Archive:
Travels of Faith
June 2024

I watched the sun rise! No alarms, but as the sun started peaking over the edge my body said rise and shine! Briefly back to sleep, and then up and walking about a little after 6:30. Really cool phenomenon - the bottom of the hole in the ground was filled with cloud, which slowly dissipated as the morning progressed. In hindsight, my first sunrise picture also shows this fog. I opted not to walk down into it, figured it might be gone by the time I got there and... I really didn't need to get covered in dust again after wiping most of it off the previous night.

As I enjoyed the view, I heard a knocking sound. Following it, woodpecker! Right at eye level, about 20 feet away. Probably could have gotten closer but didn't want to risk it. Pretty sure it was a hairy woodpecker, based on video and photo identification. The longer bill and size, combined with the red cap. I don't see spots on the wings, which threw me for a minute. No other non-spotted options fit though.

Got breakfast together, made Champ get out for food. No yogurt in bed. Then off we drove! Very slowly. On dirt and rocky roads. No more scrapes getting out. Soon after we were on the main road, white capped mountains appeared in the distance. Not a bad view to drive towards. We made no other stops en route to Bend. I meant to breakfast in Bend, but first destination was a dog park. Very nice spot, some (dusty) trails and a big field. Multiple acres, spacious. Champ and I practiced "steady" and some other tricks. I focused a little more on speed changes. I tried getting video, but the camera fell off the table. Then I videoed from my hand, and accidentally put it in slow-mo... Kinda looks cool though! His ears are slow-mo flapping up and down, so cute. On the way out of the dog park, talked to a lady with two dogs. She was dog sitting for her son and his girlfriend, but was from Portland herself! Gave me one suggestion on where to hike in Portland area (other friends later said, not a good choice, to far away and other better hikes closer). We parted ways, and Champ and I hopped back in the car. A little while later we refueled, heading north to avoid I5 and it’s closures and instead pass Mt. Hood.

Continued good mountain views, but we soon stopped again – I saw a sign for Smith Rock State Park. Looked like cool rock structures from afar. We found a parking spot, and I looked up alltrails and decided on a loop that looked good. Down the hill, across the bridge to the closer side. Smith Rock seems like a rock climber haven. They have a beginner area, and then the whole park. Some people were seen up on top of the rock ridges, what a climb that must be! Even being up there would be scary, ledges all around. At least for someone with fear of falling (me!). There were some stations at the base of climbs that had crutches and a gurney, in case of injuries. Never seen those in a park before, kind of neat.

There were a few good spots to get down to the river, which I let Champ take advantage of. I got many compliments about him. There were some birds swooping. When I got to the point of the loop where we crossed the river – whoops! It was a horse water crossing. Not obvious on a map. I made an attempt, leaving my shoes on for safety, but it was a little too deep for Champ and maybe for me if I’d bothered to continue on after that point. No loop! Continuing on was a much bigger extension. Instead, we turned around. That is when we saw the people on the highest ledges – some other fellow and his son were talking about it, and I joined in. Quite impressive and something I have no need to ever do.

We tried going a slightly different path up, which is when we passed a very popular side boulder. Felt like warming up and training for climbing. Some lady said “hi puppy” and reached out her hand, which Champ and I both misinterpreted as an “I like saying hello to dogs”. When Champ took a step forward, she waved him away and signaled otherwise. Oh well! Passed a sign that said “Trail Closed”, but a little while later I looked at my map and that was the turn off. We went back – the sign was for a trail that wasn’t quite the one we wanted, but was just beyond it. Not obvious. So we were able to continue up – otherwise it was going to be another out and back. Passed someone who needed those crutches, although she pulled aside and tried to hide it when we were coming. Moving very slow, almost certainly hurt her ankle. Seemed to know what she was doing though.

Back at the car, I made a sandwich, and then we got on the road again. Aside – really enjoyed a comment a lady made when we were originally going down. Her child was acting up and wanted to go back to some rock to climb, and getting mad about it despite the “we’re looking at the views now and will go back later”. The lady ended the argument with, “you can be mad about it, but you’re going to be mad right here”.

Mt. Hood, as we approached and passed it – all clouds. Couldn’t see the mountain at all. Too bad. I did stop at one spot, and there was a fruit seller – I got one bag each of Rainier cherries, Bing cherries, and blueberries. $50, kind of expensive – but he did open the normal size bags and pile more cherries and blueberries into them. They fit the bill for a snack I needed, too. Around 3:15, finally arrived in Portland. Found Kathryn’s place, and parked. Champ and I joined her on the front porch – her partner, Kate, is allergic to dogs, so the plan was to keep the dog fur outside the house. Kathryn and I talked for a while on the porch. She has new neighbors, who have a dog. The guy came over and introduced himself. Very outgoing, seems nice. They also were smoking on the porch, that didn’t smell great. Sometime after 5, I took advantage of the shower. Kate got back, and we all headed over to a food truck/beer garden place for a birthday celebration. Pretty neat spot! Champ and I drove separately, easier. We got there just in time for last call. I tried, and then order a glass of, the marionberry cider. Went to the gyro truck for dinner. Huge sandwich came out. Champ made friends, I talked with various folks. There was a vegan, no sugar added, maybe also gluten free but not sure, blueberry cake. It looked delicious. It tasted like… it really needed some sweetening.

We hung out there until they kicked us out, about 9:30. Headed back to Kathryn’s house, mostly – I was trying to find a flat parking spot since we were sleeping in the car, and she was on a hill. Kathryn came back by and led me to a nice little spot, right by the entrance to a walk. 5 very small spots – really should have been 4 – and only two other cars there. We settled in. I went for a last bathroom run, and then off to sleep. Tried to stay very subtle, other than the front windshield cover I put up. Windows partially down felt okay, neighborhood was secluded.

We got up a little later this morning. I did some spelling bee, as we’d talked about it the day before so I felt inspired. Annie and I went on another walk with the dogs, this time out their back yard. A nice trail that starts in national forest (or BLM, assume interchangeable in today’s writing) land, and then goes through a 50 acre parcel owned by a man named Fred or Frank, who takes great care of the land. Loves having walkers come through, has barriers that prevent motor bikes. Then back into national forest, and approach the road the Donner party took. A very old tree at the county line there, maybe a juniper based on the berries in the leaves. Annie likes to think it was a landmark for the Donner party when they came through. Crossing the road, we came upon a rundown shepherd hut. A few buildings, none really livable, opening up onto a beautiful meadow. Great for cross country skiing in the winter, and once a year everyone avoids it because there are nomadic herders who come through and apparently aren’t very friendly. Their guard dogs are very dog unfriendly too. Sounds like the stay a night or two, graze their livestock, and then carry on.

Heading back always feels a bit quicker. Newton was leading the way, getting a certain distance ahead and then looking back at us and waiting to make sure we knew the path. On arrival, Jim was still sleeping when we returned, recovering from his victory celebration! First in one of the races, despite starting in the fourth or fifth position. We setup briefly on the porch, taking a little break. Jim came out and we all talked routes to get to Portland. Checked the Darlene fire google was warning me about wasn’t a problem. Decided about where a good national forest camp spot might be. Then Champ and I said our goodbyes and drove off.

I made a second buying gas mistake – I’d been warned to buy in Lakeview if I was less than half (128 miles before next gas, the sign read). But I bought a little earlier then that, still on California side… another $20 down the drain – I mean donated to California. Beyond that, the drive was gorgeous, especially once we entered Oregon. Wide open spaces, great views. At the California/Oregon border, I took the road to check out Goose lake, and was not disappointed. We didn’t get anywhere near a body of water, but more wetland type area. Birds flitting about, grasses and flowers. After standing and enjoying for a bit, I made lunch. Champ did some exploring. A very calming stop. It was getting hot, so we got in the car and headed back to the main road. Looks like there might be some walks in the area.

We passed more views, and one lake that looked like waves of dust were being blown around on the other side. It may have been rain, though it didn’t look like it went all the way up. Neat! Around 6:00pm we pulled off onto forest roads to get to Hole in the Ground. Turns out – these roads, not very good. The van managed, though one steep uphill I was a little worried. When we got to the Hole in the Ground (a crater), it was very windy and therefore dusty, and a few people were camped. I didn’t drive much, but found a spot – after one big scrape of the car undercarriage on a rock – and got out with Champ. We were right next to a road down into the crater, which Champ started walking down. I figured it would be a short walk – turns out, we went all the way down. Keys were still in the unlocked car – good thing so few people about. The walk down was very dusty, and I was in sandals. Pretty cool to be at the bottom. We went up the much steeper other side – also much dustier. To the point where I would step and my entire foot was under dirt, and Champ was doing zig zags. A little slippery at points. Sandals, bad idea. But we made it! Wandered back to the van, and decided it would be nice to see the sun rise so we’d stay in the dust bowl.

I cooked dinner (pasta, cheese, meatballs). Because it was so dusty, I kept most of the doors shut – Champ opted for inside the van. He got some treats while I cooked. Then, he got dinner in (my) bed! What a spoiled soul. I ate in the front seat. The guy nearby me had a fire going from when we got there through me falling asleep – which looked nice, but I questioned it since we were an hour from a listed fire. No bathroom, so bushes it is! At one point after dark, I realized I could see great stars. I leaned out the car door and watched them for a while, also taking a photo (star mode, put the phone on top of the roof and left it for a few minutes). So many stars, what a beautiful night.

Champ was feeling the pets this morning. I made the usual yogurt & cereal breakfast, and we hung out a bit. Cold enough to warrant a jacket. Annie and her dogs were up. While Annie was in with the horses, I did some steady practice with Champ, also keeping the other pups occupied. When she was done, we hopped in the sprinter van and headed to Sagehen trailhead. Beautiful hike (albeit dusty, like all the hikes on the west coast). Follows a creek, so the dogs could easily cool off. Hardy likes to swim, Newton and Champ stuck to just wading. Annie pointed out various plants, as well as Jeffrey pines vs Lodgepole pines. Lodgepole being worth more money because they are harder and burn hotter, but Jeffrey pines being much more prominent. Apparently in Native American days, the forests had about 50 Jeffrey pines to an acre. Now-a-days, it is closer to 200 per acre, which is not great for fire purposes. Happens when you do a lot of logging without care. Forest management aims to reduce this, but long years of mismanagement and lack of resources makes this difficult.

I missed some of the flowers whose season had passed, but saw a wild rose and a few others. Learned about mahala mat, a ground coverage type of plant that has beautiful purple flowers in the spring. We saw an osprey nest – Annie pointed it out, pretty far away. She goes surveying for eagle’s nests with a forestry friend sometimes. I was impressed she saw the nest. Later in the hike, from a different angle, saw the osprey that lived there too!

We achieved the end goal – Stampede Reservoir. On the opposite side is a good swimming and paddle board area, but we were on unable-to-drive-to side. Ground got a little damp, but we worked our way closer. Played fetch with a stick in an offshoot – not quite deep enough for Hardy to swim, but too deep for Champ and Newton. Hardy would fetch the stick and bring it to the bank, then Champ or Newton would grab it and take it the rest of the way. They got into a tug of war match, and Annie and I both thought the stick was done for – but it survived for some more rounds!

Newton found bigger, more dangerous sticks that he didn’t want to let go of, and Champ discovered… swallows! He chased they around the big field for a while. We started heading back – more people, and occasionally dogs, on the trail now. Newton is a bit more excitable, so he went on leash for some of it. Champ was mistaken for being the mom, based on how he acted in comparison… Hardy was also mistaken for a girl dog, because of his look. Newton is never mistaken for a girl dog. Interesting how humans put stereotypes on dogs, such as color fur to gender (Champ).

Stopped in a few more creeks, and arrived back at the sprinter. We had left most of our stuff there (except my cellphone aka camera and a leash), so drank some water. Headed back to Annie’s house. The weather was still nice, though heating up. 40 degree swings, mid 40’s at night to low 80’s at height of day. I made a hummus wrap for lunch, and Annie and I both grabbed laptops. I did some writing catchup – and some reading. We also watched the birds on the feeders. They have some dominant Stellar’s Jays, a beautiful blue and black jay with a mohawk. Cassius’ finch, male and female. The night before we’d seen tanager flit past, but it didn’t stay long. Humming birds at that feeder. At least one or two other types I can’t remember. Champ mostly slept by me, interacting with the other dogs sometimes (or being too protective), and a bit of training time. Kevin the peacock could be heard on occasion. Overall, a very pleasant, relaxed afternoon. With some rotation to avoid the sun. Jim headed out to go car racing – 1/8th or 1/10th size cars, basically formula one. He has a cool little shop for the cars and for model airplanes he builds. Very organized setup. He expected to be back about 1am, long day! Practice and tune in the afternoon, and then time trial for position, followed by the final race.

Annie went off to feed horses, and about 5 I decided I should work out. Grabbed my mats from the car and setup on some wood chips. Champ came to help out, licking my face and standing over me when I was trying to do sit-ups. He growled at the other dogs coming to close, although one of them did settle in lying down by my head and Champ was okay with that. On top of some abs, I used the bands and did some arm exercises. Hindsight – the woodchips were a questionable decision. They poked into the mat, so I manually was pulling them out to clean the mats off before putting them back in the car. They also got in my shirt, solved by changing shirts…

We made a combo effort dinner – I brought in salad makings, and Annie made rice and an “easy dinner” butter chicken dish. Worked out quite nicely. I topped the dogs’ food with Champ’s meatballs tonight, so everyone was happy. Then, time for bed.

