First let me introduce myself, Moose here, a basset hound born & bred in Cumberland County who moved to the big city of Richmond to reign over the West family. I am also King of the small dog area at my kennel’s day care once weekly and patrol the neighborhood daily. I work hard and wasn’t surprised when my people thought I deserved a holiday.
It was a cool spring day when they started asking me if I wanted to goto a Virginia State Park for an overnight camping trip. They seemed so excited I knew it had to be something great so I joined in with a happy dance and some barking.
Then they stuck me in the back of their car with a bunch of stuff they keep in the shed, so I whined & whined, feeling completely betrayed.
After about an hour, the air started to smell different yet familiar, then the car stopped and they let me out into a nature wonderland called Bear Creek Lake State Park, in of all places, Cumberland County!
I had been taken back to my roots but all they wanted to do when we arrived was to move their stuff around, how could they, with all the wondrous smells and sounds, we must explore people!…I know, I’ll do the whining thing, it upsets them so. And then almost immediately I’m following the Channel Cat Trail signs through the woods.
Just mom went on the hike, Dad wanted to stay at the site and play with sticks.
I’m a fan of sticks too but couldn’t that wait, look at the lake, hear the frogs, and smell the critters, let’s go! So we hiked through the woods and watched the sunset on the lake.
Then suddenly we were back where we started at our campsite, a loop trail is what they called it.
Once back at the campsite they gave me a bone.
I so deserved it.
Then it was time for a nap.
I woke with a start to the smell of food on the fire.
They tasted it first to be sure it was good enough for me, it was. There’s nothing quite as yummy as meat cooked on an open campfire. Something must have been wrong with the stuff they called smores, because I didn’t get any.
After some moon watching, it was time for meto go to sleep for the night.
This made my people happy campers.
The next morning as soon as it got light, I woke my people up to make me breakfast before I took them hiking again.
We hiked the Lakeside Trail this time and I saw a deer. I wanted to run & play with her, but my people needed me to guide them back to our site through the woods, this wasn’t a loop trail. After our 4 mile morning adventure they pulled the ticks off me that had hitched a ride on my belly, packed up, and we got back into the car. I vaguely heard mom on the phone with my doctor who said I was already vaccinated for Lyme’s Disease but that the next time we go into the woods,I should get sprayed with pet tick repellent an hour before for added protection.
I was just so happy and tuckered, that I slept for the whole ride home.
I love Virginia State Parks!
