Dogtoberfest Tucson

My neighbor Valli first asked me a week ago if I was going to Dogtoberfest in Tucson today.  I had never heard of this dog-centric event and it's been an annual event for five years.  I decided to check it out and make it a day trip to Tuscon, taking Zeke, whatever recycables I had, and planning on visiting several brew pubs afterwards.  That is why I opted to drive myself, having the option to leave when I want to, and doing other things in town besides walk under the sun.  I never did see Valli at the event.

Dogtoberfest events are now across the country, hosting agility, obedience, tricks, games for dogs, pet adoptions, and sponsored by many local pet service companies.  There's a little bit of everything for the visitor.  The Tucson event's proceeds help Handi-Dogs, a non-profit organization that trains dogs for elderly people with disabilities.

Hours are 10-4pm but I only stayed two hours because of the heat.

The event is held at the Gregory school field on Craycroft, just before crossing the seasonal Rillito river.  The Gregory school is a private, non-sectarian school for middle to high school students.  It's a nice neighborhood in the Fort Lowell area.  Visitors pay $5 to park, but the rest of the events are free.  There are food trucks in the front of the field, but no picnic tables on which to sit.

I parked a 0.4 miles away north of the river, in the River Road outdoor mall behind a Whataburger.  I got to the field at 10:30am and already felt the heat.  There was little shade except for what was available under the many vendor tents and a few mature cottonwoods.  I knew I wasn't going to last for the entire event, but I did enjoy talking to vendors, getting a few freebies, watching other dogs and talking to the owners of A Loyal Companion, the two women who run the therapeutic pool I'm thinking of taking Minnie to.

The main stage, where two KLPX (Tucson's Classic Rock station) employees hosted pet tricks, was mostly barren.  Not all the tables were occupied.  Zeke rested under one table to stay in the shade, but even I was getting warm (and I wore my floppy hat to stay cool!)

There were no doggie pools as advertised on the event's website, but there was a man spraying dogs down with water.  I went to him three times to cool off Zeke.  Vendors provided water bowls, but there was no central trough for dogs to drink out of.

I would have enjoyed this event much more had it been cooler out.  It was 89F when I got back to the car at 12:30pm.  I missed out on other demonstrations, such as police dog exhibits and stupid pet tricks.  Maybe next year it will be later in the year.  I drove by the field 30 minutes after leaving the event, the field looked busier than earlier.

Not to waste the day, I had lunch at Sentinel Peak brewery on Grant Road.  SteveT and I had been there earlier this year and liked the beer.  I like their Heatwave Hefeweizen and had that with their chicken tacos as I sat at the outdoor counter where dogs are allowed.  The tacos had more cabbage in them than chicken, though.  I had a second Octoberfest beer which was also good (Sentinel Peak makes consistently good beer) while Zeke enjoyed cooling off in the shade.  More dogs and their owners were coming as I left an hour later, heading to the recycling place on Speedway Blvd before stopping at the Arizona Beer House  on Kolb.

I had heard about this Arizona Beer House.  It's a taphouse converted from an old auto shop; the floor is cracked concrete, but the entire building is a large spacious square.  Kids and dogs are allowed. I tied Zeke's leash to a hook under the counter, where there are also USB outlets for charging smartphones.  Food trucks are up front and today it was a BBQ chicken truck.  I sat at the bar and chatted with one of the beer tappers.  Service was very friendly, but the prices are steep.  The beers I tried were all in 12-ounce glasses or 8-ounce tulips  Except for the steep prices, this kind of place is what Sierra Vista needs: a dedicated establishment that allows dogs (and well-behaved kids), has plenty of room, and which provides diverse food choices.

I dragged out my time in Tucson.  I told Kevin I'd be home by 7pm, but instead I got home closer to 10pm because high winds began on my way home.  I stopped in Benson to wait out the wind, which was futile.  Little did I know that that wind was a precursor to an arctic cold front moving in and affecting the West and Great Plains for the week.

Brown Canyon to the lower falls

I wanted to hike in the morning, but I had to wait until Kevin's truck was ready for pickup to be able to head out to Brown Canyon. I wanted to check for fall colors, but we are at least three weeks away.  I was the only one at the ranch parking lot when I started at 1230.  The only people I saw were mountain bikers.