The beautiful morning wakeup by a stream. Champ, maybe tired from the evening play time, was not having it. I got up and made breakfast, and had extra yogurt for him, and it was… not at all tempting. I left him alone, sat down in my chair, and did some writing. About 8:30 am, I tried getting Champ up again – fail. In the end, a chicken treat prompted him outside. He ate the yogurt and the supplement (Dasequin) that I had on the ground, and then… went right back in the car. No pee stop, nothing.

So, I packed up and started driving. Goal for the night – Truckee, just North of Tahoe. A little over 3 hours of driving time. I got gas – right before entering Nevada. $20 mistake, so much cheaper not in California. Oh well. About two hours in I realize it is 10:30am and Champ hasn’t peed since 8pm last night, since he was in a morning grump. Almost 15 hours! Close to his limits. So, I do some mapping and find a trail along 207 at Kingsbury. I’d accidentally passed the turn already, but not by much, so backtrack only adds a few minutes. Mountain pass time! Car makes it, slowly. I let some people pass. Before I got to the mark on the map, I saw a sign for the trail I wanted, so I followed that instead. A few extra minutes off the main road. This ended up working out very well – found a parking lot, trash cans, and a trail to Castle Rock. Bathroom, throw trash out, sunscreen, snack prep, water prep, start up the trail… Champ poops. Early enough, I turned around and went back to the trash can. Then we got sidetracked talking to a guy about the area for a while. Back in the day, when the mafia (or mafia like group) was around and would protect you as long as you weren’t treading on their toes. Don’t remember the whole conversation, but it was interesting.

Take two on the trail. Mostly going off leash. Caught up to a family who had asked me if the trail could take a baby buggy when I came back from the first attempt (I had pointed to how far I’d achieved and said sorry, can’t help you answer that). Not sure the family was going to go much further with that buggy, but who knows! Still meandering, we also caught up to two ladies who had started just in front of us on take one. Had a short chat about the area, they hadn’t done the hike in 10 years and were staying at a friend’s house in Southern Tahoe. Took a short detour to what looked like it might be a view, but wasn’t much. Came upon Tahoe Rim Trail, and were on that for a short while. A backpacker had pulled aside, and I noticed because maybe 50 feet out Champ started growling. Second time he has growled at a hard to see backpacker, I don’t know it is the pack or the poles. Once he realized it was a human, totally happy – just like the last time. Talked with that guy a bit, he had an accent and was doing the whole rim trail. 12-14 days, in theory.

Found the Castle Rock trail, and the warnings not to go to the top of Castle Rock because peregrine falcons nested up there, and nesting season could go through July. No problem! Champ and I weren’t going to do any rock climbing anyway, a lower vista sounds good. There were a few sets of people coming down, and then a couple of “rock climbing trail this way, hiking trail this way” intersections. One of them I missed the right trail, and thought we’d come to a boring vista for the end. Had a little snack and tried giving Champ water best I could (had forgotten the water bowl for him, so it was out of the bottle and my hands). Then realized where the trail actually went, and we followed it up to a nice vista looking out on Lake Tahoe. Didn’t bother looking for a way up the rock, no way Champ would have made it and didn’t want to oust any birds.

Heading back, passed a group, and then the two ladies again. Had another conversation about the area and dogs. Continuing down (mostly, there was still an up section) I remembered to grab the poop bag I’d left closer to Tahoe Rim Trail. Hike back was pretty quick. We passed some of the family group again right towards the end. Looked like they had split up and the baby buggy had already gone back.

While passing the family, an off-leash border collie came running up to try and play with Champ. I took him off leash so there wouldn’t be any issues related to difference in leashes. Champ tried ignoring the dog, who kept coming back, but I had no idea where the owner was. Finally, after getting to the bottom of the trail and another minute after, someone a ways down the parking lot called the dog.

Grabbed some water for Champ in a more drinkable container, and water for myself since I’d used it all for Champ on the hike. Did some quick mapping to Chimney Beach, hopped in the car, down the mountain! As we drove by, there were a few spots I considered stopping, but kept going to Chimney Beach trail head. The main parking lot was under construction, but I found side of the road parking. Champ and I walked down, and found a creek! No surprise, Champ went wading. Kept going and arrived at the beach itself – fairly small, and not crazy crowded but busy for a dog. Chimney Beach is named such because… there is a standing chimney on the beach.

We walked in, Champ being game at first and then a little surprised by the waves. Went to another part of the beach, and I cleaned off my feet while Champ watched from where I left him. Then we headed back; wade in the creek; car. On to Truckee and friend of a friend, Annie’s, house. As we approached the house, national forest was all about – very awesome. Ideal living to have a property backed up to national forest. We got to Annie’s around 4, and met Hardy and Newton – their two McNab dogs. Kept them away enough to let Champ out of the car, and then they had a good greeting. Champ & Newton played for a while. Annie and I talked a bit, and her partner Jim came out. They have a beautiful deck, and a horse area. The property backs up to either national forest or BLM land. I heard sounds of a very loud dying cat – turns out the neighbor’s have a peacock. Result of a drunken online shopping spree.

Annie showed me their sprinter van – Jim did a lot of custom work. They have storage for bikes and/or skies under the bed, can stand up in the van, Coleman cooktop, and manual water pump. Pretty cool. Four wheel drive and diesel engine, with decent clearance. I’m sure it can go places my minivan can’t, although it is harder to park. Then we talked while the dogs played and explored. I took a shower, and Jim made dinner – chicken, mushrooms, green beans, rice. Champ got some of Hardy & Newton’s food, topped with a little leftover salmon. He ate it all, happy pup. Hung out on the couch for a short while after dinner, Champ getting a little grumpier as night came on and I was sitting (aka he growled sometimes when others came too close). Champ and I went outside and headed to bed - decided to sleep in the van, with the other dogs and hassle of bringing stuff in.

A slow Champ morning. I waited until 7:30 to get out, and then Champ did not follow me. Made breakfast, put the leftover yogurt on the ground to tempt him. Eventually he came out and ate a bit. Packed up the car and on to Yosemite. The line at the entrance gate on a weekday end of June at 8:20am – less than ten minutes to get through, not bad. I got my America the Beautiful pass finally (only would have used it previously at Grand Canyon, but I was too tired that time to get the right pass). The lady also told me they have a bark ranger program for dogs (I failed to act on this, no bark ranger for Champ). We pulled over at the next stop, a turnoff for a shuttle to meadows, and I used the bathroom, threw out some trash, and looked at the map to make a plan. First stop: Glacier Road, for a view of half dome and Yosemite valley. This was a 50 minute drive or so, and we made multiple viewing stops on the way to look at cool scenery. We did many Champ posing attempts (a theme for the day), some more successful than others. Champ was very popular, as usual. Returning to the car, went back down to the main road, and continued into Yosemite proper. First stop: Bridal Veil Falls. I missed the initial parking area and parked on the road. However, the paths where I parked all had “no dog” signs, even though the paths were paved. Online, even the national park website, it says there is a dog approved path. So we walked the half mile back to the main entrance, only to find… more no dog signs? Could not find a dog approved path. Multiple other people were similarly confused. Champ and I gave up looking, a bit frustrated, and just went. The falls were pretty cool! A few views, and at the best one I tried getting Champ to pose (treats in hand, which I didn’t have at Glacier Road).

Lets talk about approaching dog etiquette… If a dog is sitting, and an owner is next to them, treat in one hand and camera in the other, obviously trying to take a picture… Don’t lean right past the camera and try petting the dog! I mean. Ask first before petting dogs anyway, but come on man! Then the guy said something like, “guess he doesn’t want pets”, and I said “he’s focused on the treat right now”… Photo ruined. & I only get so many shots before Champ says he’s done with it. Yosemite in general, worst human behavior towards Champ I’d seen. Maybe just due to numbers, but multiple people swiping hands over Champs face in passing - not petting him, just going through the motion. How would you feel if I swiped my hand in front of your face without asking.

Carrying on. Left Bridal Veil Falls via the path that brought us closer to the car, stopping in a stream for Champ to cool off. Drove a little ways, and found a bridge I wanted to stop at – however, parking lot was full, so we kept going and parked a ways up on the side of the road. This ended up working out great – I made lunch for me and got snacks for Champ, putting them in the bag, and we walked back through/by the meadow towards the bridge. Plan to do a loop, hitting lower Yosemite Falls and coming back via another bridge. On the other side stopped in the shade for a snack, make sure Champ’s paws got a rest (some parts of the trail were hot). Winding amongst the cabin area on the bike trail, we achieved first views of Yosemite Falls. Did some posing attempts – Champ refused to look at the camera, but I got a great photo when he put his paw on me. Then we did the (dog friendly) loop. Pretty crowded, but very nice. On the bridge we did some experimental posing with Champ’s paws up on the rail – pictures came out questionably, because he wouldn’t keep his paws on the rail if I backed up to take a photo. But quite fun! He got many treats for all the attempts. We then found a spot on the rocks near the river and ate lunch. A little boy came up to say “hi”, his parents trying to rein him in until I said it was okay. I gave him a few treats to give to Champ, the kid was very excited. They headed off, and we went down to the water, where Champ cooled off again.

Briefly went back to the bridge and attempted more paws up, before continuing on the loop. Another stop in the main river, and eventually back to the car. My final plan for the day was Mirror Lake. We tried to find this, but it was a struggle – eventually realized any parking was a distance away from the start of the trail, and it was going to be a longer walk than I wanted to do on pavement, especially Champ seeming a bit tired. So, after a few U-turns and attempts, we carried on. Exiting the park, this time headed for Tioga pass.

This road… gorgeous. The views of Yosemite Valley as you exit, with the waterfall visible in the center and everything sprawled out in front of you… Amazing. Also passed meadows (not dog friendly – maybe not human friendly?), and many beautiful sights. Stopped at a creek rec area for a snack and a dip in the water. Some stunning lakes on the way. We came out over Mono Lake, which was really neat! Stopped there for a minute and got out to walk, but did not stay long. I wanted to get to a camp site. We were targeting Green Creek campground. There was also another option a bit earlier on 395, but didn’t look as nice. Turned off onto the national forest road (dirt), and had some great open land views. I found a nice looking spot and decided to abandon going all the way to the campground and park. Right by the creek, flat enough for the car, good isolation. Champ and I got out and played – running and dancing around in the road and open areas, me with music in my ear. Joyful, fun, free. Took some pictures, and then went back to make dinner. Ate in a chair by the creek. Explored a little more, and then went to bed.

Said bye to Steve, as I was likely leaving before he got back from work. Champ and I went on a walk – which turned into a long walk. Initially it was lots of sniffs in the neighborhood, but then we got close to the beach and it seemed like he wanted to go in the water. We weren’t by the dog beach though, so no dogs allowed (I saw some anyway). So we walked all the way to Rosie’s dog beach. Less dogs than the previous night, despite an influx about when we arrived. We did some tricks, and went up and down the beach a bit before heading back the two miles towards Alice’s house. En route, Champ used his sniffer and found untouched ribs in a potted plant higher than his head. Mmm, delicious! Often catches me surprise when he catches those random smells. We stopped at a chicken & waffles place and I got breakfast to go, but beyond that more or less went straight. Much longer walk than originally intended.

Back at Alice’s, I ate breakfast and we chatted outside. Chicken and waffles were middling - wouldn't get again. But the syrup was real! Post food, I took all the blankets and towels out of the car to air in the sun. Something was smelling funny, like bad yogurt (hindsight: I think it was the sponge). Alice and I had lunch together, and with help I planned out my route to Yosemite and potential camping places. Did some journaling. Prepped the car to leave, and was getting ready to go out the door when Steve came back! Obtained some oranges and orange juice (they have a tree), said bye (again, for Steve), and off Champ and I went.

Pretty much a straight drive, other than stops for gas & groceries, to Goat Meadow campground. Free camping, a mile from the South entrance to Yosemite, very convenient! A decent number of people camped out there. We found a spot and I made dinner (pasta, cheese, meatball… surprise!). By end of dinner, it was dusk, and I went to look for the rumored porta potties. Didn’t find any, wag bag in the woods it is! In the morning I didn’t go double check with better light, so future – I’ll assume it is a no facilities campground. Used the Thermocell to try keeping bugs out of the van, seems to work in the small space? Hard to tell. Then off to sleep.

Today we leave San Diego! Still, started the morning of with a two lap run. Said bye to Hannah before that, and Robert after. Hung about a little after everyone left, eating breakfast and putting things in the van. Cleaned the van a little. Left for LA/Long Beach at 8:26am, arriving at a little after 10 with a stop for gas on the way. Hung out with Alice & Steve for a while, lovely salad for lunch. Some computer time. Then Champ and I headed to Rosie’s Dog Beach. Really nice spot – off leash dogs allowed, fairly big space. No fences between the dog beach and the human only beaches, but clear markings. Champ’s opinion on ocean: “it tastes a little funny, but I’ll keep trying small drinks. Also, the waves are weird.” AKA – he was in the water a little bit. We did some play time, running around and practicing some tricks.

