Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Don’t worry, be happy!

 

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Some days are picture perfect and yesterday was one of them. I knew it was going to be golden when I saw long johns being pulled on and lightweight wind resistant pants sitting on the bed.  This doesn’t mean alpine skiing…this means cross country!  Yahoo!  Then I heard the name Priest Lake being tossed around and  knew I was in like Flynn. 

My arthritis medicine is working really well and I hopped nonchalantly into  the back of the new Volvo –  I love that vehicle.  And Man do I love showing off how well I can still hop!  My little yellow bear bell was ringing the entire drive  to Priest Lake because I simply could not sit still in the car.  Owner kept making curly haired stop for photo ops along the way which was particularly irritating.   My energy level was at an all-time high and I was in the mood for action!  ACTION people, ACTION.

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Heading into wilderness is a wonderful thing for a dog because of all the wildlife smells and the freedom to roam. Thank goodness someone had the smarts to want to create some wilderness space for future generations.  When you have lived in a city you are extra appreciative of living as a real dog time.

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We arrived and got one of the last really good parking spots.  When the weather is good, actually even when the weather is bad, the locals like to get out and about.  (I thought I’d insert a couple photos my camera took of us getting ready to head off…we are having battery problems so I don’t wear my camera all the time.)

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(that black streaming stuff is my fur by the way.)  Although the parking lot was pretty full we only ran into about six other people the entire time we were out on the trails  -- about an hour and a  half.  I think I saw about nine or ten other happy beasts  because most people have more than one dog.   (we’’ll have more than one tomorrow since Donnie is arriving.)

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They never bring water for me in the winter; this means every time we stop to take a photo I grab a bite of snow to refresh myself.  We seemed to stop a lot to take pictures because owner was present.   It can’t be denied; pristine snow under a clear blue sky does lend itself to a lot of wonderful pictures.

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  My pace would be just about perfect…I would  run ahead of skier number one, then I double back to the mid point to check oP1040750n skier number two  and then trot back up alongside skier one…and then she’d stop.  She is so damn predictable; however no complaints here because I was glad to be outside having fun and keeping in shape for hiking season.  I am trying to keep my posterior size down….as per my old post  “Do Your Ears Hang Low” – (Sept. 29)  (telluridedogblog.blogspot.com) so all this exercise is good for me. Plus, I   enjoy my boring meal of kibble so much more when I’ve been outside all day.

Aside from exercise though, the absolute best part about being out and about in the wilderness is that my fellow canines are always there.  It is impossible to be a dog and enjoying wilderness time around Telluride without  running into a few pals I’ve met on the town streets.  No one is ever in a bad mood, the social sniffing takes place effortlessly, no dog tries to exert power over another….we are all equals out with our best friends having one of the greatest days of our lives.  No leashes, no nervous owners, no hassles……bliss.  Dogs are not worriers about the future so even though the dog featured below is heading back to city life (Dallas) on Tuesday, he would never allow that to ruin his day in the forest.  If we could just impart this “don’t worry, be happy” philosophy to humans……

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Owner and curly haired like the chance to breathe fresh air, get some exercise, and just generally feel healthy outside.  They enjoy the views. I get off on hanging with some dogs along the way as I work off the fat near my tail line!  The views make me feel pretty lucky too.  I never saw anything like this while living back in The Woodlands.  I heard we are going snowshoeing on Thursday with Warner.  Who’s Warner and why is he taking us outside in our shoes, do I wear shoes too? ? Oh well,  as long as owner brings some vaseline to protect my paws from ice balls I think all will be well.  Guess that interloper, foster Donnie, will be coming along too.  He’s in for a shock, eh?—–shelter dog hoping to get  walk  to wilderness exercising dog. I need to devise a few tests to see if he’s worthy of the household?

P1040820On our way home we took a detour into Ophir to see what it was like. This town, village, enclave, is so small that there is not a single shop. Owner would go nuts here, what if she ran out of Coke (as in cola guys ,cola).  Anyway, all cokes aside, check out their post office.  How cute is that? 

 

Ophir is an interesting place.  It has avalanche chutes on the way into town…..guess you need to check the snow report before you drive home at night.  This one house had a very interesting back yard. We are too chicken to live there but it was fun to see.

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And we loved this little cottage.  Not sure we’d all fit inside but it looked lived in.  When there are curtains at the windows we assume someone is enjoying their abode.  You don’t see this in The Woodlands, either but maybe we should and we’d all be a little more humble. This looks a lot like where owner’s grandparents grew up.   See ya later.

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