I think we had some delays and bickered a little trying to get out the door, but the specifics escape me now. Family trips can be like that, you know? I mean, my older sister and I are notoriously slow to clean up, and Dad is always tapping his feet because, "The taxi is ready to leave!" And it can be hard to get five people agreeing on an itinerary, let alone the extra friends you sometimes drag along with you. Still, the right destination (or a jaunt on the dream road) makes you forget there were any bumps in the beginning.
Dad parked in a dirt lot, and we stepped out into what had to be a national park or nature preserve. Towering pine trees rose all around us. I could see Dad and my sister walking with me, and I could sense our brother was there, too. Mom noticed the crazy rock formations first, and my attention got drawn down a path to where Mom stood in front of a typical wooden sign describing the natural phenomenon and its history. Through a break in the trees, you could see the ground turned into a short cliff, maybe ten feet high, with all these sparkling minerals and crystals sprinkled among the chunks of rock. But the coolest part was the few spots where nearby branches had curved down to brush the cliff. Somehow runoff or crystal growth had managed to extend the cliffs up the branches, till they were overhung or encased in thin layers of cement almost. In one place, a tree looked like it had bulked up and was forming new wood back over the rocky arch extending up from the cliff face.
While we enjoyed the natural wonder of the park, we soon moved along the path to the first major exhibition built by the park curators. A domed, modern hut sat in a low clearing with brown pine needles covering the ground. Octagonal in shape, the hut's eight sides each had a square-off arch in the center, leaving the interior open to the elements save for the sheltering dome. Beneath the roof's apex, the curators had installed a large chunk of meteoric rock. Pitted and warped, the oddly blue-tinged stone rested behind a railing on a short pedestal that held it upright where all the visitors to the hut could see it.
We wandered around the piece of space-rock, looking for a sign to explain its history and significance. Before an explanation of the exhibit revealed itself, however, a woman swung into the hut under the nearest arch. She must have been on the roof outside, because her black-gloved hands reached inside to grasp the frame of the arch, followed by her swinging body. The woman pulled herself up, so that she hung by ankles and hands, then paused. A hush came over all of us visiting the hut. We collectively recognized this as a sort of test, with the figure in her black, leathery outfit attempting an acrobatic feat. Something about the meteor needed this kind of physical display, whether to allow study or unlock a secret I could not tell. Still, as the woman curled upward to a leaning crouch, preparatory to a long leap at the rock, I knew we were in for a show. Unfortunately, a curtain of daylight rose then, cutting off the spectacle until another time.
Sent through the gate between December 10th and 11, 2010.
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