Back at Alice & Steve’s place, we had missed a barbeque sauce apocalypse (BBQ sauce bottle was shaken without the lid solidly attached, explosion of bbq sauce everywhere!). Alice & Steve had a ball with a rope through it, which Champ and I played with. Tried using a flirt stick (basically a cat toy, stick with a string attached to a toy that they chase around), but Champ was uninterested. More tricks and games. Champ was traded inside so Eddy (their dog) could come hang out instead. Steve made dinner (BBQ chicken, pesto pasta, and a ton of veggies), Champ trade places with Eddy again, and we sat down to eat. Love grilled food.

Post food and chatting, the final game of the Stanley Cup was on. Well, it was already finished, but we didn’t know the results and could watch from the beginning. However – already 8:30. I was not going to last the whole game. We watched most of the first quarter, and then Steve did some skipping around to important parts, and the end. Then we headed to bed! Champ apparently considered the futon (which Eddy sits on sometimes) low enough to go on without being invited up. Most furniture he doesn’t go on, so took me by surprise when I walked in and he was on the bed/futon!

I read a little, and after I rolled over to go to sleep… Champ ate his food. More like a traditional meal time when we’re still in Philadelphia.

Started off the day with the two lap run (surprise!) and leftover chinese (from lunch) for breakfast. The plans for the day were go to a garden store and pick up some plants. I went out and did some morning gardening with the recharged hedge trimmer. Packed another green bin, and then made some critical decisions about additional trimming that was needed. Did some training with Champ. Robert and I moved the desk I’d gotten prepped the night before. Tried to fix the irrigation system with the new parts – they sent the water too far! Good to know new pieces worked, but will need different ones. Nice, relaxing day. Hummus wrap for lunch, and took a nap. As I was getting up, Robert knocked to let me know if I wanted to go to the garden store, now was the time! Dinner plan was smoker cooked burnt ends, so we needed to get back so Robert could start them in time to have dinner by 7:30. Champ and I both came, though we weren’t 100% sure Champ was allowed. Upon arrival, Champ and I went to the street to make sure he peed before we went into the garden center, while Hannah and Robert went off in search of a lemon tree. Champ & I went to find them, and I checked with a worker that we were allowed (as long as he’s in control and on a leash). The citrus section was in the back. The debate between trees was fierce, but the already fruiting $90 tree won out. On to the succulents! Many small, interesting looking plants were selected. Then off we went. Champ peed on one thing while we were in there, but it was not a plant or something for sale. Phew!

Back at the house, Robert got on dinner. Hannah started up some crème brulés that needed time. I helped minorly with the smoker side, did some lazing about, and some additional gardening. Tried using the hedge trimmer on the vines on the turf field, to moderate success. Of course, played with dogs a bit. Then dinner struck! We ate outside, mac & cheese and burnt ends. Delicious! The chocolate crème brulé was the highlight. The texture was on point (apparently there was a water bath involved), although I don’t know that it was standard crème brulé texture. The taste was also great. Sometimes I got a little bitter aftertaste. All in all – dinner was great.

We chatted outside for a while, some of it just Robert & me, before heading to bed.

Pictures limited.

Woke up a bit tired. Might have tried to go back to sleep, but dogs and such. Oh well! Instead, Champ and I went on another two lap (1.6 mile) run. Got some breakfast, and Robert joined me in some gardening adventures. Morning is my preference, because less heat. First step, look into the irrigation system. Part of it was barely dripping water. Cut back some lavender to reveal the final spout. Running them, looked like a tiny dribble. Upon further inspection, if you took the top part off, plenty of water bubbled up – proof that the water flow was fine, and the tops were in need of care. Home Depot trip required! In the meantime, plenty else to work on. I was looking at the bushes encroaching on the patio area. Robert handed me a hedge trimmer, and I went wild! My initial attempts were a bit timid, trying to keep the bush looking nice, but Robert said don’t worry about it just hack them back. They needed a lot of hacking back. I kept some of the flowers, so it didn’t look too bad from the outside. Robert was on the turf area ripping out the vines and grass that had encroached. All in all, a good morning’s work. Filled up one of three green bins, and a good start on the second. Took a break, going inside. I made a wrap, and we discussed afternoon plans. After much back and forth, some decisions were made and changed. Robert and I went to Home Depot, picking up the irrigation pieces and, on the way home, lunch (second lunch for me). Hannah headed out to muck horse stalls, and Robert and I joined her (at her parent’s house) a bit later, after I’d had a nap. We did not help with the horse portion, however we did take part in swimming in the pool. Deuce, Durin, and Champ wandered around. Tried convincing Durin to get in the pool, very unsuccessful. Attempting to teach him he can swim. Champ we got onto the part he could walk on, but barely – didn’t push further than that. Deuce was very comfortable on the walking part. Life jacket on, he was encouraged into the deeper part. Deuce said nah. Gentle pull in, he was pretty calm about, immediately swimming back to “shore”. We all (humans) did a bit of swimming, and I lounged in the water a bit while Champ wandered the garden. I got out and did some writing. Champ started noticing the swallows, and the barking commenced. This went on quite a while, until Champ mis-stepped and fell in the deep end, the far side from us. He got his paws on the edge, and wasn’t freaking out too much – guess the swimming lesson in Massachusetts helped a little. However, he couldn’t get out by himself, and I jumped in and pushed him out the rest of the way. Next time, I should try directing him to a ledge instead, would be better long term.

Champ took a minute hanging out with us, but recovered quickly and went back to the swallows – looking down a little more often. Hannah’s mother returned during this phase. We talked, and Champ did not come to say hello to her because… swallows! Eventually he came over and took a break, also going in the wading part of the pool to drink that water (not chlorinated) instead of the water bowl next to us. Discussing dinner, we ended up copying Hannah’s parents after I asked what they were having. Steak, broccoli, and baked potato. Headed out shortly, Robert and I going shopping for the groceries and picking up froyo. I got chocolate and some vanilla – the vanilla for Champ.

Back at the house, dug into the froyo, and then had some time to spare. Robert and I split a Dos Cabezas sparkling rosé, delicious. Dinner making commenced, but I had no role, so I started prep to move desk out of the soon-to-be nursery. Also found a vacuum, and used that a bit, but not too much because Durin is anti-vacuum. Although I was told he’d come bark at it, which did not happen.

A pea puree was added to dinner, and the food came out looking delicious. Tasted delicious too! Another glass of wine, this time red. Rating from me, not to my taste. Post dinner, more horse jumping. Same event, but the individual competition instead of the team portion. Some repeat riders, some we hadn’t seen the day before. There were a lot of withdrawals (not doing well and stop mid run), especially in the beginning portion. Four horse/rider combos made it through clear, going to the jump off. The young lady who won it was from France, the event was in Paris, and it was her first win in GCL! Congratulations! Let’s hear it for the home team!

And… off to bed, it was late! Almost 9:30.

Woke up in the morning a bit before 6 after a great sleep. Soon after, Deuce and Durin were heard outside, a sure sign the world was rising. So Champ and I got up too, and after a little while decided to go on a short run. 1.6 miles aka two laps, decent pace but some sniffing and such especially at the start. Hannah left while we were running, and Robert left soon after with Deuce and Durin in tow. Champ and I had run of the house! I ate breakfast, and then instead of writing letters and journal entries like I had intended, decided to do some yard work. Probably an hour and a much cleaner turf area later, I came in and ate some breakfast while reading on my phone. Shared some yogurt with Champ. Played with Champ outside, practicing some “steady” which we had semi-lost (the advanced stages were lost, still had the base). Headed to the store for food, Trader Joe’s today. Now that I had lunch makings, made my usual hummus wrap. I went back outside with an electric leaf blower I had found, and did some more gardening. Feels nice to do something so productive!

About 1:50pm, left Champ behind (after another good play session), and headed to the marina to meet Robert for an afternoon sail. He has a membership at a sailing club, where you can rent boats out by the hour. We took a basic 22ft boat out into the bay. Robert did a great job managing the boat, and I switched the jib when requested. I also provided the music (Beach Boys pandora station on my speaker), and the drinks (a modelo each from Robert’s fridge – I guess that might count as him providing).

We had a great time, out for over 3 hours. On the way out a seagull was on a pylon as we passed very close by, super cool. Further out, a sea lion was basking on a large buoy. The eventual destination we achieved was the ship museum (name escaping me), which I’d been on before but was very cool to see from the water. Robert also spotted dolphins! I saw them pop up once, they were pretty close.

On the sail back, we went closer to the sea lion, and got to watch a few helicopters take off and land from the military base. Sailed all the way in, until we were right by the dock, switching to motor for the last part. Very relaxing afternoon/evening.

Robert picked up pizza on the way home, and after greeting the dogs we sat down for food. I made more mocktails. Then we settled in to watch Global Champions League (horse jumping) before bed.

I woke up a bit before 6, and went walking with Chris and Dutch (and Champ of course). Then ate food and got ready to head out. I was feeling a bit tired so was dragging my feet a little. Filled the water tank in the car, just in case. Was going to be a hot drive. After some phone distraction, we left about 8am – on to San Diego!

Gas first. Do not want to run out in the desert. The drive is pretty boring – we stopped in Dateland for a Date milkshake, at my brother’s recommendation. I thought the flavor was good, but the chunks were a bit annoying. It was more than I needed, I only went through half. Also got some snacks there. Temps were very high, like 105-110. Blehhh. Before I go into places that Champ can’t come (he didn’t even get out at Dateland, the ground was way too hot), I pump the a/c to chill the car and check my watch so I can be sure to keep the time short. I think having the solar panel on top of the car may help keep the car from heating up as quickly as it otherwise would, but I try to max out at 10 minutes, 15 if the spot is shady.

I saw the Mexican border, and there was an inspection point that included cars. Apparently I am very not suspicious, they waved me through before I could even stop at the sign. Soon after, we hit some cool barren mountains. Cool in terms of looks, but definitely not temperature. There were signs about “radiator water” every couple minutes. My van – did not handle this heat + mountain well. It started overheating, and I pulled over at one of these stops. Turns out, the water is just in a large cement container (there is a really good word for this I’m forgetting), and looked nasty. Instead of putting that in my radiator, I put some of my own water in. Looked like the fluid was still above minimum, but barely, so I topped it up. I also checked the oil, which looked not bad but could use some more. Added! The water top-up plus a short break, seemed to be sufficient – soon we were over that part and on a downhill, and the next uphill the temperature had dropped by at least 10 degrees, which the car was okay with. A little concerning overall, but we made it through.

Welcome to California! Home of expensive gas. No time zone change, since Arizona stays on standard time all year (it’s the best). We got to Robert & Hannah’s house about 3pm. Robert was home, though the dogs were still at Hannah’s parents (aka daycare) for the day. We played with Champ for a bit (he was so happy to see Robert, one of his favorite people), and decided not to go for a run. Then we put together a crib. Pretty easy with three people - me, Robert, and Champ, who was there for moral support. Definitely couldn't have done it without him. Hannah got back with the dogs. Champ was in the side yard to not interfere initially, and then we introduced Durin & Champ outside. Champ wanted nothing to do with Durin, and Durin wanted to play with Champ. The usual. Not a problem, they could hang out together. We hadn’t fully confirmed dinner, tentative plan to grill burgers. There was some urgency to get it on the table for the hungry people, so Robert and I rushed to the store, got everything, and did an excellent tag team to make dinner happen quickly. Turned out very well. Burgers, salad, fries, and pear based mocktails. Champ was stuck outside during most of it, while Deuce and Durin hung out. We decided to try introducing Deuce to Champ, initially on a leash. After some wariness from the humans, turns out they could be friends, they even played a bit! Until Durin came along and started barking, which got Champ a bit more agitated and he switched to playing with me. Overall, success. This was all outside still.

Soon after we went inside and chatted, then a 9pm or so bedtime. Right up my alley.

Today I have a very low photo count! Wineries and hanging out with people does that. The morning, we went on a walk with Chris at 6am again. Champ called off a rabbit! Very impressed. We did some playing as we walked (weaving through legs, circling me in various direction…). I’m mostly off leash on the morning walks here. After the walk I took everything out of my car to get the electric fixed and also, why not, clean it. I did a brief vacuum – because the vacuum died quickly. Onto the charger it goes. After some investigation, I made a trip to home depot and UPS – trying to return the a/c unit I had ordered in person. UPS, fail – since they noted the delivery/pickup guy would bring the label, I can’t drop it off directly. Home depot also fail – I didn’t want to cut the jumper clamps off the cable I have, so was looking for new cables. The home depot guy said go to an auto store, the cable they have is not as flexible and he wouldn’t use it. I sighed and gave up. However! There was a pet store right next door, so I got some new treats, Dasequin (old man arthritis supplement), and Greenies (tooth cleanliness) for Champ!

