We arrived on Monday afternoon (after a trip to the gym, naturally) and were given the keys to cabin number two, the cabin with the best view. See it here:
Best Friends is totally isolated from the outside world (see: no internet, no phone, no TV, probably no radio). Each morning you wake up to sunlight and a symphony of bird calls echoing through the surrounding mountains. Our deck overlooked two of the dog play yards and the heavily forested mountainside beyond that. We would eat breakfast and watch the sun rise over the tree line:
There is something to be said about the magic of just listening to nature. We could quite easily pretend to be the only two in the park. Slowly, our neighbors would wake up and take their dogs out to play, but generally the park was very quiet and peaceful. So peaceful, in fact, that we spent the entire four days doing nothing but writing, bird watching, playing with Paddy, and exploring the neighboring creek:
We did venture out one day for fish and chips at Port Albert. I’d wanted my first official ‘fish and chips’ to be an authentic experience, which meant eating outside by the ocean. Port Albert isn’t technically the ocean, but there were lots of boats and seagulls and the breeze smelled of fish. And now I know what REAL fish tastes like! We ate on a picnic bench and had to fend off the Rabid Hoard of Seagulls that surrounded us. They were quite a menagerie; one with only one leg and one with a deformed foot and lots of greedy, hungry beggars. Here’s Fred, the Head Honcho:
I simply cannot rave enough about the awesomeness of this place. What makes it different is that instead of being a retreat for people which accommodates dogs, Best Friends was built by real dog owners who treat their pets as part of the family and who wanted safety to be a priority but who also intended the experience to be enjoyable equally between owner and dog. The cabins are fenced, and fenced securely, and the play yards are large, sunny and shady, and securely fenced (the chicken wire is actually buried about four inches and the entrances are double gated with latches that cannot be opened without opposable thumbs) and each yard is equipped with a bucket of toys, a five gallon bucket of water, and poop bags and a trash can. There are rules of etiquette: only one family to each play yard at a time, unless another is invited in; dogs must be on leash unless in a yard; you must pick up after your dog; you must be responsible for your dog; no abuse; and you cannot leave the dog in the cabin unattended—on property is a 8-dog kennel for day boarding:
Featuring indoor-outdoor runs, grass outside, a pleather chair inside, a plexi-glass fronted window with curtains, and a tv and dvd player that plays dog movies, of course. The whole area is triple fenced, and you are the only one who opens the door to your dog’s run. The owners were very friendly and love on-site and check on all the guests every night. I’ve already talked to them about franchising possibilities…
You know I’m serious, too.
Friday we had to check out (which really hurt) but we took advantage of my first cloudless day and went to check out Wilsons Prom and more specifically, Norman Bay, where we explored the rock pools and found starfish and snails and all sorts of slimy sea-creatures to play with.
And get this: we went body surfing. Yes, my friends, I tasted salt water for the first time. The water was crystal clear (which was good, because I was looking for that damned Blue Ringed Octopus and Deadly Jellyfish and Sharks) and we made it all the way out to where the waves came over out heads. It was so much fun, we lost track of time and almost had out shoes and towels sucked into the Bay by the rising tide. A couple hours later, we had earned ourselves a lovely strawberry-red sunburn by the experience was worth it. I went Body Surfing. Hee.
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