Like many people, getting back to nature reinvigorates my soul. Long road trips. Hanging out by campfires. Camping under the stars. OK, we’re in a tent, but you get my point. In 2016, we drove out to Colorado from Atlanta with our two pups to camp for about a week. This year, we decided to drive to Moab to camp. We found a spot right on the Colorado River. It was absolutely gorgeous!
Our Australian shepherd loves camping. That dog would live outdoors, rain or shine, if we would let him. He’s the one that goes outside when it starts to rain. He’s the one that runs directly toward the river and jumps in. He’s the one that finds a big pile of leaves and prefers that to a spot by the fire.
Our Border collie on the other hand? The one pictured at left? Well, she’s a little dainty and definitely not what you would call “outdoorsy.” When crossing streams on hikes, she will find the rocks or tree trunks to hop to. She hates to get wet. I get it. Before we rescued her, she spent practically her whole life outside on a runner in someone’s backyard. When we camp, I can definitely hear her saying, “I thought I was rescued from this torture.” I’m pretty sure she’s cursing us out the entire time we camp.
When we camp, our dogs have it good. They have beds. We lay down a mat to protect from the cold ground, which they usually move off of. When it’s cold, we have a tent-safe heater for nighttime and mornings. And they have coats. We even got the Border collie, pictured below, a full body winter suit for this trip. As it turns out, we’re pretty sure she was colder with it than without. She HATED it. But she loves us. I think.
We walked through one tunnel that opened up to this big, layered bowl of oranges and reds. It was an awesome little surprise.
Moab was gorgeous. It was super dusty. Our camping gear probably still has dust ground into it. But it was gorgeous nonetheless. As an aside, does anyone else see Abraham Lincoln in the rocks at right? That looks like Honest Abe to me.
After Moab, we detoured down to the Grand Staircase Escalante and camped high above Lake Powell. It was like camping on the moon … or Mars. 
More pictures from the trip below.
April M. Phillips, APR 