Back at the house, I showered quickly, changed, and then Bruce, Champ, and I headed to Sonoita about noon. Bruce had the day off, Juneteenth. Some cool scenery on the way. First stop was Dos Cabezas, where our family has 3 wine club memberships. We sat inside, where it was a bit cooler. One of the main people came over and we had a long chat. Bruce and I did a tasting – starting with the white (“Dog White”, Bruce calls it, because of the label). I really liked that one. Have to remember, because I won the family fantasy football league and the prize was a case of Dos Cabezas I hadn’t cashed in on yet. We tasted a total of 6 wines, and had the Brava pizzas. I ate my entire pie. Champ got some of the chorizo and crust. I also liked the base pink, and the first of the two reds we tried – less expensive than the second.

After a while at Dos Cabezas, we carried on to Rune. Where Dos Cabezas was setup in almost a shopping plaza area, this one was middle of desert farmland. They were outside under tents, with misters going – surprisingly comfortable despite the heat! We had a great conversation with the woman manning the bar (Katie?) and her friend, originally from Slovakia. Bruce’s knowledge of geography is fantastic, they were discussing various towns and places. The wine itself, I liked the first one best. A dust devil (or dust storm? A spout of dust) came through maybe 100 to 200 yards away. Katie went to check if there was any damage done, since we heard a big noise – apparently a wheelbarrow got moved twenty feet, but no issues.

After the Rune tasting, we took a scenic route to Autumn Sage, a third winery. Bruce was not a wine club member here. I was feeling that I’d had a bit too much wine, so I kept my flight a bit smaller and Bruce tried an extra wine there. The wines we tried here were mostly from grapes grown in Sonoita, vs a little ways down the road like the other two. The winemaker was the same for Autumn Sage and Rune, though different owners. Champ was a bit bored, but I found the conversation very interesting. The man didn’t own, but had been working with wineries in the area for 9 years. I forget his name, maybe Tommy? He had planted the initial grapes for Autumn Sage. He also had inherited twenty acres in the area from his grandfather, who bought before wine became a thing in Sonoita. Tommy planted grapes on his land about 4 or 5 years ago, and had been selling them – but this year, hopes to make his own wine with the help of the winemaker, James. End goal, either produce wine or have his own winery. Tommy isn’t sure he wants to worry about having a tasting room, hence maybe production only.

Close to 5pm, Dos Cabezas was closing shortly and Bruce needed to get a pizza to take home for Chris. Called and ordered from Rune – I got a flourless chocolate cake - and then wrapped up the tasting. Took the much shorter route back, only 10 minutes or so, and picked the food up. About 45 minutes back to Tucson. I wasn’t too hungry, had some cake and a piece of pizza. We chatted and watched some television, Dutch getting lots of pets. When it cooled down a bit, headed to the field area to let the dogs play. Champ did his usual (play with me, soccer) for a while. We did move when Bruce saw a snake! Pretty long. Not poisonous. Neither dog investigated. Dutch was intentionally let off leash, and unlike last time ran for it – but only to the car. Second attempt at off leash, she stuck around other than some zoomies in the field. Not recalling initially, but I had food with me, and she liked that a lot. Helped the recall be more consistent, until she got tired and lay down for belly rubs anyway. Champ, in the meantime, went off chasing bats.

Back to the house, we went between Olympic trials and a food show about exploring Italy, the episodes we were watching specifically in the Tuscan region. I got a bit hungry and snacked on some cheese and crackers. Went to bed about 9:30/10.

Champ and I got up just in time to join Chris and Dutch on a 6am walk. Gotta get out early to beat the heat! The plan for the day was go hiking on Mt. Lemmon, which should be in the mid 70s instead of the mid 100s. Bruce said if I stuck around until 8am, he’d make breakfast for me… I did some writing and he made his excellent breakfast sandwich. Champ and I then headed out for Mt. Lemmon a bit before 9am. A nice saguaro cactus area on the way up. Tons of view points you can stop at, fantastic views and really cool rock structures. Hoodoos – I learned a new term! Spires and towers of rock, you can look it up. The temperature was certainly cooler up here, though the sun was hot. Nice mountain views, and an overview of Tucson. We went to Butterfly Trailhead, planning to do 6-8 miles. First, though – naptime. The weather was perfect for a good thirty minute sleep. When I got up, a car had pulled up and the couple apologized for waking me up. I was already awake, no worries! I prepped for a hike, water & snacks & Champ gear, then we headed out.

It quickly became apparent that while the air temperature was fine, Champ was not happy. He started pulling over into the shady spots and sitting or lying down. Feeling the ground, it was very hot in the sunny area. I had put Mutter’s secret on his feet, so I don’t know if that helped or hurt. In theory it helps resist the heat a bit. Or maybe he was extra sensitive because the hike yesterday had been too hot? Who knows. Either way – we stopped a little short of a mile in, sat down in a shady spot with a view, and had some snacks. Then we turned around and headed back. A little sad, because 2.5 or 3 miles in are the remains of a plane crash, which I wanted to see – guess I’ll just have to come back. Other than our need to turn around, the hike was nice and I would recommend.

Back at the car, we continued on to the end of Mt Lemmon road. It culminates in “Summerhaven”, which has some shops and a bunch of cabins. We went to the Cookie Cabin with pizza and icecream, and I got a very expensive slice of cheap pizza, and a not-so-expensive vanilla ice cream that was way bigger than I expected. I shared both with Champ, and he was a happy puppy.

On the drive back down, we stopped at multiple viewpoints, both for the overlooks and the hoodoos. Pretty neat. Got back maybe 2:30 or 3. I took another short nap, and wrote a bit. Chris wrapped up work around 4, and soon after we had a glass of wine and some food. Champ did some requesting of said food. Dutch flipped over on the couch and was very happy, but also kicking me in the face. What we do for dogs.

Chris headed out for the night, and Bruce and I watched some news and Olympic trials before taking Dutch & Champ on a walk after it cooled off a bit. We forgot there was a SpaceX launch until Chris came back with some great photos. Oh well! Soon after, off to bed.

A beautiful morning. The temperature at night was 50’s and I felt great. Broke the fast with leftovers from dinner. Champ wasn’t drinking much water and did not want to get out of the car, so I was a little worried. However, he ate the meat in the tacos no problem, so time will tell. I was targeting a hike called Water Wheel Falls, outside Payson, AZ. We left, and quickly got off the packed dirt road onto paved. Nice forest scenery. ETA one hour, but about 45 minutes in I followed a sign to Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. There was an entry building, so parked and went in to pay. They had a picture of the cat/raccoon, it was a Coati! Neat. $7 entry, and can’t go on any of the trails or down under the natural bridge with a dog. Decided to go for it. I realized I’d left the wag bag at the campsite, arg. After this would head back and retrieve it for disposal. Some things you don’t leave behind.

The natural bridge was cool. The park was very small, maybe quarter mile of hiking for us. On entry we talked to some local visitors, who recommended going to Mt. Lemmon near Tucson if I was going South. Already in the plans, good to get it seconded! Bridge view points were well marked. On the way out, someone pointed out javelinas and deer! Very exciting. We were far enough away Champ didn’t even scare them off. Champ also found water to lie down in, there was a trench dug for drainage in the grass that was a nice bath and drink. At this point, it seems Champ is back to normal after a questionable morning.

Back to the campsite, lets add 1.5 hours of driving. Audiobooks and podcasts for the win, plus the drive was still pretty. Picked up the wag bag, turned around, and actually got all the way to water wheel this time. This was in Tonto National Forest. A lot of rock, I was worried about Champ’s feet getting to hot. Champ seemed less worried. We passed a family and dogs playing in a water spot, and kept going up to some “waterfall” area, which was very nice. Champ did some expert rock climbing, and the ground didn’t feel too bad. He also found a couple places to wade. On the way back stopped at one of the water spots that had been vacated, and I dunked under. When I go in the water, Champ backs up and looks sad. Since I go deeper and he can’t follow me without swimming, he disapproves.

The water was freezing cold, so I didn’t linger. Another group with a dog came up, and thought I was vacating for them – I told them I was done anyway. The kids and dog went to play, the mom saying the cold wouldn’t matter and then, hilariously, the kid sticking a foot in and immediately saying it was freezing. Champ and I headed back, going a little past the parking lot before returning to the car.

About 1:30 at this point, next destination: Aunt & Uncle’s house in Tucson! I did some research on where I could get a water refill, which ended up being a rest stop before we made the Phoenix to Tucson stretch. Didn’t linger in Phoenix beyond that and a gas refill, it was hot! My car outside temperature reading said 107 at one point. The scenery was also not as exciting, although we did pass through an area with tons of Saguaro cactus, which was neat. Got to Tucson about 5pm. First step, introduce Champ to Dutch, Bruce & Chris’ dog. This went decently – they won’t be friends, but they can live harmoniously in the same space. Next step, check out the owls! They have owls roosting in the outdoor shed, and it was awesome to see.

We went over to a field space that people take their dogs, and Champ ran around off leash. Dutch slipped her collar at one point, but stayed nearby – phew! Other dogs were chasing balls, but plenty of space to keep separate. Champ also chased and barked at some bats, which apparently are similar but not quite as exciting as swallows. Back at the house, had a salad, lasagna, and a few glasses of wine. Talked, watched some news, and headed to bed around 9.

Wake up in the morning feeling… a bit tired and sore. I am not a fan of arriving in the dark, the last two hours of the drive the previous night were tiring. Combo going to bed late (10 MST == 11 MDT), messes with my body a bit. Sore, from the 5k – including a blister on my toe. But! We got up, and since we paid $35 at the fee station the night before for Grand Canyon entry (free if you already have an annual pass). Stopped at a side-of-the-road parking lot for a mini 1.5 mile out and back hike with views. Couldn’t keep following the trail, because dogs aren’t allowed below the rim. Then on to the main visitor center parking lot. I prepped for a longer walk, but ended up keeping it smaller. Hit a bunch of points, saw the Colorado River (barely, but there!), and my feet were unhappy enough in shoes that I took them off for a while. Until my feet were too unhappy with the ground. 2.5 miles total. I was going to change socks when I got back, but decided to abandon ship and go back out the way we drove in, which was “Desert View Highway”.

This was an excellent choice – the views were better and better on this road. We pulled over repeatedly, taking our time. One stop, I pulled out breakfast. The Colorado River was much more visible at these viewpoints. Not much walking. Champ I let out a few times, but not every time – don’t want too much hopping in and out, and realistically he doesn’t care about these views too much. Much more interested in the squirrels.

Once we were out of the Grand Canyon, continued on to Oak Creek/Sedona. This was interesting – at the beginning of Oak Creek Canyon, it looked like a lot of traffic ahead. I turned around, going to a state park spot with farmer’s market type native jewelry tents, and some views. Champ and I walked around a bit. Back in the car, and still a lot of traffic… one lane somewhere due to road work. Probably took an hour to get through. Once on the other side, canyon driving – all the main parking lots were full. There was a line into Slide Rock, and that said “Full Line”, not just parking lot! Eventually I found a spot on the side of the road, and we got out and went down the trail. A pair with a dog coming up said we could access the creek. We tried a couple of access points, but they weren’t Champ friendly, and instead kept going until we reached a more “real” parking lot that had a sign for creek access. Found it! Champ took a wade, and I walked in a bit. One mistake, I didn’t put real shoes on for this hike, so it was a little rough going over rocks to get there. Doable.

There were some kids tubing, and families picnicking, and various people. Clearly a beautiful spot to cool down on a summer day. We hung out for a little before hiking back up to the car, grabbing a poop bag I had forgotten to bring initially, and backtracking a short way to clean up after Champ. Then we continued on, general destination a Payson, AZ – a national forest with a campground that looked free and good. This led us into Sedona, where I made a quick decision to stop and get dinner. Ate at a Mexican place with outdoor seating and misters to keep cool. They had a pup menu, so Champ ate in style.

Carrying on, about 6pm. More amazing views, theme of the day(s). We got on some backroads in an earlier than intended National Forest by Stone Lake. I decided maybe we’d stop there. Looked nice, and plenty of places to pull in and camp. Found one in the forest, and was settling in. Then some ATVs came by and looked kind of like they wanted to go down the trail near us – I tried to encourage them, but they carried on. I decided to keep going, in case there was ATV night riding I didn’t need waking me up. Plus, plenty of light left in the day. Great decision! We saw a cat/racoon looking animal cross the street, and a lot of deer. Champ scared away the first set by barking out the window, and then was on high alert.

Eventually stopped in a spot back in the woods, but with a field across the road and a nice view. The sun was still up. Champ and I settled in, not that it took much. Dinner was already done, so we could just relax. I decided it was finally time to use one of the wag bags I had stashed for emergency in the car, so I would sleep more solidly. Good decision – went to bed early, and slept beautifully.

5k today! Woke up about 6:15, got ready, and headed out 6:50 to pick Bonnie up. Took a few minutes, but we got to FTR and parked about 7:25. Took a bit to get out of the car, I get a bit nervous for races and we had not signed up yet and it started at 8am, so I was a bit antsy. We got to the sign up 7:45, very quick no problem. Champ on the running leash. Jack’s friend Scarlett and Champ got a bit snarly, so we decided they aren’t friends and stayed away. Said hello to some people I’d met Thursday, pre-race bathroom.

