We had to be out of the campground by noon and only had an hour drive to the location of our next agility trial. Problem was that we weren't allowed to arrive there until 5:00pm. And with the price of gas you don't just drive this thing around for five hours to waste time. So we drove to Starved Rock State Park and parked in the Visitor Center parking lot. There is a trail that starts there and then branches out to other trails.
Have you heard the saying "I wasn't a happy camper?" Well, I wasn't a happy hiker - and neither were my hiking mates. Since we were close to the Visitor Center there were a lot of people around so the dogs had to stay on leash. Plus we seemed to be on the top of all the canyon walls I've been telling you about so it would have been extremely dangerous for the dogs to be off leash. But they were excited and of course were very anxious to run.
I had Wazzu and Mike had the other two. Problem is Sparkie was so excited she just wanted to go. So she was pulling ahead. Slugger wanted to look off into the distance and enjoy the view. And Mike wanted to go a different direction to look at the posted map. Needless to say there was quite a bit of tension. Neither dog seemed to be listening at all and this was making Mike mad. So he yanked Slugger's leash to get Slugger to come. Unbeknownst to Mike, Slugger had just gone to the edge of a bridge. So when Mike pulled, Slugger was slammed into the edge of the bridge. Poor Slugger came up three legged and had a chunk out of his shoulder. Of course Mike felt bad and Sparkie was way behind standing there looking very scared.
Little Slugger limped for a while but seemed better as time went by. His shoulder has scabbed over so I think he'll be just fine. Mike is giving him extra love and attention today to help them both feel better.
So after that incident at the beginning of the walk none of us were in a very good mood. And it deteriorated from there. No matter which way we went there were monstrous staircases - I'm talking over 100 steps on each staircase. Stairs are really hard for me and all we could find in any direction were stairs. By now we were stuck. To go back we had to do all those stairs all over again. So I wanted to keep going - each time figuring we must have surely finished all the stairs. But no. By now my legs were really complaining and just walking was tortuous. My right leg felt like a one ton piece of lead and it was hard to drag along. But it was either turn back and re-do all those stairs or continue on. So on we went. And each time we turned a corner there was another staircase. Wazzu was so sweet. Instead of pulling on the leash to keep up with the others she would slowly do the steps with me. Needless to say with each step I took I was getting more furious. If you could ever see steam coming out of someone's head you'd have seen it here.
We finally found a route that we thought would take us back without so many steps. There were fewer but still quite a few. Poor Mike now had to carry me up and down each staircase. I would get on his back and he'd carry me as I held all three dog leashes. They were so good. None of them pulled at all on the stairs. In fact, Wazzu was a little worried about me so she walked right beside us with her nose way up in the air trying to keep contact with my leg.
After quite some time we found our way to the Lodge but we had come from the Vistor Center. We then saw a sign to the Visitor Center - but of course it was down another couple hundred steps. By this point I refused to do any more steps either walking or being carried. So I decided to go via the road. As it turned out the road was a long way around and it was down a very steep hill. At one point it said people couldn't walk on the road and to take a side trail. Wouldn't you know it was another set of stairs. So I broke the law and walked on the road. But it was so steep and windy that I'm not sure it was any better.
By the time we got back to the RV our planned one hour hike had been over three hours. Three hours of frustration and misery for all of us. So much for a nice carefree walk.
Then it was on to Manhattan, IL. It's a very small town and we're way out. We got lost so our one hour drive was two and a half. Oh well at least I wasn't walking! It is a very peaceful setting here surrounded by beautiful (and now dead) corn fields.
Time to rest!
This is one small portion a staircase. I couldn't get a picture of the whole thing because they turn back and forth. But multiply this by five or six and you'll have one staircase.
Turn after turn we'd see another staircase.
Looking down one of the canyon walls.
The end of a canyon.
Little Slugger staring out into the water wishing he was allowed to swim - even though it was in the low 30's.
Debbie
10/13/06
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