California Here We Are!

T’s been getting after me to write this blog for weeks now, but she seems to think she has to type for me and she’s been far too busy. If she’d just leave the computer on the table ready to go I could get it done but, like most humans, she underestimates my abilities. So, we’ll do it her way. I talk (from my brain to hers) and she types.

"Homer Simpson" Skull Rock

We’ve been in California for three weeks. We started off at Joshua Tree National Park, camping in this very cool spot with giant rocks and weird trees everywhere. Trouble was...no dogs on the trails, at least that’s what the sign said, but T and Nollind did take us on a hike to a place called Skull Rock. Nollind thought it looked like Homer Simpson Skull Rock and I'd agree. Love the Simpsons—not as much as Family Guy where the dog part is far more realistic, but the Simpsons are pretty funny.

Walking Lost Horse Mine Road in Joshua

T was sick at Joshua Tree so we didn’t do much other than a couple of short walks. She mostly sat in her arm chair at the back of the trailer looking out at the scenery, reading, napping, and drinking this terrible smelling tea that apparently made her feel better. Not sure how that was possible. I like most everything humans eat or drink but…yuck! Have to admit though, by the time we left she was feeling better so I guess the nasty tea must have helped.

Borrego Springs was next, boondocking at a place called Pegleg Smith Monument. We were there two years ago for a week and it’s still a great spot for long desert walks and freedom outside the trailer. But, then it was my turn to get sick. T and Nollind thought it was from the water at a dog park we visited in Indio. It tasted fine to me but supposedly had little things swimming in it that made a mess of my intestines. After a few days of far too many trips to the bathroom (including three I had to wake them up for) we visited a vet in town. I love the vet, not sure why some dogs make such a fuss about going. Attention focused entirely on me, petting, treats—what's not to like?

Pegleg Library (that's our place between the signs)

For the next five days I was on medication. T and Nollind thought I didn’t know the pills were hidden in those little balls of turkey loaf, and I was happy to oblige by willingly taking them. I don’t do a lot of chewing anyway so if the pills tasted bad—who knew? By the time we got to Pomona I was feeling much better, ready for the activities planned there—horse expo, car racing—it all sounded good to me. I was up and ready on Friday morning only to learn that I wasn’t going along. But I love horses! And there will be so many people there that will like dogs! 

Now I understand why Nollind drinks so many of these!

We dogs stayed in the trailer the next two days while T and Nollind tortured us each night by coming home smelling of the exciting things they'd seen and done. At the end of day two, when I'd lost all hope, we finally got to go to the fairgrounds. I was so excited I could hardly stay on all four paws. While Logan walked right at Nollind`s hip, I ran from left to right and back again pulling at the end of my leash. We walked through a tunnel that had crowds of people streaming at us on the other side and I pulled toward them trying to make eye contact, my ears forward, tail wagging, but none of them stopped to say hello. I couldn`t understand it; that always seems to work. On the other side of the tunnel the people thinned out but there was something even more exciting—food kiosks!—a smorgasbord of french fries, popcorn, and pulled pork scattered on the ground right there where I could reach it! But, no go. I was pulled from every tasty morsel...well, not quite ;). Once we got away from the food area, T let the leash out and I finally had a chance to meet some of the people. My colour draws people in and once they touch my ultra-soft coat they just can't stop. I'm a bit like one of those flowers that lures its prey by being so pretty. 

One of T's horse expo photos -- I have no explanation.

We walked to the far end of the grounds where all the horses were kept tucked into little boxes in a long building. Not sure why they were indoors in such nice weather. Our horses only get put in boxes when the weather is very, very nasty. Other horses had riders and were in a huge covered space where a man was speaking loudly and tall metal stairs were filled with hundreds and hundreds of people, many of them with food. What a strange and wonderful place it was.

T and Nollind at NHRA drag races.

When T and Nollind started packing up to go to the car races the next morning, I was hoping I`d behaved well enough the night before to earn my way along. Not sure if it was the pulling on the leash or the popcorn score but it was another trailer day for us dogs. But, I was okay with that in the end; we could hear the cars from the RV park and I wasn`t sure how anyone could be closer without having their ears blasted off. Luckily, T and Nollind still had theirs when they got home.