Back on The Path

 The Zou and I do another morning stroll through Cow Town.  Sadly, Mizzou's pal is back behind bars this time...  But this pup and heifer remember their last meeting (and may be planning another one!?)!

 The Morning Moos...

 Get a piece of the rock!

Ranch overseers.

 Wonder why these birds are called redwing blackbirds?

 What a pretty place to walk, eh?

 Hmm, another open gate...  Where are the cows?  (hint:  coming up in future post!)

 Been some good rains recently...!

 Happy horses...

ooo boy!  More cows!  I think...?  Wait...  WHAT is that one?!!!  

 Is that a big 4-legged muppet or what?

 Yup, that must be it!  A muppet!  (actually, I think this is a Highland - Scottish - calf)

 One of each - normal and Super Hairy...

 Is this Momma?

 HAS to be Papa!!!

 ooo, another wading ditch!

 Can you see me now?  (no...?!)

Rider on the storm...

 So the sky didn't look that aggressive when I left the RV park - or maybe I just didn't look that hard...  It seemed like a perfectly good time to go for a little ride...

past Zouey's river stop...

 and on up near the rock area again...

 and past the turn-off...

But after getting my second shower for the day, and listening to some thunder rolling past, I decided it might be a good time to turn back (after a few more photos, of course!).  And knowing me, I was probably just wearing shorts and a T-shirt...

Oh well, will be a good road to explore more on another day!

These cool cats are rockin' out!

Same place, different day.

Players:  Tractor, Scratty, and Zou (and staff).

 Tractor is one hell of a rock climber.

 Scratty's not bad either, although not nearly as confident or daredevil as her brother.

 Ridgecat.

 Poor Zou is shackled with her promise lead (nose loop) so that she won't jerk her mom off a rock (and then go and get hit by a car!)...  She may be under 50 pounds, but she pulls at full horsepower!

 Zou, wondering if that's one of the roads she's been on yet...

 Cool cubbyhole.  

 Good shady spot for a catnap...

 ...unless you're Mr. Wide Awake who's In His Element!

 As Ross Perot put it so well all those years ago - here's another one of those blow-dried guys... (OK, so it was just a bit windy right here...)

Had to stop by the river on the way back so Zou could get clean and cooled off (sure beats the heck out of a dogwash!  Wish we had a good river nearby here in San Diego...but no such luck).  Looks like she's trying to talk Tractor into a dip - good luck little dog!

Oh what a Zoutiful morning...

The Zou and I went out exploring one morning, just following dirt roads, seeing where they would lead...  Turns out this one took us to a giant playground with cool rock outcroppings everywhere.  We'd been there before (and will be there again!), but there are so many roads into, through, and around this area, some folks find themselves lost!  Not a bad spot to be lost in however...

Later, I ended up being really glad we took this one road during the daylight...(yeah, guess why...!?!)

 Zou makes the most of a pitstop, reveling in full flight and freedom.

 Making our way to the other side of the park.

 This spot is popular with everyone but esp. mountain bikers.  There are tons of dirt roads and cool single-track for them here.

 Great views of the town from up here too.

 Pretty pasture land on the way back home...

And there's nothin' like those Colorado clouds...

Going Walkabout

 Last summer, I found out from a friend (Hi Mary!) about this great path that goes through some of the ag land near town.  Zou and I walked it several times this last summer...

 This particular morning, we had unexpected company!  And Zou's absolute favorite kind - COW!!!  Someone had left a gate open in one of the fields, and these youngsters knew an opportunity when they saw one!  And out they went!  But they were very well-behaved...

 Such a pretty lass...

 Close encounters of the bovine-K9 kind.

 Perfect girl, perfect pastures...

 Bye!  Parting is such sweet sorrow!  We'll miss you!

 But come on back - we'll be waiting here for you!

 Do these cows have it good, or what?!  At least in the summer...  Now winter may be a different story - it gets pretty darn cold here then - or so I hear...!

 A sweet little family unit...

 More little units...

If I were a cow, I'd like to live here (and maybe I am part moo - a childhood friend used to call me Cowie...  Sort of sounds like Carrie...?  Of course, her name was Robin but she went by "Pony" so maybe that could explain it...!?!)!

 Wild irises.  So interesting how these flowers come out with a new bloom, right next to the newly dead one...  Just when you're about to give up on them, they come through...!  I like that - although the fresh flower would look better without the spent one right beside it...

 What a perfect path, eh?

 Zou checking out one of the bridges...

 One of the farms.

 I love these little irrigation canals.  They always remind me of the ones that ran below my grandparents' house in southwestern CO.  The dogs and I spent many hot and happy summer hours wading through them!  Now, of course, they post signs everywhere saying NOT to wade in them...!  C'mon, what harm did it do me?  (don't answer that...)  Well heck, it's practically illegal to be a kid anymore!

Just idyllic... 

 Some smoky clouds from a fire down south...

Makes for a kind of cool look...like this, The Haunted Barn... 

We never did get any smoke at ground-level, and smoke in the skies was actually pretty rare - guess we lucked out with the winds, etc. 

Hmm, don't you look familiar?