No Motor? No Problem.

We're in the midst of a standard southern Arizona Summer.  Blazing temperatures in the mid teens.  You know, like 112*.  It has been quite a while since we dusted off the canoe and went to the lake.  Luckily our adventures friends invested in a canoe recently and drug us out to Bartlett Lake.

To avoid the worst of the heat, we left home at 4PM and made it to the lake by 6PM.  Sound late?  It's not; the sun doesn't set until 8PM here.

We piled in our respective canoes and began to meander around the lake.  We lucked out with minimal motorized traffic on the lake this evening.

We found a small cove perfect for swimming.  The water was surprisingly warm and we spent a good chunk of time just floating along with the assistance of our life vests.  Yes we can swim, but when you have a piece of safety equipment willing to do the work for you, why do it the hard way?

Mark the day on the calendar, Pete is smiling.  ON FILM!

We put foam mats down the canoe floor for comfort for the dogs.  Mike made an impromptu floaty for Elly.  

Once out of the water, Elly ran and ran and ran.  Unfortunately for her, there were bees imbibing at the lakes edge.  We think she stepped on one, because she refused to put weight on her left foot the rest of the night.  And oh was she dramatic.  In my mind her dialogue would've gone like this: "I hate this. The lake sucks.  I want to go home.  I'm going to lose the foot. Three legged dog, here I come".

Cooled off, we got back in and paddled up the lake a bit more while the sun began to sink below the mountains.

We found another cove to explore before heading back across the lake.  You don't want to be canoes on a dark lake with drunk idiots manning speed boats zooming around after dark.  

The sun was sufficiently below the mountains before we made it back.

Mopey McMopey Dog cuddled with my legs on the way back.  

We rounded the small bend back to our landing spot as it was getting dark.  Pete taught his daughter the fine art of righting a flipped over canoe and Mike swam with Rommel a bit more.  We loaded up and headed out to Five Guys for a very late dinner.  It was only a few hours out, but it was a very welcomed escape.

Rough Waters

Choose to live life courageously with a smile on your face. 

Canoeing, Camping and Dogs, Oh My!

My parents graciously got us a canoe for Christmas.  We've been too busy the last few weeks to try it out, but made a point to get out this weekend.  We packed up the trailer, loaded up the dogs, strapped on the canoe and off we went.  It was key to find a good place to canoe that would avoid fast boats and wake.  We wanted to take the dogs on the canoe.

It was decided that we would camp near Apache Lake.  We had a spot in mind that we saw two years prior, right on a sandy beach, only room for one camp site....perfect.  Until we got there and saw that the park service closed it off to camping.  Bummer.  Further down we found our home for the night.

We set up the Taj Ma Tent and put the tent on the Jeep for a short jaunt to the water. Bear stayed behind and watched the camp sit for us.  But Elly and Rommel were seated in the canoe, ready to go.  Honestly, I was apprehensive and was completely convinced Rommel would tip us, but they rode like champs.

The lake was beautiful and quiet.

We paddled down to the beach we originally intended to camp at and stopped for a play session.

After lots of running, we hopped back in and made our way back towards camp.

Rommel settled in nicely.

Post canoe trip, we prepared a fire and cook brats for lunch.

We played until sunset, then settled in front of the fire for some much needed relaxation.  The dogs kept begging to go to bed, so reluctantly, Mike and I turned in too.

It was very cold over night, dipping into the 30's.  Luckily, I bought us a tent heater for Christmas.  While we were paranoid about leaving it on overnight, we turned it on sporadically throughout the night and we were nice and comfortable.

Morning came, a new fire was built, breakfast was enjoyed and a good game of chase the car was had.

Even Bear joined in.

Our campsite was in a perfect location.  Tucked in a canyon right off the Apache Trail, adjacent to a beach.

No one, human or canine, wanted the short camping trip to end, but it unfortunately had to.  The Taj Ma Tent was safely tucked away, and we were on our way home.

Camping is hard...

All in all it was a success.  The camp heater worked great.  Canoeing with the dogs went smoothly and we're looking forward to more trips.  If I made New Year's Resolutions, one would be to camp more...I think we're getting off to a good start.