Take a Hike

Take a Hike: What's the Difference between a Hike and a Walk?


I've often wondered what the difference is between a hike and a walk and so I looked it up.

Guess what?

No definitive answer.  The best I can find is hiking is not done on pavement. Walking is.

That means when I've been taking Carlos for our morning walks we are really hiking because we are on dirt roads. Yay us.

Anyway, Sunday I went with my neighbor Sue and her daughter Lauren for a little hike.  Right along Highway 50 near the cabin is a bat cave.  The cave is grated over now- an attempt to stop the spread of White Nose Syndrome in bats.  But still, there is a trailhead and we wanted to walk (hike) up there and it seemed easy enough.

See the bat cave up there at the top? 

Ha!

Sue leads the way.

We started out innocently enough on the road. 

Quickly it became ....

rocks? 

The three of us probably should not be allowed out to hike.  We parked and headed down what looked like a trail.   Lauren went a bit ahead of us. Quickly we realized the trail was really just the wash out from where it had rained.  We carried on. Lauren got further ahead, earbuds tightly tucked into her ears.

We trudged along, a sort of path, sort of just a divide between the rocks. Some places there were just rocks.

Is this a trail? 

Not really.

I thought Lauren headed up the mountain. Sue thought Lauren had gone around the corner. We went straight, around the corner and no Lauren.

On we hiked.   No Lauren.

After a bit we admitted this was not a trail, we were half a mountain away from where we wanted to end up and Lauren was no where in sight.

We called for her. No answer.

We discussed that at least she was wearing bright yellow shorts. Search and Rescue could easily spot her.

We backtracked. No Lauren.

We got back almost to the car. No Lauren.

We waited. Sue and I climbed a bit straight up towards the bat cave. Certainly that wasn't how we were supposed to do it?   But there were vestiges of some stairs. Maybe it was.  We needed gloves, though, to try that climb.

Scanning the mountain.

No yellow shorts.

Finally Lauren comes bopping around the bend.  She had found a trail. It led no where near the bat cave.

We headed home. No one really got lost. But we never made it up to the cave.

Monday Sue stopped at the Forest Service and found us a map for trails. The bat cave trail I "KNEW" was there is gone. Once the cave was grated over, the trail was abandoned. That explains why we couldn't find it.  But when it was there, it was straight up.

Tuesday we are going on another hike. Waterdog Lakes.   Maps have been procured. We've got info.
We are going to discuss good hiking practices. (Stay together. Stay on the trail.)
If there isn't a post on Thursday- please call out the rescue team.

We are walking...

Walking, walking, walking.

Carlos and I took a walk.


I stayed on the road and went pretty slow. There is still a lot of ice on the road and I don't want to slip again.

Carlos was off leash.  

I've been curious as to where he goes when he's off his leash.

I worry that he goes up and harasses the alpacas up the street.   Or maybe chases the horses that are down the hill a bit. Or does he poke around people's houses?

My genius friend, Cherrilla, said "Isn't it a pity you can't put a camera on him?"

Genius friend with all 

the good ideas. 

Aha!!

I can put a camera on him.

We have a little sport camera that is 1" x 2".

Teeny tiny camera that attaches to 

Carlos's harness.

And now we have….."Carlos Cam".

Here are pics from my walk:

 Down my road..

 Looking into the neighbor's yard…

 Have to stop and admire the Twin Sisters…

 Up the hill a bit…

 Take a right onto the next road…

 Good dog Carlos waiting for mom to catch up…

the camera is attached to his harness.

And this is where I turned around.

There's a road under all this snow that we used to walk.

And here is a (partial) video of Carlos's walk:




                            

If for some reason you can't see this video, click here.

(Sorry. That's 3 minutes of your life you'll never get back.)

Apparently he's a pretty good dog.

He pokes around the empty houses and mostly stops and looks up the trees and into the brush piles.

Even though he doesn't have any terrier or hunting dog in him (see his DNA test results here) he sure acts like one when it comes to squirrels. Or birds.

Last week he treed a squirrel, then stood patiently waiting for twenty minutes. That squirrel never came down.
I had to lure Carlos away with an offer of breakfast.
Food in the bowl trumps food in a tree any day for that dog.

Thanks for joining us on our walk.

Now go out and take one of your own.

The Vitamin D from the sun is good for you,
the exercise is good for you
and nature is good for you.

Just don't slip on the ice.
That is not good for you.

No. 30: Spend a day saying "yes"

No.30: Say "Yes"


O my goodness.

I feel like all I ever do is say "no".


