Gigantic feathered beasts flapped their awkward wings above my head and cackled like mythological harpies. The tan, dark gray, and black shales oozed with mud and slime. I see that Mini has stepped into a mud puddle and once again hear the roar of I-70. What I like most about Dinosaur Ridge is the relative peace and calm on top of its rocky spine. Up there grow yuccas, cacti, Gambel oak, pinyon pine, Utah juniper, sagebrush, mountain mahogany, kinnikinnik, golden banner, harebells, and scores of other wildflowers.
Sailing overhead are ravens, hawks, golden eagles, swallows, and nearby, buzzing hummingbirds.
Mini simply loves it up there on the ridge between September and April when there are no snakes to worry about, especially a ground-level cocker spaniel. She loves to peer over the edge of cliffs and stare into space. She stops and listens to chickadees going chick a dee dee dee. She eyeballs each pine squirrel scampering up a twisted tree trunk. Even when she squats to urinate, she's all eyes for what's going on around her.