Lettuce Isn't Food

Getting ready to meet the people!

Fountain of Youth Spa (FOY)--what an awesome place to study human behaviour. I can lie in camp and watch people go by all day long and then meet half a dozen in one short trip to the bathroom. You’ve heard the Michael Bublé song “Haven’t Met You Yet”? My theme song. Anyway, the RV park has 1000 sites, more than 100 in the dry camping area alone! That’s where we camp, at the top of the park, in the dry lot. It’s not fancy but it’s close to the trails and the sunset views are fantastic. 

FOY sunset.

I’m learning to appreciate sunsets, even though my eyes can’t see the same spectrum of colours that human eyes can. Sunset watching is a daily ritual at FOY, as is morning walking, afternoon napping and evening pool time; although, pool time was for humans only. How I would have loved a swim after our morning walks in the desert. The rule is “no dogs within 20 feet of any building”, which just seems downright prejudiced to me. I’m much tidier and better behaved than many humans I’ve met, especially the small ones. Now don’t take that the wrong way, I have an inexplicable fondness for the little guys, and I don’t think it’s just because of the height at which they hold their food.

Exploring an abandoned cottage on one of our hikes.

Food, there was a ton of great food while we were at FOY. With the exception of the little on-site cantina, Freddy’s Fountain, it’s an hour to a restaurant so all eating was done at the trailer, which was perfect for me. You see, I’m doing my best to sample and develop a taste for all human food. I eat things Logan won’t even look at and, you know, most of it’s pretty good. Fruit, vegetables, bread, condiments, you name it, I’ll eat it.

Contemplating life.

How many times have I heard T or Nollind say, “He probably won’t like that because it’s all covered with...insert condiment name”? Admittedly, some of them are a bit odd, like pickled things, but not terrible. Now there is one human food item, and a common one, that I just can’t seem to develop a taste for. It doesn’t even taste like food, just sits there all cold and flat on my tongue. Lettuce. When it’s dripping with salad dressing or tucked inside a piece of burger it goes down more easily but I continue to try it undressed. My thought is, if I’ll eat anything they do and can sit in a chair, one of these days they’re going to set a place at the dinner table for me. One day…

Ready to go to work.

One of the other ways I get to try human foods, and help around the house at the same time, is to pre-clean the dishes. The instant I hear a plate or bowl or pot being scraped, I am there to assist. And I know they appreciate it, especially out here in the desert where we need to conserve water. They call me Pre-Wash. Not every dog has a work title, so I’m pretty proud of that. However, there is one kitchen tool that is hindering my work and competing for my job, the spatula! As soon as I get my paws on it, that thing is history.

On the job - pots are hard work.

After a week of hanging at FOY we headed to the city for a few days and stayed in another casino parking lot, Fantasy Springs in Indio. It was noisier than Quechan, right on the I10, but there was plenty of room and a nice open desert area to walk in next door. I assumed the city meant a bunch of trailer time for Logie and me but did I get a surprise. The second day T & Nollind took us along (all day!) and one of the stops was PetSmart. OMG–I was in heaven, getting to do my own shopping. Now they didn’t buy everything I picked out, but I understood, given our slightly small living space at present, and the fact that PetSmart has EVERYTHING a dog could want. For that half hour I felt like being a dog was maybe okay after all, and there were other dogs in there doing their shopping too, almost like we were equals for a moment. Sigh.

At PetSmart

T and Nollind had late lunch at a Mexican place and we were allowed there too, but it wasn’t going to be very comfortable on the hard, tile floor of the narrow patio, and the truck had a nice shady parking spot so they decided we’d be happier there. Probably true for Logan, he’s getting old and doesn’t like hard surfaces to lie on, but I would have sat on broken glass for a chance to get in on the ceviché and quesadilla. I’ve never had either and I love seafood. Logan doesn’t much like fish so he would have been grumpy all-round. I think I’d have even tried the margaritas...if they'd offered.

Top of the trail at Homme-Adams Park.

We ended the day with this great hike at Homme-Adams Park, where the trail took us up a hillside that looked out over Palm Desert below. Wow, what a day. When T and Nollind headed out dancing later that night I didn’t even mind. I was content to stay home and sleep. And okay, I admit, dancing kind of freaks me out a little. I never know what to do when they dance.