 It's very dry in the canyon. The only reliable water was in the trough.  Wildflowers were gone for the season, too.  It's a pretty canyon, though, and it was nice to be back in it.

I made the lower falls my turn-around point, sat there for a while but had to leave because both dogs were restless with me being at the falls and they were below.

I walked part of the loop on the way back, hiking to the high point on the loop, but then taking a little-known and steep downhill side trail that takes one back to the homesteader's gravesite.  It was now 3pm and there were more hikers and bikers on the trail.  When I got back to the parking lot, my car was no longer the only car there.

Hiked 5.3 miles

Foote Creek trail; driving home

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/asnf/recreation/recarea/?recid=45231&actid=50
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/asnf/recarea/?recid=44983

I slept good overnight!  Even the dogs were quiet.  We all got up to pee before sunrise, and I was on the road back into town before the sun came over the horizon.  It even felt warmer today.

I had no specific trail planned.  I just wanted to hike a trail near the highway, one with quick and easy access, allowing me to get at least my four miles in and then continuing on my way back home, taking the same route I took on Friday, US 191.  The early morning sunrays colored the town in reds and oranges, even the Madonna of the Trail statue next to the McDonald's.  This statue is one of 12 erected in 1928-29 along the Old National Roads route, one in each of the 12 states the route travels, from California to Maryland.  The old National Roads trail is a network of several early routes built before World War II.  The statue is partially hidden by two trees on either side of it.  This statue deserves greater recognition, but here is is, right off US60.

Traffic was minimal today.  Even the elk were hiding as I drove the same route.  It wasn't until I passed Hannagan Meadow (9071') that I found a good trail: the Foote Creek trail just south of the Lodge and across the highway.  The trail head is a half mile down the dirt road.  A vault restroom is centered on an island in the looped parking area, describing the two trails that start here:  the Foote Creek Trail at 16 miles, and the somewhat shorter Steeple Mesa Trail at 13 miles.  Both end in Bear Canyon over 4000' below. Both trails suffered much fire damage in 2011 and tree clearing is still in progress.  I wanted to hike a few miles and then turn around.  Only the firs quarter mile is old logging trail, the rest is single track.  The burned areas are now exposed, but there is still plenty of shade on this trail.

The morning sun was already lighting up the forest.  It was windy this morning, and the wind chilled me.  A pine cone dropped near Zeke early on, startling both him and me.  Several trees creaked in the wind as their entwind branches rubbed against one another. The dogs didn't seem to mind the cold.  Mature trees were around the trail head, but shortly on the former logging trail, fire damage once again became evident.  After a mile, the first of several dry meadows appeared and the wind howled, prompting me to stop a few times to make sure that was the wind and not a pack of Mexican wolves.  Both dogs stayed right behind me.  They were either still tired from yesterday, or apprehensive of the smells and sounds of this rim-to-canyon floor trail.

I managed 4.2 miles before turning around.  There is much new growth everywhere, but time is what kept me from going farther.  The Foote Creek trail was clear for the entire distance I hiked, with just four or five logs across the trail that required both dogs to jump up and over, something that Sadie is getting weak at.  The poor girl didn't whimper or whine and followed me obediently.  Elevation loss was minimal.  Zeke seemed more interested in squirrels. It was an easy hike through tree stumps, old growth, and the distant Blue Range and its yellow aspen.  I must come back and make this trail a backpacking trail, but who would want to do this hike with me?  I could hike in from the canyon floor, get a room at the lodge, and hike back down the next day.

What a scenic trail this still is!  I was tracking the route on my app, noting the lack of signage just before P-Bar Lake (drying up) and the unmarked intersection with the Grant Creek Trail.  The trail began its descent along Foote Creek in a steep drainage below just past the dried up lake, and I turned around here.  I gave the dogs their water and lunch and got back to the car in under four hours.  I never came across another hiker!  I had hiked longer than originally planned, and this was a nice trail to pick despite the lack of good water.

It was now after 1pm.  Both dogs jumped into the back of the Honda and were quiet for the rest of the ride home, sleeping on my $400 sleeping bag and getting out only once to pee only.  The afternoon sun was high above me, accentuating the yellows of the aspen and later the cotton fields of Solomon.  Traffic was minimal until I got near Morenci.  I didn't stop anywhere to eat until I got to Benson at sunset, making it home by 7pm to two happy dogs and a sleeping husband.  All the dogs got fresh shank steaks, my two hiking dogs getting the two biggest cuts.

