High Tailing it in Virginia's Grayson Highlands State Park!

What a blessing today was!  Here is my beautiful Ace, strutting along the road in the Grayson Highlands State Park, near Mouth of Wilson, Virginia.   Today was an incredible early spring day, and the weather and scenery could not have been more perfect.  Despite a few snow drifts that had the road closed, we walked out to the high meadows (in the background), and had the park to ourselves.

 

For a Golden Retriever that spends most of the winter inside, this was a wonderful opportunity for Ace to run, explore, and play. We sat on this rock for a while, enjoying the view, and soaking up the fresh mountain air and the warmth of the sun.  

 

 

From the top of this mountain, you feel like the whole world just unfolds out in front of you. Almost unbelievably, from a location not far from here, we could see all the way back to Beech Mountain in Avery County, North Carolina. 

 

It was truly a glorious day!  

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Ace, the Deer Chaser

The Deer Chaser

One thing about this dog is certain; when his sense of smell takes over and he is focused on something, his brain and ears will shut completely off.

Here we are in the New River State Park on a mild February day.  Ace I and were walking down this path, when two huge deer jumped across the trail and took him for a cross country marathon.

He was gone for 15-20 minutes chasing them, with me calling and whistling for him.  And when he returned, his tongue was dragging the ground and he was as happy as he could be.  I wonder what he planned to do with those two deer if he'd caught them?

Shortly after I took this photo, two fighter jets came streaking across the ridge top at low altitude, - as if they were in a chase.  The screamed out around a distant mountain peak and circled back around, roaring right back over my and Ace's heads.

It was surreal that day with deer jumping around us, and thundering fighter jets swirling above us.  My first thought was that I really wished someone was here to witness these events with me.

Then I realized, ... there had been.