Play time at Anza-Borrego

We left the Coachella Valley yesterday and came here to the Anza-Borrego desert. We were already off leash for some play time last night and again today. Freedom! Nothing makes me feel less human than being leashed. I have a good feeling about this stop and I hear we’re staying awhile.

Hiking, Horses and Hazardous Places

Hiking Majestic Trail

Wickenburg was hiking, hiking and more hiking, but don’t take that as a complaint…absolutely not. I love to get out and walk, and trot, and run, or just go at whatever pace my leash allows. Here in the desert, I don’t actually mind the leash, because it’s often too warm or rocky or filled with spikey plants to want to do more than a slow jog anyway. We spent nine days camped near Wickenburg and we hiked for two hours every day, and only once did we cover the same trail. Wanderlust doggie paradise! Some days we did two hours in the morning, other days an hour in the morning and another hour around sunset. I sure appreciated the attention to walking in the cool hours. Have you ever tried wearing a black fur coat on a hot, sunny day? Ya, well, I don’t recommend it. When I was young it seemed like a smart idea to be well-dressed for any occasion, but that was before we started spending winters in the south.

Crazy big spurs on the way to Congress.

Another plus about the stay in Wickenburg…no truck time other than a short road trip to Congress, Yarnell and Peeples Valley. And it wasn’t so bad, just 20 miles or so and a nice walk around Yarnell before lunch.

The horse camp.

For two days the camping area across the road from us filled to the brim with horses, horse trailers and horse people. If I wasn't such an honest guy, I'd tell you I was hoping we were joining in on one of the trail rides, ready and raring to go, but I wasn't. Following a group of horses through the desert in the heat all day was not something I was keen to do. I was so relieved when Teresa and Nollind just watched them ride by as they headed into the hills. Embarrassment averted.

Oops, didn't realize the camera was above me.

On our last day in camp, Tuesday, I was lying on the couch when I heard a familiar sound. I could hardly believe my ears. It sounded just like our old truck, the one we drove south the last two trips. But how could that be? Chico heard it too and wondered if it had somehow followed us. Right dude, that’s what happened. He’s so young. Anyway, we all went outside and there it was, Rocky the Chev. Even more surprising was who climbed out…our friend Darren! What a terrific surprise! I was sorry he hadn’t brought Roxy with him (one of my many girlfriends) but happy to see him nonetheless. It was a day of hanging in the shade and visiting followed by a long walk late in the afternoon up to Vulture Peak.

Post-hike nap.

The drive to Yuma on Wednesday was remarkably relaxing. I’m not sure what came over me but I seemed to find some kind of weird zen state and didn't suffer the usual uncontrollable shaking and panting. I think I even nodded off for a bit. But don’t tell Nollind. I don’t want him thinking I’ve stopped supervising his driving. No telling what would happen.

Smiling like fools after Mexican food and margaritas
in Los Algodones.

For the next three days we stayed in the Quechan Casino RV parking area just across the border into California and a stone's throw from the Mexican border. I hardly slept. Did you know that the Canadian and U.S. governments have had travel advisories in place for Mexico for years, especially the border regions? And where do my people decide to set up camp...a 5-minute drive from the border crossing to Los Algodones. They even went down there one day, leaving Chico and I at the trailer. I spent the day devising a plan for our rescue if they didn't return. They did, laughing and smiling and carrying packages. You'd think they'd just been on a little shopping outing. You know, I started to believe their assurances of safety until the smoke and gunfire started. Seriously...there were clouds of smoke billowing into camp from the Mexico side of the border and on the last day regular gunshots coming from somewhere to the south. It may have been still on the U.S. side but it didn't matter to me. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Teresa opened the truck door yesterday morning and I almost knocked her over jumping in.

We've moved further north now, to an RV resort on the Salton Sea that we visited last year. The air is clear and so far I've not heard a single shot--slept like a puppy last night.

Boondogging

Since we’ve known each other three years now, I’ve decided to let you in on a little secret…I’m studying to be human. People think I’m just friendly and devoted, which I am, but I’m also closely observing human behaviour and communication. I know, it probably sounds crazy, but last winter T read a book called “The Art of Racing in the Rain” about a dog named Enzo who believes that if he learns enough in his dog life, he’ll come back as a human. Sounded like a reasonable theory, but I guess I’m not that patient; I want to get as close to human as I can in this life.

