Ben and I were discussing the moment in Chapter 3 when Adams saw Yosemite for the first time. He had wanted to go there after reading about it in the book, "In the Heart of the Sierras" by J.M. Hutchings. It is not noted if the book contained any picture, but even if it did, they certainly could not have matched his first view of the valley. "He was overcome with awe".
Can you write about a moment when you were 'overcome with awe'?
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Chapter 3 - Eye Opener
Posted by Mr. Z at 7:41 PM
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In June of 2000 I made a trip to North Dakota with my nephew. He was 15 at the time. The purpose was to visit my father’s last surviving Aunt. My father’s mother (my grandmother) had been born in North Dakota in 1904. She was the second oldest of 7 children. The aunt we were visiting was the wife of one of my grandmother’s brothers. She was well into her 80’s when we visited. Books could be written about her, but suffice to say she was one of the kindest, most optimistic people I had ever met – especially in light of the difficult life she had led.
My grandmother’s family had homesteaded the land that would become the family farm. The farm was located close to the railroad line. The aunt we were visiting had recently relocated to the town closest the family farm. The town was the railroad stop so in its hay day it had been rather large by rural North Dakota standards – nearly 30,000 people. The town was in seriously decline when we visited. Recently the school had closed – a sign that only darker days were ahead.
The Aunt told us many stories about life on the farm. The story that brought on my moment of awe came when we stopped at the deserted railroad stop at one end of town. She told us about the family’s first days on the farm. My grandmother’s father had come first and prepared for the arrival of his wife. She (Elizabeth) arrived some time later from Des Moines, with their first child – a baby. Elizabeth had been raised in the city. I wondered what she had been thinking as her train traveled across the plains, which can be both beautiful and desolate at the same time. I wondered what she thought as the train pulled into the station on a cold day. I wondered what it looked like as she got off the train with the baby and looked at a dingy town in one direction and open space in the other. Her husband was not there to meet her. He had arranged for someone to give her a ride to the farm. My sense of awe came as I marveled at the fact that she did not simply get back on the train.
I felt a sense of awe somewhat similar to Ansels when I visited Mount Rushmore. When I saw the actual mountain, I felt so small. The size of the head were a lot larger then I had anticipated they would be. The workers who worked on the faces on the mountain must have tried their hardest to get all of the tiniest details correct, which they succeeded in. I could feel like when I looked into their eyes, I could actually see who they were. I could see the serious, yet playful, man that Teddy Roosevelt was.
We then walked into the actual mountain. While it was a short stop inside, I could feel something for the men and women who carved the mountain. I could not imagine walking up and down inside the same mountain for a while, for an extremely large carving job. I was sad to leave, but I can’t wait to go back.
Does "awe" always have to include humans feeling small? So much of nature makes us aware of our insignificance on the grand scale that I could relate to Ben's response in the same way that I felt when I first saw Niagara Falls and went under them in those hideous yellow raincoats. The power of the falls was undeniable. I had an instant a few years ago that left me shaking my head at the lack of awe shown by our exchange student from Spain. Patry had gone on a trip to NY and a visit to the Statue of Liberty was on the agenda. I think that is one great monument with the ability to go inside the statue and see how she was crafted. Anyway, I was most intrigued to get Patry's response to seeing our national treasure only to be told that "It was much smaller than I expected." I was flabbergasted that she was not overwhelmed by the size of it. The base alone makes us look like dwarfs! She, was unimpressed. Hmmm- youth!
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