Serendipity...

"Serendipity" 

Say the word out loud...(Warren, stop reading, just go ahead and say it out loud...)

It is such a beautiful word, the way it rolls off the tongue...melodic and meaningful. 

Merrium says:  The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. 

I say it means "Zapata!" 






The plan was the Great Sand Dune National Park - Zapata Falls was the surprise!

About 8 miles before the GSD entrance is a bumpy, rocky, barely plowed road off to the right...and a sign marked "Trail to Zapata Falls".

TAKE IT and don't look back! 


Cars can make it in the summer...

And Clyde made it in the winter, with all four hoofs down, even with a bit of icy sheen on the bumpy road.





That Clyde is a beast! 




The butt busting road is about 3.5 miles long, with an easy 3/4 mile hike at the end, and the destination justifies the journey...

And it is FREE!



Zapata Falls, though not Niagara Falls, has cut a pretty good path through some massive rocks.

J standing in the entrance to the falls...

And standing on the frozen stream...

(Actually, water was still flowing under the ice, but don't tell her!) 


And frozen is good!

Means you don't have to take off your boots to wade in ice cold water up to the falls!!! 

And to view the falls is why you really came here! 


Frozen, the Zapata falls is about 30 feet high, but tightly surrounded deep within a narrow, 100 foot tall cavern.


You have to walk back into the cavern to see it, up close and personal, which is why it is so full of wonder. 

It is as if the falls was stopped all at once... 

The wave of a magic wand...

In a single moment of time...

With flow and spray frozen in flight...

Touchable, yet surreal...










The hike was easy, the place serene, warm was the sun, and the destination unplanned...

Life really is good!




Serendipity...go ahead, say it again...outloud...



We set our goals

       and make our plans

              and sometimes Serendipity happens

       in spite of ourselves!



But Serendipities...

     like leprechauns...fairies...and unicorns

            have to be looked for

                  and when spotted

                          one must act at once!!

                  Else you'll pass them all by

            never even seeing them

    totally unaware...

Let the adventure continue...