LC Day

On June 22nd, Zouey and I hit the road!  Time to do some sightseeing and exploring (and hmm, yes, maybe take a few photos...?!).

Lovely clouds and reflections at the BMR.

The clouds look a little more serious in the direction we're headed though...

Such pretty country.

I love this state for its mountains, but there are also cool rock formations everywhere.

What a road - way better than Disneyland for this girl!!

(and for these folks too, no doubt!)

Zou and I go through LC and on up and over S. Pass.  A lot of fires around though, so the sky gets weirder and weirder...   Here, Zouey takes advantage of the scenic lookout point.

Oh, and see that last big pointy peak on the right?  That's U., one of the fourteeners, and I went up it last summer.  What a view!!!

No, the sky color was not photoshopped in...

And yes, it was a little smoky!

And heading back, and looking away from the fire zone.

I think this guy had the right idea - outta here!

Back through LC and passing by a neat barn/house and pond.

And beautiful meadow with wild irises. We've usually visited this state too late in the season for the irises - but not this year!.

My favoritest flower of them all!!!!

And some interesting short yuccas in the more deserty section.

Pretty mix of lupine, paintbrush, and tyfs (as my natural history teacher used to call certain flowers whose official names had left his memory, "tiny yellow flowers" - very technical, yeah?!).

It's getting dark (darker than this image shows), and the mosquitoes are feasting away on me, but it's all worth it, of course!

River Dogs!

 Zouey explores another river, one that's right near her new home.

 She loves to chase sticks, but sometimes they float away too fast, and other times they're hard to see, leading her to look for other objects of interest, like rocks...  But rocks sit on the bottom...

 No problem!  Just snorkel down till you get the one you're trying for!

 Zouey shares a cherished stick with a new friend.

And while Mommy loves her Zoueydog TONS, she's pretty much still a sucker for any doggy that reminds her even a tiny bit of her forever beloved Ouraydog...

Over the river and through the woods...

past Grandmother's house we go!  (Although, very sadly, Grandma and Grandpa are no longer here in body - we still visit the area they used to live in, it's still a favorite place - for reasons of pure sentimentality and scenery!!  So while we motored on past this part today, we will be back!)

On June 23rd, we moved on to WK2!  We first spent real time in this place last summer, and now it may be our absolute favorite RV park/area combo!  It's an almost perfect combo of small, and yet, vibrant town and  off-the-beaten-path campground that's only a few minutes away from a Walmart!  

But let's start with the voyage over...

 Zou and Tracky first shared the couch on traveling day with Zou in a crate...  No more!  Tractor has to be careful not to get stepped on or squished, but these two grow into more dedicated, playful, and loving buddies every day!

 As well as helping to hold down the couch with his cat brother, Zou is a competent driver.

 She also helps with guidance, general navigation, and obstacle avoidance.

 A beautiful drive, in my favorite part of our incredible country.

 Unlike the beetle-killed forests burning in other areas, the forests here still look pretty healthy overall (thank goodness!!!).

 We've never seen this lake so low though.  And I think this was supposed to have been a pretty good snow year - just no rain...yet...?

And here we are, passing by my grandma and grandpa's view - and my favorite mountain ever.  Been to the top three times - guess it's been about once per decade.  The first time I was about 12 or so and climbed it with local friends.  The second time I think I was around 17 or 18 and climbed it with my dad.  The third time, well wait, was only a few years ago - so I guess I missed a couple decades there...!