The Bright Angel

The Bright Angel Park was one of the places in Duncan that Trish and Keani really wanted to take us to explore. We decided to try and find it without them, but only got as far as the playground and trails in the forest. The next day, Keani came with us and showed us the way to the small walking rope bridge that led to the trails down to the river, where people could hang out on the river rocks on the shore, or go swimming in the water. You could tell Keani was familiar with this place because she knew all the best places to swim. We found our spot, and I relaxed in the sun while the girls went off into the river.

Coincidentally, Keani ran into a bunch of her friends on the other side of the river. The older girls hung out with them while Lily and I chilled with Chip. Chip liked exploring the rocks, but he did not like to get his feet wet, so although he wanted to follow the girls, he didn’t dare step into the river.

After a while, I wanted to see how the kids were doing, so I decided to see how far Chip would go if I went into the water. I stayed where it was shallow, but he avoided the water completely! Eventually, I picked him up and brought him to a little area of dry rocks in the middle of the river. Here he couldn’t go anywhere without crossing the river. Still he wouldn’t go in. The girls wandered back towards us, and Chip was elated to see them (as usual), and I think he forgot he was surrounded by water because he followed them right back to the shore by stepping into the stream! He realized he was wet once he stepped in, but instead of jumping back he stood there. Everyone was so excited that he went into the water, so he took that as encouragement and kept going! Yay Chip! We continued over to a swimming hole that was a little deeper, so we could cool off, and Chip followed us right in! I think he even surprised himself that he could swim.

The girls and the dog laid out on the rocks to dry off, and I went exploring a little bit. I found a log hanging over the water with a perfect spot for sitting and watched the minnows and tiny crabs in the water. The girls wandered over eventually to see why I was so mesmerized, and they watched for a while too. Then it was time to go find some food, so we headed home.