Those girlies have been so spoiled that they just don't know the meaning of the word. Or they don't believe it applies to them.

Bunny wants a Camaro for her first car.
Or a Porsche.
Or maybe a BMW.
No.  Maybe yes to something 4 wheel drive.

*

Bunny's dream car. No. 

She needs to start with something 

that moves a little slower. 

Belle wants to go to Community College in Miami next year. She's never been to Miami, knows no one in Miami and basically chose the school campus in relation to its proximity to the nearest Chick Fil A or Chili's.  But the main reason she wants to go is the beach.

*

Why, yes. Let's pick a college based on this.

No. I'm not paying out of state tuition at a Community College. If you want to go out of state, make it worth my while.  And get a scholarship.



Carlos wants to run around unsupervised outside and chase deer.
No.  That's against the law in Colorado and not very nice.

Deer outside the window. 

No wonder Carlos wanted to go out.

I've been thinking about No. 30 and how I would never be able to accomplish it.

So this morning, when Belle and Bunny walked down the stairs and announced "We are going to the Springs for Chick Fil A and nothing you say will change our minds",  I said "Okay, have fun."

Yay!

They were more than a little surprised. Normally I don't encourage driving 2 hours through the mountains for fast food. And then 2 hours back.
But we live in a small town and in order to keep everyone sane I think it helps to get to the "big city" every once in a while. And it just felt so good to say "Yes".

Worth four hours of driving?

Some days, yes. 

On their way home they called to see if they could charge dinner on the credit card. I said "Yes" even though I have read them the riot act about charging meals on that credit card. And then they kindly offered to bring me dinner, too.   Hey! I was paying, might as well put my order in.

Even Carlos got "yes" today.

He wanted to go for a walk. We did.
Through the snow. That's a workout. It was such a beautiful  day and we had a blast outdoors.

 Some of us can walk (bound) through 

the snow faster than others.

Notice I've got a ski pole in hand.

No intention of falling again.

And I got a "yes", too.

I had to go to the dump - it was Saturday- and on the way back I passed the little cemetery.   I've stopped there before but only walked around the perimeter because it has been so chilly.

And even though there were things I needed to do at home, I gave myself permission to wander the cemetery for a bit. I love looking at all the headstones and seeing the dates. It's an old cemetery and I must say, I can't imagine losing babies and children like the people in the late 1800s, early 1900s did.

Just 9 years old. 

Another child. 

The cemetery was full of children.

Life was hard back in 1800 Colorado.

But I gave myself a "yes" to linger for a bit in the lovely warm sun.

I'm sure it helps that the phone hasn't rung and there hasn't been anyone home much today, but I feel like I am going to make it through the whole day saying "yes".

Hope I didn't just jinx myself.  Those girls have gone back out on the town.


Yes.



(And a little update- those girls came home early. No jinx. It was a good "yes" day.)

Gates and a tiny Follow Up Friday

Ranch Gates, House Gates and Just Gates, but not Bill Gates.

Also, a tiny Follow Up Friday:

Carlos and I walk most every morning.

I always tell him we are "just going to the end of the lane" but then we get going and we end up doing the 2 mile loop or sometimes even the 3 mile loop.

I've been noticing ranch gates/ property gates as we walk.  I am quite sure if I was back in Texas I could see millions of these. But I am not in the country in Texas. I am in the country in Colorado.  So Colorado gates it is.

This is a big important ranching operation.  You can tell by the big important gate sign. And the fragrance of cows that wafts my way at night. It's not even that close but I guess cows are heavy on fragrance.

Massive posts, massive property.

I love this one. Very simple. 

I couldn't really get a good pic but the part I love best is this little vignette at the left side:

                   

A heart address and an iron bee skep complete with iron bees.

Makes me want to go meet the owners. They must be nice people.

While this one doesn't have a sign or post across the top, it does have some impressive stone work. I love that the owners used a most plentiful resource around here (rocks) to make their entry grand. 

(I'm sorry that my photos aren't better. These are taken with my iPad. My good camera needs a little servicing...)

Great stone work supporting some sturdy posts.

Another MASSIVE entrance.  This sign must be twenty feet high. Probably 20-25"diameter posts. I love that they went to all the trouble to impress me.

And this is my most favorite. A little Dr. Seuss, a little Charlie Brown's Christmas tree. Whimsical and an excellent example of recycling. A couple of dead pines arranged just so....

                  

I wonder if they hang a little ornament on that right end at Christmas?

