Murky Water and Magic Cheese

I didn’t intentionally leave Chico out of my blog. I just knew he’d be all too happy to bounce on up and introduce himself…he does that everywhere…with everyone. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all up for gregarious, but really buddy, you can be embarrassing.

Our last day in Moab we went to a great place called Dead Horse State Park and, because it’s a state park rather than a national park, they let us on the trails! We had to be leashed but that’s just the way it seems to be lately. This park was very dog friendly, even providing a drinking hole along the way, a nice little pool in the rock. The water was a bit murky, and tasted kind of funny, like it had been there for a while but, when a dog’s thirsty, anything will do. I didn’t see much of the view when we reached the lookout due to the walls all around -- to keep the humans safe apparently…clumsy things. “Mr. Enthusiasm” had to climb up and see of course, and ham it up for the cameras.

The next day we left Moab heading to southwestern Utah. I didn’t feel so good, my stomach churning and I was sure glad for the first rest stop for lunch in Capitol Reef National Park. Hmmm….maybe I shouldn’t have drank that water the day before. It did taste a bit strange. As it turned out, I was to regret that warm drink of water…for about a week.

Humans can sure be confusing at times. After all the hurry to leave Canada and the talk of avoiding snow, where do we go but camping in the snow at Bryce Canyon at almost 9,000 feet! And it wasn’t just snowy but cold and icy. Fortunately, they came to their senses quickly, and we left after only one night and a morning tour through the park.

Now I’m not sure what all the fuss is about red rocks and cliffs but Sa and Nollind seemed pretty enamoured with Zion Canyon. The best part, in my opinion, was a long walking trail along the Virgin River, with them looking up at the view and Chico and I with our noses to the ground. I can’t believe they don’t smell all the great stuff that we do, even a little bit. They appear to have noses…but maybe they’re just for decoration. The one thing we could all agree on about our time in Zion was that the weather was fantastic. After three weeks of a lot of staying warm in the RV, the sun shone and we could lie outside. Even Sa and Nollind got into the spirit and joined us on the mat. It’s always a treat when they come down to our level and hang out for a bit.

I think I’m finally getting a bit more comfortable with truck time. Sa and Nollind think it’s due to the new treat they got for me that they call “magic cheese”, but it just says Havarti on the package, which I've had before. There is something special about it though because I feel really mellow about an hour after I eat some, and riding in the truck is pretty cool then, watching the world go by outside the window. I like sticking my head out and getting that rush of a thousand scents at once blasting in. Oddly enough, the cheese also seems to make me more hungry, something my people call “the munchies” and seem quite amused by. It’s usually Chico making them laugh so I’m happy I can entertain now and then.

Well, that was about it for the Utah portion of our adventure. On to Arizona!