Who Knew They Could Swim?

Sharing a cone in Pahrump's Petrack Park
(say that three times fast)

Four hours. They spent four hours at the Las Vegas Outlet Mall while Chico and I waited back at the trailer. Now we were cool and comfy, napping on the bed, that’s not the issue, but you know what the next stop was? Petco. Guess how long they spent there. Go on, guess. You’d think at least an hour to peruse the many things we might need or want, but no, ten minutes! Teresa was in and out in ten minutes carrying half a dozen cans of food. Good food mind you, the Blue Buffalo kind I like best, but still.

Can still get all four off the ground!

Campsite at Lake Mead

I forgave them when we reached our next camp though. We were boondocking again, which I prefer to RV park life, and this spot had a huge body of water – Lake Mead. We arrived right at sunset so didn’t have much time to explore but it looked very promising. We’d been at the Nevada Treasure RV Resort for nine days by this time and I was ready for some outdoor-off-leash-long-walks-lying-under-the-trailer time. Don’t get me wrong, town life has it’s perks, like sharing an ice cream or playing in a grassy park, I just prefer the wide open spaces.

We’ve been here at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area four days now and my initial impression was bang-on. The tie-up cables haven’t even left the storage compartment and we’ve been walking the lakeshore and swimming every day. We got a second swim

Morning stroll and swim

in yesterday, in the late afternoon, and the strangest thing happened. Chico and I went in and got our legs wet and had a drink (I’d been lying under the trailer all afternoon so wasn’t terribly hot). When we came back on shore Nollind walked out into the water and started swimming, and then Teresa did the same! They swam out a ways and then turned to look back at us and I’m sure we were both staring with our mouths hanging open. I didn’t know they could swim, or even liked water other than showers and hot tubs. We walk in some pretty hot weather at home and Teresa never joins us in the canal. They called to us to join them but I think we were too shocked to do anything but sit and stare. They splashed around awhile, came ashore to dry us all off and we hiked back up the bank to our camp like it was an everyday occurrence. We went walking this morning and things were back to normal with us swimming and them on the shore watching. It seems more natural.

Final days of southern sunshine

It’s hot here, 32C yesterday and supposed to be a few degrees warmer today, but I’m either getting used to the weather down here or the thought of colder temperatures is making the sun feel a little more inviting. I’m sure by this afternoon I’ll be in the shade but that Nevada sun is feeling pretty fine this morning. Maybe my bones can soak up enough to get me through a cool, damp spring if we have one. I hear we’re headed that direction tomorrow so I don’t have much time. We have sun at home of course, it’s just not as warm at this time of year and there’s always the threat of snow and cold when you live just east of the Rocky Mountains. We can go from sunbathing to snow shovelling so fast it’ll make your tail spin.

Three days in the truck – not sure how that’s going to go. Well, actually, I have a pretty good idea. But I am going to try to find that Zen space I slipped into on the way to Yuma. I’m a brave guy. How hard can it be?

Logan's Oasis

Logan's Oasis

I don’t know how he did it in this dry, treeless place but, against all odds, Logan managed to conjure up water and shade and sand for our stop after Borrego. Nollind sometimes says T has the ability to conjure things up, like barn cats, so maybe Logan learned it from her. We weren’t five minutes out of the truck and he was in the river…and swimming! He’s half lab so that shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise except that he rarely swims. Back home on the canal, Logan goes in the water about as far as he needs to to cool his feet and quench his thirst. He’ll swim if there’s an urgent reason to get to the other side, but otherwise, just in until his belly touches. But at that camp spot along the Colorado River he was in up to his neck and paddling around like a puppy. 

Heading in for a swim at Logan's Oasis

He’s a good guy my roommate, although I had to get to know him before I thought so. T and Nollind and Logan came to pick me up for a temporary stay with them until Misty Creek Dog Rescue could find me a permanent home (turned out they were it!). I’m the same colour as their Appaloosa horse Nevada, which is why T noticed me amongst the many photos of dogs on the Misty Creek web site. Anyway, they took me for a little walk that first day, I think to see how Logan and I would get along.

Nevada - see the resemblance?

That went well so off we went in the truck. I didn’t know what the heck was going on when Logan started shaking and panting and drooling in the back seat, so I put my paw on his head and sent him my best “hey dude, relax, we’re fine” vibe. It didn’t work, but I think he appreciated the gesture. It wasn’t until we got to the house that things went a little sideways, he wasn’t crazy about another male dog on his turf and I don’t like being pushed around by alpha dogs. So, I peed on one of his walls, sent a strong message I thought. He hurried over to lay down cover and, oops, was spotted by T who gave him a right royal scolding. Funny thing was, things got better after that, and with each passing day I developed a stronger respect for his quiet, alpha ways and his farm wisdom. I’d had many bigger, male dogs try to intimidate me but he never did that, just quietly let me know he was in charge.

Cottonwood trail walk

So there at the Colorado River I was happy to see him find the oasis in the desert he’d been dreaming of. He gets hot much more easily than I do, and his pads get sore on the rocks and, although he’s tough as nails in many ways, he is 11 and not the resilient guy he once was. I still put my paw on him in the truck now and then and it still doesn’t make him okay, but I think he appreciates it, like I appreciate his friendship. You see, a lot of dogs don’t seem to like me very much for some reason, but he sticks by me, even when we’re playing and I just can’t seem to stop myself from barking in his face. He could bite me, or growl, but he just stops and stands and pulls his ears back against his head (probably because I’m hurting them) and waits for me to shut up.

