Nellie Corser

We all saw the forecast for imminent rain. Quick, what's the best way to salute our long beautiful summer? A hike! I tore Ole away from his yard work.

We headed to a trail near the house called the Nellie Corser Unit. This teeny-tiny park is named for the mysterious homesteader who spent some time here, but it has all the requisites for a good hike--big trees, a stream with waterfalls, and very few visitors. Halfway to the trailhead I realized I'd forgotten the hiking backpack for Ole. Ugh, looks like he's riding on my shoulders today.

I love the woods.

On the trail I enjoyed watching Pepper's transformation from lazy couch dog to action adventure dog. She raced up and down the steep hillsides and, when we reached the stream, she dove straight in.

We had such a good time that we headed back the very next day with Alex (and the backpack!). While we admired the beauty, we both thought it would be a pretty challenging place to carve out a homestead. Good on ya, Nellie.