Gay of A Certain Age - A Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot

Back in Idyllwild, I awoke Thanksgiving morning to find that it was simply a gorgeous day!  Muh DAB, Dennis and I decided to load the pup in the car and make our way up into the mountains and take a hike.

We picked the Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail.

The trail is about 4.6 miles, round trip.  Intimidated, we figured we could just go half way and turn back.

Thing is, how do you know how far half way is?   So we kept going until we reached the end of the trail.  Along the way we saw scenic stuff. Like, lovely signs of autumn...

and huge rocks, on top of which one could contemplate life...

I must admit that I was disappointed by the end of the trail, because I imagined it would end at the edge of a cliff overlooking all of Idyllwild, but it was just and abrupt end at the side of a road, with no view.  We sat a bit, talked with the people around us, did a Facebook Live video, then started back.  It was then that we realized that we started at the wrong end because it became apparent that the 2.5 miles back was uphill.  Not ones to complain, we just soldiered on appreciating the reverse view, which included cute other hikers

...and their dogs

and we enjoyed having a nice hunky hiker capture the moment for us (OMG! He touched my camera, so when I hold my camera, it's like I'm touching him!)

We made it to the end without much drama at all.

We still had enough energy to pose for portraits with Enzo.

Then, it was home for another soak in the hot tub.  I also spent some time calming down my Fitbit because it was so excited to get over 16, 000 steps!!

After the hot tub, I did a little required Holiday viewing...

I always enjoy watching HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS during Thanksgiving.  That dinner table scene is so enjoyable and I love when Cynthia Stevens yells, "Cocksucker!" at Robert Downey Jr.  The moment is so awful and delicious at the same time, just as thanksgiving should be.

For dinner, we walked down the road to The Gastrognome

where I had a little bit of a challenge securing a reservation, but was confirmed in time to rest assured we'd have a nice dinner.

It was a fixed menu, but they were nice enough to plan ahead for glutey-free people, like me.  I know, the portion looks small, but it was surprisingly filling and quite tasty.  The best part, of course, was the pumpkin mousse for dessert.

  After our five mile hike, neither Dennis nor I worried about calories.

As a Gay of A Certain Age, I've learned that no matter how lazy I think I am, I can really surprise myself with how many steps I can get on my Fitbit in a day!  Also, I know that Thanksgiving Day is a time to remember one's blessings, like the company of a great friend and his adorable dog.  Thanks, Dennis!