“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart”
Psalm 37:4
For some reason on this trip I keep going back to 1982. In 1982 my parents had moved from Southern California to Northern California. They moved to a small town in the Central Valley called Lodi. One summer day I had to go to the travel agency (they use to have those before Expedia & Travelocity) to purchase a ticket to fly to Southern California. As I was sitting in the lobby waiting for someone to assist me, I noticed the different travel posters up all over the walls, all of exotic places around the world. One in particular stands out in my mind, a poster of Hawaii. I remember praying a prayer telling God that I had a desire to see the world, and if it fit in with His plans for me, could He give me this opportunity. Fifty six countries & five continents later, God has answered that prayer.
The ultimate achievement for seafarers for hundreds of years has and continues to be, to round Cape Horn where the Atlantic and Pacific come together. This is the Southern most point on the South American continent, some of the most dangerous waters in the world. Over 10,000 plus lives known have been lost trying to make their way around the Horn. It is also a graveyard for sunken ships who have attempted the treacherous journey.
As we left the Falkland Islands our last stop before the Horn, we were filled with excitement and a little bit of nervousness. In talking to some of the crew on the ship about going through the Drake Passage & around the horn, they said you never quite know what you are going to get. One guy told me “I once went through and it was like glass and another time there were 30 foot waves.” Yikes! We had a two day journey before we would reach Drake Passage and the Cape Horn. The first day and night was calm. The Captain said we would have mild winds, but on the second day we will see who the Cape really is. Yikes again!
Day #2 we were expecting a rough ride and little sleep, but we slept through the night. We awoke early and the wind was blowing around 40 knots, with moderate waves, not too bad. We made our way to breakfast and then the upper deck on the bow to watch as we approached the horn. We had perfect front row seats for the adventure of a lifetime. We rounded Cape Horn around 10 am and it was beautiful! Cape Horn is actually an Island and we made a 360 degree circle around it. Only one family lives on Cape Horn, the Lighthouse Keeper with his wife and children. Other than that the Island has no inhabitants.
After we circled Cape Horn, we headed North to Ushuaia, Argentina through the Beagle Passage where Charles Darwin traveled on his exploration ship the Beagle. More on this tomorrow.
As I have reflected on this experience, I sat in awe, in awe at the beauty around me, like nothing I have ever witnessed before. In awe at God’s 40 + year long answer to a prayer I prayed when I was 19. I am reminded that God cares about the details, the small things in our lives, He cares about our desires. This was surely the ultimate travel experience I could have and I am so grateful to God for fulling the desire of my heart. I heard it said that the world is a book, and if you don’t travel it’s like only reading one page. I think this is true. Travel has taught me that the world really is a small place, and people are more alike than you think. Most importantly God loves them all and desires to show himself to the world through us.
rickallendunn 