Rudolph is missing!

I love a good short story. When I wrote for my Grandkids, I used Morris and his toys, I kept the theme rather simple. Someone or something got lost. 

There always big search of some sort. I seemed to  always gravitate towards a theme about friendship and trust. 

When Morris passed on, I couldn't bring his toys to life again. His stories came to an end and I didn't have the heart to even finish his last chapter.

So maybe in some ways, having Legos and endless ways to tell stories will be energizing.

Here we go!

Owner: Welcome to the Alpine Lodge! Name?
Batman: Batman.

Owner: Okay we have a reservation for Bat Man.
Batman: No, it is Batman.

Owner: Okay. Mr. Man.

Batman: Grrrr. It's...Batman.

Owner: Sure Mr. Bat. Man. The room with the balcony is all yours.

Santa: Psst Mr. Batman!

Batman: I am Batman. The Dark Knight. This is my balcony!
Santa: I have a problem I need your help!

Batman: Ok, but I warn you ... I am a night stalking, crime fighting vigilante, and a heavy metal rapping machine!!!

Santa: Um. Okay. I still need your help.

Batman: Of course! I hate criminals. I fight criminals!

Santa: Well it's a reindeer. I'm missing a reindeer.

Batman: Huh?

Santa: I'm missing a reindeer. Rudolph.

Batman: A reindeer. A Rudolph. Heh, is he a criminal that needs to be brought to justice??

Santa: Um. No. He is a reindeer I need for my sleigh.

Batman: He isn't a criminal?

Santa: Well, no, not really.

Batman: Oh. That could be problematic.

Santa: Um. Well, rumor has it that his nose has gone dark!

Batman: A reindeer that has gone to the DARK Side? Tell me more!

Santa turns away and mumbles something about going back to having coffee in the outhouse.

Meanwhile ~~~~~

Santa's elves take to the woods to ask anyone they can to help find Rudolph. Of course they run into ... who else? But the Brother's Odd. 

Elves: The carrots are to lure the missing Reindeer back to us.
Yeti: Well. I am starving. Can I have one?
Elves: Oh. Okay.

Big Foot: Me too?

Elves: I guess we won't argue with Forest Creatures. Sure, they're yours!

Elves: Hi, we are looking for a reindeer named Rudolph.

Chewie: Is that so?

Elves: Yes. Have you seen a reindeer?

Chewie: No, but Stinky and I can keep a look out! I have seen deer though.

Elves: Really? 
Chewie:  A few days ago we saw deer being hunted by a hunter.

Elves: OH no!

Chewie: Don't worry, the hunter didn't have a clue.

Elves: Whew....
Chewie: You know, if you had something the reindeer would like perhaps he'd be easier to find.

Elves: Um. Well. We gave our carrots to a Big Foot, a Yeti, and a Squatch.

Chewie: Oh. Them.

The Ice Cave Trail

So my finger puppet mascot ... Stinky [and I] arrived finally at the Ice Cave Trail. I did this trail last year with my neighbors. The condition of the trail at that time was something I'd call very difficult. It was snow and ice covered and very slippery.

I figured it would not be easy for me. However, I was pretty surprised. The trail was not compacted with snow and ice. In spots it was slippery but it was very easy to negotiate around each bluff.

The ice caves were there. I'm sure they had been spectacular during our subzero weather. This is the result of two major melting events.
Since I have access to an incredible ice cave near home, I merely glanced at these as I passed them.

I was able to walk out near one portion of the trail and glance down on the river.

Sometimes funny things occur on the trail. I was coming up past a curve around a dry run I thought I saw something quite odd.

 Hand made pants hanging in the tree. Amish trousers.
Ohhhh...kay.

I went on and soon I came around another bend in the forest and saw something green hanging in the tree. A doggy coat.

I looked at it and all I could think of was to keep my eyes open for a pant-less bearded man and a Nekked Dog.

I stopped at a point where I could see out over the valley and down towards the river.
I thought it would be fun to set up my pocket camera on a stump and put it on time lapse.

After doing that I reached in my pocket to take out my finger puppet mascot.
Stinky...was missing.
In a panic I tore apart my backpack, turned out my pockets and then did it again.
Sure I could buy another one, but somehow that would not be right. I had intended on this particular mascot to carry me through this Challenge.
I simply needed Stinky.

And then I did something I thought I'd never do. I shouldered my stuff and hiked/jogged back the way I'd come. Past the doggy coat, the pants, the ice caves, the overlooks, and nearly all the way back to marker #5. The further I went the more I berated myself for back tracking.

Imagine my relief when I saw....

Stinky!

I scooped him up and held him tightly.
Two stinkers on the trail.

And since there was only one way back out towards the car, I resumed my hike racing back to the place I'd discovered I'd lost him.
At this point I thought I'd just merely be happy to finish the trail and get home.

Well.

Sometimes you just have to goof around a bit.

I knew I was getting towards the end of the trail so I started amusing myself by interpreting the signs on the trees.

Watch for Bucking Horse.

Horse sees bicycle and bucks.

