The Desert Life - Now and Long Ago

Yesterday, I told you about camping inside the walls of a deep canyon. As soon as we could, we moved to a nearby site that was much sunnier! This photo sums up what I love about the west. If you want to get away from it all in a spectacular setting, it's still possible. We completely relaxed in this warm and quiet site.

Some of the canyons and land around us were designated as "Wilderness Study Areas" so bikes were not allowed in them. However, I found an awesome high trail that was free of those restrictions. Parts of it were open to ATVs but it was mostly deserted.

Each day, I'd start with a morning ride with my sweet chocolate girl on that trail.

A great thing, for Shyla's sake, was that this trail was mostly sandy so she didn't have to wear boots. The rocky sculptures all around us were gorgeous.

Along the trail, there were the remnants of a miner's cabin.

In front of the cabin, a child's tricycle frame sat. It caught my imagination, thinking about a family living out in these harsh conditions, probably 75 years ago or so. And, in the midst of it, a toddler pedaled a tricycle around the cabin.

I wondered where they got the tricycle, back in those days of much more limited commerce than now.

And, I wondered if the child is still alive. He or she would be elderly by now.

It's amazing how visiting a new place can inspire me to think. I bet those miners saw many incredible skies like we saw while we visited. However, I wonder if the hardships of their lives made the beauty less intense than it was for us.

Happy Saturday. I love my home in the mountains but I already miss the desert.

Wordless Wednesday: Fun and Beauty

An Alpine Escape

We just returned from a short escape to the high mountains. We camped at a very high point, over 11,000', on a pass that holds numerous small lakes.

Our time there was marked by what was hopefully the start of the monsoon, with afternoon thunderstorms (including rain) every afternoon. The rain came through in short bursts, with the sun sometimes still shining, leading to rainbows.

We visited this place for the first time last August, after K had crossed the Rainbow Bridge but before Shyla had arrived. I was so morose. Being in the same glorious campsite where I grieved last year, I realized how much Shyla has brightened our lives.

She's so loving and so affectionate. After she decides that she loves someone, she wants to express it all the time. She crawls into our laps whenever they look available, and she showers us in kisses. It's impossible not to smile when I'm around her.

Of course, R is now our steady and (mostly) calming influence (but wait until you see the photos of him in the lakes!). I remember how he tolerated my need to hug him all the time during our mountain trip last year and how he invited me bury my wet cheeks in his soft fur. He even tolerated learning new tricks, to give me my "canine fix".

Over the past few days, we had tons of fun - mountain biking, running, and dog swimming in those lakes!

After we came back to civilization, I learned of bad news... the passing of Thunder, the firefighter tragedy, and more.

When my heart gets heavy, I'll keep remembering this view from our campsite... And, I'll remember that hearts heal, very slowly, but they do.

And, I'll remember the hillsides resplendent with wildflowers.

Many of these flowers couldn't bloom last year due to drought. Yet they've sprung back to life - a lesson for us all.