“The View From Heaven is a Wondrous Thing” | Talimena Scenic Byway
I’m a preacher by training, and a lot of the stories I tell are about the way people interacted with God on a mountain. Mine isn’t the only religion with mountain stories. Lots of religions have their holiest places on mountains. Many ancient people believed the mountain was the god they sought.
Being on a mountain is different than being on top of even the tallest building in the world. The buildings are amazing, for sure, but there’s no way they compare. We made the building. A mountain is. Even today, mountain vistas are sought out, if for no other reason than their sheer beauty. Mountain tops are where earth and heaven meet. Is it any wonder so many have attempted - even died - for that experience?
One day in November, I spent several hours driving the 54-mile stretch of road along the crest of Rich Mountain and Winding Stair Mountain in the Ouachita National Forest, known as the “Talimena Scenic Byway.” Every few minutes there is an opportunity to pull over and see the world from a new perspective. Often, the view shows a new perspective on a scene you’ve already viewed.
It was breathtaking.
“The View From Heaven Is a Wondrous Thing” is one of the images I made that day (compiled with others in my zine, Talimena). My goal throughout the drive was to experiment with the various tones that result as objects are viewed from farther and farther away. The waves of mountains in the Ouachita Mountains resulted in a gorgeous layering effect that, and, when coupled with the clouds in the sky, took on a painterly quality I adored.
It was a moment I could not believe I got to be the one to see and capture that view. What a lucky guy, I am.
