Finally, we are back to hiking. Oh how I have missed it. We have walked plenty in the “offseason” (thank you, Bay Village) and I have loved some of my treadmill “hiking”, but nothing compares to the real thing. Boots on the trail is one of my favorite sounds!!
We had an incredible night’s sleep, and are sure to have more now that we are hiking again. Daisy isn’t a hiker, but she does get plenty of activity and fresh air on the road. She doesn’t get to sleep on the bed with us in Livvy (vs home where she does), but has adjusted well to time in her dog bed and time on the recliners. She still lives in luxury. But we get up early morning and we have some quality snuggle time before Rick gets up, which is good for both of us.
Today, we had a beautiful morning on the river. While it was still cool out, we enjoyed breakfast riverside. We have both said this may be the best campsite we have ever had.
Then it was time for us to go exploring our next national park. We had a short but beautiful drive up to the park which is isn’t well travelled, but should be. Black Canyon of the Gunnison is an incredible place. We could only travel the South Rim today but it is totally worth the visit if you are ever in this area. I know that it is remote, but please consider it. (The North Rim is closed still from the winter, the East Rim is limited to 22′ length)
We won’t bore you with hundreds of geological formations, but how do these form and remain season after season? Lucky for us we are soon to have a geologist in the family (Alaina’s fun and rock-loving fiancee, Derek), so he can educate us. This was all incredible to me, and stunningly beautifulThere were 12 lookout points in the park today… each offering a different view of this incredible canyonAnd the Gunnison River, below. Painted Wall is one of the most famous spots; I did a NordicTrack/IFit treadmill series a few years ago featuring this and other Southwest parks, so it was fun to see the real thing today!We went out to one of these lookouts thinking we would find Top Thrill 2 or Millenium Force, but nothing but more canyon 🙂Our last (and most substantive) hike of the day… was disappointed we didn’t find Jer at the end of the trail. But it was a wonderful adventure!A little bit of forest hiking among the canyon. Great geography lessons about what gets sun/water and therefore what has the opportunity to grow. Maybe a lesson about our own lives…So many great flowers blooming along the trail… this one looks plastic, but it isn’tSo many interesting trees. Now that we are homeowners, we want to know what we could add to our own backyard!I just had to buy this. Linda, you may need to help me learn how to knit. Or maybe I have to just give this to you. But today… I want to learn how to knit. These beanies are so adorable!!Back at the campground enjoying a warm evening with the river providing our other favorite sound of natural running water!Safe and effective campfire!
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