Bucking horse kicks bicycle and breaks it.

Watch for fallen bicycles.

I crossed Bridge 15 again and decided to take the "Hikers Only" trail along the river.

Remember I said in the previous post that I'd taken a shot down towards Camp "I"?
Here is a shot from Camp "I" towards the bluff I had been on.

Pretty cool isn't it?
And a view of the river.

Just a bit to go and ...

We made it.

The hike was fun and incredible. I made fairly good time except for those times I back tracked. I even feel good two days later.
Maybe I am in a little better shape than I thought I was?
This one supposedly was 6.4 miles. The MapMyHike app lost me a few times in the deep woods and the valley, but that is okay.

I've already plotted out the next 3 hikes.

On a few of my hikes I will need someone to drive there with me and let me park my car at the end of the trail I plan to do.
I'm still working on that.

I'm also cleaning up a large dog crate to put in the back of the Subaru. I think Dixie would enjoy this as well as I do.

More of the Silly Doe Story

Stinky, Val Barbie, and the Trolls have decided to look for Doe and bring her back so she can get help from the Toy Council.

After the emergency meeting at the Dynamite Box, the members of the council begin a search for Doe.  They are pretty worried as Doe is one toy they are sure that they need to watch over.

Val Barbie goes to the creek to search, but has no luck.  

Woods Troll asks Thelma the hound dog if she has seen Doe.  

"Nope."

Meanwhile Doe is hiding from her friends.

Maybe I should just live in a knothole in a tree!

Oh Doe, that is not so smart!

Wild animals live in the woods, and you should not be on your own.

Val Barbie fears that Doe may have been accosted by a Coyote.

She takes out her Tommy Gun.

The toys come back home, they cannot find Doe.  Stinky says he knows the forest best of all so he will go looking.

Stinky finds Skunk Cabbage but no sign of Doe.

At the creek Doe finds another Deer. 

They become immediate friends.

 Doe meets Dear in the creek near the little falls in the creek.  They become fast friends. 

Dear takes Doe out to eat and they talk.

Dear thinks Doe should go back and face her friends.

Hiding from them is not a good thing.

Doe isn't too sure she is ready to go back to her friends yet.  Dear says she will talk with the Toy Council on her behalf.

She tells Doe to go sit in her tree and wait until she gets back.

Will Doe wait?  Will she do what Dear advises her to do?

Oh DEAR!!!  Maybe you shouldn't leave Doe on her own in the woods!

Making up Stories

Around Christmas time I was visiting with my daughter and their family, when Ariel and I started to 'play' with her 'My Little Ponies'.  We took photos of them in her house and outside.

Ariel had duplicates of ponies so she lent me some of them.  Now these ponies have little markings on their flanks which help you identify them.

For the life of me, I cannot ever recall their names without looking them up.

So the deal was, we'd take photos of these toys in odd places and make up a quick little story about what was happening.

One day I grabbed one of my small figures of a doe and went out with a few ponies in my pocket and took a hike to the ice cave.

I took the above photo.

Now I had to come up with a short blurb of what it was about.

Rarity and Trixie stopped to talk to a very small doe who lived on the upper part of the ice cave on their last hike to the back valley ravine.

It was a rocky ride in the backpack but they did get out and enjoy stretching their legs and enjoying the giant icicles.

And it seemed that things started to expand from there.  I started carrying Doe and acquired a small skunk that I incorporated into the 'story' that was forming.

Doe kept getting lost.  The ponies had to keep finding her.  One day Stinky the Skunk came along to help.

And the story continued.  Doe needed a home and kept finding some of the worst places to live.

No Doe should not live in a bale of oats...

Then Doe and Fluttershy get lost.

And Stinky comes to the rescue to find them with several other Ponies.

Stinky and the Ponies go on a mission to find a good home for Doe.

They look at all sorts of places and then Stinky thinks they have found the perfect spot.

A Bird's nest in the Creek bottom where Doe can stay safe and out of the weather.

But Doe has other ideas.

Stinky and Smiley Pony try to tell Doe that living in an ice cave is not a good place to stay.  It is very cold and it will melt in the Spring.
Doe is not convinced.  She thinks the bird nest is a good spot too!

Doe just never seems to learn.

And yesterday, Stinky is horrified to find Doe thinking she should live in a parking lot!  Yes I know I am a bit crazy, but a little project turned into a 'story' of sorts.

Stinky ran up to Doe.
"NO Doe, you cannot live here! A parking lot is no place for a doe like you."
Doe didn't understand, she thought it was a nice sunny place.
She thought about it, Stinky didn't like her making a home in the Ice Cave at the Ice Falls either.  Stinky was pretty particular.  She wondered if she'd ever find a home.

When we were at Wildcat Mountain at the Ice Cave, some people came by and we explained what we did with the toys.

They climbed the ice and took photos of Stinky and Doe.  How fun was that?

So the story of Stinky, Doe, and the ponies will continue.

And A. Waite will continue to come up with fun photos for me to see...

Find Stinky on Google+

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