It was hard to believe that two years had passed already...

On November 12, it was time once again to return to Potato Lake, to pay our respects to our dear son William, who was delivered stillborn two years ago.  We brought William's ashes on a camping trip the following year, in June, and scattered them at Potato Lake, which has always been one of our favorite places. And each year, we return to that spot to pay our respects.

Potato Lake is located on the Mogollon Rim, off of Forest Road 147; it is in a protected area that is closed to motor vehicles, and camping is not permitted within the fenced area that surrounds the lake. The lake is small and pristine and is almost completely encircled by pines and aspens.  Since the lake is in a protected area, the waters are almost always clean and clear and picture-perfect.

To us, it was the perfect place to scatter William's ashes and the perfect place for us to come each year to pay our respects. Appropriately, the ashes of his great-grandfather Archie are nearby, scattered over Dickinson Flat, near Milk Ranch Point. Another beautiful place...

On the morning of Saturday, November 12, John and Mary and I made the drive up north to Potato Lake. To get there, we took State Route 87 north to Payson, then continued north through the communities of Pine and Strawberry until we reached the top of the Mogollon Rim.  Once on the Rim, we turned right onto Forest Road 147 and drove for five miles to the enclosure that protected the lake.

As we arrived in the tall pines of the Pine and Strawberry, we found that the leaves had changed! Just two weeks earlier, we had visited Boyce Thompson Arboretum in hopes of seeing the autumn leaves but had discovered that it was still too early for them. Up north, however, our timing was perfect, and the display was brilliant. We made it a point to stop in Pine on our way back to enjoy the change in season.

We arrived at Potato Lake shortly before 10:00 a.m. and walked solemnly through the gate, towards the lake.  As it was nearly winter, the grass underfoot was brown, and the aspens had already lost their leaves, but the lake itself was still beautiful and pristine - always a welcome sight.

We hiked, as usual, to the other side of the lake, to the place where we had scattered the ashes.  Once there, we silently gazed out on the still waters and enjoyed the peace and quiet. There were no longer any words to say, and most of the sadness that we had once felt was gone. The only thoughts that we had now were how different our lives would be, had he lived.

After paying our respects, we left that spot and finished the circuit around the lake. The solemnity of the occasion had disappeared, and the three of us had a fun time sharing laughs and such. I guess, if you think about it, the only thing that would have been different in our lives would be that there would have been one more person in our happy family. But even though it was just the three of us...well, that was okay, too!

We left Potato Lake and returned to Pine to take pictures of the autumn leaves. The colors were just amazing! Next to the Mormon church, at the turn-off for Camp Lo Mia, there was an oak tree with the most brilliant canopy of golden leaves. Just down the highway, we found several more oaks, all in different colors - bright orange, vibrant red, and stunning yellow. 

While in Pine, we paid a visit to the honey store. The shopkeepers had tables set up outside and had samples of their honey and jams for folks to try. We tasted several kinds and ended up buying several jars of their blackberry butter, which was delicious!

All that honey-tasting made us hungry, so we decided to head to Payson for lunch. We had lunch at Chili's that afternoon and indulged a little; it was a special occasion, after all.

After lunch, we decided to call it a day; there was work to be done around the house, and we couldn't find anything else to distract us from it. That said, we left Payson and drove home...

Return to Naked in the Woods.