"Travelogue: Winter At The Rapid City Dog Park"

OK, so this isn't one of my normal 'journeys' to a land of pretty vistas, but I thought you'd like a taste of a neat sense of 'community' I found out in Rapid City, South Dakota. Braeburn Park is this wonderful leash-free dog park along Rapid Creek, and even in the depths of winter we had celebratory gatherings (yes, those are party hats on some pooches)...

True to form like any place where dogs and owners mingle, everyone knew every dog's name, but people's names, ah, they came and went with the prarie winds. "Oh, you're Sandy's mom! Nice to meet you!" "Hello, dad of Keeyah - nice day, eh?" Periodically, somebody would hold an impromptu birthday party for their 4-leggeds, regardless of the weather...and there were always willing participants!

I do remember Jim Hough, a gentleman through and through, whose brace of Newfoundlands were rather perfectly suited for the cold and snow...they reveled in it, no less. If it all looks very cold to you, rest assured...it was. But you get used to it, like you get used to any place you plant yourself for a while.

Another Jim, whom I called Pharmacist Jim, had this lanky pup named Baby...you'd think with about the 1.2% body fat on her that she'd be freezing out there, but she LOVED being out and romping around...even with an icicle moustache temporarily glued on...

Baby did make one exception, however...she chose to just stand on the frozen creek bank and intently stare at the bright yellow tennis ball on the other side of the creek...making sure it went nowhere. She was wise not to venture into the icy waters at those temperatures, and remembered her Braeburn Tao well: "Another day, another ball."

Reflections can be fun to seek out...this one below reminds me a little of a Bev Doolittle style of painting, as I see a stylized thunderbird or other streaking raptor in the icy mirror.

And so there were always neat things to look at...the frozen nature of snow and ice against the eternal rush of Rapid Creek...

...and the pseudo-cave-like formations where flowing water coated pillars of ice with spray which froze...not unlike the permament formations at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone.

Some people see the ice and snow as a time to stay indoors and sit tight. But quite a few of us saw it as an opportunity to gather and let our pups scamper and cavort and play snow-chase 'til their pads had had enough...and occasionally let 'em eat cake! Good ol' Braeburn Dog Park and all its stewards...