The race actually got off about 8:08. My first time in a 5k with Champ, so I wasn’t sure if I should avoid being at the front, aka how competitive were people for this. Stayed a bit back but not too far, crossed the line about 8:09:40. Of course, with all the people in front of us, and Champ being competitive… we immediately started passing lots of people. Champ was very happy, and I felt pretty good. After a mile, the number of racers in front of us started dropping, but still enough to mostly keep Champ excited. Mile 1.5 or so, mini break! Champ did a traveling poop while running towards the grass for the final piece. Covered about 20 feet in total. I pulled out a bag and picked it all up, warning people as they passed us back to watch out. No one stepped in it, phew!

Overtook some of the people who took advantage of the poop stop, and were doing pretty well. Someone told me Champ and I were both 12th overall and first for ladies, with a few blocks to go. Champ wasn’t pulling for a while now, getting tired. Two blocks away, and… Puddle break! Nasty looking puddle on the side of the road, Champ lay down in. Got up, lay down again. I encouraged to get up, he did… then went backwards and lay down again. So close. Almost drank a cigarette from the puddle, but spit it back out. Definitely not 12th anymore.

Finally ready to go, after at least thirty seconds, and no more stops! Made it to the finish, still first lady and first dog. I took Champ straight to the water bowl and inside to the shadier area. We wandered around a bit and settled under the DJ tent. Talked to a few people, hung out while Champ caught his breath. Very happy looking. Went to the race results table, and looked up our time – something over 30 minutes… but the start time was listed as 8am. Definitely crossed way later than that. Consulted with the guy at the table, who was fixing things, and got 24:17 as my official time, starting at the gun. With some extra math, probably about a 23:00 in the end. Not to shabby. 12th place was two minutes ahead of me, I have no idea how long Champ hung out in that water bath…

Saw breakfast sandwiches! Went to find those, and then sat down next to a lady from Thursday night, and we talked for a while. Champ got leftover sandwich from quite a few people, mmm, delicious. Wandered and found Bonnie finishing, and stuck with her for a while. Bought some 50/50 raffle tickets. A group started singing hip-hop, and they were quite good. Did not win the 50/50 raffle. Headed to the car about 10:15, and drove over to Bonnie’s. Dropped her and Jack off, said our goodbyes, and back to the Airbnb! Checkout wasn’t until 12, and I was going to take full post 5k shower advantage.

Cleaned up, got ready, was about to take the shower when I met the host. He checked in with how things were, and mentioned his dog had died that morning, 16 years old. Very sad. I wrapped up, and we headed out. While in SLC, got a few things delivered – including window deflectors, which I didn’t put on yet, and a desktop a/c unit that I decided the hose was too wide to use. The a/c unit was sitting in the front seat for now.

Off we go! I decided to try for Grand Canyon, 8 hour drive about. Too hot in Utah. Still needed to stop and do laundry. We drove for a long while, stopping occasionally for beautiful scenery. Hit up Hurricane Laundry, in Hurricane, Utah for my laundry needs. Just one load, but included the sheets that I’d already gotten detergent on and needed for sleeping. Very, very hot outside, but the lady running the place said Champ was welcome inside as long as he was well behaved and didn’t have fleas. The lady was entertaining to talk to. I wrote some journal entries while the laundry ran. A random dog came inside, that was originally assumed to be owned by a patron, but soon the lady discovered no one in the laundromat claimed the dog. Just wanted some a/c.

Got gas, and then carried on. Some really gorgeous views, wide space with mesas and mountains and rock structures. Changed time zones entering Arizona, Mountain Standard Time! This really threw me a bit, because my phone kept flipping between MDT and MST despite staying in Arizona. Also meant the sun was going down earlier, and I was going to be driving into the dark. We pulled over about 4:45pm at Pipe Spring National Monument. They were closing at 5, so quick jaunt! Champ just wasn’t allowed in the buildings, no problem. We rushed through, checking out the structures and reading the signs, and then Champ pooped and I didn’t have a bag with me, and only 5 minutes to close. Go quick! They had a bag station so that cut a couple minutes, and we made it out by 5:01.

New arrival time was 8:45, so late. Definitely missing sunset. I decided why not, I should go for North Rim – but then I looked up dog friendliness, and only one trail and two miles available. Not dog friendly. Continue to South Rim! Soon, we crossed the Colorado River at Lee's Ferry. So exciting, a reminder of rafting the Grand Canyon in 2017. The starting point for the rafting trip is Lee's Ferry. Highly recommend this trip to any who can do it. At an overview, I pulled over to make food. Gorgeous views. Talked to a couple from Alaska, probably for an hour. They made one of the tri-fold beds, and a custom storage unit on top of the mini-van. The front seat was planned to turn into a bed when their daughter joined later on in the 3 month trip. No kitchen like mine, or solar. A few recommendations, and tempting me to trip up to Alaska. Probably won’t this summer, but keeping my options open.

By now the ETA was closer to 10. I had researched Grandview trail as a potential camping spot 20 minutes from South Rim proper, free and in the national forest. After a gas stop, I arrived – and it was great! Open spaces even on a Saturday night, very private, a bathroom half a mile away… who could ask for more. Quickly got ready for bed and crashed.

Up and out around 7am after making final decisions on what trail to hit. 7 minute drive to Twin Peaks trail, which AllTrails had a loop on. Champ and I started up, and to pick up an early poop I put my phone in the running vest… and it fell out and broke the screen. Still useable, but some parts not responding well, and the bottom right pre-existing crack now was blacked out screen. Sad. Threw out the poop and carried on anyway, putting the phone in the sleeve holder I got for it.

I wasn’t planning to do any running, but early on a runner passed us and Champ wanted to follow. Turns out the guy was doing run/walk segments on the uphill part, so we passed back and forth a few times and chatted. He previously had an Aussie (dog) as a running partner, who would “run 40 miles to my 20”. Guess he does longer distances…

Champ and I almost immediately diverted from the AllTrails I was navigating on, because it looked beautiful. Different but similar to yesterday. The meadows and rolling hills were more abundant, and much less shrubbery. I did more running too, although my legs said that was a questionable decision. Sparse people similar to the other hike, and wildflowers on the north faces. All in all, another great hike. Champ and I both enjoyed it. We reached a peak that was a dead end, and turned around, but diverted from the true out and back, going onto the Bonneville trail. A few bicyclists on this trail. We let them pass, but then Champ got excited and ran to catch up. Of course he did not catch them (phew), but it was definitely a fast section for us. About 4.5 miles and 1188 feet of elevation in 68 minutes.

Back at the room, I tried to do laundry and the sheets from my car bed. Sadly, this failed… the washing machine had broken sometime in the preceding 24 hours. Now I had a pile of clothes and sheets with laundry detergent on it. Changed tactics and went to shower, eat, and clear out before the 11am checkout. On one trip to the car, Champ stopped to sniff and I talked with a lady waiting on the grass. I was barefoot because my shoes were in the car, which she asked about. The lady was waiting for an a/c repair guy, she was staying in a friend’s apartment while visiting family. She liked Champ quite a bit.

Headed straight to Bonnie’s at 11. I’d called a couple repair shops at this point, and the costs were $335 and a few days because they didn’t have the pixel screen in stock. Talking to Verizon was also unhelpful, just trying to get a trade in cost. Almost certainly not worth it, since the discounts I originally got would be eliminated by pre-paying. UBreakIFix, 20 minutes away, came through for me. Cheaper, only $300, had the parts, and the fingerprint sensor would still work after. After hanging out with Bonnie for a bit, I drove there. Quick and easy. I looked up cideries to stay in the area instead of driving back to SLC, save 40 minutes, but – nothing in the area. Back to Bonnie’s! Without google maps, but I had the general idea. Made it successfully, but I would recommend avoiding the main temple area in SLC. Traffic and construction delays.

Hung out and moved stuff around. The shop said the phone would be ready by 2:40, and I meant to be on time, but I got distracted and didn’t end up going until after 3. Right off the highway, so once I got out of SLC as long as I didn’t miss the exit, smooth sailing. Back at Bonnie’s, dropped Champ off, and we went to go see Inside Out 2 in theaters. Been a while since I went to a movie theater. The movie was good – a bit disjointed at times, which while intentional, made it harder for me to feel engrossed in the film. Seats were very comfy.

Post movie, back to Bonnie’s, and it was 7:30 at this point. Pre-movie I had reserved a room in a different Airbnb, so headed over there, found parking, checked in, changed, and went to a cidery two blocks away. Too many options for cider. I also forgot treats for Champ, so we shared the charcuterie board. Too much food for me anyway, so worked out. I liked one of the four tasters I tried, and then got something different for a full glass. Scion cidery, very nice staff, and chatted with some of the patrons. Walked back, got ready for bed, and fell asleep. Needed to be up by 6:30 for the FTR 5k in the morning.

Took more videos than photos for this, so here are some nice rolling hill shots from the morning hike!

Slept pretty well at the Airbnb. Nice to have a space for the day that I can leave Champ in without worry (aka a place with a/c). Started browsing trails, and decided on Woodbriar loop. This was north of SLC, on the other side of mountains a bit, 20 minute drive. Final numbers on the hike: 6.5 miles, 1191 feet of elevation, 1h38. The hike was beautiful. Wildflowers all over.  Mountain views. There is a reel on Instagram to emphasize how fantastic it was. Saw a few other people and dogs, but they were sparse. The loop we were doing, the return section on the map was hard to find. Originally missed the turn, and then changed to a different path because it was a steep gravel slide, the little part we did. However – the initial section of the trail was truly amazing. I did some running to keep up with Champ, although from the start on the uphill, it was a bit rough on my legs and I retreated to walking often. There was certainly more jogging from me on the flats.

Post hike, headed back floating on the joy of the hike. Champ didn’t limp the whole time, so continuing a good trend. Stopped in at a car wash on the way. Champ’s first time in a car wash, maybe? No reaction, didn’t care. Very happy to get it washed, a little disappointed when I realized there was dirt on the back windshield still, wiped it off with one of there extra towels. Also made use of the vacuum to clean the inside. Wrapped the morning adventure by going to Harmon’s (grocery store).

Bonnie had an appointment at 10 followed by needing some rest, so I took a shower, ate, and sorted clothes. Also snagged a nap. Drove over to Bonnie’s about noon, and she and Jack came out to meet us. Testing if Jack and Champ can live in the car together. Jack stayed mostly in the front, and Champ didn’t get too grumpy. Definitely some growls initially but got over it. Then we headed to Memorial Grove.

Memorial Grove is a neat park, which just past the groomed grass area and into the woods dogs are allowed off leash. The path follow a creek, which was flowing rapidly. Jack was off to get in the water asap, before running back. Champ was a little chiller, staying closer but wading in not too far along. We got to an easy water access and play area that had a bunch of other dogs at it, and stayed there for a while. Champ did his referee thing, when other dogs tried playing he circled and barked trying to break them up. A very drunk guy borrowed a ball from Bonnie to throw to his dog, and lost it almost immediately down the river. We lost a second ball alter, which Champ and I tried to intercept down river, but didn’t see it. On our way back up, saw someone taking an ice water bath with his dog below a drop. So cold!

Back with the rest of the dogs, I had Champ on and off leash sometimes, to force him to rest. He was clearly pushing himself a bit too far with the refereeing. We had a few other dog interactions, and headed back. Dropped Jack off, and then went back out to Smith’s (grocery store) with Bonnie. Didn’t stay long, 10 minutes max since Champ was in the car (shaded spot). Separated for the afternoon, and Champ & I headed back to the Airbnb. Where I napped and journaled. The plan was go to FTR, Fit to Recover – a really neat gym, for Ladies Night. Ate, took Champ out for a walk, blinding myself in the sun without sunglasses, and then got in the car without him to meet Bonnie and her friend at the gym about 6:15.

Haven’t done a real gym workout in a while! Started off with introductions and goals, and dove right in from there. One hour later, a bit sweaty, arms tired, moved into the lobby area for the hang portion. Re-intros, and conversing until about 8:30. Then Bonnie hopped in my car. En route back, stopped for tacos at a taco truck (for me), and then a vegan milkshake place. Not my favorite… Coconut milk was a big ingredient and that is not my flavor. I had about half of my shake, and sent the rest back with Bonnie. Back at the Airbnb, took Champ out, and then stayed up “late” reading on my phone (maybe 11).

Started the morning with a 3 mile out and back on the river trail. The only dog friendly trail available, and starts in the campground, going to the group site. We saw no one else. The trail was great. Views the whole way, Champ kept looking for river access and hitting cliffs, but eventually found a spot. I would have thought it too steep, but he knows his limits. He found a few spots. Seemed to be moving pretty well, so maybe it wasn’t a shoulder strain and just an arthritis flare-up? Too early to tell. Saw some wildlife as well, lizards and birds and such. At the turn around point I read the sign, which warned people to take at least a gallon of water per person because of the summer heat. Outrageous – it is only a 3 mile hike, with water access on both ends. A gallon of water, even in extreme summer heat, is too much for one hour, and a lot of weight to carry.

When we got back to the camp, we passed our friends from the night before and stopped to chat again. They had a nice garden area, and gave me a basil plant. My first van plant! Shortly after we were on the road again, about 9:30. Stopped soon after to check out some petroglyphs – Champ stayed in the car, I didn’t think he’d be interested (or allowed). Took another detour to find a place for a nap and snack, ending up at a state park that charged entrance fees – I decided a lunch spot wasn’t worth the fee, and the helpful ticket guy told me where to stop about ten minutes away for a creek-side break. We followed the instructions and found the nice spot. Clearly some fishing, but we didn’t actually see anyone. Had a hummus wrap and took a quick nap.

