|
Pikes Peak - F.E.A.R.
|
Pikes Peak
I stopped at a tourist information center and asked for directions. An elderly gentleman was working the counter. He gave directions and offered driving tips. “Is driving Pike’s Peak really worth it?” I asked.
“I like.” He got a gleam in his eye and said, "but I like you too. You tell me how good my judgment is." God forgive me, but it still flatters me to be flirted with. Maybe I’ll write about the sin of pride in my next book. I smiled.
My Uncle Bobby called with a warning. “Do not drive Pike’s Peak. It is too steep. Your brakes will burn out.”
Daddy called. “Don’t you dare drive Pike’s Peak. Take the train or bus.” Honest, I planned to take their advice. When I arrived at Pike's Peak, the availability of busses and trains did not work out. I talked to the park attendant about safety. He asked me a few questions.
“How much mountain driving have you done?” I told him about teaching school in the Allegany Mountains and driving from school to school. I mentioned I had driven all over the country.
“What do you do special to drive mountain roads?”
I answered. “I use gears instead of brakes. I turn my air conditioner off on the way up and on going down. I watch gauges.”
“What kind of car are you driving?” My black Suburban was acceptable.
“How are your tires?” They were new.
“Ma’am, you will be fine. Have fun and be careful.” I decided my fear was false evidence appearing real. It was a steep drive but I was prepared.
As a child, I remembered the brakes on my father's car overheating near Ruby Falls. Good driving on my father's part prevented a disaster. I had no intention of riding my brakes on this trip.
As the road got steeper, I felt the need to minimize my distractions. That meant no cell phones. It meant pulling over to change my CD player and take pictures. I thought about turning off the music,but I wanted to worship while driving.
As I drove, I watched my gauges. They stayed normal. “What if they are broken?” I panicked. It could happen but probably would not. Again, false evidence was appearing real. I turned on my headlights.
I kept both hands on the wheel. My father told me that if you grip the wheel lightly, you have more control. It may be my imagination, but when I grip the wheel lightly, I believe I can feel and anticipate the movement of the car. Or, I just think my father knows everything.
The higher part of road was sometimes dirt and sometimes gravel. As a child, I used to ride with my grandfather on these kinds of roads. We talked about how to take turns and how to stop. “When you stop on dirt roads, you have to use a lighter break. Find the speed your car rides the smoothest. You have more control going a little faster,” he had taught me. Watching him drive those country roads, I was never quite sure about his control.
I learned a long time ago that I tend to drive in the direction that I look. There were no rails to this road. I was above the tree line. I realized it might not be a good idea to look directly left or right. If I liked a view, I stopped. I suppose better drivers might be able to train themselves to look left and right and stay on the road. I know my limitations.
Along the road, I passed many terrified people. They were not having fun. Some were creeping along the gravel roads and shaking themselves to death with the bumps. Others were holding the wheel in a death grip and leaning forward in their seats. They had taken the risk but were missing the rewards. As I noticed them, I realized how much fun I was having. God had removed my fear. I was enjoying the beauty. I was even enjoying the exhilaration of the needed concentration.
There were signs everywhere not to use brakes. The signs warned that hot brakes could fail. These were warnings that needed to be heeded. Unfortunately, when you did not use brakes, it meant you went a little faster. Many people were terrified to drive the speed necessary to avoid using their breaks. That fear of speed was false evidence appearing real. The faster speed was actually safer.
I got behind a woman who wanted to go 5 miles per hour all the way down. She never took her foot off the brake. She did not pull over to let people around her. Her fear was endangering her and everyone behind her.
I finally came to an area wide enough to pass. Passing on a narrow steep road frightened me. I knew my fear was false evidence appearing real. Passing this slow woman was my safest course of action. I closed my eyes and went around her. Just kidding. I carefully passed her with open eyes.
As I passed this woman, I thought about her fear. She was trying to avoid going off the cliffs. If she burned out her brakes, she would have caused her fear to come true. Fortunately, for this woman, park rangers were looking out for her. There was a halfway point where they checked the brake temperature. Each of us had to stop and get tested. All of the people that had been riding their brakes were asked to pull over and let their brakes cool down. One too many had gone over those cliffs. Thank God there are people who protect us from ourselves when fears rule us.
I passed the checkpoint. My brake temperature was fine. As I proudly drove through the checkpoint, I glanced at the cars pulled off the road. There is that pride again. Even though my brake temperature was fine, the attendant (who wore an authoritative uniform) warned me to use low gear and not my brakes. Yes sir, I answered.
You might wonder why I would take such a steep drive. It is simple. God led me to. Besides, I wanted to reap the rewards. The view was beautiful. I loved it. Later, I talked to a family staying in my hotel. They had made the trip the same day I had. They got stopped at the checkpoint. They spent the entire drive terrified. “I will never do it again,” the father reported. “It was too dangerous.” If he drove like the woman I was behind, I have to agree. It was too dangerous to be driving Pike’s Peak while riding your brakes. For me, it was worth it.
"Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Mark 4:40 NIV
|
|