Stop & Smell the Daisies

Mills Canyon Campground & Villanueva State Park

This weekend* we went to Mills Canyon Campground in the Kiowa National Grassland, followed by a stay at Villanueva State Park.

Mills Canyon was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. We will definitely go back. If you have a trailer or long camper it would be advised that you stop at the Rim Campground, as the next 2 miles of road is NOT for you!

If you drag a Jeep, ATV or motorcycle behind your camper, drive it on down the road, there are plenty of side roads to explore here! In the rainy season it appears that there will be several water crossings on the way down to the canyon & past the campground itself.

This a "pack it in, pack it out" area. There are nice new vault toilets. No shade available in the summer, bring your own!

Once at the campground, we didn't see another soul. Enough said. It was heaven.

The next night, Villanueva State Park was PACKED! It was the last Friday night of spring break weekend. We should have planned ahead, but it didn't even cross our minds. The campground vault toilet was clean, saying a LOT for the end of a busy week. It was full of rude campers with barking, off leash dogs. Why people think it is OK to bring a dog camping, then tie it up to a post and let it bark incessantly or let it roam free when it is obviously not under voice control is beyond me, but I digress....

There was a lovely hike (once you passed the annoying, tied up dog), starting with a foot bridge over the river. It was a little steep, but at only 2.5ish miles even old-bones-Jake-the-hiking-dog made it to the top without too much effort. There are two other shorter hikes, but we didn't check those out on this trip. The upper camping loops were closed, sadly, as the space was needed. And, they looked pretty sweet from our view on the loop trail.

I think we will venture out this way again. But, not during spring break or the summer. This appears to be a pretty hot fishing destination. So we will likely try again in the winter months, and possibly again in the spring or fall. Summer is out, as I assume it will be pretty full. There are really nice shelters that equal shade for the summers.

*Weekend in our world is Thursday-Friday, just so you know. :)

04/22/2011 - Organize

So, I need to organize this blog into something...Maybe I need 2?
One could be a 365 or a 52 or something on the creative side? I have hundreds of pictures from October (balloon fiesta time) until the present I need to go through and edit, and pick my favorites to share...that will take some time. (Maybe i should back fill my current blog with the dates I ACTUALLY took the photos? I don't know.
The other could follow my new interest for the Assistance Dogs of the West group that I will be volunteering at 4 days a week. The Dogs are Amazing! (Because the trainers are amazing!) The whole place just fascinates me. The difference this groups makes in the world, one family at a time, is truly astounding.
Anyway, check them out. http://www.assistancedogsofthewest.org/
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

04/18/2011 - A new day

So, upon my return from vacation in Hawaii, I quit my job.
While it is freeing, it is scary...what will I do with myself?!?!
I return to what I love, taking pictures & manipulating them in ways that please me.
A friend said I should try to manipulate with my hands, not just a computer. And I have plans, big plans...
(Carm, I'm going to make a gift for the new baby.)
(Candy, I'll take pictures so you can see where my brain has been all these months...)
I hope that I can make time for all my little desires. One would think that not having a job would bring so much fee time...funny how it all fills up so fast....

Hawaii was awesome....this is a little collage I made of the pool at our hotel.