On to SLC, for real this time. Arrived about 1pm, and headed to Bonnie’s house. Hello Bonnie and Jack! We introduced Jack and Champ outside, and I had many treats just in case. Did a short block walk. Champ wasn’t a huge fan but didn’t go poorly. The treats helped. Jack thinks I’m a treat depot now. Valid.

Went inside and hung out. Played with dogs, talked, checked if there was an issue with the computer. Bonnie needed some rest time, and I wanted to take Champ for a walk, so headed out with intent to meet up for dinner. I hit an ATM and then Champ and I found a grassy area and some shade to hang out in. Since it was so hot, I opted to get an AirBnB, so some research was involved. Of three, the first attempt said the room wouldn’t be clean in time. The second attempt I got for two nights successfully, and it was only 2 blocks from Bonnie’s house. Win! Champ and I headed there and arrived 5:45, moving some stuff inside and taking a quick shower before dinner. Walked over without Champ to meet up with Bonnie, and we went to a cute place called Oasis, sitting inside. Chatted, ate, drank one margarita that was pretty good.

We both went back to the AirBnB, where Bonnie stayed inside with Champ while I cleaned up the car quickly. Then the three of us hopped in the van and headed a few blocks away to pick up a microwave from one of Bonnie’s friends. Took a second to find the spot, but it was marked with Bonnie’s slingshot outside. Cool trike vehicle. No roof is not the most practical in the winter, but great for summer!

The microwave had disappeared. The two other residents on the front porch confirmed we were at the right house, and Rachel came out. After some searching, clearly missing. We talked for a bit (mostly Rachel & Bonnie), and I showed off my car. Eventually I said I needed to go to sleep, and we headed out. After 9, but still sunny – annoying. Daylight savings, boo. Dropped Bonnie off and went to the rental. Champ went right to bed. Me, instead of going straight to sleep, I did laundry so I’d have some clean clothes. Still got to bed before 11.

After many morning pets, I went in and took a real shower. Asked Val if Champ and I could be of help, and she asked us to move the goats back to the field. Same set we had moved in last night. I set up the go-pro on my head to record our morning adventures, then Champ and I went to work, aka play. Other than terrible outruns and one or two early departures from Champ, it went great. Lie downs, staying with me, dealing with the gates. A little whining when the goats left. Very quick overall. I texted Val if we could help with more, and she asked us to move the males into the trap. Another bad outrun, but not an issue overall. Luckily for us, two of the four males went straight to the trap. The other two I couldn’t see, lost behind some trucks, but Champ went and got them without an issue. The whole event likely would not have gone as well if the livestock wasn’t used to the move, but they are so it worked. I went back to the van to tidy up and prep for leaving, letting Val know where I was. I freaked out that maybe I miscounted the males, and watched the video to check – only 4, phew. Once I was ready I heard some noises and headed to the back, catching the tail end of Val, Alex, and Tristan loading sheep into the trailer for the day graze at a different farm. We then followed Val on the drive over.

Hung out at the tending area for a while, as various people showed up to work on tending. A range of skill levels. Tending, when done right, means the handler does almost nothing, so we talked and I met some new people. Champ stayed in the car, he is definitely not a tending dog. A bit after 11, we headed out – on to Salt Lake City, via Poudre Canyon!

Missed a turn while talking with my Dad (the maps went out), and added 30 minutes to my drive… whoops. But eventually attained Poudre Canyon. Turns out we came in partway through, missing a large section, however viewing some great scenery and wandering through a boy scout retreat. Champ and I stopped at a riverside pull-off that looked beautiful and walked to the end of the very short trail. I stopped at the visitor center for suggestions, and they told me about a good picnic spot and hiking place. We meandered down the road, and found Big South trailhead in Roosevelt National Forest. I was offended that if I was riding a horse, Champ could be on voice control, but hiking he was supposed to be leashed. We walked a mile down the trail, running into one fisherman, and then headed back to the car. Beautiful river views. Champ found a few calm spots to take a dip in.

Continuing on, we did not see the picnic spot. I pulled off at a different place, which looked like it had bathrooms and a trail. Bathrooms closed, so sad. The trail was a lot of fun – very snowy and wet. I ended up with snow on my shorts at one point, when I fell through a weakened area. We did not go far, because it was a mile to the lake and with the pace we set through the unstable snow it was going to be a long time.

A lot more beautiful driving. There was a wildlife preserve, complete with a brochure for all the birds you could find there. I kept the brochure and would like to go back. The river trailing through it was serpentine and amazing. I stopped multiple times to look at it. Eventually we attained Utah! We stopped for the night at Green River campground in Dinosaur National Monument. Really neat scenery. Arrived about 8:30, a bit late. Took a walk to go pay the $18 fee. Was going to make dinner right after I paid, but we got distracted by the river (Champ got in) and talking to other campers, so… dinner was started about 9:15. Pasta, cheese, leftover chicken, and veggies. Wrapped that up and Champ went in the van while I got ready for bed.

I woke up about 6:30 after a great sleep. Champ stayed in bed until 7:45, but then I started getting ready to meet Val for farm chores at 8 and he roused himself. At first he was looking a little limp, especially when I put his harness. Once Champ realized we were going to hang with sheep and goats, all limp and hesitancy on being up disappeared.

We toured the farm, moving animals to their daytime places as we went. Val had Tristan, her border collie. Champ did some of the work, though I had him on a leash at first. Dropped it for some gathers. Champ was over excited, and we weren’t getting much of a stop on him. Tristan moved the four males (2 sheep, 2 goat) into the “trap”, a small area. The baby goats were very cute. Champ did most of the moving of the main goat flock, except the end section. Val then pulled ten goats out from the main flock and asked me what I wanted to work on with Champ. I hadn’t thought about it, since I was supposed to be resting Champ… she suggested sorting and pen work. Seemed like a good plan, and built on what Champ & I were working on at Carolyn’s the last time we had visited. I took Champ for a rest and water break first.

I have a whole page of notes on this part of the day, but going to keep it briefer here - maybe. For the exercise, we would: gather goats from the open area into the alleyway, which had 5 pens attached to it. From the alleyway, we would get the goats into the pens in groups of 3 or 4. Once done with that, we would take one group out at a time, and then I would “sort” them at the gate to the open area, where sort meant letting specific goats out first.

The first attempt at a gather was terrible, Val asking what we used on Carolyn’s farm to help teach this. I said we could use a line, and she went to get one. The second attempt, while Val was retrieving, was much, much better. However, since I had to go to Champ to get him to stop, I lost my association with the goats and they left. Third attempt was good – Champ stopped without me going all the way to him. Val was also back, which may have kept the goats there long enough to keep the goats in position while I went to the other side of the goats. Champ stayed where he was, good job bud! However, Champ needed to move to keep the goats off the gate, and any signal I gave he was taking as a “walk up” (straight at the livestock) instead of an “away” (counter clockwise). Val helped with this (physically moved him). I moved to the gate, opened it, and then called on Champ to bring the goats to me. Success! They went through the gate.

Did the penning section pretty well, Champ was doing some very good stays and taking my lie downs better in the smaller area. De-penning and sorting also went fairly well – Val insisted on me using a stock stick so I could keep the goats out of my space. I’m not used to holding anything, so it felt awkward, but I did use it like a pole in the ground – placing it in front of the goat that I didn’t want going out, so there was a physical block. Worked pretty well. When we were done with that, I called it for Champ – we were supposed to be resting, right?

Champ went in the van, and Val and I went to tag the newest baby goat, born June 7th. So cute! Did not like being tagged, but only cried out for a second. Basically an ear piercing. Val had a lesson then, and I had a call about posting my house for rent. After the call I watched the lesson. Kind of similar activity to what my dad & his dog Ender are working on in MA. Val was walking with the handler for the first part I watched, but not the whole time. Dog was a Rottweiler, and very much looking for affirmation from it’s handler.

After that, I made lunch and caught up on journal entries, read, or napped for most of the afternoon. Plus played with Champ a bit, easy stuff. We moved to the trailer for a portion, because air conditioning! Wi-fi made it easy. There was a short downpour while I was napping, and turns out I didn’t close down the van – but it was mostly dry, not an issue. Around 4:30 or 5:00, after another rain, Val asked if we wanted to help with evening chores. Champ and I moved the goats back to their enclosure, while Val went off and did the other moves. Champ rocked! Honestly, the goats could have moved themselves because they know where the food is. However, I kept all the gates closed and practiced getting the goats in a spot where Champ was holding them away from the gate before I opened it. Champ took lie down cues, only self-released once or twice, and only whined once when I made him wait for me to deal with the gate while the goats got away (in a pen where it was fine…). Good job Champ! I put Champ in the van and went to watch Val and her dog Alex, a German Shepard. While we watched, a double rainbow appeared. Beautiful.

Val invited me in for dinner, pork chops with peppers & onion, rice pilaf, and applesauce! Which made me happy, because applesauce and pork is a great combo. Delia, the 9 week old border collie puppy, was out. She played with me some, and also with Alex - a great baby sitter. After the meal we talked a bit more, especially about Val’s symposium coming up. AKA a big learning week for dog trainers. Then, back to the van and hanging out with Champ. He wanted to go talk to the goats more, but I said the goats were done for the day. Champ enjoyed the rice leftovers Val sent with me, and we did a little walking about and watched the sunset. Gorgeous view. Then, off to bed!

I woke up about 6, but we stayed in the car until closer to 8am. Champ got a lot of nice pets, and came up to the bed as soon as I moved my feet out of his way. We got out, Champ looking a bit stiff, and walked to Duffey Rolls, a cinnamon roll place. I got one mini original, and one bacon and cheese. I shared the bacon & cheese with Champ, of course. Seemed like the house was still sleeping, so Champ and I headed to the farmer’s market to see if getting there at 9 when it opened was less busy than 10am that Hannelie and Matt had gone at.

Answer: very busy. Went a couple blocks away to find parking. Meandered slowly to the market, sniffing (well, one of us) all the good smells. A lady asked to say “Hi” to Champ, and we got to talking until her son came. They normally get to the market 8;15, so they can get a good parking spot. We walked together for a bit, and then Champ stopped for some smell and we split. We hit the farmer’s market, and it was like a light switch went off – Champ started limping and looking very sad. We were barely moving. Clearly the crowd was too much for him. Moved over to a sidewalk, which was a bit better, but not great if I wanted to buy anything. Went down the block, and out of the market, and boom – walking mostly regular again. A bit concerning, because he rarely is bothered by crowds, so I think it sent him over a threshold. We got back to the car after a little extra walking (Champ led), and then I turned on the car, pumped the a/c, and put sun reflectors in the windows. After it got cool enough, I left Champ and headed back. Bought some bratwurst and a few veggies – not from the “fill a bag for $15” place, because (a) the bag would have been too big for the fridge, and (b) the line was loooooong.

Next stop, I looked up a park in Denver, and headed towards it. While driving I realized I was on the Platte river, and instead of taking the fast route to the park, I followed the river. We never made it to the destination – I stopped at one point, and we got out to walk along the river. Across the river was an amusement park. It was a nice walk, maybe a mile or two total out and back. A few access points, which Champ took full advantage of. Some parts where we were joined with the bike path, and some dirt path areas. The trolley line also intersected. One friendly trolley operator was waiting for us to cross and I waved him on, because we weren’t going across. Saw him twice, and we waved in greeting the second time.

I set up a vet appointment, because the limp was concerning me and I wanted to get a more professional opinion. 2pm, so some time to kill. Hannelie asked about lunch, and we planned for post vet. I stopped in Washington park. They have a beautiful youth fishing pond, surrounded with tall grasses. I liked it better than the more built-up major pond. Champ and I sat there for a while, doing some training review on easy stuff, a bit of scatter, and some reading. Left for the vet appointment, arriving a few minutes early. Champ weighed in at 56.1 pounds – fighting weight! Heaviest he gets is about 60lbs, which he was at in Georgia. For the arthritis, less is better, especially when we are active. The lowest I’ve seen him hit is 52lbs.

Since having a catheter once, Champ is scared of vets. So when the tech came in, Champ hid behind me on the chair – that I didn’t even realize there would be space for him to get into. It was pretty cute. He also tried hiding in the small end table they had. Luckily, no shots or blood draws this time – I wanted to test for all the tick-borne diseases, but they said they could only test for the Colorado ones. Oh well. The vet checked out his front legs, mentioning some muscle atrophy in his shoulder (normal for older dogs, but we should start doing more shoulder strength, or more runs where he pulls me). Brief moment thinking something was in the paw, but it was just a little pitch. The legs weren’t obviously bad. Went out and walked for her. On a re-check after the walk, Champ reacted strongly to something in the shoulder. The vet offered to do x-rays for arthritis, but I already know (from previous x-rays) that Champ has arthritis, so not useful. She also suggested gabapentin, which isn’t my favorite – but now I have some in my car. Unused… Should have said no. Champ acted high the last time he was on gabapentin, stumbling about. If it becomes obvious he needs more pain relief, we’ll consider it, but not for now. Results: speculation that he strained his shoulder minorly. Rest for two weeks recommended (she said walking a mile or two is fine, but hiking and such).

