The Wild Side

OK, I'm going to try to make this my second-to-last Aruba post. (I may get desperate in an icy April and have to revisit but for now...Savvy and I are moving forward. That said, I still have to remember to get my thoughts down on the Natural Bridge.)

On our last day in Aruba, we went to the wild side of the island. Most of it is a national park, parched and laden with cacti and caves. Some of it is like I've already posted...rocky shoreline and crashing waves.

The northeast corner of the island has the same crashing waves but with long, empty beaches. There are no resorts here, I think, because there are reefs and rocks that make bathing fairly dangerous.

On the longest of these beaches, reachable only by jeep, Steve and I came upon some windsurfers. It's a wild sport here because the wind is jet speed. Just getting the kite-like sail from the sand into the water requires strength, persistence, and some luck. We followed on of these windsurfers through the whole process of harnessing, lifting the sail, and getting through the surf and into the water. It took some doing, and made me sad that I'm far too old and bad-bone-ridden to do it.

He finally got into the water. I got some good shots but this one captures the spirit of it. Strength and skill combined with raw Creation power is breath-taking. And it's yet another reminder of how God's wonder found off the beaten path.

The closest we got to this wonder was our Jeep. We got to watch, and be blessed.

If only I could have ridden the wind.