Unexpected?

I went to a very beloved spot today to take in some fall color and soak up some nature. It is part of the Talladega National Forest, and it encompasses miles and miles of criss-crossing dirt roads that go deep into the woods. No traffic. I passed one other truck in a period of about 5 hours. It was wonderful. The trees are on fire this year...tons of color.

First stop was Pine Glenn, a primitive hunter's camp with a stream that runs the perimeter. It was gorgeous.

Next, I cranked into the Sweetwater Lake area. It is straight down from the top of the mountain, and made for a 4 wheel drive (it IS graded, but the hills are such that instead of going straight down, you go down, hit a high spot, go down some more. This road is not made for those with no ground clearance.) It was waaaaaaaaaay fun. And the view at the bottom was spectacular. The ride back UP was even MORE fun. Needless to say, the new truck was broken in and totally earned its keep today. I had a blast.

Last stop on the itinerary was Coleman Lake. This is somewhat less primitive, has paved areas and many hiking trails. Many people come there for the equestrian campground, complete with areas for the horses around the campsites. This place was breathtaking. I decided to take the hike from the beach area to the small falls, which pretty much goes around the perimeter of about half the lake. It is about an hour hike. It was totally refreshing, I got lots of great photos.

Then I got back to my truck in the parking area. There, in the truckbed, was this dog.

I said, "Ok, pup....out of my truck and back to your......"  My tailgate was down. (I didn't leave it down....) There was a bag of dogfood in the truck. Somebody dumped this German Shepard in the back of my truck and left. Ya know, they could've at least left a note with her name. 

She is well trained, very sweet, and starving to death. She had torn into the cheap bag of food that was left, but her poor teeth are pretty bad. The vet said she was anywhere from 7-9 years old. She is scarred, has a knarled beaten-up ear, and a broken canine tooth. She looks as if she was used for breeding, then tossed when she got to old to bring in any income (just my guess). I knew I couldn't keep her, so I decided to drive herto the shelter. It is CLOSED on Wednesdays. Hmmmm. So I took her to the feed store, gave her a bath, got her some food and chewies, and now she is taking up my entire bed. (grrrrr).

  

On a happy ending note, I found a German Shepard Rescue group, and they will be able to take her until she is placed. Her spot will be ready in about a week. Until then, the wog and kitties will be hating me, and my sleeping arrangements will be somewhat cramped. Oh well, such is life....

Photos of fall colors coming up later.........