Saved By the..... Dog!

Big Cottonwood Canyon is in desperate need for some of these signs!

So we have decided that thanks to our sister Meghan we really need to get into fly fishing! So we decided to go on a drive up Big Cottonwood and just scout out a few places to go for future fishing. We walked up and down the stream to see if we could see any fish. Or if we should just stick to Weber and Provo Canyons.

(here is a picture of the family on our first adventure fly fishing after work in Ogden on Friday)

Caesar loving life, helping us scout for fish!! Well, we spread out on our walk up the stream after a little bit of a walk we stopped to look for fish in the water. Andrew was about 15 yards away from me, and Meghan was in between us. And Caesar was standing at my feet playing in the water.

As you can see this is by no means really a river. This is where I was standing, and the water when you stepped in would splash at your ankles. Not deep at all.

My view to the other side not zoomed in at all! So I was sitting there, extremely focused on finding fish in the water! When the next thing I know Caesar has stopped moving and let's out the most fearsome bark I have ever heard from a puppy... He is going wild. So I look down at him and all of the hair on his back is on end. He is low on his haunches bearing his teeth. I look up and no more than six feet away from me, standing in this little inlet is a full grown, black, bull moose!! My heart stops because I see the moose isn't stopping. It paused for a minute and looked at Caesar then at me and started across the river at us. First thing that came to my mind was moose kill more people than bears. A fact I learned from my sister Alissa. (Look it up, it's true) So I yell "Run" and I'm screaming at Caesar to come, but he's not budging he is stuck there barking at this beast. He keeps looking at me and looking back at the moose, so I realize he's not going so I have to get out. I am running through the water and my feet get stuck in mud, I kick off my flip flops and look at the moose bearing down on Caesar. I have to climb my way up the steep edge to get up onto the road. I could barely climb down it, taking my time and with shoes on. I had dirt under my finger nails from clawing my way back up. I get to the top and Caesar is still below, the moose has turned his antlers down and is after Caesar, Caesar turns to look at me and sees that I am up the wall and safe so, he lets out a few more barks and heads up after us. The moose follows as well. I'm yelling at Andrew to get the keys so we can jump in the car, he can't remember where they are, and the moose is still after us!

With all of this commotion about three trucks pull up right next to us, and the moose finally starts turning around and ran across the street and up the other side of the mountain!! Probably the most terrifying experiences of my entire life. I would have been oblivious to the moose had Caesar not been watching. An incredible dog!

A moose stand 6-7 feet tall at his shoulders. And can weight between 800 to 1000 lbs! And are surprisingly quick on their feet! Just a little interesting tidbit of knowledge! Imagine trying to run away from one of these!! Gets your heart pumping a little bit!

The hero of the day, and imagine running this road barefoot.... Not too fun!

And my shoes are now floating down stream somewhere : (

Big Cottonwood Lakes Mary, Martha and Katherine

I am in love with this John Muir quote. It speaks to me if you will... I made this print on the app Phoster. I went on a hike last week up Big Cottonwood Canyon. This hike was beautiful, I can't wait to take Drew. To get to the trailhead you just drive up to the Brighton Ski Resort and start hiking underneath the Majestic ski lift. The first part of the hike is a steeper incline that may be harder for little ones, but after that once you hike into the trees it evens out more.

I stopped at Dog Lake first. A different Dog Lake than the one up Millcreek. Just so we are all clear. The picture below makes it look so far away, but on the other end of the lake, which was probably 40 yards away were two moose. They were close enough that I could see them chew and turned when I cleared my throat. It was a much better encounter than last time. Miss that Caesar Bear.

I am crazy about hiking. The exercise, the air, the scenery, the isolation.... It all adds to perfection. I love to hike by myself. It drives Drew nuts. I have gotten better at letting him know where I am going.... Kind of....

After Dog Lake is Lake Mary, beautiful.

The water is incredible, mountains are breath taking, and as soon as we can find a dog sitter to take our pack we are going to camp up here. I can't imagine a better morning than waking up here.

Around Lake Mary, and up the trail you get to the smallest of the three lakes and arrive at Lake Martha. Just to the left behind the bushes was a third moose. Scary....

Something about being in the mountains helps put life into perspective. Almost a slap in the face how insignificant people and their drama can be. Up here it's just bigger than all that. Mountain freedom is bigger than judgement, meanness, stress and worry. I need that freedom, I crave it.

If you're still with me after that little journal moment lets see some pretty nature.

I love how the fallen trees have twisted trunks like this. How does that happen I wonder. I want to paint an office in this color.

A view from above of Lake Martha and a peek of Lake Mary.

After some winding I came to Lake Katherine.

Worth it.

I walked around the shore and found some huge moose prints, and grass spots where you could see a moose had spent the night.

As I said on instagram.... You can't take me out of Utah. I'm crazy about this place. Can you blame me?

Twisted trunks.

And on the descent a view of Mickey Mouse rock... Just to make this adventure that much more amazing.

Our Guy

This is our buddy... This is the picture we fell in love with and we knew we just had to have him.

We got him for Drew's birthday 3 years ago, and the day after Drew's birthday last week we had to say goodbye to him.

Caesar was there from the start of our little family. We had only been married 2 months before we got him. He went through the good and the bad with us. Happy to be part of the ride.

It was so hard to make the decision to put him down. He got bloat, that's where their stomach twists. It was worse to see him so sick. As many of you know Caesar had a pretty sensitive stomach, and the vet told us even with surgery, he would have even more problems and be more uncomfortable. We couldn't put him through that.

So we had to let him go. I hated it, I am not sure I have ever cried so hard in all my life. Especially not in such a public place. I was a wreck, Drew was a wreck, but while I was alone with Caesar while the vet was preparing the meds, and Drew was signing the papers, Caesar laid next to me while I sobbed. He picked up his paw and put it on my shoulder. I was a goner. I wailed and told him over and over what a good boy he was, and how much he meant to us.

He was probably just happy knowing I wouldn't be making him wear clothes anymore... Ha, he loved it.

We love our fat guy, Big C, Caesar my Naesar, big bear, big bear-o-potomous, big bear with no hair, old Mr. Grey beard, big fat fat fattegan, and will always miss him.

We will miss his snuggles, and we nose in our faces, I'll miss him saving me from moose, and scary dogs at the dog park, I'll miss telling him what a good boy he was for sitting like a gentleman. I'll miss telling him to leave me alone in the bathroom. I'll miss listening to him toot with every step he takes down the stairs. He ate our couches, shoes, got sick in our house, and I would do it all over again. To see his excitement he has in his eyes every time we got home. To see him wake from a dead sleep because he heard Drew's truck before anyone. To see him be so enormous and gentle at the same time. Parents loved him because kids could step,fall, tug and pull all over him without him even batting an eye.

I always had this vision of when we got around to having kids I would hire someone to take Caesar's picture of him looking into the crib, because for sure he would be tall enough and curious enough to take sneaky peeks in a crib.

We are so grateful we have been lucky enough to experience his love for three years. It would be a sad life not knowing the love of an animal.

We are so so so grateful to our friends and family who have made this hard time just a little easier. Friends and family who called or text us letting us know they understand that it wasn't just a loss of a dog, but a member of our family. To my siblings, all I had to do was tell one of you what happened and the news spread, so I didn't have to be the one to repeat it. Thank you for checking in on us everyday to see how we are doing. It means the world to us. Thank you to our friends for the treats, presents and the flowers. Thank you for knowing what a huge part of our life our pooches are. We miss you Caes, and always will!