Dad here; wanna hear a cool story? Not even dog related, but an awesome encounter nonetheless. I took a twenty mile bicycle ride today in attempt to counter the effects of too much recent good living(read honey buns). My route of choice was the Arkansas River Trail, which crosses the river three times: at the dam, the Clinton library, and at the Broadway bridge. Approximately halfway through the loop, this random eight year old boy…

2935 miles in 6 days; camping out of the back of a Honda CRV, and riding a Honda CT125; I know, I know, it doesn't make any sense to me either. Especially when you factor the size of the vehicles into the decision to include a goofy 65# black dog in the the expedition. Why would we do this? The answer is the same as what you get when you cross an elephant and a…

There is a very special place in the backcountry of Colorado; those that really know me not only know where it is, they have probably been there with me. It does not fit the image of what many imagine Colorado to be, the landscape less the expected soft blues and greens, instead more harsh oranges and reds. But hidden in a small grove at the base of a sandstone cliff is a tiny spring; sometimes…

Charlie and I came out of the backcountry late yesterday afternoon to find ourselves staring straight into the teeth of a winter storm warning. We were on the WRONG side of the range, with the Rockies standing between us and the Casa. While I love Colorado, I love home more, and Friday is my day to keep Jude; I ain't fixing to get stranded over here. So we made a run for it, but it…

"People don't take trips, trips take people"- John Steinbeck Dad here, on the road with Charlie. I usually try to adhere to the Steinbeck doctrine of never writing from the road, instead giving the entire trip time to "percolate" for a time, but sometimes a day is so bizarrely incredible I can't wait. On one of our first trips out west, we encountered a remote desert monastery in northwestern New Mexico. We have since made…

“When the virus of restlessness begins to take possession of a wayward man, and the road away from ‘Here’ seems broad and straight and sweet, the victim must first find in himself a good and sufficient reason for going." John Steinbeck Dad here; for weeks I've been wrangling against an inexorable pull to go vacilando, but where? The mountain passes in Colorado are still impassable, spring break crowds are breaking out in Big Bend, rain…

Charlie here: Winston Churchill described depression as the "black dog" and I think dad has been a bit bitten as of late. As of late, has been woefully derelict in his duties when it comes to the care and feeding of this page, so I have decided to take over for a bit until he decides to step up his game. One thing that drives us is a sense of mission. Whether it's a championing…