I haven’t camped for a long time, so when the opportunity arose and my husband and I had a free weekend, we pulled out the camping gear, shook off the spider webs and headed for Turquoise Lake near Leadville, Colorado.
This shot was taken when we camped on a regular basis, back when my kids were blonde!
Our Bichon, Roxy, has never gone camping. With constant leashing, sleeping in a tent, and weather, I wondered if she would like it. There was only one way to find out.
And how long would her coat stay white? About one minute.
I’ve been backpacking, but this was Cadillac camping or a variety of glamping. Okay, that’s a stretch, but instead of parking at a trailhead and carrying everything to survive an overnighter and lots of hiking, we parked right at the campsite. A water tap was located right across the road from us. So much easier!
We set up camp, took a hike, and made a discovery. You’ll find out in the video.
As darkness fell, so did the temperature. We hustled to start a fire and dinner.
But as clouds gathered in the distance, time ran out… Oh, nooooooo!!!!
Watch the video below to find out what happened…
Hope you enjoyed your virtual camp out! Were you surprised by Roxy’s reaction?
Click for more adventure on the Wild Ride!
Susie Lindau's Wild Ride 
I’m glad you guys had a fun adventure! Poor Roxy… Time for a bath!
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Ha! Right? Thanks, John!
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Why does it rain when camping? Seems to happen all the time. Loved the waterfall. I was also surprised at how many other campers there were in that area. I guess if you have a drive-up site that is going to happen.
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Thanks so much for watching the video!
It’s pretty normal to rain in the afternoon in the mountains and is usually accompanied with lightning, so hikers on 14ers try to be down by noon. But at night? Not so much. We must have attracted a big thundercloud! LOL!
I had no idea this lake existed.
There were several State Park campgrounds located around this massive lake. Most campsites could be booked online while the others were first come first serve. We dinked around all morning in Breckenridge thinking it would be easy peasy to get a site. We forgot that it was the last weekend before back to school!
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Oh yeah. Back to school. It was the smae on the Coast. Big weekend.
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It took me a while, but I don’t pay attention to school schedules anymore. Makes for a longer summer!
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Yes it does.
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Roxy doesn’t look impressed! I’m with her. Lovely scenery but I’m not a camper.
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Hahaha! Right? Don’t forget to watch the video. It’s pretty funny!
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Well, you can take the dog out of the house but you can’t take the house out of the dog. Or something like that right?
Looks like a nice little get away.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
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It was! Recording Roxy’s reaction was hilarious! She’s such character!
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I used to camp our when I was younger, haven’t done it for decades! Roxy seems to agree with me! Nice video, loved the cascading water, the beautiful lake and Roxy’s clear annoyance at what you’ve put her through!
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Thanks for watching, John! She surprised me but being close to the cold damp ground must have been too uncomfortable for her. 😂
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Well, considering how she lives the rest of her life it must have been a “learning” experience for sure!
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Ha! You know it!
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Made me homesick for camping! We tent camp, have camped cross country a couple times, most recently five years ago. Our dog loved it, he stayed in the tent with us and enjoyed every minute of it. Looks like an incredible site and hope you get to do it again soon. ❤ Cathi (DAF)
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Hey Cathi! Thanks for watching. Roxy cracked me up.
There’s something about living outdoors that is so exhilarating. I missed the adventure of it. Sounds like you have the perfect dog for it!
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We did have the perfect dog for almost 18 years, he had to leave us three years ago. Dogs are so wonderful to have share our lives with us. Ours went camping with us so often, he got excited when he saw us pull out our camping equipment. Love your blog, Susie, thanks for sharing your life and words with all of us. Cathi
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Nice! Thank you so much!
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here is my last post about our dear little one https://dearanonymousfriend.wordpress.com/2016/11/22/beneath-the-irises/
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Looks like fun. Ba beautiful place to camp, but where in Colorado is it not? Loved the video. You have a very pleasing voice as a narrator and Danny was great as supporting cast. I’m thinking 2020 Oscar for best documentary!
As for Roxie, I am very familiar with that stink eye you got at the end. Our dogs are half Bichon.
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Thanks so much, Al! Yep, I’ll be entering it in several film festivals this fall. 😂
Roxy is usually such good sport so she really surprised me!
