intensity

Lake Lyndon, on the way to Arthur's Pass. We stopped briefly to stretch our legs and water the dogs. If we hadn't have come through Christchurch we would have taken the dirt road that comes out here, cutting some hours of the trip.

All went well until Phoenix got hold of a scent and followed it a few hundred metres out onto the main road, at a much faster pace than we could keep up with him. He wasn't hit, but it scared the enjoyment out of the deal.

Sometimes he just goes into his own little world and we seem to disappear. I worry that we'll lose him that way one day.

On a brighter note, we decided to stop again a wee way down the road at the entrance to the Craigieburn Forest Park, a much better place to walk the dogs. We parked our van amongst the 7 or so others inhabited by other van-dwellers, had a wind-down wander along the stream, marvelled at the red dandelions that turned out to be another version of the yellow ones introduced courtesy of Europe and felt much better for it.