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!

Getting Out - An Idyllwild Adventure

Finally, a moment has occurred that I may update the tens of you who visit my blog about my Thanksgiving week and valuable lessons that I learned from being in a cabin in the woods and the sexy desert gay city of Palm Springs.  Immediately, muh DAB, Dennis and I were taken by the small town charm of Idyllwild, from the local food & stuff stores

to the lovely citywide art project

to the gnome-loving tributes around town

even the one and only movie theater with one and only one showtime...

Luckily, Dennis had some screeners.

We stayed in a lot and watched movies all day... Lord knows we couldn't pass time on the internet, since it was spottier than all dalmatians pelts in Cruella's cape.  We watched EYE IN THE SKY (liked), CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (really liked), HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE (really, really liked) and SING STREET (loved).  Also, we watched HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS which I've seen many times before, but is required viewing for Thanksgiving.  Of course, we took in a 7:00 showing of FANTASTIC BEASTS (liked).

We also learned how to use this thing called a hot tub.  Have you heard of that?  It was really nice...

So nice, we braved the cool weather to try it out quite often, just to make sure we were doing it right.

We were only there for four days, but we really made ourselves at home.  I made a lovely centerpiece for outdoor dining

Dennis made a dent in one of the sofas that looks just like him

And, what could be my favorite event of the week, Dennis' dog, Enzo, learned how to climb stairs for the first time and would randomly walk up and down the stairs throughout the day, just because he could.

So, Getting Out of West Hollywood for Thanksgiving seems to have been a great idea.  Aside from visiting a new place that I've never been and watching a crap load of good movies, I got to relax and not worry about much (after I accepted that the wifi signal was never going to be solid).  I really enjoyed the charm of this town.

Might I say, I would love to see the place really done up for Christmas.  We left the morning of the day they lit the town tree for the holiday.  Walking the streets at the pitch dark hour of 6:00 PM, I was treated to this little preview of things to come.

Don't let me get head of myself, I still haven't told you about Thanksgiving Day..!