Hazel Goes To Button Rock!

Button Rock has so many great memories for me! Molly dog and I hiked there for over 10 years and had so many good times there. Soon after Molly was comfortable being off leash, we started hiking this trail almost every Sunday. The best thing about this trail is that it never gets crowded, so it was perfect for Molly dog as she learned to trust people. The last time Molly and I hiked the trail was April 28, 2012. She left the planet in July of 2012 and I took a break from hiking there.

Then the floods of September 2013 hit and totally devastated this area. So now almost 2 years later the trail reopened and it was time to take Hazel dog there.

So we had a quick breakfast and headed out to Button Rock which is about a 30 minute drive.

After we passed the places that Hazel and I usually go to, Hazel said " where are we going?" I smiled and said "it is a surprise!"

After parking, we walked up the dirt road for about 10 minutes and then got to the Sleepy Lion trail. There used to be a big sign marking the trail but now there's just this little sign.

Wildflowers were all over the place. I just brought my telephoto lens but was able to grab some flower pics.

So the trail steadily climbs towards a big meadow. We were almost to the meadow when I looked up and saw a bear looking back at us. Oh shit! I quickly called Hazel back to me and put her on leash. Lucky for me Hazel does not chase wildlife...whew! In the 10 years Molly and I hiked there, we never saw a bear, so this was a first. We stood for a minute and let the bear move along. When we got to the meadow, there was the bear just enjoying the day. He ambled along towards the south side of the meadow and occasionally looked back at us.....

Finally he walked into the woods but I was on high alert for the next 30 minutes or so in case he reappeared along the trail.

Even though I was on high alert, I continued stopping to take flower pics. Hazel would lay down and wait for me.....good girl! No I did not tell her to do this, she just knows what to do! Gotta love those border collies!

At the top of the trail you get great views of Ralph Price reservoir. That's where we were heading for some swimming time.....

There are some beautiful rock formations with some lizards on them....

Trail sign so you know where you are.....

Hazel found some water to drink before we got to the rez....

This is the pump house that controls the water coming out of the rez......

Flowers galore......

Finally we got to the rez and Hazel got to go swimming! There was a nice couple with their dog also enjoying the water, so fun was had by all.

A cute ground squirrel...

 The water is running pretty high and fast right now with all the rain.....

What a fun morning! Hazel and I spent about 4 hours there hiking and swimming! Just like with Molly, Hazel and I plan to create many great memories here.

When I got home, I started thinking more about the bear we saw. Since I had never seen a bear there in the past, I wondered if it was a message for me. I have a few books about animals and their messages, so I grabbed the Ted Andrews book. It talked about going within( meditation) like how bears hibernate and how projects can take two years as that's how long the cubs stay with mom. That struck a chord as I restarted my massage practice one year ago. So looks another year is needed to get it to where I want it. Very cool!

Thanks for reading!