CoCo checks the water before jumping in

The return of warm weather with the start of summer reminded me of one of the best little day trips me and the team took last summer. We drove up to Bear River reservoir in the foothills off Highway 88 in the El Dorado National Forest.

A colleague of mine had tipped me to the lake, which is one of her favorite spots to take her kayak. When we arrived I quickly could see why. The water is clean, blue and refreshing. The shore is littered with huge boulders that jut out into the lake and make perfect diving platforms. It was like a little Tahoe and Christine, CoCo and I had our own little beach to ourselves for the entire day. There is a rustic resort at the lake with cabins, RV parking and boat rentals.

When we went up to the lake it was just after all the major forest fires of last year had abated so the skies were still a little hazy but much clearer. It was a wonderful day, a simple day trip that is one of my best memories of last summer. Actually, earlier this week I thought about playing hooky from work and running back up to the lake with the dog. (Of course I didn’t! C’mon now!)

The one downside was that this was when Christine and I discovered that CoCo does not like it when we go swimming. Whenever I would jump into the water with him, he’d make a bee line toward me and start to whimper and scratch and snap at me until I swam back to the shore. Let me tell you, swimming with a 100 pound lab that’s snapping and scratching at you is not fun. It’s like being attacked by a hairy, midget shark. I guess it’s his little way of trying to protect me from drowning. I’d appreciate any suggestions on getting a dog over his water fears. He loves the water, he just freaks out when Christine and I go swimming.