Up, Up & Away *People Notes*

We just had to do it. We had to face the challenge of driving Trail Ridge Road just days after it had been cleared to open for the summer - but then it snowed again and was closed again, then open again, then closed again...

Factoids: Trail Ridge Road is the section of U.S. Highway 34 which runs from Grand Lake, through Rocky Mountain National Park to Estes Park. Or, if you are driving the other direction it runs from Estes Park, through Rocky Mountain National Park to Grand Lake. Either way, it crosses the Continental Divide, reaches an elevation of 12,183', and is the highest continuous paved highway in the United States. It takes an average of 50 days to plow Trail Ridge Road to get it open, and is only open from June through August. It opened in 1932, runs for 48 miles and crosses several mountain ranges including the 'Never Summer Mountains'. Go figure.
We had 'fun' in an adventurous, hold-on-to-your-seat-don't-look-down-say-a-prayer kind of way. (*side note: unlike Odie, Jeannie is prone to car sickness...this may have been a bad idea) Happy Trails!

Up, Up & Away...

We left the comfort of the cabin in Grand Lake and headed over the biggest mountain range I have ever seen. All I can say is it is a darn good thing that I rarely get car sick. My people took me on a car ride that I would just as soon forget. I never even got out of the car to do my business - it was too cold. After we made it across the mountains and stopped in Estes Park, they left me in the car while they ate roast beef sandwiches. They didn't even bring me any. Damn.

Grand County - Grand Exploring *People Notes*

Thanks to the generosity of the Simspon family, we have gained access to their cabin near Grand Lake for the entire summer (it was access for the whole summer, right?!). It is a gorgeous area, a beautiful cabin and we cannot even begin to express our gratitude. Paul has landed a work schedule which allows multiple 3, 4, and 5 consecutive days off throughout the next couple of months. We brought all of our hiking and backpacking gear and Paul has been feverishly studying the trail maps.

Following the wisdom and advice of Rich, we tackled our first trail in the dog friendly Indian Peaks Wilderness - Cascade Creek Trail on to Cascade Falls. It delivered as promised! The trailhead began at Monarch Lake at 8350' elevation and peaked somewhere around 9500' elevation. During our hike we spotted red fox, elk, deer, and a huge badger. The trail included the first wildflowers of the season, multiple waterfalls, cobalt blue skies, beaver dams and snow remnants. Perfect. We tackled a 9 mile round trip - not bad for a couple of 'lowlanders' who are still adjusting to the high altitude (that's our excuse and we're sticking with it!).

Lake Granby, Shadow Mountain Lake and Grand Lake are all experiencing high water levels thanks to near record snowmelt this year. Odie had his very first high altitude hiking experience - I must admit he did much better than his people! Happy Trails.

Grand County - Grand Exploring

OK, so my people took me to this awesome cabin somewhere in the Rocky Mountains (Grand Lake) which was fully stocked with dog toys, yet I was the only dog there so I didn't even have to share! Nice. It was just a short walk to the most gigantic and freezing cold swimming pool (Lake Granby) I have ever seen, the smelliest fishy mud I have ever rolled in, and acres and acres and acres of rodent and other critter trails. Unbelievable. I was in dog heaven.

We spent several days there, went on a bunch of long walks and sometimes my people even let me run without a leash. Free at last...free at last!

We went climbing up some wild trail over boulders and through pine forests and I got to splash in ice cold streams and roll in stuff I had never smelled before. I saw a humongous cow (elk) and barked like crazy, and sniffed some huge cat tracks in the snow (mountain lion) and tried to swim across a pond to play with a labrador (beaver) carrying a big log. It was a great adventure.

I was so tired after those few day that I fell asleep and had the best dog dreams you could ever imagine. When I woke up, we were back in the city. Damn.

Home Sweet Home *People Notes*

This is where our lives take on an eerily parallel course to that of Erik & Katy's in NYC. (for those of you who have not followed their adventures, check out http://www.katyanderik.blogspot.com/)

The math is 'fuzzy' but it can be made to work...I am, sadly, one of the 5 out of 4 people who are bad at fractions.

K&E: 2500 miles and 500 square feet

P&J: 900 miles (plus about 9800 the prior year) and 700 square feet (plus a 300 square foot root cellar)

K&E: thousands of dollars for a 'broker' and a 1 year lease on fantastic apartment on upper east side

P&J: zero dollars for Craigslist and a handshake agreement with landlord/pastor on lower west side

K&E: cool, hip new apartment furnishings & decor from Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, and West Elm

P&J: cool, hip retro home furnishings & decor from Goodwill Industries, Garage Sales, Christine's house and Kathy's basement

K&E: everything within walking distance, taxis, busses and subways - no more cars, insurance or gas

P&J: everything within walking distance, two suv's, insurance, $4/gallon gas and two new 'SCOOTERCYCLES' (future blog to give details!) and Jeannie still drives Paul to work and then drives to the gym to work out

K&E: fantastic neighborhood pub - the Banshee Pub

P&J: sketchy neighborhood pub - Bill & Fred's

K&E: fine food market across street

P&J: 'fine' food market across street (7-11)

K&E: multiple local restaurants/fine dining/delivery/take-out within blocks

P&J: several chain restaurants (Arby's, KFC, Sonic, Panda Express) within blocks

K&E: short walk to Central Park

P&J: short walk to C.E.Cushing Park (1 square block)

K&E: hot dog stands on every corner- yummy, tasty hot dogs

P&J: Hamburger Stand Restaurant in converted derWeinerschnitzel building on corner - have coupon for free cheese fries

K&E: free outdoor concert at Central Park- Duran Duran - fantastic 80's music

P&J: free outdoor concert in Cherry Creek Shopping Center- The Railbenders - fantastic country music

K&E: The Hudson River and Papa the Sailor Man on his 34' sailboat/home

P&J: Chatfield Reservoir and Papa Paul the Sailor Man on his 22' sailboat (beginner lessons)

So you see, our lives are nearly a mirror image!

