.png)
Big Sky Adventure
- Melissa Davidson
- Jul 10
- 6 min read
Nature shapes our world, experiences create our journey, and our faith holds us steady.
The sky is a new canvas every day.
It’s an art gallery on the horizon.
Two people standing, same place, same time
will never see the exact same painting.
The artist- He is the greatest of all time.
His work never gets old, is never repeated,
and is always on display for everyone to see.
One moment the sky is warm and golden the end to a day full of comfort and joy. In a moment’s notice the clouds turn gray and dark with the impending doom of the storms that are heading your way. I’ve come to realize that life is much the same way, always shifting, often unplanned, but deeply beautiful when you stop to really take it in.
Big Sky Adventure sure lived up to its name- This trip wasn’t perfectly planned. In fact, it was barely planned at all. But somehow, that made it even more meaningful. Come along with us on our adventure- Twelve days, Five Adults, Four National Parks, over 5,300 miles driven on endless roads, and under open skies. You will find inspiration in the adventure, see the natural wonders through my words, and you feel connected, refreshing your soul.
Grand Tetons National Park: Where Mountains Begin to Speak
There’s something about crossing over to the West that stirs something ancient in your spirit. One moment you are driving through the flat stretches of wind-swept Kansas, and the next, the Rockies rise up like a song from the earth. Vail, Colorado greeted us on our journey with its charm and gondola views, but that was just the beginning.
When we reached the Tetons, it was as if the landscaping was whispering to us, slow down, pay attention. The mountains didn’t shout; they stood. Steady, solid, grounded. That kind of presence teaches you something about yourself. You start to breathe differently. Speak softer. Notice more. The way the light moves along the ridges. The way the elk appear out of nowhere and somehow belong to the stillness.
We didn’t hike much, but the drives alone told stories. Oxbow Ben reflecting Mount Moran like a memory too clear to be real. Jenny Lake, wrapped in stillness. A deer so close we could see into their eyes, soulful. The Tetons are a reminder that we don’t have to climb the highest trail to be moved. Sometimes we just need to pull over, step out, and be in the moment. That’s where the magic hides, in the quiet middle.
Yellowstone National Park: Where the Earth Breathes and the Wild Roams Free
Yellowstone is unlike any place I’ve ever been. It doesn’t just show you beauty, you feel it. The earth is alive beneath your feet. The geysers are not erupting, they exhale. The colors that swirl across the ground aren’t just mineral, they are emotion. Deep orange, turquoise, ash white, colors that look like something only the soul could paint.
I stood at the edge of Grand Prismatic Spring and thought that this is the earth breathing. Steam rising like prayers into the sky. Heat pressing the air like a heartbeat. The land here isn’t calm, it simmers, it boils, it pulses with something ancient and fierce and spiritual.
The bison move like shadows across the land. The elk proud and gentle. The Marmots welcoming you to their land. The bear fleeting and all knowing, keeping watch over their territory. A place where the animals are still wild and free, fiercely protected. Yellowstone is their sanctuary, not ours. We are the guests, visiting their home. There is something sacred about watching a creature exist in its element, unbothered by your presence.
I think we all need wild spaces, both around us and within. Places where we don’t perform, places we just are. Where we see the colors, feel the warmth, be still and just breathe.
Glacier National Park- Where Sky, Soul, and Earth Become One
If Yellowstone breathes, Glacier listens. Everything about this place feels quiet, but alive. The forest isn’t shouting, it’s hugging you, surrounding. The green forest is layered like emotions: deep in the valley’s they are rich, dark, grounding. Yet clinging to the edges of light, they are soft and gentle. Standing there, seeing for the first time, it seems as if the trees are keeping ancient secrets, rooted so deeply they whispered in a language only the soul understands.
The mountains don’t rise here, they merge. With earth beneath and the skies above, they hold it all together. Like an unmoving faith, like time passing through, looking up you see the clouds touching the mountain peaks, you wonder where heaven ends, and the world begins.
The glaciers sit still but not growing stagnant. They shift, they melt, the feed the waterfalls that tumble down with a kind of quiet power. Fresh snow becomes rushing water. What was once still now becomes movement. That felt familiar to me, how something can seem stuck, yet it is slowly moving, changing into something completely different yet the same. Beauty doesn’t always roar, oh it can when it needs to but sometimes it is silent, it rises in stillness, and it holds you tight, between where you’ve been and where you are going.
The road- Going-To-The-Sun Road- It’s beautiful, even the name reflects beauty, but it’s narrow and comes with risk. You hold your breath thinking somehow that will help you navigate the hairpin turns and the narrow spaces. That you will stay on the correct path, not venturing too far too the right or the left. To do so there would be consequences. There is so much to see, so many stops you can make. You choose wisely where and when you will pull over knowing that it might be hard to get back on the road. You take in all that nature has to offer, appreciating that you have a guide, a roadmap showing you the way. But you trust the path that is laid before you, even when you can’t see what is around the bend. It is kind of like our faith. We move forward on the path even when we can’t see what’s ahead. We have our map, we follow our guide, and even when we can’t see it, the one who paved the road, He knows, we trust Him. We will be just fine. We got this.
Rocky Mountain National Park: The Steady Strength Beneath It All
Rocky Mountain National Park doesn’t try to dazzle you. It doesn’t have to. Its power is in its presence. It’s made of layers, sometimes you must truly look to see them, you discover them slowly, one turn, one overlook, one breath at a time. They are literal and emotional. The valleys curve like resting places. The tree lines shift in color, the jagged edges stand beside soft snowcaps, and somehow it all belongs. The landscape refuses to be rushed, it majestic, quiet, and comforting.
Trail Ridge Road pulls you higher, curving above the world with every mile. As the altitude climbs so does your perspective. Breathing becomes intentional, you can look and see the path that you just traveled, and you can see the path ahead. You have to rise through the layers to see it, but it is there…not just the road, it’s your life. Breathe, be steady, be sure, be strong, see through the layers, one at a time.
The moose in the meadows they hold that same quiet power, both strong and gentle. Not asking for attention, yet you can’t seem to look away. They carry their wisdom in silence, walk with grace with no need to explain. The elk walking down the road, like they belong there. Majestic and gentle, yet fiercely protective when needed, commanding their space and presence with confidence. Rocky Mountain National Park doesn’t have the loudest voice, but it is the one you think of when you think of steady, strong and sure.
When we slow down, stand in the moment, we feel beneath the surface that our life is alive, always shifting, always rising. We belong here, we have a quiet strength, with rich depth and stillness, and a beauty that is found in the layers. We are grounded, holding fast with steadiness and confidence because the climb is always worth it.
Nature shapes our world, experiences create our journey, and our faith holds us steady.
Wander Well
コメント