And this is our gate.
No sign. Barely opens and closes. Which is okay because it doesn't go to anything anymore.
It used to be the entrance to a round pen and stall for some long dead horse. The pen posts have fallen over and the stall has been turned into a shed.
Still, I love that you can see where the horse was cribbing.

Maybe we need to spruce it up. We jokingly call this place Mad Deer Cabin. I wanted it to be Mad Deer Lodge but cabin stuck instead.
Possibly a little wooden sign cut from a tree slice, with Mad Deer burned in, hung on the front with a  leather strap?
Or maybe just a wreath to celebrate the upcoming holidays?
Suggestions?

And for the tiny Friday Follow Up:

Remember my fall decor with the mum on the front porch?

And then it snowed and  a bunny hopped across the front deck?

Followed by my returning home after the weekend and discovering half the mum gone?

Well, here is the mum this morning.

                     

Umm. Where have all the flowers gone?

I think that bunny is pushing it.

That's all.
Have a wonderful weekend. 

Walking and Wagging.

No. 42 Again: Do a charity walk.

Carlos and I did the Salida K9 Cancer walk on Saturday morning.

Between the Farmer's Market on the far side of the park and 

and all the dogs there for the walk- it was a busy morning at Alpine Park.

We raised a little money and got to get out and walk and talk and wag our tails with a bunch of nice people.

There were tons of Golden Retrievers and a large group of Labradoodles plus  a whole bunch of other pups.

Carlos picked a cute little Wheaten Terrier to walk with- the two of them set a nice pace together. The Wheaten Terrier's mom was friendly and we chatted for the two + miles/45 minutes it took us to walk.

Park Rules: No Dogs Allowed.

Sorry the pic isn't clearer. 

You try taking pictures while controlling a spastic, hyped up 60 pound fireball.

I do love this pic of the sign in the park that all the dogs were walking past. It very boldly says
"NO DOGS ALLOWED".   Rules are made to be broken, right?

Anyway, we walked and wagged and Carlos only attempted humping a couple of the other dogs. (We are still working on some of his social skills.)   Money was raised and a lovely morning was had by all.

Carlos says this charity work is tiring.

Best of all, look who came home dog tired.


Read about my first charity walk here and here.

If you feel like donating to fight Canine Cancer, click here.

We are walking, walking, walking...

We are walking again....No. 42 Deja Vu
Donate here.

I already did No. 42: Do a charity walk.

You can read about it here and here.

But this Saturday I am doing another because the first one was so much fun.
And it was for a great cause.

In an entirely different vein, this Saturday's walk is also for a good cause. It is just for a doggy cause, not a people cause.

Carlos and I will be walking through Salida for the K-9 Cancer walk.
I've already posted about it here.

This is what I am doing Saturday morning.

This walk aims to raise money to help find a cure for canine cancer.
It is sponsored by these nice people:

Great little pet store.

Cancer in dogs is rampant, especially among large breeds and the popular breeds that tend to be more in-bred.

Our fabulous Golden Retriever, Jake, died from bone cancer.

 Jake after having his leg amputated due to bone cancer.

He was a Tri-Pawd!

So Carlos and I will walk in hopes of raising a little money and having a little fun.

My cancer-free walking partner. 

Please feel free to donate to a good cause.

HERE IS THE LINK:
DONATE!


Once again, I am not above begging!  And I am a little behind in fund- raising.
And:
Morris Animal Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Tax ID: 84-6032307
So:
Get a jump on those 2013 tax deductions.
(Aren't I helpful?)

More on Life at Green Acres/Redux

Green Acres/Redux: Life in the Slow Lane


Some days I just shake my head and think "What have I gotten myself into?"

Other days I KNOW what I have gotten into...life over my head!

Monday I headed into town for a yoga class. I allotted a solid 30 minutes to make the 15 mile drive into town.  Normally it is a 20 minute drive. Maybe 25.
And then I ran into this:

Colorado traffic jam

The picture doesn't fully show my frustration. That little white spot in front is an RV driving 30 miles per  hour. Max. In a 50.  With five cars- six including me- stacked up behind it.

The RV pulled over when it could and was replaced by a tractor. Doing 19. Miles. Per. Hour.

 Forty five minutes later I got into town, too late for yoga.  But I was definitely in need of some stress reduction at that point so I took a walk.  

There's a trail through the middle of town that is just lovely. I wish Carlos had been with me.

I passed black cows ...

Stress free cows. 

And these adorable Yak Cows.  I am sure they have some official name beyond Yak Cows, but that is what I am calling them. They were so cute.  

