In Search Of The Sublime @schembr - Tumblr Blog

While there will never be another OTD (Ollie The Trail Dog), as I'm sure @lvlylsly will attest, Zoe did great today - a high, more remote run/hike. Brutal elevation gains .... well, for me at least. Zoe had enough in the tank to chase and stalk squirrels almost constantly for the three hours we were out. I'm completely wrecked; she's in a good mood. (at San Juan National Forest)

This is Zoe. We are house-sitting for a few weeks while her owner does a bike tour through Dolomites, so we get to enjoy the company of this pretty girl. So great to have a dog around again, but especially one as sweet and gentle. She's a great trail dog, too; she and I went for a trail run the other day and she was very patient with me as I stopped every few minutes to catch my breath and suck in as much oxygen as the elevation would allow. She would circle back every minute or two to check on me with no apparent irritation. (at Durango, Colorado)

Lime Creek, part 3.

Lime Creek, part 2.

Lime Creek ride.

My favorite. (at Colorado)

I'm usually not on the other side of the camera, so thanks Barb! (at Durango, Colorado)

Barb and I enjoyed a really beautiful hike today. A steep trail to start, but once on top the views of the Animas River Valley and the Weminuche wilderness across the valley were stunning. (at Durango, Colorado)

It has been so great having Chris in town for a few days! And, what a bonus to be able to take the motos off-road for some exploring. (at Kennebec Pass La Plata Canyon, CO)

Father and son adventurers. (at Kennebec Pass La Plata Canyon, CO)

Chris, Colyer, Barb, Buddy the Dog and I went up into the La Plata mountains today for a hike on the Highline Trail to Taylor Lake (11,600') and surrounds. Well, correction: I managed to take us on the wrong trail ( a dead-end spur around the wrong side of the mountain) and we ended up following an elk-trampled game trail straight up on our hands and knees to get up and over the ridge, beyond which was the lake. A lung buster, for sure. We did eventually find the trail and had an easy walk back to the truck, but not before spending some time at the lake throwing sticks for Buddy and napping in the sun. My map reading skills need some work! (at Kennebec Pass La Plata Canyon, CO)

Christian's video - It was bound to happen. With Christian and his son in town for a visit, returning from a pizza dinner downtown on bicycles, we had the surreal experience of riding our bikes along side to a decent size bear ... who, incidentally, was using the sidewalk. We just happened to be moving in the same direction for a block or two, so it was my first chance to be that close. It was a beautiful animal, with a thick dark coat and a honey-brown muzzle. I really enjoyed the chance to watch him for a few minutes. But .... upon further reflection, I couldn't ignore the fact that a bear walking through a neighborhood at 8:00pm means the bear is, or has been, unable to find sufficient food in his natural habitat. He's in the wrong place for the wrong reason. If he gets into trash repeatedly, or frightens a family, or breaks into a house following his exquisitely sensitive nose - even the slightest problem - he'll be euthanized with little thought given to what drove him into town, or what role we play by not doing enough to prevent him from getting at trash and other food sources. In short, I realized I was seeing a bear whose life was likely to end very soon for something entirely outside his understanding or control. I hope, for his sake, he was just passing through. (at Durango, Colorado)

We've been house sitting in downtown Durango, or rather, an adjacent neighborhood that's only a few minutes walk from town. Houses are really, really expensive (400K for a run-down, fixer-upper 1000 sq ft shack) and often ugly, but it's a fun, eccentric, vibrant place with students, artists, professionals and more. That said, I thought I'd give you a tour, so I took some pics this morning as we walked the dog. There are LOTS of fairy gardens at the base of trees - dozens of them; weird cars of all sorts; bear sign, as I've reported earlier like a little kid seeing his first wild animal; a mini-library / book exchange at the base of the trail that goes up to the college; some big-ass bucks that seem to just hang out quite a bit; plenty of humor; amazing gardens, many xeriscaped with native-only plants and grasses; and some signs that hint at the town's political disposition. It's been fun. (at Durango, Colorado)

Not far from our house, you bang a right on 25th Street and it takes you up and away from the city. Today we took the motos and went looking for some elevation. It didn't take long to get into some nice, rough roads! My bike complained a lot, but Barb's new 250 just danced around rocks, washouts and mud holes like like it was out for a Sunday stroll, which it was! (at Animas Overlook)

Bear-proofing attempt, Plan A: So, the the idea was to put a strong, hinged lock on the lid; the two sections overlap so that they close pretty tightly, the lock being on the top section. Mr. Bear sees this and simply tugs the lower, supposedly-secured half out from underneath the locked side. This is pretty heavy-duty plastic, but Mr. Bear is rather strong, it seems. Plan B is in development. (at Durango, Colorado)

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at Lemon Dam

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