Nuevo Arenal

No matter where we are Oso intends to maintain his normal up with the sun practices. In all fairness, he did stay hunkered in his bed against the mountain chill until close to six. Then it was tail wagging and scooby doo noises until we got up to take him on a tour of Rainbow Bay Estates. The property is probably ten acres with only a handful of houses built, mostly down near the lake shore. So we headed into the quiet areas so Oso could run free.

After about an hour of wandering around, we headed back to the shack and hoisted a paddle board down the stairs to launch into the heavy mist on the dock. The current wasn’t as hard as it appeared as I went against into Rainbow Bay until reaching the far cul de sac and turning around to be spirited quickly home with the wind at my back. I started up the main channel to the open lake when I spotted PJ on the dock in her rash guard hoping for a turn before the wind got too rough.

I paddled to the dock to take a shift on dog watch and handed off the Riviera to PJ. She disappeared up the bay while Oso and I sat on the stairs as the drizzle calmed to misty morning fog. Birds flitted in and out of the trees and Oso grazed on some of the verdant grass along the slope.

After showers and a bit of lounging, we piled into the Santa Fe and headed into the small berg of Nuevo Arenal. There is a lake front restaurant on the end of a small peninsula known for their burgers and view. We parked up at Las Tinajas and sat overlooking Lake Arenal while Oso pointed out some peppy little birds that were flitting around the shrubs. My food was excellent and PJ raved about her veggie burger.

Fighting off the overwhelming shadows of an oncoming food coma, we rallied and left the car in their lot and hiked down to the waterfront. I couldn’t get Oso into the idea of a swim but he did enjoy running around the red volcanic soil surrounding the lake and dodging in among the trees lining the point. We wandered the area for a half an hour or so then drove around scouting other access points to the lake.

An easy afternoon languishing on the porch watching birds and the local mutts. The same small dog that gave Oso a growlfest yesterday tried to give him crap again and a minor scuffle broke out. The big German shepherd that watches over the complex jumped in but no animals were hurt during this production. Got Oso leashed up as Luis arrived to check out the arming light on the Hyundai. We hooked up but there were no longer any warnings! Must have resolved itself, probably an emissions fart or something. He said call him back if it comes up again during our stay and headed home.

Another walk for the evening as the sun slid behind the far horizon leaving us wandering up the dark trail in the afterglow of the day. Easy restful day on the lake.