the bridges

The first picture above is the exact spot where Dean first learned to swim 11 years ago. I kicked a beer can into the river when he was a pup and he jumped in to fetch it. He went under quick and surfaced a second later, splashing around. He looked panicked for a second or two and then I saw the realization wash over him and he started swimming in circles. It was one of my proudest moments as a dog companion.

The second picture is where he really learned to walk off leash. He walked off leash in town here and there when he was young but out on this trail, he really was able to step out several yards in front of me and I was able to trust that he would come back.

The last picture shows the remnants of the bridge. We used to call the trail here "The Bridges" because there were two long well-constructed bridges out here just east of Kearney. A bunch of us who worked at the video store would come out here at night, just to hang out and do something other than go to a party or play video games. Mostly, we would just spook ourselves out and get in a good walk to look at the stars. I guess the first bridge burned down three years ago in a wildfire.

One of the goals with bringing Dean back was to take him back here. He seemed to enjoy it. I had to improvise a bit since the first bridge was burned down. I remembered that Shawn had taken us out there once on an intersecting road. Thanks to google maps, I was able to figure it out quick and make it there so we could at least get to the second bridge. It's weird to think that it's been ten years since I've been here last!