ROAMING THE NORTH DAKOTA PLAINS

Driving across the border from Montana into North Dakota I feel my heart expand with the knowing of what I call "coming home". I’m familiar with this “I’ve been here before—I know this place” feeling when spending time in nature, but this time the feeling swoops in unexpectedly and surprises me. This place feels like a hug from a grandmother I didn’t know I had.

Stand of cottonwood trees

I love what I am seeing as I gaze out across the North Dakota plains. The expanse of the prairie, and her loneliness stretch out before me. The land dips into ravines and then bumps against limestone bluffs as the Little Missouri River winds its way through stands of cottonwood trees, prairie grass, and fragrant sage brush. I am at peace and nurtured here in this wide space where life flows slowly and offers places to be still.

Little RV on the prairie

For a few days we’re in tourist mode. Our first stop is Medora, North Dakota which sits at the southern boundary of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Medora buzzes with summer tourists checking out the restaurants and gift shops. This is the place to sample activities like Theodore Roosevelt National Park tours, frontier musicals, and celebrations of the American cowboy. The Theodore Roosevelt persona lives large here and catching a first person interpreter performance is part of the Medora experience. Even a casual historical encounter can open the imagination. A very bully T.R. lookalike saunters past us and wishes us a “Good day!” while we enjoy a shady bench along the boardwalk.

Because we arrive late in the afternoon, a campsite within the National Park large enough to accommodate our big fifth-wheel is not to be found. However, a little internet research reveals other options and we find a perfect campground at Sully Creek State Park just two miles south of Medora. Sully Creek Campground wedges between Rocky bluffs on one side and the Little Missouri River on the other. A friendly park ranger shows us spacious campsites under huge cottonwood trees not far from the river. We love the wide-open feel of the campground, the dusty grass prairie smell, and the abundance of birds flitting about in the cottonwoods so we decide to stay four nights. After we pay the fee and get some hiking suggestions, we set up camp and settle in to the relaxing rhythm of summer in the North Dakota plains where no one is in a hurry.

Wild horses

Bison grazing and wild horses on the ridge 

Our first night is star-studded and peaceful. The night skies of TRNP and the surrounding area benefit from a lack of nearby big cities and night skies are truly dark. A few stars and planets still shine brightly as we head out just before sunrise to explore this new territory. Basically, Theodore Roosevelt National Park is separated into three parts, the North Unit, the South Unit, and the Elkhorn Ranch Unit. Beautiful winding roads traverse the hills and plains connecting the Park units so we take our time as we wander, stopping to look for wild horses and to admire a prairie dog town. We spend three full days immersed in the countryside driving the scenic drives, hiking park trails, and reading about the geology and history of the Park. While we sit on a bluff with our binoculars to admire the bison and the wild horses who roam these plains we soak in the beauty and begin to understand why Roosevelt came here to mend his broken heart. Of all the U.S. presidents, President Theodore Roosevelt's work to preserve our wild places played the biggest role in making experiences like this possible and we take a moment to breathe in our gratitude.

Hiking to overlook

Like the bison roaming across the plains, we move on towards our next destination. We take with us the enormity of the gift of access to these public spaces. How fortunate we are as a nation to have our National Parks and our wild places. A massive drilling truck pulls out from a side road and we slow down to let it pull ahead and we wonder if we, as a nation, will continue to find the strength to preserve these special lands.

Bucket list item

Theodore Roosevelt's first home in the area

Bison pose

Loving life

Thinking

On edge

Hanging out with the cannonball concretions

Cannonball concretions

CAN'T TOUCH THIS: NINJA WARRIOR PACK

Playing in park with my moms

A beautiful morning for a walk, I think to myself as my moms and I head out to explore the town of Ely, Nevada.  The cool early morning air makes my black nose twitch with excitement. The damp air brings out the wild animal overtones  and I savor each and every sniff along the way, sometimes to my moms' annoyance. 

Ninja Warrior Pack

After walking along a side street and then the main road we make it to a little park in the middle of town. My moms know how much I love parks and the feel of soft, lush, green grass under my paws. We walk a loop of the park and I use the facilities a few times and listen to my moms talk about what a beautiful morning it is and hear them occasionally try to identify birds who flit around us. A bird is a bird to me, but I do enjoy a good song bird tweeting out a melody as I sniff and pad along.

Ninja moms

Leaving the park we decide to walk another neighborhood street so we look both ways and safely cross the main street, pass the middle school and start making our way back home. I was just thinking about taking a nap in the sun once we return when I feel this heavy weight hit my back. I turn to see a black pit bull coming for my throat. I was just getting ready to end it's life, when my moms went crazy. Annette, kicking and screaming, throws her body between me and the dog. I see Kristy grab the pit's collar and and the next thing I know Kristy and the dog are rolling around on the grass in an intense wrestling match. I really want to pummel this dog, but Annette starts leading me away. Next, I hear Kristy yelling and turn to see the black pit lunging towards me again--it slipped its collar. This is it, I thought, as I was positioning myself to end this once and for all. To my amazement, Annette begins kicking like a ninja warrior and Kristy pounces on the dogs back using its own collar as a whip. Peering around my mom's legs I could see the dog's eyes locked on me. I could feel its warm breath and see the sharp white teeth gnashing at my throat. I have to admit I am a little scared at this point and really want this pit bull to go away.

