The Ledge

When I was living in Richfield Idaho everyone gathered at a place called The Ledge, a certain area of the river, it was a great place to relax and have fun. This area was not like a city park; therefore the city did not come out to pave a road. To get there you had to first drive down this dirt path, that was nothing like a road, more like driving down a dessert terrain. It had no structure to it just tire tracks through the landscape, big chunks of rock sticking out of the dirt. To either side of you there were tumbleweed bushes. Not a good idea to ride with the windows down, you would taste the gritty dirt in your mouth. When you pulled in to the parking area of The Ledge, there were picnic tables and a little covered area, and barbeque pits for cooking. Off to your right there was a cluster of rocks that you climbed over to get to The Ledge. The rocks scalded your feet, like lava, during the summer. On the other side of the cluster of rocks was the reason why it was called The Ledge. There was a certain rock that was ledged over the water perfectly for jumping or diving into the river. Above this rock to the right there was a diving board, one like you would see in the swimming pools. The story was that some random person had installed the diving board. We enjoyed the excitement of jumping from the diving board, heart racing before you jumped. Once your feet left the board you felt as if you were flying, wind in your hair, hand on your nose, and simply just waiting for the impact of hitting the water. Also, enjoying the cold, wet, refreshing water when we finally emerged into the river, after sitting in the hot humid sun all day the water felt like a fresh breath of air to our skin. At the bottom of the river there were little fish that would suck on your toes, and every once in awhile you would catch a glimpse of a water snake. When you stood at the top of the “ledge” you could feel a faint breeze flow over you, the breeze carrying in the smell of the fresh crisp outdoors. This was the place to be for the summer, enjoyable by the young or old.