Tuesday, May 9
The Perfect Tow Vehicle carries Reggie and me from the campground at Kershaw-Ryan State Park in Caliente, Nevada, a short distance up the road to the park’s garden.
“Uh-oh.”
Jubilant children swarm the garden. A school bus confirms that this is Field Trip Day for elementary school kids. Glimpses of teachers supervising the happy chaos bring flashbacks.
I shudder.
U-turn!
“We’ll come back later after the kids clear out.”
~ ~ ~
The torrent of children and intermittent rain showers postpone our visit to the garden until late afternoon.
We find the garden deserted.
“This is more like it!”
Reggie is delighted with the opportunity to explore a new environment, and, most likely, he’s relieved to be away from The Popping Monster (see previous post).
“A grand staircase for you!”
“Uh, Reg, you’d better not go in there.”
He’d lift a leg on the walls . . . .
Coming down the steps, Reggie wanders into one of the flower beds. From a dog’s point of view:
Well, why not?
Good thing no one is around to see this. Hmm . . . Nice setting for a photo.
“Hold that pose, Reg . . . Great! Now get outta’ there.”
A heart-twinge.
Dear Bridget, my sweet girl and guest blogger, would guide us on a tour through this garden in her unique style.
She’s in her stroller. Her head turns. That look . . . . KER-shaw-RIE-in.
*sigh*
~ ~ ~
“Oh, it’s a koi pond!”
I’m not sure if these are koi. They might be goldfish, which can grow to be a foot long like these are.
Koi have two barbels hanging from their lip and goldfish don’t. (I learned this from Wikipedia. If you follow this link and scroll down, you’ll be amazed at the number of decorative varieties of koi!)
I wonder if they were treated with PB & J earlier today.
Next, the small wading pool.
It was packed with kids this morning.
What a great time they had! I bet those teachers are exhausted.
“Hurry up, Reg. It looks like more rain and I want to get photos.”
The path takes us to a dark area, shaded by a very tall cliff. A tangled mass of black, woody, leafless vines — wild grapes, I believe — add a sinister atmosphere.
Click. Click. Click-click.
What IS that sound?
I turn my head, puzzled. I look left. I look right.
What could it be?
Then I look UP.
Pebbles!
Tiny pieces of rock are falling off the cliff above our heads and the click sound is impact with the woody vines. The cause of the falling pebbles is a small boulder about two feet in diameter. It is rolling down the cliff, breaking off rock as it goes.
Rolling down the cliff toward us!
“Good God!”
I sprint out of the line of its trajectory, anticipating the boulder’s final, fateful bounce off a ledge about 30 feet up.
But it doesn’t bounce off. It comes to rest. A few small rocks clatter down the cliff in a fitting denouement to a coulda’-been horror story.
Silence.
NOTE: All of the above episode occurred in less time than it took for you to read about it. I didn’t even have time to pick up Reggie. He was further away anyway.
~ ~ ~
Reggie finds soft, thick grass for running and romping.
Life can be beautiful one second and then, in an instant, all can be changed.
Gee, he sure is enjoying this little outing.
I smell rain.
Well, there weren’t many flowers. Too early for all these roses, I guess. That’s okay. I’ve seen plenty of flowers this spring.
We return to the Perfect Tow Vehicle as the first drops fall.
“Did you have fun, little guy?”
rvsue
DID YOU KNOW?
“Samuel and Hannah Kershaw first moved to the nearby Meadow Valley Wash in 1873 and soon planted an orchard and garden where the park wading pool and fruit trees now sit. Rich with prolific springs and seeps, covered with wild grapes, Gambel oak and roses, it is easy to see why the park was historically named the “Kershaw Gardens” by local residents.
“Kershaw-Ryan became a full service park in 1961, with the addition of a campground and modern shower and restroom facilities, and became a popular camping destination for the next 20 years. But in August of 1984 disaster struck. Flash flood waters destroyed much of the park, including the campground and the stone cabin. All that remained was the wading pool, restrooms and an apple tree planted by the Kershaws.
“With years of extensive redesign and reconstruction, Kershaw-Ryan was once again open for business in July of 1997. Today this scenically beautiful park is popular for weddings, family reunions, special events and for just relaxing by the pool.” — parks.nv.gov
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