Sand Dunes and Wabbits!

by Chico

After two weeks in Las Vegas we left behind the bright lights for the desert. The dog park in Vegas was pretty cool but I get intimidated by a lot of new dogs, especially big ones, and found the trips there a bit stressful at times. I liked the chasing the ball with Logan part but he was often off meeting new dogs and not paying any attention to me. Doesn’t he know the expression about “dancing with the one who brung ya”? I’d try to jump in by barking at them but they’d ignore me, stare blankly, or just get annoyed.

In the Mojave Desert, at Kelso Dunes, we camped in the middle of nowhere! No asphalt, no gravel, no lights, and no doggie sand box. In the Las Vegas RV park they had two small spaces where we dogs were supposed to “do our business”. I wasn’t as grossed out by the concept as T and Nollind were, but a guy does like a fresh patch of earth or a shrub to scent up now and then. But anyway…back to the desert… The coolest thing about camping in the Mojave? As long as the sun was up and we didn’t get too far from T and Nollind, Logan and I could run free! The first morning we got up early and hiked an hour and a half to the top of the biggest sand dune. It was huge and it’s a lot of working walking in deep sand, but we made it, and me and Logan had enough energy left over to have a wrestling match at the top and chase each other half way down. It was the most fun I’ve had on the whole trip! Once, I got running so fast down the dune that I thought my body was going to go right over my legs – but I managed to keep it together and jumped over Logan when I reached him at the bottom. You should have seen his face as I rocketed straight at him and then vaulted over top!

We could have spent a week out in the desert but T and Nollind had people to meet in a nearby town, Twentynine Palms. Now, being a dog, I’m not much good at math, but I’m pretty sure there were a lot more than 29 palm trees in that town. But anyway, Twentynine Palms is in the Mojave Desert near a very cool place called Joshua Tree National Park. We met Nollind’s brother there, and his wife, and their little person named Harper. She was the same size as me! And, the best thing about Harper? She liked feeding me treats, and I was happy to entertain her by taking them gently from her hand. Unfortunately, they had to go home after a couple of days. I do miss her…

We stayed in Twentynine for five days after Harper and her family left and, without her there, I was able to get back to work chasing the desert rabbits. They were all over the RV park and in the desert next to the RV park, and I’d go straight to work every time I set foot outside, barely taking time to “take care of business” (if you know what I mean). T and Nollind seemed to think it was quite funny but I took my job very seriously, looking for rabbits from the moment I left the RV until the moment I returned (the photo is of me after one particularly fast rabbit.) They started calling me “Elmer Fudd” and saying something about “wascawy wabbits”. I think the reference was to something long before my time. They’re pretty old.

The last day at Twentynine, me and Logan finally got a chance to see Joshua Tree Park. It's another one of those parks that doesn't like dogs on the trails. T found us an old dirt road where we were allowed to walk on-leash and we had this great hour and a half hike through the desert and the Joshua Trees.

The rabbits? Well, I never did manage to catch one, but I certainly put the fear of dog into them!