Morning Drive

What a lovely morning!

After our walk in her park, I asked Saga if she wanted to go for a drive… it was absolutely a lovely day and I thought, “What the heck?” Dog, me, and the camera gear in the car, we headed off to seek a nice drive.

Our first stop was Golden, Colorado. We stopped for breakfast at a drive in where I had a breakfast burrito and coffee and Saga ate the tater tots that came with it. (I am trying to cut back on the fried food.)

After that, we headed up the Lariat Loop Road to the top of Lookout Mountain. It is a lovely drive and affords you with spectacular views out across the Denver Piedmont; on a clear day you can see well onto the Great Plains beyond. To the south, Pikes Peak plays peek-a-boo with you from beyond the shoulders of the mountain and to the north, US 93 points the way to Boulder.

On top of the mountain, you can see the Rockies stretching out to the west as far as the eye can see. I look at the vista and think to myself about the explorers and settles moving west across this expanse. How disheartening it must have been for them to reach the top of the mountain, a hard, day-long trek for them, only to see more mountains.

I wonder if they ever wished the mountains would just end. With the modern roads and automobiles, I only wish that the mountains would come to an end when I am headed home and cannot wait to get back to the piedmont.

But this morning, the drive was pleasant. Saga and I passed a number of intrepid mountain bikers making the five-mile trek to the top of the mountain. And why not? The temps are in the fifties and the roads are clear. As the year wears on, the number of bikers on the road will eventually make it hard to make it up to the summit via this route and I will have to make the approach from Genesee instead of from Golden.

At the summit, I was able to convince Saga that she wanted to sit for a few portraits. She is really pretty good at this; she is one of my favorite models. We stopped and spent an hour or so at the top. (After she sat for photos, I let her wander around and sniff at all the amazing smells that are present up there!)

We then headed back down for our last adventure of the day! The Dog Wash!! (Yeah! You just know that I didn’t tell Saga that we where headed to the evil place where I get her wet and wash off all that lovely stench she has been acquiring for the last couple weeks! I sprang it on her as a surprise.) But even this she took in stride and now, this afternoon, we’re chilling and I think we’re going to watch a movie or two to unwind for the day.

Wherever you are today, I hope that you’re having a lovely day!

Don Bergquist – January 26, 2008 – Lakewood, Colorado, USA