All the news radio channels on SiriusXM talked about President Trump's impeachment inquiry.  It's been this way all month!  Trump's withdrawal from northern Syria last week to let the Turkish army kill off the Kurds is perhaps the second-most reported news. So it was a nice surprise to hear about a 10-year-old Springer Spaniel named Genghis who has bagged all 282 of Scotland's highest peaks.  I wonder how many Sadie has bagged in her lifetime so far?  She will be 11 years old on March 6th.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7121155/Mountaineering-springer-spaniel-Genghis-scales-268-Scottish-peaks-new-ex-Army-owner.html  Genghis has his own Facebook page (psst, so does Sadie!) and money raised during the many mountain climbs goes toward the Scottish Mountain Rescue and Springer Rescue Scotland.  I even located several YouTube videos of the dog.  Simply amazing! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRCk5VpreIU

I enjoyed this short trip up north.  I had originally planned on leaving Wednesday and adding Globe and the San Carlos Apache area as part of the tour, but this worked out just as well due to the cold overnight temperatures now in the higher elevations.  Winter is soon coming to central Arizona.

Escudilla National Recreation Area

Distance: 5.9 miles
Elevation: 9,560 feet - 10,877 feet

Significance: Scenic walk among new aspen, vistas; Arizona's third-highest peak
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/asnf/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=45293&actid=50

The cold got me up.  The Honda said it was 25F outside; my cell phone said it was 35F.  Whatever the outside temperature, it was cold enough to extend my windshield's crack by another six inches.

I was at the McDonald's as soon as it opened at 5am, joining camouflaged hunters for breakfast.  I had my non-fat hazelnut cappucino and a sauage-egg-cheese McMuffin.  The dogs each got their own sausage-egg-cheese McMuffin and both dogs seemed to enjoy the treat.

 It's an hour's drive south back on US180/191 from Springerville to the trailhead north of Alpine.  I wanted to begin the hike when it had warmed up enough.  I found the trailhead off FR8056 with no problem, driving the 4.5 miles on the wide dirt road with ease.  Full-sized pick-ups were scattered around the many dispersed campgrounds along the way.  I was the first car in the parking area.

I waited in the Honda for another hour before taking on the cold.  My phone was showing Mountain time from New Mexico 13 miles to the East, but it was really 8:30am when I started my hike.  This extra hour annoyed me for my entire stay in the area.

The only thing I remember from the hike in 2008 were the aspen along the way, Tool Box Meadow and its wide, open grass with views, the gradual incline to the fire look-out tower, and a shaded creek near the top.  The aspen are still there, and the younger trees were in full fall colors.  There were no flowers in bloom; the last of the red thistle had gone to seed. The higher I hiked, the more intense the fire burn became, destroying an entire fir forest now taken over by the aspen.  Winds weren't too intense this morning, although it was cold.  The cold air made up for the cloudless sky above.  The trail, an old logging trail, makes a gradual linear ascent to the fire tower with a turn to the west near the top, which now is visible from near the start due to the trees in between being burned, opening up the views.  The higher I climbed, the more obvious the volcanic rock became.  I find this trail easier to hike than Carr Peak despite the many smaller rocks near the peak!

The fire tower is now closed to curious hikers, due to the fire damage.  I found a shaded spot near a solar panel on the peak where I fed the dogs their lunch and enjoyed the view to the north and east.  What beautiful country this is, even after the devastating 2011 fire.  I could see two small lakes to the south, the Gila Mountains in New Mexico to the east.  I stayed at the peak just long enough for the dogs to have their water and food.

The fire and flood has not changed the route of the main trail, but I remember side trails off the peak, and a small drainage creek near the peak that I didn't see today.  The trail now is an out-and-back mostly straight route to the look-out.  Everything else has been washed away or buried by burn debris, including the trail to Bead Springs Meadow and the Government trail.  I saw no remnants of either trail.

I met the first hikers on my descent.  An elderly couple and their rat terrier stopped to tell me about how apocalyptic the burn area was for several years, black stumps of former mature firs now dotting the terrain.  But the forest is coming back with a younger generation of aspen, firs, and Ponderosa pine and all we can do is be grateful for the new growth.  Another group of five with their dog then passed me up the trail, and near the end I had to make way for a group of equestrians and their three dogs as they made their way through the aspens.  The hike had taken me just a little over 3.5 hours and the day was still young.  My car was no longer the only vehicle in the parking area.