Also looking pretty stress free. 

But even cuter.

Yak Cow babies.  I wanted to swipe one and bring it home.  Then I came to my senses.

Awwww...

I almost stepped on this little guy because I was so busy looking at cows. He was quick, my phone camera is slow but he was about an 18 inch black snake . Not sure what flavor. 

Yikes! Better watch my step.

And here's my view on the way back to the car. Stress gone. Ready for the day.

Pretty view.

Thanks for coming along with me.

Tomorrow I'll go through some of the ways our lives are different from our old lives in Houston. 

Follow Up Friday, Again....

Follow Up Friday, Again....
because yes, I have been lazy. Or busy. Depends on how you look at it.

Another week has flown by here at Green Acres/Redux and I'm just not sure how that happened.

I feel like I have accomplished nothing but in reality that  probably isn't totally true.

I have accomplished nothing on my list.  THAT is definitely true.

I took Carlos on a walk - we are prepping for the Salida K9 Cancer Walk that is coming up in a couple of weeks. (Feel free to donate here.)   He got a new leash so that he could have a little more freedom to explore up here. For some reason Carlos was petrified of this leash. He ran when he saw it- before he had even tried it. Anyway, he solved that problem in one fell swoop.

Here's the new, fancy - and SCARY- leash.

Here is Carlos with a small part of that leash still attached.

Carlos has VERY sharp teeth. 

We are going back to the 6 foot chain link leash like we were using before.

The girls and I went shopping- first in Colorado Springs, then at the outlet mall outside of Denver. Six hours of driving accomplished pretty much nothing. We are no longer in the land of shopping. A full on trip to Denver where we expect to find real stores stocked with lots of fun things is scheduled for Labor Day weekend. 

There was the first day of school.

No one cried.   

I consider it a success based on that sole fact. 

Belle and Bunny on their first day.

Suffice to say the first day was terrifying and enlightening. There were positives and some negatives but we are doing our best not to focus on those.

The highlights: 

There's a salad bar AND a fruit bar at lunch and the food is not only fresh but edible. This was considered an absolutely amazing turn of events.

This is a school lunch? Really? 

Belle, as a Senior, can leave campus for lunch and also during her off period. Mid day she has an hour to kill and can go out to the car and sleep, meet a friend at the park, whatever. That is an incredible freedom coming from her Texas school. 

Four day school week. Fridays are off. Enough said.

Belle has opted to try cheer leading. This is something she has NEVER done before. In Texas, girls are groomed from the womb to cheer lead and the only way you get to be a High School Cheer Leader is to have been doing gymnastics or competitive cheering from your toddler years. After one practice Belle is a "flyer" and says it is fun although not a sport. 

The dress code. Or lack of. Belle wore leggings today. (Not allowed at home.) Bunny wore shorts today. (Definitely not allowed at home.)

The (possible) downsides:

It's a small school. 

ALL the kids are new to my girls pretty much.  They all know the "Texans" but the "Texans" don't necessarily know everyone else. 

There might be some truth to the fact that Texas schools are more academically challenging. Although I think it might be more that the Colorado schools teach in a different way. In Texas there is an emphasis on testing and writing and testing. Here the girls were told to think outside the box, to draw examples rather than write them down, and informed of field trips to come that would back up what they were learning in class. Which way is better? That remains to be seen. 

The poor baby Hummer is still in the shop but is being worked on. Over $8000 worth of damage due to one little lightning strike to the antenna. Maybe we will see it again next week.

I did try to register the car in Colorado. I drove an hour to the county seat only to be told they didn't like the way the title was signed over and would not accept the power of attorney that came with it. O! And I need a VIN verification form, whatever that is. But they were VERY nice and the wait was minimal and someone even called me to clarify exactly what was needed. Fortunately I have another month on the temporary tags before I have to panic.

A generalized reenactment of what happened

 to the H3 we had owned for all of ten days.

And... our Green Acres moments.

Usage of the hair dryer along with all of the lights on upstairs resulted in the girls being plunged into darkness.   We may have to implement Lisa Douglas's numerical system in regards to which appliances can be used at one time without blowing fuses.

And...

Being an older cabin, we have older windows. The window screens are bent here and there. Because it is a cabin in Colorado we do not have Air Conditioning. Windows are left open at night upstairs. Lights are on. Bugs come in. Screams are heard. The Raid can needs replacing already.  These are on order:

Bug proofing for beds. 

Another week under my belt. 

No one has been eaten by anything. No one has been electrocuted.

We are all alive. 

Again, a win.