Back to the house, and we decided on bratwurst for “lunch” – from the farmer’s market! I also made myself a salad (Hannelie opted out, I did offer). The brats were delicious, and we finished them off with Champ’s help. Matt came out and we chatted. Ollie (the cat) stared at Champ from the door. About 5:30 I headed off to get to the farm outside Fort Collins, my destination for the night.

We arrived on the farm, Rancho Terra Norte, about 7pm, expecting Val & Dave to get back sometime around then as well. Champ perked up when he saw the goats. We wandered in a very small area that said “dog run”, so I knew it would be okay, until Val pulled in. She gave me a brief overview, and said to use the open field with Champ if we wanted to run around. Champ and I took advantage (only a little, because rest? Kind of?), and played a bit. There was a camper we could stay in, but I opted to remain in the van. A little easier for me, not having to move my stuff. Val also invited me in for dinner, steak and salad, after they unloaded from the trip. Went in sometime after 8, cute little house. Had to stay out of the kitchen because one of Val’s German Shepards just had puppies, and was very protective of the remaining two. Apparently this dog had tried for puppies previously but aborted near the end, and this batch many had been stillborn. One died after a day, and one got squished by the mom. The two remaining were so small, only a week old.

Had some wine, splitting the bottle with Val, and sat down for some steak salad. Delicious. We talked about herding and the plan for the next day (or two if I stayed for Tuesday). Opinions on teaching dogs to herd horses (Val – hard no, me – not my dogs, Dave – useful for wild horses). Brownie bites for dessert, and then I headed back to the van and we went to sleep. Champ really wanted to stay on the top part of the bed... First he tried for the pillow side, then he compromised at the foot of the bed. Eventually I moved too much for him, and he vacated to his bed.

I was up around 6:30. Champ was up later, and we had a lot of time for pets. When given the chance, he got up on my bed for the sleep in. I cleaned up a little and made breakfast. Champ clearly wasn’t getting out of bed for anything but good food. When I put some chicken as a topper on his bowl, he came. Didn’t eat the anti-inflammatory until I crushed it up and put it in my leftover yogurt. Theory – I can’t pre-cut a bunch of the anti-inflammatory tablets (he gets a half), or they go “stale”. We hung around a bit, and headed into Denver about 9am. Aiming for a park near Hannelie’s house. The drive in was mountain driving – pretty, though not to the level of the previous day, and lacking in service much of the time.

Arriving at the park, what a nice recreation center! Seeing the tennis courts, Champ had no concerns about getting out of the car. Or maybe the anti-inflammatory made the difference. We wandered for a while, past the volley ball tournament (also very exciting for Champ, and on a side path. A lady with a monocular (is this a real word?) was looking for birds. I pointed some out and she got very excited, after having missed seeing them. She was looking for a specific, rarer bird, which I doubt was in the group I saw, but better chance than not looking at them.

Hannelie joined us in the park, and we chatted and walked for a while. Champ decided that this time, we were too close to the tennis, and started barking. Someone came out of the tennis court, and we both assumed it was to ask Champ to quiet down – but actually, the guy offered us a tennis ball for Champ. What a nice person! I declined, because I know that what Champ really wants to do when playing tennis is circle the person with the racquet. Tennis ball wouldn’t hold interest.

We stopped in at the car and I picked up a few things, then walked to Hannelie’s house. After a little while there, we headed to Waldschanke Ciders & Coffee. I lifted Champ into the back of Hannelie’s car, because it was too high for jumping. We arrived a few minutes after the cidery opened, and there were already a few people inside. Due to Champ, we sat outside. The food was good (German food truck), and we got flights of cider. While we were there the clouds went away and it got very hot. There was another dog inside, and it seems like we’d have been fine in the a/c, but – headed back anyway.

Back at the house, we talked and played with Champ a bit (still limping some), hanging out with Matt & Jade as well. Dinner time came around, and we got take out Bahn Mi. While the pickup was happening, I took Champ and walked to the car, then drove it back – sleeping in the driveway! Many cats inside (very cute), so Champ needed to stay outside at all times. The food was delicious, and we settled into a three person (no Matt) game of Wingspan, using primarily the Asian expansion pack. Many new birds to see, beautiful cards and fun adds. We played into dusk, and pulled out some lights. Champ went to sleep on an outdoor cover. In the end, I pulled out a victory – 97 points. I made a many point mistake on my second to last turn, but it worked out anyway!

By now it was bedtime, so I used the restroom and then headed to the van with Champ for the night.

Since Champ was limping yesterday, despite my desire to hike – “rest” day. Started it off by staying under the covers, because waking up around 5:30, it was not warm. Definitely colder outside than in the van, but still quite chilly. Champ seemed fine, but I never can tell in the cold, so I threw a towel on top of him anyway and tried going back to sleep. Eventually I got up and started some journaling, trying to catch up. Got up to the 4th, and then at 8:20 or so I opened the door on Champ’s side. He said nah, I’ll stay in. But! I got up and dressed and made breakfast. Champ came out for the yogurt, and wandered a little.

Soon we left. No rush to get anywhere – planning to stay outside Denver in a campground. Just targeted Denver and started driving. I pulled off a few times – the views on this stretch were phenomenal. The lakes looked a bit boring, but the mountains behind them, quite nice. After a few random turnoffs that I didn’t stick around at, I saw a sign for “Turquoise Lake”, and took it. The lake was a little ways out, maybe 15-20 minutes off the main road. I got there and we went clockwise – which didn’t feel very exciting. The lake was manmade, we drove right over the dam, and the sides were covered in gravel. However! Carrying on around the lake, we hit some really nice forest areas, complete with snow. I pulled over at one section with rushing water, probably snow melt forming a large creek. Champ and I got out and headed into the woods. Beautiful. The light in the trees, the way the water flowed through, the snow piles. Champ’s way of bounding through the snow piles. Champ ate some snow, and also rolled in another section. I thought I was videotaping when he rolled around, but sadly it was photo mode so I got some terrible photos instead of that… Popped out on a more defined area, that went along a manmade flow of water into the lake. Continued back to the more woodsy area.

Headed back to the car, where I made a sandwich and snagged my computer. Then I went to a spot by the water, ate lunch, and wrote journal entries. Finished up another day! Did some scatter with Champ while I wrote. As I finished the entry, Champ nudged his nose under my arm – must have been something in my typing that clued him in I was about done. Returned again to the car, and onward around the lake! Took a turn I wasn’t sure was a campground or the right route – turned out camping/picnic area. Used the restroom, but otherwise carried on. I passed a few overlooks – after the second, the view on the road was so good I decided to turn around and look at the overlook view. Champ got out. The view was good, but I think the road view was better. We stopped at one more overview, which would have been better with less trees. On a really nice view from the road, I pulled off to take pictures. A biker was coming up the hill, and asked if I wanted a picture with me in it. Startled me, since he was mid hill – I said no thanks! Nice offer though.

That was our final stop on Turquoise Lake. I enjoyed the excursion, and would do it again. On to the drive! Which was absolutely gorgeous. I pulled over a few times – at a frozen landscape, for instance. I tried videoing while driving – bad idea. The car had some struggles on the hills, skipping. Not my favorite. I called my dad, sounds like that is probably the piece of the transmission that was not replaced – and would be about $1500 to replace. A bit worrisome, hopefully this will be the worst mountain driving I deal with. Texted Robert about maybe replacing the van in San Diego, though I wouldn’t bet money on me doing that.

Suddenly I was 1.5 hours from Denver, so I searched for camping spots. I found Cold Springs Campground, which had good ratings, and went! There were a bunch of first come first serve spots listed online, and I was hopeful – since it was only 2:30 on a Friday. Can’t reserve that late. Lost service en route… Come on Colorado. When I got to the campground, did the loop – all the reserved spots were the first section. Someone who had already circled was behind me. I took a look at site 25 and park. After wandering with Champ a bit, I stuck with my choice. The parking area was shared with site 26, which said “tent camping only” – but my spot didn’t, phew. When I went to pay I missed seeing the pen, so brought everything back to the site. $24 for one night, bathroom and water access. Colorado camping is much more expensive that other states so far! Not as nice a site as the previous two nights, but still woodsy and camping feel.

Back at the site I got tired, and lazed around for a bit. Decided to take a nap, set the timer, and the ranger drove by. They just kept going though, so I decided to go for the 13 minute nap. Two minutes in I gave up, and went to pay. Instead of the original checkbook plan, since I only have 12 checks left, I did a twenty dollar bill and four dollars worth of quarters. They probably didn’t appreciate that, but please – set rounded prices for things you expect to be paid out in cash. While I was up there Champ pooped, so I had to go back for a bag, inconvenient. Then I forgot the poop bag when I paid. Agggh.

I had a little service – texting would go in and out. Annoying, but good because I needed to communicate with Hannelie about meeting Saturday. I chatted when I had service, read, and did a bunch of low impacts tricks with Champ. Ex – chin down, scatter. We went up to the vista – a nice view. Probably better from the rocks, but Champ doesn’t like that type of rock and was limpy gimpy, so I didn’t worry about it. Our neighbors came back and I checked they were good with Champ being on a long line or free in the area. Made hot chocolate. Played around with Champ, more active than we probably should be but so fun. Eventually dinner (surprise! Pasta & cheese with toppings). Then, motivated Faith did an ab workout! I even added some squats and lunges after the 13 minutes of abs. Felt great. Champ was excellent moral support. Bats flew above. The sun setting cast a gorgeous sky.

Champ started getting worried about animals in the woods, and I knew it was time for bed. He went first, and then I got ready and eventually crashed.

Waking up to the sound of the river, sun coming through – so pleasant. It was chilly! I grabbed my actual coat and winter hat, not just the hoodie I used in the Pecos. No rush to get out this morning, but didn’t wait that long. Made oatmeal for breakfast, and then wandered to find Elk Creek trail. In theory, we could go out the back of the campground to get on the trail. Found the exit point, and followed a trail. Clearly horses had been on it. Led to a beautiful area with water following amongst the trees, overflow of the creek. I jumped one section, and then crossed a log for the next. Champ got stuck at the log part, and I would have gotten stuck on the third crossing. Turning back, we went the other way down the path. Looked wider and more boring, but it lead to a bridge! The bridge led… to the trailhead. Turn around, back on the trail, and keep going past the bridge. Finally figured it out.

The trail was nice, but dusty in the way Pecos also were. We went through meadows, saw two deer, and were higher above the creek than I expected to be. We came back down to the creek about 3.5 miles in, which made me happy. Champ took his required wade in a calm section. We went 4 miles out, and then turned about. Some cool, big views. Also a white flower, the size of a child’s palm, that I’m curious to find the name of. No big animal sightings on the way back. To be honest, I read on my phone some of the more mundane sections of the trail on the way out, but did that less going back. Just at the trail junction, Champ tensed and stopped – he spotted horses. I leashed him up, and we kept going to the beginning water area I like so much, that wasn’t part of the real trail. I sat down there for a while, hanging out, eating, and enjoying the world around me.

Headed back into the camp. Passed the camp hosts in a golf cart – Champ said “hi!”. They had some great suggestions that I wrote down. Back at the van, I tried filling the water tank using the gallon jugs. Success! Takes some time, but that partly because I don’t have a separate air and fill house, and really need one for a quick fill. 6 gallons fuller, I also refilled the jugs to have 8 gallons plus my emergency supply. Should last me a few days. I sat down and did some more writing, but it was almost checkout time (noon).

Targeting Breckenridge again, and really wanted a grocery store. En route I found a Safeway in Alamosa! I filled my cart with vegetables and yogurt and some fruit. Wraps, feta, and hummus. Plus chicken. No frozen meatballs available, sadly. In line, the lady in front of me said “Looks like you’re eating mediterranean!”, which I found hilarious. We got to talking, I mentioned how I was traveling and had only been able to buy from the dollar store the day before. She gave suggestions on where to go, more recs! Some of them, unsure if they were dog friendly. The lady behind me got in on the conversation, and also said there was a great dog park just north in the city. Definitely will stop there!

Filled up on gas, because I had half a tank and the gas station was right there, and then went to what I assumed was the dog park the lady recommended, Buena Vista Dog Park. The directions took me passed it, and when I got out to look around I didn’t realize but the ground was very hot. Champ lay down, and at the time I thought it might be the ground being painful – hindsight I think it was leg pain. We went back a bit and found the dog park, which is awesome. Decent size, right on the water so the dogs can go swimming, grass and trees… Really one of the best dog parks I’ve seen. There were three people on the benches, and we got to talking. Recommendations, travel, and dogs. Randy was especially talkative, and had many great recs. He previously worked for something related to water in Colorado, and traveled all about. So, a few towns to go through between Alamosa and Denver (long route via 285 recommended, vs the boring highway – my plan already!). He also gave suggestions for after Ft. Collins, which echoed some of the recs I’d gotten earlier. Love repeat recommendations, normally a good sign.