Working on my sunset appreciation at Kelso Dunes

We spent two days at Logan`s oasis and he got to swim both days, lie in the shade of the big trees beside our camp and walk on sandy soil through a forest of cottonwoods along the river. Yes, cottonwoods! Only Logan could conjure up cottonwoods in the middle of the desert. You could see the light come on in his eyes and he`s been happier ever since. We spent the next few days at the Kelso Dunes and the hot sun didn`t seem to faze him.

The Death Valley photo I'll show my friends ;)

We`re at an RV park in Pahrump, Nevada now and it`s been pretty relaxing. It seems this is T`s oasis and she`s gone over to the swimming pool every day. One day she and Nollind headed off to a place called Death Valley, one of those national parks down here that doesn`t allow dogs anywhere beyond the parking lots. It sounds like it would have been way too hot for Logan (+38!) but I don`t mind the heat and would have loved to go along. They left us in the trailer with the air conditioning on and Logan was in heaven. It was a bit on the chilly side for me at just 22 degrees Celsius.

Each of us lying in our favourite spot

I prefer to lie in the sun when I have the chance. I guess that`s why one of my nicknames is “Sunny D”.

A Little Desert Weary

Borrego campsite

It’s been my kind of travel these past twelve days – one campsite, plenty of walks, off-leash freedom, and minimal truck time. We’ve been camped here at Anza-Borrego State Park since February 25, well technically just outside the park near Clark Dry Lake. It’s been just about perfect, we even had some cool, rainy weather for a few days which suited me just fine. It’s turned hot the past couple of days, around +30 in the afternoon, which is too hot for this black dog. If we were home I’d go lie in the basement on my futon in this kind of weather. Here I lie under the trailer but, unless there’s a breeze, it’s not nearly as cool as that basement I'm dreaming of. I think I’m starting to feel a little homesick, missing my farm and my daily routine there. I hope things haven’t gotten too out of control without me there to keep order. I hope my girlfriends across the road haven’t forgotten me. What am I saying? Of course they haven’t. 

Ruffwear boots made for ruff terrain.

The walks here have been rocky so they’ve been putting boots on me every day. In case some of you are thinking I’m soft, here’s a picture of what we walk on each morning in the hills for an hour or two. Not sure how my little red friend does it without protection, but my pads just won’t stand for it. I’m looking forward to going bootless on the prairie, or maybe even before then if we travel to places with friendlier soil.

An afternoon at Christmas Circle

We did find one little reprieve from the harsh desert, Christmas Circle Park in Borrego Springs. After weeks of mostly sand and rock, green grass felt like the most luxurious of carpets to lie on. We spent an afternoon listening to some live music in the park and were back again for a market a few days later. I wasn’t excited about the market idea, too many people, but it wasn’t so crowded that I was getting stepped on and many of the people seemed interested in saying hello and giving a pet. And, of course, there was that lovely grass and plenty of shady places.

At the Farmers' Market.

On the patio at El Borrego Restaurant

I’d have to say they’re generally pretty dog friendly in the town of Borrego Springs with a couple of the restaurants even allowing us on their patios. On market day we had lunch at El Borrego, a Mexican restaurant just off Christmas Circle with a huge, shady patio that welcomes those of us with four legs. The patio even has a carpeted floor and it doesn’t get much dog friendlier than that. The people were nice, and apparently the food was good. I’m not much of a shrimp taco or bean eater so I passed on any of the offered bites. Chico, of course, sat and stared through Teresa and Nollind’s lunch and then went to the end of his leash and stared down the neighbours after that. I don't know why they take him out in public. In the photo at the market you can see him pulling toward something, very likely a food vendor. 

Play time on Clark Dry Lake

The Anza-Borrego State Park is much less dog friendly, not allowing us on their trails even with a leash on, something about us scaring the Bighorn Sheep away. I suppose it’s possible, but I doubt it given the number of coyotes in the park. We hear them every night and I’m sure the sheep do too. If canine types were going to chase them out of the park by simply walking on their trails, they’d be long gone by now. And, from what I hear, big cats are a much greater threat than any of us from genus canis. But anyway, the rules is the rules and Teresa always scouts out places where we can walk.

Mel and her tiny human

The day we were listening to music in the park we bumped into a friend of Nollind’s from the sailing club who happened to be travelling through Borrego with his wife and baby on a two-month trip. They were sure surprised to see each other. Frank and Mel and the little guy brought their trailer up to Dry Clark Lake and camped a short distance from us, they shared a couple of meals (including steaks which was great for Chico and me) sat around the fire and went off on some hikes. I’m not normally a big fan of tiny humans but, you know, this one was alright. Usually I find their movements and sounds too unpredictable for me to be comfortable but this guy was always held by one of his parents and was mostly quiet other than a few burbling sounds. Apparently humans are pretty helpless (and therefore harmless) at four months. I'm not surprised.

Ouch!

Two days ago it was bath day followed by a short drive to the State Park campground where they dumped and filled tanks. I’m thinking that means we’ll be headed out soon. It’s been great here but between the hot temperatures and the piece of cactus I picked up this morning, I think I’m ready to move on. I’m hoping for a cool, shaded oasis with sandy trails and a place to swim.