Back to Uvas

After more than a year, Uvas Canyon County Park re-opened.

It was tough not being able to go there, and not knowing when it would open up again. Heavy rains in early 2017 washed out the access road, and until April, 2018, the park was closed.

This park is where Obie's ashes are, and obviously that makes it a very important place for us. We also donated enough to have a memorial bench put at one of the places we scattered his ashes, Manzanita Point. The bench was installed in 2016, and we visited it on Oberon's second birthday. We would have visited it again on his third birthday, but Uvas Canyon was still closed.

When it re-opened, the best way to describe it is we felt relieved. We could go there again, be there again, visit those special places.

Obie O in Uvas Canyon County Park - May 14, 2018

Instead of going on Mother's Day (which we have done in the past), we took the Monday after Mother's Day off and went then. We didn't want to deal with the crowds. There were other people that day at the park and on the trails, but not many.

Hearing the waterfalls - May 14, 2018

Everett was pretty finicky wanting to hike, but falling down a lot (and crying about it). The hills are steep and those trails are no joke. He fought it, but ended up in the carrier a lot of the time. Imogen, as you would expect, was totally happy to be carried and slept most of the time.

After a lot of huffing and puffing, and many more minutes than usual, we made it to Oberon's bench. We took some time to sit, look out over the landscape, have a snack, and just be. We continued along some of our favorite trail segments, but we couldn't make it to all the favorite spots. With Everett and Imogen getting hungry, we had limited time. We would have loved to go on every trail offshoot, see every waterfall, but the past had to be balanced with the present. The missing balanced with the living.

Obie's bench - May 14, 2018

While we were eating lunch back near the parking lots, one of the maintenance workers remembered that we were the ones who had the memorial bench put in. It was not something we expected him to remember (and at first, we didn't recognize him either).

It was a special day, and we're glad we did it. Even if we wouldn't advise families with toddlers to do these particular hikes at this particular park. It is what it is. It's worth it to face meltdowns and tantrums to be there. And we're so relieved we can be there again.

One of Obie's Bees at Manzanita Point - May 14, 2018