Nightmare

After this second attack, my moms' ninja tactics of kicking and collar whipping stun the dog and it slinks down to the ground. A young man, the dogs owner from the corner house across the street, who did nothing to help the situation, picks the dog up and carries it home. This was an all out ambush, no butt sniff, no growl, no positioning, no communication of dominance. This was a pit bull torpedo locked into its intent to kill me. I feel bad for the dog and wonder what has happened to make it behave this way. Maybe this dog doesn't get enough walks, belly rubs, or treats. Unfortunately, some dogs end up with bad humans.

Nap time

Once the ordeal is over, my moms and I continue our walk with adrenaline surging through our bodies. We talk about how in a blink of an eye, life can change. I notice blood on Annette's hand, and Kristy rubbing her back, but I don't have a mark on me. I think to myself, it could've been so much worse. I am one lucky dog to be part of this ninja warrior pack and to know my moms have my back. We stop a few times on the walk back and my moms hug me and I do my special wiggle and snort. Now, about that nap....

Ninja Nettie

Driving with Kristy

I love my moms

Drinking coffee with my moms

Hiking with my moms

ECHO echo echo echo CANYON STATE PARK

Lakefront property

Echo Canyon State Park, state park #5 on our zigzag through Nevada lies just a few miles east of Highway 93, near Pioche, NV. We  roll into the campground, pick a spot, and begin our approach for backing into a campsite. Old, wooden fence posts outline each campsite, which makes backing all the more difficult. It's a tight fit, but doable. The edge of our step-ladder strapped to the back threatens to clip a post so we take the ladder off and place it out of harms way. Besides the width, one has to consider several variables when backing into a campsite--overhanging trees, fire pits, shade structures all have to mesh with trailer doors and slides.

After a few attempts we are in, but we can't open the slide because the fence posts are too close and the toy hauler door opens into the fire pit. We decide to move to another site and as we pull forward Biggie Moms' rear-end brushes one of the decorative fence posts. Annette gets out of the truck, opens the storage compartment, and reappears holding a saw. Before I could say anything the saw is halfway through the post, I then take a turn and finish the job--the post still stands just not quite as tall. As we're pulling out, the ranger arrives just as I drop the saw onto the ground and points us to a better site. We park, set up, and then walk back to retrieve the saw and the ladder left behind at the other campsite. Does dropping some money into the firewood donation box make up for our blunder?

Ash Canyon hike

The next morning, we head out early to hike the Ash Canyon Trail. Starting out from the north edge of the campground, the trail climbs to a ridge, and then descends through Ash Canyon, a narrow canyon lush with the spring green of bushes and trees. Handrails bolted into the steep canyon walls guide hikers along the steepest parts as the trail drops to the bottom of the canyon.We enjoy canyon hikes and this trail is a fun one, requiring some scrambling and a bit of ledge walking atop the vertical canyon walls.

 As we head back to camp, we see American avocets wading along the bank of the reservoir, their cinnamon heads darting in and out of the water. A bonus spotting of a large group of white-faced ibis with their breeding feathers shimmering green and pink in the early morning light brings our hike to a rewarding end.

Ash canyon

After the hike, the weather turns windy and cool so we opt out of kayaking and biking. A quick check of the weather forecast predicts five days of bad weather ahead and we decide to spend just one more night at Echo Canyon before  heading to Pioche to wait out the cold front in a place that has WiFi and a coffee shop. Months of wind has turned us into weather wimps.

Shug gives this campground a 3.5 paw rating due to the fence posts surrounding the campsites (she hates drama).

What happened to that post?

Annette and Shug listening to their echo

Indian paintbrush

Ash Canyon hike

#ENJOYANDVOTETOPROTECTOURPUBLICLANDS

CALLING IT HOME

Annette and Shug strolling at waters edge

Rugged rock walls covered in pinyon pine, Utah juniper, and big sagebrush  cradle the deep blue water of Eagle Valley Reservoir, the main attraction in Spring Valley State Park. This  park offers a beautiful setting for camping, hiking, biking and kayaking and we take full advantage.