It was now warm enough to take off my thick sweater.  Black angus cows were grazing off the forest road as I drove back to the highway.  I stopped for a perimeter walk around Hulsey Reservoir, adding 0.6 miles to today's distance and letting the dogs cool their paws in the clear water.  I was feeling good, but my thighs felt the elevation today.

Back in town an hour later, I started feeling tired, but I still did another two miles along the town's River walk, which is really the Becker Lake Wildlife area off US60 outside of Eagar.
https://www.visitarizona.com/uniquely-az/parks-and-monuments/becker-lake-wildlife-area
The Becker boys were early immigrants to the area.  The trail follows the Little Colorado River, which resembles more of a ditch than a river, as it meanders through a riparian area full of beaver dams and willow bundles and recycled Christmas trees to help with the water flow.  This walk would be ideal for early morning walks for birders and photographers.  Fishing and hunting (yikes!) are also allowed. There are wooden and metal benches to sit on and watch the wildlife near the ditch. The trails is crushed gravel and level. Alltrails.com said no dogs were allowed here so I kept them in the car under the shade of a cottonwood, but I saw the trailhead sign that said dogs were to be kept on leash.  They appreciated the rest period and I quickly walked the two miles, read up on the benefits of beaver dams, and then drove back into town.   Those extra two miles had now tired me out.

Now where to?  I had done the hikes I wanted to do.  The dogs and I were tired.  I didn't feel like drinking beer in a bar again.  An early night to sleep sounded great to me.  Overnight temperatures were even to be ten degrees warmer than yesterday.  I drove around the area to see the town during daylight, but didn't see anything worth exploring now.  The western sky was browned out by a wildfire, perhaps a prescribed fire near Phoenix?

I ended up going back to Avery's, but this time to rent an RV spot for the night.  My dinner was McDonald's left overs.  I was out shortly after sun set.  I was that tired, and so were the dogs.  I didn't have any energy to sit at a bar drinking beer for a second night. There were more cars in the parking lot again, but I heard not a noise.  I didn't even hear any traffic off US60.

US Highway 191 north to Springerville

I finally got on the road for my mini fall break road trip at 9:15am.  I wish now I had left a day earlier, but I delayed my departure by one day because Kevin wasn't feeling very good.

I took Sadie and Zeke with me.  They settled in quickly in the back of the Honda.

My plan was to hike the Escudilla trail in the Apache-Sitgreave National Forest on Saturday.  Kevin and I did this trail back in 2008 with the hiking club.  It and most of the forest of the Blue Range were burned during the Wallow Fire (May 29, 2011 – Jul 8, 2011) when the Malboef cousins carelessly let their campfire burn when they left for a hike.  Their two dogs burned to death in that fire, too.  The fire became Arizona's largest wildfire, destroying  538,049 acres.  Escudilla Peak before the fire was one of Arizona's top fall hikes because of the aspen.  I wanted to see if that rating still stands.

I didn't leave until after 9am. I got on SR92 to Sierra Vista, then continued north on SR90, the I-10E to US 191 east of Wilcox.  US191 is a beautiful route along Arizona's eastern rim, reaching an elevation of over 9200' just before reaching Hannagan Meadow.  It's almost seven hours of driving from our home near the border, but the scenery and the towns along the way are a demonstration of Arizona's history: open cattle ranges, cottonfields near Safford and Solomon, the largest open-pit copper mine in Morenci, and the high mesas of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest.  It's a scenic drive for most of its miles (US 191 shares 20 miles of I-10 at Wilcox) and I've driven most of the road that leads to the Canadian border.  There is so much to see along the highway's 1624 miles; I could plan a road trip and take a month to see it all.

The road begins its climb from Safford (2953') along the 40 miles of meandering road to Clifton (3478') and Morenci (4747').  US Highway now is called the Coronado Trail (although the Spanish conquistador never took the route, preferring the lower valley to the east for his horses).  The first 30 miles are curvy and one can't drive fast.  It takes two hours to drive the 70 miles to Hannagan Meadow, and I take even longer with the dogs so that we can stop and stretch our legs along any of the many trailheads along the way.

