August 20, 2016
This trip, although incomplete, was pretty comical so I must share!
On my way to Jacksonville to visit my Uncle Barry and Aunt Tracey, I decided to stop at Ravine Gardens State Park. It was a park by itself on the map and a perfect place to spend a day. The drive out there from DeLand was beautiful! I took back roads and it was so peaceful. My appreciation for Florida really does grow by the day. When it was time for me to make my turn towards the park I got a glimpse of a sign that said Dunns Creek State Park – 9 miles (in the opposite direction). It was still pretty early in the day so I thought, what the heck! I found the park pretty quick, got some water for us both, put Casey on her leach and off we went to find Blue Pond.
According to the pamphlet, it should only have been about a mile and a half to get there. About a quarter a mile into the woods Casey, my ‘dog’, fully hydrated and under a canopy of trees, started to pant so loudly that I could hardly hear anything else. A few moments later I feel some tugs on her leach! I could not believe it, this dog of mine needed to lay down. I just stood there, staring at her in disbelief. I allowed her to rest for a few minutes, made sure she drank some more water and off we went; for about 20 more steps! UGH! After about 1000 F bombs and other mean words and name calling I decided it was time to turn around. The guilt I would harbor for the rest of my life if I actually killed my ‘dog’ from walking her would be unbearable!
Another lesson learned: Casey is NOT built for hiking or walking more than a few steps.