Home Sweet Home

My people unpacked my basket of toys - woohoo! Doggie heaven! Guess this is my new pad for a while. Not bad, but there is this place my people call a 'backyard' which I have never had before. Strange - it is outdoors with grass, sky, birds, squirrels, trees and outside smells, but every time I take off running and get some speed going, I slam headfirst into a wooden fence.

Who put that there? Not funny at all. I am afraid to do my 'business' out there because I don't know if I am going to get in trouble or not, so I still make my people walk me miles and miles every day to do all my business! Funny, hu?! I think they are starting to catch on to that game tho.

Damn.

Are We There Yet? *People Notes*

Upon our departure from the Grand Canyon we headed eastnortheast and drove through, yes, more snow! Crazy! Are we supposed to be witnessing this much snow at the end of May? Eventually the weather cleared and we landed in Santa Fe, New Mexico for an overnighter. Santa Fe has done a remarkable job creating a downtown area that is culturally reflective of its Indian heritage through its architecture, food, atmosphere, shopping, etc. We would definitely enjoy an extended visit to further explore the area.

We landed in Denver on Sunday afternoon - just in time to enjoy more cold, wet weather! Is it following us?! We were graciously welcomed into Christine's home (my sister-in-law-long-time-dear-friend) even with our wet, smelly, furry, four-legged traveling companion. The next week was a flurry of activity including Memorial Day BB-Q, Elijah's (one of my 5 great nephews) birthday party and piano recital, and more fantastic food, family & friends.

Oh, and did I mention that Paul finally had a job contract offer from Swedish Hospital in Englewood? He spent most of the week in contract negotiations, start date changes, testing, document faxing/signing/finalizing, etc. In the end it all worked out and we decided that it was a good plan to head toward Denver even though we didn't really have a job until after we arrived!

We found a funny, quirky, tiny little 100+ year old house to rent for the summer. It is about a mile from the hospital (save gas - walk to work) and our landlord is the pastor of the church with which we share a backyard!

And so the next adventure begins...

Are We There Yet???

We loaded back into the car(s) - I got to ride with Jeannie which I figured would be cool because she lets me ride in the front seat sometimes, but she never gave me any snacks (even tho she ate gummy bears for the entire 800 miles) and she sang the whole time which was really annoying because she makes up words and she is completely tone deaf and not a good singer at all. It was a long, boring ride most of the time with occasional stops for sniff and pee breaks. We stopped in Santa Fe for a night and I got to stay in a hotel room, but my people still made me sleep in my kennel and not the bed. More of the same the next day.


But then...SCORE!!


A new house with lots of new people! There were a bunch of little people who gave me lots of food and dropped tons of food on the floor and let me lick their fingers and faces and stuff...they tasted GOOD! Really good! Like BB-Q and ice cream good.

My people also took me to a new dog park that had water and beaches and silly dogs - it felt good to stretch my little legs again after all those days in the car. I didn't forget how to swim.

That was a fun house to stay at, but we only got to stay there for a week.


Damn.

On The Road Again *people notes*

We arrived at Williams, AZ just as a welcome cold front blew into the area. The town is quirky, historic and has a great brew pub (of course, we made that discovery shortly after we ditched the dog!) the Grand Canyon Brewery. Williams was the last town in America on Historic Route 66 to be bypassd by Interstate 40 in 1984, and is now referred to as the 'Gateway to the Grand Canyon'. The Grand Canyon Railway and its historic locomotives provide daily service from Williams to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It is a trip worth taking if ever contemplating a visit to the Grand Canyon. In November and December they run a Polar Express train...and yes, everybody wears pajamas!

We stayed at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel in Williams, and boarded the historic locomotive for the 2-1/2 hour trip to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Upon our arrival at the Grand Canyon we stepped off the train and into a winter wonderland. Our first 'views' of the Grand Canyon consisted of about 12 feet of visibility and near white-out conditions. A bit disappointing initially, but the weather did have moments of clearing later in the evening and into the next day. When we did finally get a view of the canyon (a mile down and 18 miles across), it was breathtaking...spectacular...mesmerizing; adjectives cannot do it justice, nor can photos. If you have not had the oppportunity to see it - put it on your short list!

We spend the night at the Grand Canyon Maswik Lodge in the National Park, wandered around the Grand Canyon Village and walked several miles of the South Rim. We witnessed the success of a captive breeding program of the nearly extinct California Condor managed by the Peregrine Fund, and now the birds are inhabiting and nesting in the area with over 60 living and flying free in the Grand Canyon National Park area.

We then re-boarded our train and headed back to Williams, gathered up the Odie dog, packed up the vehicles and headed in a general eastnortheasterly direction.

On The Road Again

Sure enough, we packed up and left Mesa just as the temperature was spiking near 112 degrees and my paws were cracked and burnt. I expected a long, leisurely nap in the back seat of the car (when I didn't have to drive) but we arrived in Williams, Arizona in a few short hours. What a difference in climate from the desert to the high desert. Who knew?! It was actually chilly and sleeting. Upon our arrival in Williams, I was carted off to the Grand Canyon Pet Resort where I met a new friend - she was a one year old German short hair pointer covered in freckles and full of energy - she was hot! We played non-stop for the next three days until my people arrived and loaded me back in the car. Damn.