The Start...

Early in our trip, when we were in the mountains above Salida, Colorado, we visited a campsite that I associate very strongly with K. We took her there for a short camping trip about three weeks before she died. We'd been there every year for many years before that, and K was absolutely joyful during our entire stay there. She ran around with zip that belied her health condition. She showered me and the Runner in kisses. She slept contentedly in the sunshine after romping in the wildflowers.

We visited again late last summer after K was gone, and it was hard, very hard - I shed many tears. But, this time was different. My soul is healing, and my love for Shyla is growing by the day. She seemed to love the meadow where we camped as much as K did.

Shyla is growing into a trustworthy and wonderful companion. We mountain bike together in the mornings on our camping trips. On most trails, I trust her to run along side my bike reliably. Our first ride of the trip was through an aspen grove with humongous trees towering over it. Shyla had never seen anything like it.

Then, after riding with Shyla, I took a riskier route that wended along a ridge above treeline for many miles. The wildflowers were blooming, and the thunder storms were keeping their distance. Little did I know that the first few days of the trip were going to be the best weather that we'd see. You'd never guess it based on the clouds in the photo below.

In the evening, we'd take a hike as a pack. R looked distinguished as he surveyed the wild kingdom below us at the high point of the hike.

And Shyla looked like she was ready to fly!

The first few nights were clear, and we could see a zillion stars and the Milky Way stood out like never before.

I love the slow-moving days of camping, when we can be outdoors all day long. We are so in touch with Nature's rhythms, like the moon phase, the position of the North Star, the direction that the clouds tend to travel, and the animals that live all around us. I also love the start of a mountain vacation, when I know that we still have many days left to enjoy the alpine beauty. These photos were from the very beginning of our trip!

Last but not least, in case you missed recent posts, I'd be so grateful if you could vote for a photo that I entered in a trail camera contest. I explained how to vote in the last paragraph of a recent post. For those of you who have already voted, the contest says that it will accept one vote per email address so you don't need to try to vote again. Thank you so much!