Ryan Appreciation Weekend

This weekend, I attempted to show my appreciation for Ryan's support and patience during the last three years of law school/bar exam preparation. We decided to drive to Leavenworth , a town famous for its Bavarian flavor and spectacular scenery. Leavenworth is about 1.5 hours east of Seattle and when we arrived, we saw a sign that indicated a good weekend was ahead...

A good sign

Yep, the sign is for Ryan Patrick Vineyards , a vineyard located in eastern Washington. Although we had heard about Ryan Patrick Vineyards (and even enjoyed a bottle or two), we had no idea where the vineyard was located. Turns out it's located near Wenatchee, which is not far from Leavenworth. After seeing this sign, our expectations for the weekend were high.

Next we got to our campsite. We drove along a 20-mile road that had campground after campground. When we hit the first campground, no sites were available. The second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth campgrounds were also full. Finally, we found a site at a horse campground (the last campground in the bunch). We decided to set up camp because 1. it was Ryan appreciation weekend and we weren't about to give up, 2. Soma is large enough to be a small pony, and 3. 4 or 5 campsites were open for real horse campers.

A great view from camp

We love camping and couldn't wait to see how Soma did during the trip. Surprisingly, we haven't camped since we adopted the little guy nearly two years ago. We learned a couple things about camping with a dog:

1. Camping at a horse camp means there is a lot of horse crap everywhere. Soma appreciates the "finer things" in life, including the delicacy of horse droppings. Honestly, horse poop is like a drug for our little guy. Despite our best attempts, he ate a lot of horse poop and has the stool to prove it.
2. Even though campgrounds in a specific area approve of leashed pets, the surrounding trails may not allow dogs. We looked forward to hiking, and we did, but unfortunately we discovered that many of the trails near the campsite did not allow dogs. Our hiking books and other sources did not make this clear until we reached a trailhead only to find a song saying "NO DOGS ALLOWED". While we understand that many dog owners are irresponsible and let their dogs poop right off the trail without cleaning it up or let their dogs off leash so the animals chase and potentially harm wildlife, better warning would have been nice. We spent a lot of time looking for a good hike to do with Soma. Oh well, lesson learned.
   
3. A dusty campsite makes it hard to stay clean and makes a dog want to roll around and create a "Pig Pen" like aura.

Even with the minor setbacks, the area was beautiful and we had a good time--more pictures:

Our new neighbor, Dennis the Mule Deer.

Ryan starting our fire with hay, which when burned smells remarkably like another plant that people are often arrested for possessing.

Showing my S'mores skills

Ryan's picture of the campground sunrise.

The weekend was fun, but my lack of proper planning did limit the hiking and camping experience. In the past, our camping trips in Washington have been amazing -- this one was just okay. In an attempt to say a proper "thank you" to Ryan, who has put up with my stress-induced outbursts and neglect during the last three years, I'm going to go to Pike's Place Market, get some fresh corn-on-the-cob and other fresh ingredients to make a nice dinner and dessert tonight. Who knows, maybe I'll pickup a bottle from Ryan Patrick Vineyards...