Cozy Cottage Camping

Ironically, it was exactly a year ago to the day, that we last took our cozy cottage camping. 

And we wondered... why did we wait so long!
Because seriously, I do not know of any place more attitude altering...
 and just a mere two hours away. 

What a wonderful get-away with my husband. 

Our dog Koda loves these overnight retreats. We are so isolated, not a camper in sight. 

She can be unleashed the entire time... but never leaves our side.

Our evening meal was a cast iron skillet meal... fried potatoes, mushrooms and peppers... 

added to fried medallions of Polska Kielbasa. Yum! 

And perfectly paired with a bottle of Rex-Goliath that our friends Rod & Debbie gave us.

Come to think of it, we cook everything in cast iron while camping. Love cast iron!

And get this, we actually slept without a white noise... because it was absolutely, totally and completely silent. I'm not kidding you. Not a single sound. 

So we decided not to use Randy's white noise sounds off his iPad. Well, I still didn't sleep all that well. But with temps down in the 50's, who cares, when you're snuggle warm in your cozy cottage on wheels. And later in the night when we heard elk bugle calls and coyotes howling in the distant.... well, it doesn't get much better than that. Ok, maybe bacon & eggs in the morning... Koda's favorite part of camping.

Koda loves long hikes in the forest with Randy & I...

but she adores her master over me any day.

I love the state of Arizona ~ I love the Mogollon Rim.
(Be sure to click the pics to enlarge) 

The stand stretching from Flagstaff along the Mogollon rim to the White Mountains is reportedly the largest continuous stand of Ponderosa Pine on the continent. 

(quote taken fromTHIS article)

I keep a journal book in our cozy cottage, so I can record each of our camping trips. I am so grateful that we can take these little retreats... and come away refreshed, refocused, renewed and reminded...

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom. 12:2)