.
The Wallow fire of 2011 becomes evident north of the Blue Vista, a drive-around turn-off with rest room and picnic area, but there is new growth visible.  Aspens are now taking over where once mature firs and Ponderosa Pines grew, their charred trunks still rising above the seven-year-old aspens.  The aspens were in the prime, glistening golden in the late afternoon sun.  This is what I came to see, and I was rewarded very well.

I even got to spot elk along the way.  The same herd was in the same area the next morning.  They were grazing along the road and seemed oblivious of my curiosity.  The dogs didn't even bark.  Fire damage became more intense as I neared Alpine and Nutrioso.

It was much colder at the higher elevation.  Predicted lows tonight in the area were expected to dip in the upper 30s.  Brr!  I made Springerville my destination for the night, hoping to get a dog-friendly hotel room.  The White Mountain Motel came up on my Google search,  but it claimed "no vacancy" when the website said there was one room left.  What were my options now?  Springerville, an old logging town of around 2000, is 2000' lower than the Escudilla trailhead, meaning it would be warmer for the night.

I stopped at the McDonald's in town for a quick meal.  There are several restaurants off Main Street, but I wasn't in the mood to spend a lot of money on a meal.  The town was dark, with the waning gibbous moon not rising until 9:20pm.  The only option of walking the dogs anywhere was at the city park, off a residential area on Mohave Road.  Posted signs stated that the park closes at 9pm.  I parked in the lighted parking lot and walked up a road that leads to the city cemetery and views of the Round Valley around me.  I had to use a flashlight to see the road.  A cop stopped me as he was driving uphill.  

"Have you seen a gun?" he asked me.
And here I thought he was stopping me because Zeke was off-leash.  "A gun?  No sir" I replied.
"A man shot himself around here.  He's in the hospital now and still alive" explained the cop, but now police officers were scouting the dark park for the gun.  What a way to be welcomed to town!  I hope the man makes a full recovery.  Suicide is no laughing matter.  I managed a mere mile of walking.  Tomorrow's hike would make up for the deficit.

I drove around the Springerville-Eager towns (both are sister towns that run into one another, with a combined population of just over 7000), trying to find an RV park.  On the west side of Springerville, off US60, I saw the bright lights of Avery's, a BBQ place I remember reading about on Yelp.  I'm no BBQ fan, but I stopped in to check out the place.  Avery's is a combination gas station/convenience store/restaurant/bar/RV park/U-Haul renter.  I checked into the bar to see what beers were on tap and saw ten craftbeers, most which I hadn't tried yet.  Three were from the closest brewpub in Pinetop, another logging town 50 miles to the West.  I was sold.  While locals were enjoying a night of country dancing, I sat at the bar slowly tasting the beer.  I was too full of cheap fast food to eat anything else, but I enjoyed the bar.  Everyone working at Avery's was very pleasant and informative.  I can see why the establishment gets a solid five-star rating.  Closing hours are posted as 8:30pm, but one of the owners told me "We close when the last people leave."  When I left the bar to crash for the night at 10:30pm, there were still people at the bar and cars in the parking lot.   

Cienega Creek northbound

Today's hike in Cienega creek had dwindled down to three participants:  Nina, SteveT and I.  Susan cancelled last night and when Susan cancelled, so did HollyW.  The three of us ended up walking well together.  Unlike Saturday's exploratory hike via Meetup, this was a private hike.

We met at 9:30am at the Gabe Zimmerman trailhead off East Marsh Station road.  We were the only two cars there.  Nina got there first, and Steve and I followed four minutes later.  It was already in the 70s with little cloud cover, and it warmed up fast by 11am.

This was Nina's first time here.  The expansive views in all directions, with the Catalina and Rincon mountains to the north and northeast, Santa Ritas to the south, and the lower elevations dotted with saguaros, her first comments at the panorama was "Wow!"  A slight aroma of creosote filled the air as we slowly approached the creek bed and walked northwest in the wash.  We would walk no more than three miles in one direction.  This would show us how far the water flowed.

The Three Bridges come within 0.75 miles from the trailhead.  This is also the most lush area, with tall cottonwoods and willows providing shade, and tall grasses lining the banks, and water trickling downstream.  It seems as if more water has evaporated since my first time here a week ago.  Once we left the bridges, the water disappeared.  It got hot and dry very fast once away from the protective shade.

