Old News

The downstairs is clean – finally – and I’ll finish up the upstairs tomorrow. I may pull up the carpet in the hallway tomorrow and see about buying tiles for it next payday…probably not, but one can wish. Spent an hour tonight updating my manuals from the sheriff’s office – will take them to work tomorrow and drop them off.

It is 10:30 pm already! Have one more day off then back to the grind. Probably not a bad thing considering I have ten books left to read. Had frozen pizza for supper several hours ago – it wasn’t that good. I had stuff to make a homemade one but didn’t want to dirty the dishes – just got the clean ones put away.

It is midnight now and I’m coloring my hair before taking Baxter out for his nightly walk. Right now he is looking at me with those sad eyes of his – I sure do adore the little tike.

About Wyoming Trails Pages

Well, my fellow Wyoming travelers, I have added two pages to this blog on hikes in our camping area. All the information is coming to you via regular mail as well but figured it would give you something to read on the blog and start deciding how in shape you are.

Our eldest rustic lodger does not believe she will be able to go over 10 miles on any trail – and a lot less on the strenuous ones. She has agreed to stay in the cabin for the longer hauls but reminds us all that the longer, strenuous hikes at the higher altitudes will be a lot tougher then going 10+ miles in Iowa.

There are some fantastic sounding trails that are longer then 10 miles – however, I do not want to camp out in wilderness areas where bears danger is moderate to high, just to see the view. We would have to make sure we are up to hiking that far and that we could get back to our campsite before dark. Yes, I’m afraid of the dark but also don’t think it is wise to be out stumbling on rough terrain when you can’t see your hand in front of your face…oops, what was that sound? A twig breaking? Does anyone hear a heavy breathing sound coming from the trees? Um…did we remember the guide on how to deal with bears in the backcountry?? Don’t think climbing a tree and shrieking is in the guide…but I could be wrong.

I want our trip to be fun – it shouldn’t be all about the hiking and exhausting our minds, bodies and souls. I want to do campfire stuff, sit and read by lantern light, hear good ghost stories, maybe cook some s’mores, etc. SOOO…I think we should read the trails with all that in mind and possibly skip the longer, more strenuous ones. Hey, whose to say after the first one or two, we won’t be dead on our feet anyway? Hope we have some good food to reward us for our trek in the wilderness.

Another thought is that we will be carrying hiking packs on each trail so that is added weight which exasperates our already fatigued muscles. However, having said that, all the miles listed on these hikes is ROUND TRIP miles…so keep that in mind as well. No hike here is over 6.5 miles one way which makes them all sound doable if we work to get in shape. But don’t forget the altitudes…I’ve included them in the descriptions so we can see the changes we face in the different trails.

I am still looking to find some great pictures of our hikes and our cabin. Well, there you have it – some pretty great sounding trails not far (according to the book) from our cabin. Of course, there are probably other hikes we can go on though this book “Exploring Beyond Yellowstone” swears it covers them all. I’ve been looking at the topical map and the trailhead #’s don’t match up with the books so we shall see.

Can’t wait though – I’m sooooo excited!

Happy Mood…Good Dreams

Well, it is time to go to the library and also to get more stuff done around home. I feel like I’m getting a lot done – maybe that is because I want to believe I am. J

It is nice out today and I should walk over to the library rather then drive. I doubt I will though. I can’t seem to find the headset to my MP3 player and it is driving me nuts. I remember having them a week or so ago but have no idea where they are now. I hope they didn’t get put through the wash or something.

I had a wonderful dream during my nap. I dreamt I bought the house that is near West Liberty, IA – the one that has the large columns with the ordinate steeples. It use to have a larger yard but then they built another, smaller house on the land beside the big house. The little house has a long lane and a pond. I know my sister will know which one I mean if she thinks about it. It is just out of WL on the highway.

The house was great – everything I wanted in the house. I bought the smaller house next to it as well to combine the properties again and to have a guesthouse. Fun stuff ranged from the maze to the zip line I already spoke about in previous posts. In the big barn I had a huge rock wall put in that had overhangs so a person could simulate the “hanging” part of climbs you get on some of the real cliffs. It is hard to explain, guess you’d have to be in my mind to see it. Such a nice dream. It was a Sunday and all my family was coming over for lunch. My niece and Sarah were in the kitchen baking up some casseroles and pastries – several of us were out in the garden picking fresh veggies and all around were children having a blast. I hope all my nieces and nephews expect to have a lot of children so our family becomes astronomically huge.

What a nice dream it was. I have told God and the universe that I’ve wanted that house since I was a child. I don’t know what brought it to mind for my dream but it sure made me wake in a happy mood!

Today’s Walk in the Park

I didn’t go to bed till 2 am – I was typing up some trail information for my fellow Wyoming travelers and lost track of the time. I don’t know what time I woke up but it was dark still and my head felt like someone had caressed it a few times with a baseball bat. I came downstairs to get aspirin and take my blood pressure pills that I had forgotten to take earlier. Finally got back to sleep after tossing and turning for awhile.
Was up early to take Baxter for his walk at the park. He went swimming in the pond briefly on our first round but was dry by the fourth time around the park. The fifth round was a suppose to be a power round but halfway through it, Baxter decided he needed a rest. He literally just lays down so either I have to stop or drag him behind. So we sat on the bench for about five minutes until he felt like he could go on. As we came upon the tiered fountain, he went over like he wanted a drink so I gave him plenty of leash. Well, he decided he needed to take another swim so he got out to where it was just over his back when he laid down – and laid down.
I don’t know what was wrong with him – it wasn’t that hot out by any stretch of the imagination. We always do six rounds – usually he is pretty tired the sixth one but still able to complete the walk. Today he just couldn’t. We had to cut through the grass to shorten the last round up a bit because he was pooped. He was almost too tired to climb up in the car but he managed.
When we got home, I had my hands full and was fumbling for my keys to the front door. He started pawing at the door to get inside, something he has never done before. He got in, drank a little water, flopped down and hasn’t moved since. Maybe he isn’t feeling good?
However, that last round was wearing on me as well. My shoulders, neck and lower back started to ache and my energy started to ebb. I certainly was glad to get to the car. I’m not sure what the problem was today – I have inner ear infection so maybe that drained me and Baxter has been sneezing a lot lately so maybe he has a cold? He started acting like he didn’t feel good after running around the dog park yesterday – wonder if he caught something from one of the other dogs?
I need to go to the library but now is not a good time. For one, my sister will be doing lunch with the kids at her school and two – it is lunch time so the computers are always busier. I will go around 2pm so that maybe I can get on for an hour instead of 15 min. Maybe Baxter has the right idea, maybe I’ll take a quick nap.