r-e-s-p-e-c-t

another beautiful morning.

we are so lucky to have such a great resource. what i thought about last night when i was picking up opp- and beer cans, and broken glass- was that it's important to me to leave the trails and open space as clean or cleaner than i found them. it's really about stewardship.

that includes not widening trails, not leaving trash- of any sort- lying around. it also includes understanding that everyone's trail experience is important.

i encountered several groups of mountain bikers last night of the parent(s) and kids variety. the first dad called "on your left" and told me there were 2 more, then his son called "on your left" too. great to see the kids being taught etiquette. the dad in the second group thanked me for cleaning up, as did a few other assorted bikers and runners.

i know i'm generally preaching to the choir with this blog, but i also know that we all know lots of people and the more folks we talk to the more opportunity we have to change things for the better.

it may not seem like a big deal to let a dog go off trail and poop if you're running alone at 6 am, but come back & walk the trails and look around and it suddenly looks different. i know we can continue to make a difference, it's just going to take some time.

loved mr robin's bright red breast against the sky. do ya suppose this is his harem?

our friend the red tail hawk was around too, but not close enough to get a decent shot. so i settled for another rabbitbrush/sky photo.....

it was lovely and quiet- only 2 of us with dogs, one without.

and no one in camel's back 8ish.

happy trails!