We never came across anyone else.  The dogs were offleash and did very well, especially Zeke who stayed by my side.  Trace on occasion chased after birds. Once we got away from the wet, lush area, both dogs  walked as much in the shade as we could get.  The father northwest we walked, the less shade we had, as the wash opened up and followed a railroad line.  One train rumbled by going southwest.  Conglomerate rock was all around us as trees gave way to dense sand, rocky bluffs and the occasional rusty artifact stuck in layers of sand.  The sand was pact densely, making walking on it easy.  Some parts felt more like grainy asphalt.

The wash was flanked with small willows and prickly shrubs and the occasional granite rock defaced with spraypaint.  The last flash flood here rippled the sand that has now dried in the desert sun.  Horses had traveled this wash recently, and we came across some coyote scat, but  no other evidence of wildlife made itself apparent.  It's interesting geology, but the cloudless sky and the rising heat made exploring the wash undesirable.  On a cool, overcast day, though, I'd love to come back and explore the area some more.  After hurricane rains, I'm sure the 12-mile protected area would beam with life.

We rested for water at the 1.6-mile mark.  Both dogs by now were getting warm.  I made some bluff ahead of us our turn-around point, and here is where the dogs let me know they were uncomfortable.  we had to turn around at the two-mile mark.  The heat had made exploring more undesirable, and we were now walking slower.

We rested under the bridges on our return walk, letting the dogs cool down in the shade.  Another train rumbled by as we left for the final half-mile.

I was so glad to get back to our cars.  It was now noon and 85F.  There were now eight cars in the parking lot. We drove 18 miles to Saguaro Corners where Nina and I each had a taco plate.  I had two wheat beers, Steve had one and ate my leftovers.  Nina also liked her fish tacos, which makes driving out of our way to eat here worth it.  I wish Sierra Vista had a restaurant with such a large, dog-friendly, shaded patio that served a varied list of craft beers.  I'd be all over that establishment like flies on feces.

Carr Peak with Zeke, Theresa, Nicole and her friends Bert and Christine

A teacher colleague of mine wanted to hike up Carr Peak with the aspens in full fall bloom.  She used to teach science at the middle school, but now teaches PE for the Bisbee school district.  Theresa and I joined her and two of her friends, since we were planning on hiking Carr today as well.  We joined them to make a group of five.  We met at 7:30am in the lower Carr Canyon Road parking lot, carpooled in two vehicles, and began our hike into the clouds at 8am at the Old Sawmill trail.  We were the first cars in the lot.

It was in the mid 50s at the start, and fog still shrouded the peaks.  Would it rain, would we be too chilled?

We all hiked at a steady pace.  I was very impressed with everyone's physical condition.  Theresa and I were perhaps the two oldest in this group and had no trouble staying with the youngens.

The aspens were in their prime.  We caught a few sun beams shining on the grove and illuminating the hillsides in bright yellow.  The color alone was worth hiking up today.  The upper grove was less scenic, with most of the leaves killed off from the brown spot virus.  The Golden Columbines were also gone, but there was water in the falls for Zeke!

I was also surprised at the wildflowers still in bloom.  Asters and sage were still around, but the goldenrods dominated.  The late monsoon this year had delayed everything by three weeks.  As we neared the peak, we could see fog move in over Miller, just a quarter-mile from Carr Peak.

We made it to the top in 1:50 hours.  That's not a personal best (it's only 2.85 miles one-way, but with over 2000' elevation gain).  The wind was minimal.  While others put on windbreakers, I stayed in my dryweave shirt and white hiking blouse.  (My white Royal Robbins hiking blouse is eight years old, badly stained, but very, very comfortable.  I'm always looking for more Royal Robbins blouses, but the style I like seems to be no longer made. ) We had our snacks, Zeke had his liver chips, and we quickly descended.

We didn't stop on our way down.  The sky was clearing.  Here is when we came across several groups going uphill late in the morning, including a retired teacher from Buena.  We got back to our cars by 11:50am.  I love getting a good hike in and getting done before noon!

While Nicole, Christine and Bert took off for their homes, Theresa and I went to Native Wings for lunch, where we both had two Barrio Blonde ales.  She had her fish and chips, I had a 1000 Island Burger (which wasn't as messy to eat as advertised).  We sat at the bar for over an hour, as she told stories of her life in Montana.