The dog and I fell in the chilly lake. Spoiler alert! That’s how this adventure ended when I went on a camping and kayaking trip to Horseshoe Bend and Lake Powell with my sister’s dog, Dash, last April. Our kayaking trip turned into quite an adventure that left us both swimming in 12-degree Celsius (54-degree Fahrenheit) water. Read on to hear about this outdoor adventure with my favorite pup and learn some dog idioms!
I had been working like a dog all week and I needed to take a nature break. I was getting overwhelmed by this dog-eat-dog world. So, I asked my sister if I could take her dog, Dash, on a solo camping trip with me to the gorgeous mountain town of Flagstaff at 2,804 meters (9,200 feet). Luckily, after giving my sister puppy dog eyes, she said I could take Dash on my weekend escapade.
So, Dash and I were off! We got to Flagstaff, Arizona just in time to find a spot to sleep for the night near the Snowbowl Ski Resort. Luckily, since it was April, there was very little snow and Dash kept me warm that night. In the morning we drove two hours from Flagstaff to Horseshoe Bend which is located in the Navajo Nation territory near the small town of Page, Arizona. Words truly can’t describe how absolutely breathtaking the view is from this cliff edge that overlooks the horseshoe-shaped meandering section of the Colorado River.
Luckily, the weather was sunny and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. So, I decided to go kayaking with Dash in Lake Powell that day. If it had been raining cats and dogs, I would’ve had to reconsider this trip but the weather was perfect for a water adventure. We stopped in Page to rent a kayak, which took some upper body strength to get on and off the top of the car. Finally, Dash and I were on the shore and ready to take the kayak in the lake together.
In the past Dash had been calm on boats in the water so I assumed she would do the same with me in the kayak. I put Dash on the front part of the kayak and I pushed off the shore. At first, Dash was a little apprehensive so I decided to stay near the docks and the shore just to be safe. As we were both getting used to the incoming waves from the ski boats and trying not to fall in the water, I noticed a huge party pontoon putting on a dog-and pony-show for some new energy drink.
Right when I thought Dash was getting comfortable on the kayak a big wave came up which caused her to get scared and tipped our kayak over. Suddenly, we were in the chilly water! Luckily, a very kind person driving a ski boat helped us get to shore. I couldn’t help but notice there were two young kids fighting like cats and dogs on our boat ride. Even though we were only about 12 meters (40 feet) from shore it was an uncomfortable boat ride with them arguing the whole time.
Needless to say, after this grand water adventure, I decided to go to a dog-friendly hotel that evening with Dash instead of camping. Since we were both cold, wet and dog-tired I thought sleeping in a warm bed sounded better than sleeping outside.
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Dog idioms
Dog-eat-dog: destructive or ruthless competition
Raining cats and dogs: raining very heavily
Puppy dog eyes: a begging look
Dog-and-pony show: a flashy presentation, often in a marketing context (usually has a negative connotation)
Fighting like cats and dogs: to argue a lot (usually in an angry or forceful way)
Dog-tired: extremely tired
Work like a dog: to work very hard
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