This is Sheriff Peanut Butter Brickle.  And at the end of the day, it is the end of the day.  There’s nothing more profound than that, if I do say so myself.  Unless, in fact, you are in Nevada.  And unless the dust makes you really ponder life.  Because you have dust in your fur.  You have dust in your ears.  You have dust on your paws and you have dust in your pants if you wear them, unlike Deputy Digby.

As we have been fighting with the heat of Nevada this week, the crowds in Las Vegas, and the desert dust, we have began to slow down.  Why?  It’s hard to keep going sometimes.  And we actually have Nevada to thank for making us slow down. Sometimes, you rush through life without really stopping to see where you are.

I close my eyes, only for a moment
And the moment’s gone
All my dreams pass before my eyes, a curiosity

If you rush, it is easy to notice the things that are difficult because it makes you stop what you are doing.  It also makes the things that are right less obvious.  And there is a lot right about Nevada.

We may not like dust in our mouth or dust in our pants that we don’t wear. We don’t like the dust on our cars or in our spaghetti.  But for the animals that call this place home, and the people that love it, they recognize the good about it.

From the cactus plants five feet tall, to the snakes and lizards basking in the sun, this is a beautiful, dramatic state. Nevada has made us realize that we are as small as dust in the wind. And we all have a limited time to enjoy what we can.

Same old song, just a drop of water
In an endless sea
All we do crumbles to the ground
Though we refuse to see

We meet many people on this Adventure Of A Lifetime.  And sometimes, it is most interesting of all to talk to the people that call where we are for just a short time, “home”.

Everyone has a story.  Everyone has dreams, goals and sometimes tragedy that they carry around.  But one thing is always the same when we talk to people.  They realize the short amount of time that they have to enjoy life and how very quickly life goes by.

Sometimes they have regrets.  Sometimes they have sadness.  But oftentimes, they speak of how even the sad things in their lives shaped them to appreciate what they have now.  More times than not, the people that we meet as well may not have much.  We meet full time campers who may have lost their homes.  Or we meet families who have saved all year to take a camping trip.  Do they notice the dust in the wind?  We know they do not.  Because they can stop for a little while and notice what is right.

Now, don’t hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
 It slips away, and all your money won’t another minute buy

My brother Digby can never be accused of not stopping to enjoy life.  From a long nap to a big plate of pancakes, he teaches me how to stop.  Yesterday, we all realized that we were too tired to drive even though we needed to get on the road.  Girl Person said it is all about us at this point in the trip.  If we are too tired, we stop.  We appreciate.  All of us need down time to get that sand in our pants.

But what I haven’t told Deputy Digby Pancake today is that we are going to have a really long weekend to appreciate the simple things.  We are headed today to the most remote area we have been on since day one of this trip.  We are headed to Great Basin National Park.  No electric.  No water.  No nothing.  Except I am sure there will be dust.  It’s Nevada.

Will it be a challenge? You know it.  We aren’t even allowed to make reservations, so we hope we can get a spot and that our Big Blue Treat Wagon RV can make it up there!  Nevada has definitely been a challenge for us.  We were not able to find any rescue up this way, and we found out the need for the animals in Las Vegas.  So…on Monday, we will be headed back that way.  It will be a lot of extra travel, but we know the animals need us.  We want them to find their dust in the wind…and to be able to enjoy it.

Are you coming along with us today?  It should definitely be an adventure. But that is what makes for memories and that is what shapes us into who we are.  We will probably be shaped into a big sandcastle by the time this week is over.

-Sheriff Peanut Butter Brickle

Do you want to get emails from Brickle and Digby, plus be notified of giveaways from our sponsors?  Sign up for our email list below!  If you have already signed up, thank you!  Emails will be starting soon!