin, Florida), will be paying his summer visit to us and, by the time this column sees press, will be in Clovis. For the sake of both he and Mikayla, our summer plans include both white water rafting and a hike to the Jemez Falls. (Well, in case one is mobility challenged, there is probably a road in by which one can view the falls, but we are planning to hike.)

Growing up in western Pennsylvania, where white water rafting means the Youghiogheny or the upper Allegheny, or perhaps the Cheat River in West Virginia, I did not find the Rio Grande to be especially challenging, though the scenery is awesome and it is still no place to go unless one has some idea what one is getting into.

However, with the amount of rain which we experienced all over the state this year, the movement may be more rapid than it is normally. Of Colorado I cannot speak, though it is certainly close enough to reach if this column makes you want to go on a raft trip. Certainly, since neither Jason nor Mikayla has ever experienced rafting, there will be thrills enough on the New Mexico waters.

Tangentially, one of the coolest short stories I ever read, a story about white water rafting, by Pam Houston, is called "Selway." It's in a collection called “Cowboys Are My Weakness.”

Maybe I should encourage Jace to read it, before we go. I'm mentioning that so you can add it to your own summer reading list, if you so choose.

Rafting is awesome in a way which some will never understand because, ultimately, you only have a certain amount of control over it. Even if you are a strong swimmer, this fact is not going to save you if you do not pay attention to what is going on.

Please don't get the idea that, if you have thought about rafting, you should delete that thought out of fear. It's just that rafting, like many other outdoor activities, remind us that the Creator of life is really the one in charge.

For those who prefer to keep their feet solidly on earth, the hike is an awesome option. I have had the privilege of hiking in a lot of places, and the forests of New Mexico's mountains do not take a back seat to anywhere. I have never hiked in the area of Jemez, where we have not only a waterfall but a hot springs. Given that I am composing this on a day when the temperature is already 93 degrees, the idea of going, in, not just to, the waterfall has a lot of appeal. However, I don't know if that is allowed. I suppose I will find out in a while.

As you read this, though we know by now summer will end, there is still plenty of time to go for a hike or a raft trip; there is still plenty of time, also, to schedule such an event before school starts. Enjoy the outdoors, if you are physically capable, to whatever extent you are physically capable.

Clyde Davis is a Presbyterian pastor and teacher at Clovis High School. He can be contacted at:

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