Bobbing with birds

After our morning hike with Shug, Annette and I throw the kayaks in the truck and head to the water. As we paddle along, little pods of birds float and bob on the water with us. Before long, we realize we're paddling in a bird extravaganza. The late-morning sun illuminates brilliant reds and blues, satiny blacks and whites -- colors so vivid  they don't seem real. A six-pack of eared-grebes paddle past us wearing rusty orange and yellow plummage like Mardi Gras masks around intensely red eyes. We spot the baby blue bills of the ruddy duck, unmistakable even from a good distance across the water. They scoot their ruddy brown bodies over to a grassy edge, their stiff, spikey tail feathers raised above the water. We focus our binoculars on a flash of white chest to our left and see a northern shoveler. His green head plows the water with his spatula-shaped bill searching for food.

Ruddy Duck

As we paddle further towards the north end of the reservoir, we notice the distinctive black and white markings of the ring-necked​ ducks floating in the distance, holding their black heads high while peering through bright yellow eyes. But wait, what's​ that splash of red in the mix? Looks like a redhead duck making his presence known. We know we're seeing something spectacular and we're glad to be floating​ beside these beauties.

Just cruising

We ditch the kayaks, eat lunch, jump on our mountain bikes, and follow the dirt road north of the reservoir to explore several stone cabins built by Morman settlers in the 19th century. We take in the beauty of these old buildings and admire the  craftmanship involved. Settlers cut blocks from the pinkish-white volcanic tuff from the surrounding cliffs to build their cabins. A root cellar, dug underground and against the cliff wall is tucked away behind the cabin. We peek in at old dusty shelves, tools, and jars through the doorway imagining lives lived 150 years ago.

Stone cabin

Root cellar

Valley overlook

Besides kayaking and biking, we also explore the area on foot. We stroll along the dirt road which cuts through the valley floor and offers great views of volcanic tuff walls rising up and  outlining the lush green meadows. A  meandering stream, dotted with geese, parts the meadow and winds its way emptying into the Reservoir.

Beautiful meadow

Our final morning, we hike the Ranch Camp Trail starting at the stone cabin and finishing at the Ranch Campground for two and a half miles of beauty. The trail leads us over the pinkish-white volcanic cliffs and down through green meadows. A pair of geese flying overhead honk their sharp clear call and it echos through the canyon as they disappear from view.

Volcanic tuff ridges wear their erosion well.

As we approach the end of our four day stint and ready ourselves to move on, we reminisce about our time spent in this beautiful park. How lucky are we to be so close to the natural world and all who live here. The beautiful sights, the fresh air, the clarity of sound, and the excitement of being connected to the wildness of ourselves and our world......and calling it home.

Shug lovin'

Shug, on the other hand, gives this park a 3 paw rating due to the MILLIONS of goat head stickers covering the ground at our camp site!! Wait. Did I say millions? Shug says billions.

#enjoyandvotetoprotectourpubliclands #getoutside

Sweet camp spot

Walk on down a country road

Ain't no valley low enough

CATHEDRAL GORGE STATE PARK, NV

Annette and Shug Eagle point lookout

Cathedral Gorge State Park, once home to the Fremont and Southern Paiutes, became one of Nevada's first four state parks in 1935.

Volcanoes, earthquakes, and water erosion created a landscape of spires and canyons in the buff-colored cliffs. Today, erosion continues to sculpt the tufa rock creating new canyon crevices and towers.

Home

Surrounded by these beautiful formations, the small campground sits in the middle of the gorge amongst covered picnic tables and trees that make a shady retreat. Although the campground is small, we find several large pull-through sites to choose from. #1 at the edge of the campground looks good and we park and start our set-up routine. Meanwhile, Shug stares out across the sage brush focusing on the big blacktail jack rabbits bounding about.

Annette in the ant farm

After a quick 20-minute set-up, with Shug napping in the trailer, Annette and I head out to explore the slot canyons and caves cut deep into the tufa cliffs. The narrow maze of crevices make us feel like ants scurrying through tunnels in one of those ant farms from our childhood. We squeeze through narrow crevices that open into larger chambers, grooved top to bottom by the dripping mud. Looking at the ribbon of sky high above our heads keeps us from getting claustrophobic. On our way back to camp we pass an old stone water tower and ristra-covered picnic area built by the Civilian Conservation Corps back in the 30's. Those CCC guys did beautiful work.

Annette and Shug Juniper Loop Trail

While at Cathedral Gorge, we check out all the trails--a canyon hike to Miller Point lookouts, a fun mountain bike ridgeline trail with views stretching across the green fields of Panaca's agricultural area, and a walking loop around the canyon floor to see all the rock formations. When we need fresh food Annette and I jump on our road bikes and catch the three mile bike path at the visitor center through the small town of Panaca and stop at the little market to load our bike bags with groceries before heading back to camp. It's so much fun to be able to resupply via bicycle. We both agree that the world needs more bike paths.

Cool formations

We spent sweet time in this little park. Shug gives it a 3 paw rating due to the leash rule keeping her from chasing the blacktail jack rabbits.

Water tower built by the CCC

Exploring the cathedral caves

Playing

Big cave

Kristy and Shug

#enjoyandvotetoprotectourpubliclands #getoutside