Our family finally got a chance to visit the in-laws in Atlanta! Jyoti and Bengt went a week early and had a get together up in Greenville. Jaya and I came later and missed the fun.
Visited our properties in Cedartown and Rockmart
Hiked at Sweetwater Creek State Park
Jaya learned some cookie with Aji
Sampled some of the local chicken (Bojangles, Zaxby's, Chick-Fil-A)
stopped at Holbrook, camped at a AirBnB backyard tent site next to a KOA
very little rain
Holbrook camping
Day 1
waiting for everyone to fly and drive in so we could begin training
met ranger Ben
no flags or mess hall; food was given out in crates to eat at camp, better than normal food but I miss the community of the hall
Day 2
changed early bus to late bus due to disorganization
almost immediately after leaving camp, it started raining hard, then lightning
did lightning position for over an hour
walked through Zastrow and then hit a overflowing Rayado; couldn't find the sketchy bridge at first
got to camp around 7
on and off light rain while at camp
did bear bag training
did food training at 9pm
rained a bit overnight
Loading the bus to Zastrow trailhead
Getting ready to hike
Hiking in the rain
Day 3
wet but no rain in the morning
hiked to Abreu for the tour, cantina and animals; they had a young burro
hiked up hill to Carson Meadows; started raining hard half mile from camp
waited on porch until rain stopped
campsite was nice but bear bag area was completely flooded
tent was on slope so didn't sleep well
Abreu homestead
Baby burro
Babies sleep a lot even when chickens bother them
Flooded bear hang
Carson Meadows cabin
Day4
one scout decided he couldn't keep
hiking; he was having a rough time and I agreed with his decision;
however, we had to wait for the staff to get a ride for him back to base
camp
hike to Fish Camp was longer and more up and down than I remembered
got to camp too late for fishing
had great weather
Rayado River canyon
Dining fly at Fish Camp
Fish Camp cabin
Day 5
woke up to lots of dew that soaked our tents
took a tour of the lodge which was really cool
hiked up the river but some of the foot bridges were washed out due the recent rain; we had to cross at the roads
first stop was Philips Junction to get our load of food and chocolate milk
continued on to Beaubien and go there in time for conservation project
cons was clear brush and making burn piles; I pulled my hamstring dragging wood up and down the hills but it was fun anyway
Chuckwagon dinner and campfire were great
Crossing the creek
Beaubien cabin
Making burn piles
Day6
had nice sunny weather heading down the meadow
decided not to hit Trail Peak
went over Fowler Pass and down into Crater Lake
did spar pole climbing which was awesome; I was the only one not to make it to the top
last night on trail
Hiking down the meadow
Crater Lake cabin
Spar pole climbing
Day 7
cruised down the trail into Lovers Leap trailhead ahead of schedule
air was hazy due to smoke from western wildfires
decided to hike the extra 2 miles to basecamp rather than wait for the bus
When Jaya started demanding a dog, Jyoti looked around at local shelters and online. After some searching, we discovered Sophie on Craigslist. Her family couldn't keep her at their apartment anymore. Our family was very excited to get a dog.
2006 - on the way to a hike
However, soon after Jyoti discovered she was allergic and her prior family asked to take her back. It was heartbreaking for Jaya. But in another twist, Sophie missed us and her family returned here to us a few weeks later, this time for good!
2006 - upon Sophie's return
Sophie was full of energy and loved hikes. Her favorites were Manchester Preserve (aka Pipe Hike), San Elijo Lagoon and Cardiff. She had countless walks at those and other locations. My favorite memories are of walking with her in nature.
2007 - hike at south side of lagoon
2007 - muddy paws
2008 - jogger hike
2008 - lagoon nature center
2008 - pipe hike
2009 - Lake Hodges bridge
2010 - lagoon nature center
2012 - makeshift leash
2013 - seeing her leash gets her excited for a walk
2014 - coming back from a hike
2015 - east of Lake Hodges
2016 - beach hike
2017 - Carmel Valley hike
2017 - lagoon nature center
2017 - she loved our old Passport/Rodeo
2018 - caught in the rain at Cardiff
2018 - very furry at the beach
2018 - Sophie selfie
2018 - Sophie's view of the ocean
2018 - pipe hike views
2018 - windy day at Cardiff
2018 - more beach hiking
2018 - ready to turn around
2019 - Anza-Borrego flowers
2019 - at Bengt's spot in Cardiff
2020 - one of her last car rides
2021 - last walk at the lagoon
She was the most cheerful dog. She always was excited to greet us when we got home. And she loved hanging out on the couch with us chewing a bone.
2008 - at my parent's old house
2010 - chewing a bone on our old leather couch
2011 - a bone bigger than her
2018 - sitting on laundry
Sophie loved people food, especially meat of any kind. She often
would avoid her kibble in the hopes of getting a treat of chicken or
steak. Up to the very end, she would get very excited when she smelled
chicken in the house.
2017 - wagging her tail to get some chicken
Sophie was fine being a solo dog and avoided other dogs. When we took her to dog parks, she usually just sat there and watched the other dogs. She would even avoid drinking from community dog bowls; we would have to bring our own bowls or refresh the water. We tried getting another dog but Sophie not having it and had a tantrum.
2007 - one of the few times she played with another dog
Like all dogs, she loved to sleep and she spent lots of time in sun spots on the couch or in her basket.
2020 - lots of sleep late in her life
2018 - fur ball
2017 - happy sunspot
2017 - cool concrete
2016 - her favorite outdoor chair
2014 - among the pillows
Sophie hated swimming, baths and anything having to do with water.
At my parents old house, we put her in the pool a few times so she could
swim around and find the steps before drowning.
2016 - getting a bath
After a long active life, her health started to fail. A few years ago her hearing went out. Next she started to have problems jumping on the bed and going up the steps. As her arthritis got worse, her eyesight started to fail. We stopped taking her for walks. Her dementia increased this year and she needed constant care. Since she couldn't make it out of the doggie door, we often returned home and found accidents on the floor. Good thing we had tile. She wore diapers at night in our bed. In the last few weeks, she was having a hard time going to the bathroom and would yelp on occasion. We knew it was time. We drove up to visit Jaya one last time and went to the vet hospital where she worked. It was quick and peaceful... and very sad.
