Dear Maia, Isaac and Virtual Wanderers,

The mountains called and we answered. On June 8th, we drove all of ~20 miles to Ridgway State Park for our second camping adventure of the season. ~

New Equipment Surprises!

Cimarron had just gotten a new camping chair and outdoor blanket for her 13th birthday the previous week, so this was our first chance to use them. (Yes, I actually throw my rescue dog’s birthday parties. If you don’t, you are missing a ton of fun.)

But that wasn’t the only surprise with camping gear this trip. Remember last trip to the Colorado National Monument when I used my new tent for the first time? Well, it looked like a pale pea green then. So, imagine my surprise when I open it up in the grass and it is more of a gold-tan-yellow (depending on the lighting.) The manufacturer says beige, but IDK. Remember that weird dress? I call my tent color “chameleon.” It made me laugh – maybe it was my migraine headache last time. We will see what it looks like next trip! What do you think?

Our Adventure

When we do sampler trips (2 nights, 1 day), the first evening is setting up camp, eating, and reading in the tent. (Oh, BTW, the new tent is named the Sazi Ana after my heart dog of the same name.)

Our Adventure Day: Mears Bay, True Grit, Dennis Weaver Memorial, and Chalk the Walk!

Our adventure day was a day of getting a lot of steps, for me. My dogs, not so much. Koko and Cimarron have heart valve disease and are seniors. So, when the sun is out, they ride in their stroller “The Wild Blue Yonder” a lot. (The Wild Blue Yonder replaced the Pink Cadillac last Christmas.) They do like to walk off and on. Kachina is a healthy senior but also an opportunist when it comes to strollers.

We drove up the road from the campground to Mears Bay. It is a nice, flat, paved, dog-friendly path with nice water scenery. I used to take Sazi Ana here when she was in rehab with her wheels. (She had IVDD.) I think I got around 4-5K steps on the walk today. The storm clouds were headed our way, and I was getting hungry.

After the morning walk, we headed to the True Grit Cafe in downtown Ridgway, CO. I was nervous about the storm, but we sat on the dog friendly porch and enjoyed an elk burger (and a marg for me), anyway. The storm blew over.

I had a special mission related to my civic volunteer work after lunch. You see, I volunteer for the non-partisan group Indivisible. I haven’t talked about politics on this blog, nor will I now, except for where it directly influences what we do with our day. I am on the No Kings events committee, and we wanted to chalk some walks! So, after locating the only chalk in town at Ridgway Hardware (not sidewalk chalk, either), we set out.

We walked from the downtown park to the Dennis Weaver Memorial entrance on our mission. I realized it was after 5 PM, so we didn’t go to the Memorial this time – but I have made many trips in the past. It was a great day for a walk with some cloud cover, but no rain. This is a river walk along the Uncompahgre River. It is a favorite walk because it features gorgeous views of the mountains. It is also flat, paved, and dog-friendly. Perfect for stroller dogs.

We got back to our site and had dinner. Then the sun set. I love how melatonin just floods the system at nightfall in a tent. We go to sleep earlier and sleep longer when we camp! It was also great to be feeling better than last trip!

The next day, we stopped at the Forest Discovery Trail on our way out of Ridgway State Park. It was sunny today and the path is too rough for a stroller. Koko got to ride in her hand-me-down K9 sport sack. It’s a fun trail that includes mountain views, a teepee and a view over the reservoir.

There is no doubt that summer camping is upon us. I only wish her snout was longer and she had a thin, white coat this time of year. It would be easier on the heart.

Now, what color will that tent be at our next stop of the summer?

Love ya’ all, Cathy H.