Last night was really cool. A couple of a friend's (Helen) friends came down to visit and we hung out. We watched What about Bob? and Days of Thunder, then proceeded to IHOP for munchies (mmm, Chocolate Chip Pancakes :)). After this (it was about 2am), we decided to go off-roading to a lookout spot Ted, one of my Helen's friends, had found earlier. We all piled back into our cars and headed down near Liberty University (exact location to remain unidentified, as it was too cool to let the world in general know about).
Then, all seven of us squished into the front of Ted's Ford F150 (it had the extended cab, but not the four door thing) and Ted drove us up a quite treacherous dirt path (and yes, it was about 2am). We reached the top of the path to find ourselves looking out upon Lynchburg and the many, many surrounding hills and mountains. It was stunning.
Unbeknownst to me, everyone was planning on sticking around to watch the sunrise, so I ended up napping in the bed of the truck, all the while attempting to stay warm in various blankets. The sunrise came at around 6am. It started out very slowly, with increasingly lighter shades of blue appearing in the sky. Then came various yellows, pinks, and oranges. About twenty minutes after all this, a gorgeous red sun peaked over the horizon. It rose pretty quickly, but wasn't too bright, so we continued to watch its ascent for a bit. At around 7am, we decided to head down the hill.
Being the adventurers that we are (apparently!), we decided to try a different trail down. This led to various problems, including new scratches on Ted's truck, fun with mud, and reversing up a trail in 4-wheel drive. Interesting lessons were learned all around, including Hannah's (yet another one of Helen's friends) decision to attempt to convince her parents to purchase an F150 and Trisha's burgeoning love and respect for Fords (following a long period of dislike). We got back to the school around 8ish and all slept until around noon.
Good fun was had by all. This was my first sunrise in a very long time (I think since senior week after high school--three years ago). I was introduced to a very neat spot to do some star-gazing or just chill with friends. Also, my desire for an off-road vehicle (JEEP!) was renewed.
The night was additionally cool because of the caliber of persons with whom I spent it. All those in attendance of our off-roading adventure were Christians. It's always nice to spend time in fellowship, especially when it includes the appreciation of one of God's most beautiful creations: sunrises. Some people think that Christians don't know how to have fun. I'd big to differ with anyone making that assertion, as I had a blast last night and would certainly repeat the experience (though, probably with some more comfortable bedding :)).