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I used to feel about camping the way Roxy does. Then our kids convinced my husband to get a small, hard-sided camper. Suddenly I don’t mind camping as much. We’ll be at Turquoise Lake over Labor Day. Looking forward to it!
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Oh, wow!! That is a fantastic place to camp. I had no idea it existed and we’ve had a place in Breck for twenty-three years! “Mind blown”
I grew up camping with a fold out camper. There’s nothing like waking up to the great outdoors!!!
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Yay for car camping! I am always happiest up in the mountains, but there is something to be said for camping somewhere convenient where you can park nearby and bring a proper pillow!
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Yes!!! Living outdoors makes the most mundane tasks like cooking, washing up, and sleeping an adventure!!
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Thanks so much, Barb!!!
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You folks had a blast of a picnic! That slim wooden bridge over the sloshing steam is so inviting. Roxy is camera shy, is he not?
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Not at all but I didn’t know the video would be about her until the next morning! 😂😂😂
Thanks for watching, Uma!
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Camping, hiking – these aren’t for me . Give me a nice holiday resort far away from the bugs and creepy crawlers any day. I admire anyone who can actually go out and live with nature. Hope Roxy wasn’t too agitated
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Thanks Unishta!
Yes, camping turned our adventures Bichon into a major whiner! 😂 I’m one of those people who loves creepy crawling things and had a big club when I was little!
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You are brave indeed
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When you think about all the locks we have on our houses….
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If everything is warm, dry and perfect, you’re not camping HAHA. Looks like fun. (Your tent does OK in weather? We’ll have to upgrade ours) Glad those marshmallows were managed. It’s not camping without marshmallows. (Roxy probably stink eyed those, too..nothing worse than sticky face for a dog. I think there’s a space on the book shelf for you car camping/hiking with dogs book…some of the available ones are getting scorned for being outdated. Will remember this lake area)
Thanks for the waterfall sounds – enough of a CO fix to get there the scorching day here. HAHA
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Thanks for watching, Phil!
Roxy is usually a good sport but seemed a bit surprised by our sudden drop in living conditions. Thank God our tent didn’t leak! I saw saw young guys pouring water out of their tent the next morning. Next time I’ll bring a dog coat for Roxy!
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Roxy doesn’t look too impressed with that camping lark, perhaps she’ll get to love it if you keep going? Turquoise lake looks fabulous though.
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Thanks for watching! If it hadn’t rained she might’ve had a better time. There’s no predicting the weather!
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The name “Turquoise Lake” sounds magical.
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It was incredible. I had no idea it existed!!!!
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Sounds like, and looks like, Roxy is not cut out for the great outdoors. More a creature of comfort. But, from the sound of things, I don’t blame her really. Loved the video, Susie. 😀
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Thanks so much, Atticman! She’s usually game so her bad attitude really surprised me. 😂
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Poor girl. Maybe the next trip will turn out better for her. I’ll keep my fingers crossed. :O)
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Thank you! She didn’t make the team for our backpacking trip. There won’t be a car to hide out in!!!
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LOL! Hopefully she’ll make the cut next time. :O)
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We’ll see… 😂😂 🐕
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Roxy’s face says it all. “When are we going home?” Beautiful spot for camping. But BRRRRR! That rain.
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Right? Thanks for watching! She was damp and cold and ready to go home at 7:00 AM! We’ll kennel her when we go backpacking in September. 😂
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She looked like she was really missing the couch at home so she could just look out at nature without experiencing it so first hand. I usually don’t like the kennel idea, but maybe in her case it would make her happier than the alternative.
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She’s there now livin’ the high life while I’m in Wisconsin!
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I think domesticated dogs today are the progeny of those wild dogs who were least impressed with the wild. They consciously decided to abandon the wild for a roof, scheduled meals and a warm hearth. Roxy is trying to convey all that information and her sense of betrayal in that dirty look.
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She is living proof of survival of the fittest. 🐕
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Heyyyyyyyyy there! Good to see you again. I was glad for those awesome pics and the sounds of the waterfall. I fall asleep to that sound every night, it’s super soothing. But thinking Roxy was so ready to go home. Ha! I was tripping out on Roxy giving you the evil eye, that was so funny 🙂 thanks for taking me in the ride 😉
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Hey Guat! Great to see you too!
Roxy surprised me. I changed the subject of the video after she sulked. Hilarious and Totally out of character!! 😂😂🐕
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