First bath of the trip.

I still have a lot of canine urges that I may never overcome, but travelling has done just what people say it will, expanded my thinking. It’s part of the reason I love these trips, so much opportunity to learn about being human and leave my farm dog tendencies behind on the farm. For example, one of the human-like things that happens while we’re travelling more frequently than at home is taking showers. I’m a pretty clean guy, not indulging in the disgusting canine habit of rolling in foul smelling things, so I rarely get a bath at home, but living in such close quarters without green grass or snow to roll in, apparently I develop a bit of an odour, an odour they’ve compared to corn chips and also to socks. Don’t see what’s wrong with either of those things, especially corn chips but, whatever, a bath results in one of my very favourite experiences, being towelled dry. A lot of dogs prefer to give a good shake and dry in the sun, but I love the towelling…oh my…could do that all day. And afterward, apparently I smell better, less like a dog, which also suits my purpose.

Campsite near Wickenburg.

We left Quartzsite on Monday morning and drove two hours here to Wickenburg. Birds, rabbits, lizards, coyotes…this place is amazing. But, even though we’re out here in the boonies, my freedom has been curtailed from what it was at Quartzsite, something about jackrabbits and cactus being a bad combination is what I’ve pulled from the conversation. They’re probably right, as hard as I try to just observe as humans do, it’s almost impossible for me to not give chase.

Hiking at Vulture Peak.

We’re boondocking, which Wiktionary describes as “to stay in a recreational vehicle in a remote location, without connections to water, power, or sewer services”,  about six kilometres from Wickenburg but, looking around, you’d never know we were so close to town. There are a couple of horse campers across the road and three RVs on this side but quite a long way from us. There’s not much but saguaro, mesquite, palo verde and cholla around us, and the odd quad or side-by-side headed up the road to the trails that snake all over the area. We’ve been on longs walks the last two mornings, exploring up around Vulture Peak, with many more trails to cover while we’re here.

Nollind plays bass at Plomosa Road.

It might sound kind of boring hanging in the desert but, not at all. Nollind plays his bass and sometimes T plays along on guitar and sings. I'm tempted to sing too but so far they haven't asked me to join in. They both like to read and do quite a bit of that and, when possible, I’ll read over a shoulder and pick up what I can. I wish they'd just read out loud. Some days T or Nollind, or both, will take an afternoon nap and that's the best. I can lie on the bed anytime but it is a million times better when my people are there too. And then there's sunset viewing along with a campfire, one of my favourite times of day.

Aaaahhhh...an afternoon nap.

When we’re outside, Logan likes to lie under the trailer. It’s cool, it has that nice, den-like feel that appeals to dogs, but you’d never find a human under there unless there’s something to fix. So, on our first trip south I sat and stared and whined until they figured out what I wanted…my own chair. It would be so much simpler if I could just talk but the shape of my tongue (long, flat and loose) makes that impossible, or so says Enzo. I’ve developed quite a large vocabulary of sounds but none of them sound like human words. Anyway, I now have my own chair that comes out with T and Nollind’s chairs at every campsite. Success!

Sunset time in camp.

This year T added a blanket that acts like a hammock, keeping me from spilling out between the arm and the bottom (and it makes a nice cover on a chilly evening). Now, don’t get me wrong, I can sit upright, I’m just more comfortable curled in a ball. I can strive to be as human as I want in my mind and behaviour, but I do have certain physiological limitations.

My very canine response to a threat.

Okay, I suppose I deserved it. I told you about Logan’s bingo dauber episode at Lethbridge, and he shares my embarrassing donkey moment. But, in my defense, I was just trying to like what T likes and I saw her petting one of them. Sometimes a guy has to do frightening things when on a quest for greater knowledge. Logan disagrees with me on this but then he’s very content with his dogness.

I’m not sure what we’re doing this afternoon. Since we stayed in camp all day yesterday I’m betting on some kind of outing. Hopefully it’s the kind that dogs can join in on. I do like to ride along and glean what I can.