The sad part of the dog park – Champ seemed to be limping. Unknown why, maybe overuse. Paws looked reasonable. Champ did chase after Randy’s dog’s ball a few times, and we got him into the water after it. When I threw it too far, he would not swim for it. Wading only still. I waded in once trying to convince him, but no success. Oh well. On our way out, showed Randy the van. He is planning to do a trip in the near future, not in a van but maybe building out a truck. Then we headed off!

One annoying thing about a lot of Colorado – the points of interest are not obviously marked until you’re right on them. No warning signs on the highway, just a sign as you need to make the turn. Irritating. I missed quite a few. Talked on the phone, watched beautiful mountain views come in, and passed through some towns. At Buena Vista, I pulled in for a minute. Cute looking place. We didn’t stay, but I did look at a map – which showed two campgrounds between Buena Vista and Granite. I decided to try for the second one, at Clear Creek.

Due to the lack of warning signs, I missed the turn… and had to turn around. Went down the gravel road for quite a bit, and found the campground. Free! More similar to one you’d find in New Zealand, where it is a large gravel/grass space, no individual sites, and you picked a place and setup. Bathrooms were clean. I picked a nice place by a creek and a bridge, with a tree for shade if I wanted it. About 5:30 at this point. Champ and I walked around a bit, and then I setup my chair. Pet Champ, sent texts, tried to download a crossword but not quite enough data for that… The neighbors dog came over at one point, and the owner wasn’t aware. Champ was lightly growling, but not taking any action yet. I called out to the owners and asked if this was their dog, and they recalled the dog. Two nights in a row with the dog visits! Good job by Champ displaying discomfort but not escalating.

A bit before 8pm, I made dinner. Champ helped clean up the cutting board after I cut the chicken on it. Pasta, chicken, cheese, spinach, tomatoes. Classic and easy. Champ got dry food with chicken and cheese on top. Cleaned up, and closed up the van entirely – it was down to mid 60’s and expecting to get to 43 that night, so wanted to keep the heat in. No open windows tonight. Crazy temperature swings from high eighties in Alamosa. Elevation, am I right? Sleep time.

A bit chilly this morning. Champ was definitely on the stay in bed late plan, so I did some writing and reading. Eventually I opened the door, but not even Joey tempted him out immediately. I got up and made breakfast, then got ready for a morning hike. Denice drove us all down the way to where trail 249 was. She showed us the private cabin area (sign says pedestrians welcome), which has a beautiful creek running through it. One cabin is abandoned. Denice sent the owner a letter, apparently he built it and lived there for 30 years, but no longer. Some of the park people board up windows for him when they get broken, but otherwise it is languishing. Sad, it is beautifully built with what could be a great yard. We also saw a deer leg – Champ sniffed it, Joey gave it a little bit of a taste.

After that, we walked along the Pecos river for a while. Champ and Joey switched spots regularly. Joey never got in the water like Champ, but he’d lean in to drink. Some flowers were in bloom, though Denice says the meadows will be covered with them in a few weeks, once there are a few good rains. We got to a bridge, where I dunked my hat in the water, but otherwise we didn’t cross – if we properly followed 249, the bridge is on it, but there is an unmarked trail that keeps going. Denice also showed me a few plants, like bird’s nest juniper (edible berries) and scrub oak. Also told me how park service drops logs in the river every once in a while, to help aerate the water for fish. Stopped for snacks along the way when Joey got a little tired. Dogs got some chicken heart treats. We started going uphill a bit, and reached the goal – a beautiful viewpoint overlooking the canyon (gorge?), with a waterfall off to the right.

On the way back, we took the high road – this felt faster, and was about 2 miles. I’d guess we did 5 miles total. I learned how to identify ponderosa pines. One big (not ponderosa) pine tree had a huge trunk, Denice called it the other tree. It was tall and beautiful.

One last dip too close to the car, Champ got in wet. Oh well! Should have brought a towel. We meandered back up, and sat down. All the watermelon was gone! We missed the main event. Champ was exhausted and lay down in shade. I eventually got up to get food, and Denice added hummus and little sweet peppers to my array, so I added carrots and cucumber for a hummus plate. Dessert was a delicious shortbread cookie. Took a look at Denice’s sweet tent setup. Cot, table, solar powered fairly lights to show the way at night. Hammock further back. Then I prepped the car for departure, lazed for a bit, and took a short nap.

About 2, time to go! Said our goodbyes to Denice and Joey, and then went on our way. Briefly considered stopping at another campground to fill up my now near empty tank (extra gallon reserve, so never out), but it didn’t look promising so we kept on. Still out of service, I saw smoke from a fire ahead. Lots of smoke. I pulled over, unsure if I should keep going down the road – but a bunch of people passed me and didn’t turn around and come back, so I figured it should be okay. Closed up the windows as we got into the smoky area, and saw the forest fire people in a parking lot. More fire trucks coming in as we left the smoky area, the fire must have just started. Eventually made it to a service area, and I plugged in a new route – not straight to Denver, wanted to go the more scenic route than just taking I25. Telluride and the places in that area that I was told were the “most scenic drive”, added an extra 7 hours drive, so I decided to go the middle route instead. Only adds 3-4 hours. Targeted Breckenridge. My mom had called, so I called her back – being out of service for 47 hours, my dad had asked my mom if she’d heard from me, wondering if I was out of service or in trouble. Since my car had broken a bit right before going offline, probably added to the question. We hung up because the in and out service was annoying. I called Bonnie, and had not as bad in an out service. Still didn’t last that long. This point of the drive there was some beautiful rock coloring. I searched along route for a grocery store – nothing. Dollar stores, and that was it. So sad. Taking a cue from Denise, I got a can of chili and some shredded cheese for dinner. Plus two gallons of water, since I was low. Really sad food selection on the 1.5 hour stretch of drive. I picked a random campground from a search for national forest campgrounds, Elk Creek, and went on. Crossed into Colorado, and called up my dad. He was following along and looking up stuff in the area, and was about to look up campgrounds when service dropped. I was only 20 minutes from Elk Creek, and service never came back in.

Arriving at the campground, $29 a night on weekdays! Expensive for a pit toilet, but they did have water. Also, one extremely beautiful spot was open. The biker I passed on the road probably would have taken it, but I got there first and he ended up two spots down. Right on the creek. I took my checkbook and went to pay. Stopped at the camp host, and asked who to make a check out to – they also gave us a paper about local trails, and we talked about being a camp host. Very nice people. They are given starlink, so in case of emergency at least someone had wi-fi!

A few other dogs in the park, one red heeler who barked every time Champ and I passed. I went to make dinner – chili, cheese, and I fried up a tortilla wrap to dip in it. While we were eating, another border collie off leash came over. I could hear the owner calling, but the dog was not responding. Champ and her had a calm greeting, and then she tried eating Champ’s food while we were a bit away from it. I picked up the bowl. Called out to the owner to let them know where the dog was, and then instead of the whistle call she did a verbal and the dog actually paid attention and went to her.

Wrapped up dinner, pulled out the computer and did some writing by the creek, before locking up the van. The rear windows I opened, but all the up/down closed for bear concerns. Read a bit on my phone, and then off to sleep.

Started the morning with pets. I took a look at the map Denice had lent me the night before, and snagged pictures of the parts that mattered. Champ perked up when Joey came into view, so I opened the door and we got the day moving. I made oatmeal for breakfast, returned the map, and sat with Denice for a while. Champ and Joey were very cute playing together, I got some videos. Initially decided to do trail 249, because Jack’s Creek would probably put us past the 2pm checkout time, but then… Why not! Left about 8:30 for a 15 mile hike. 

Instead of going to the official trailhead, we bushwhacked up a steep hill to join it. The trail was quite nice. The terrain switched up, from trees to meadows to walking alongside a creek. Very easy to follow. One brief moment of phone service where my phone received a few texts, but wasn’t able to send one out when I tried. The aspen groves were cool, and the meadows had irises and yellow flowers everywhere. The views, also fantastic – mountains, hills, far off. Also some snow remaining! Little patches, easy to pass through. About 5 miles in we reached a part that was clearly hit by forest fire, that lasted for at least a mile. So many fallen trees to jump over or duck under. The wind was causing creepy voices through the trees, at times like coyotes in the distance. We survived that part and made it to the lake basin area! Saw two tents up, the first sign of other humans on the hike. Going past the lake, we headed up the other side to get to the ridge – but I mistook the around-the-lake old campsite trail for the one we wanted. I knew the general location we were aiming for, because I had no plans to climb Baldy’s Peak and could see where the ridge would be, so we bushwhacked and found the trail. At least 11500 feet at this point, I was pretty tired and almost turned around when we got off trail, but didn’t. Rewarded as we crested the ridge with a huge wind that nearly knocked me back. Champ went off to the right, and to the left were bighorn sheep! I don’t know if he saw them or not, but I tried calling him back – the wind took my voice though. Eventually got him on a leash just in case, though from his behavior I think we would have been fine either way. Tried to get some pictures, and the wind in turn tried – but failed – to steal my phone. Beautiful views, accented by the bighorns. We did not stay too long, heading back to the lake (on the correct trail) for a picnic lunch. About 3 hours and 8 miles in.

On the way back down, we soon saw a backpacking duo – Champ actually growled a bit before realizing the guy was human? I’m not sure. May have been he got excited because the hiking stick the guy had was being held at an angle, kind of like when we play sports. Either way it passed in a moment and he was wagging his tail. They liked dogs, so I let him approach. Champ barely greeted them and kept moving forward. The duo commented on how fast he was, and what a beautiful dog. Yep! Champ was cruising down the hill, and I did some jogging too. Wouldn’t mind getting in before 2, and it was looking feasible. We passed through the fire zone, and were alongside the creek. Champ stopped for water, so I grabbed mine out. Crossed the stream a bit later, and I realized I’d dropped my hat – probably when I had stopped for a drink, since I’d put it on my belt loop. Dropped the bag and jogged back. Found it! Less than half a mile behind us, so added about .75 to the trip. With the picture of the map and the distances, I had a general idea of how far we were. Kind of wanted to get the pace to 3mph including the stop, and Champ was feeling quick, so I mixed in some jogging. The meadows and the views were, once again, stunning. The backdrop of mountains, ahhhh.

Back into the wooded area, and just before our turnoff saw a couple with a dog. They were on leash, and I brought Champ back. The couple pulled off to the side. Looked like an Aussie. The woman said their dog sometimes has trouble meeting when on leash, hence off to the side. I told Champ “ go on”, and he barely even glanced their way as he went by. What a good boy.

Picked up the poop bag I’d left at the turnoff (didn’t want to hike 14 miles with it), and we headed down the hill. After the switchbacks on the trail were done, I saw what looked like a possible trail to skip down to the campground. We would have made the 3mph pace, except for this part. At least one human had walked it before me, but it was not truly trail and it took some care to not slide down the hill in sections. Popped out at an unoccupied campsite. Champ took the right drive, while I went the left, and then he found a shaded tree in the middle by a lady who was very excited to see him. I talked to Kathy for about thirty minutes. She asked how the trail was, so I showed her some pictures. She and some friends were planning a backpack for Thursday. I also passed on some of Denice’s tips. I ran out of water and Champ clearly wanted some more, so we moved on. Bathroom break and back to the van. Denice and Joey were out and about. Champ and I got in the van and I relaxed for a bit before taking a nap. Probably were chilling for a total of 2 hours, before we got out. Also did some journal writing. I had decided early on in the hike I was going to stay an extra night, but the inspiration to move and walk to the pay station was limited. Sat and chatted with Denice for a bit – put her phone on the charger in my car, so she didn’t need to turn hers on to charge it. I did some cleaning of the van, while Champ hung out in the shade and sometimes wandered about, but he mostly lay down. Tried to give him an anti-inflammatory, but he said nah, so I saved it to add to dinner.

Denice set out a bunch of watermelon that was old, see if the chipmunks would want it. “Watermelon Palooza”. This was sadly disappointing – one piece was snagged that evening, but that was it. After more chatting, I headed back to my site and made eggs for dinner, with some leftover cucumber. With the egg involved, Champ was also ate the anti-inflammatory. Win! Cleaned up and soon after settled in for the night. Starting to run low on the main water supply, the faucet is hiccupping. Lasted 13 days! The van being at an angle away from the supply valve doesn’t help, so there is probably a bit more in there.

Stretch! I started writing journal entries, and Champ slept in. Until 7:15 anyway. Then we went and explored the 6 acres the man told us about – no one else out there, nice start to the morning. About 8 we headed back, I leashed Champ up to the site, and went in for breakfast ($8, pre-paid the night before). They had a fruit salad! Along with sausage, egg, pancakes… I enjoyed the food and conversation, mostly about different trails and places to take dogs. They made extra sausages, so I took some sausage and egg back to Champ. Then I finished another journal entry – three for the morning! Still not caught up. Champ said it was time to go, so I stopped writing. Took 30 more minutes to upload everything I had written and select pictures. Off to Santa Fe!

Santa Fe was cool, but not that exciting for us. I wasn’t sure what dogs were allowed in, so we parked and wandered, eventually finding a tourist office. There is a dog friendly cidery, but it was closed Monday – sad. We went for lunch at a café. I realized I’d forgotten the street the car was on, so stared at the map for a bit and figured out where we were parked, and we got back with minutes to spare. One note on parking – there was a huge spot behind us. I was putting on sunscreen, and suddenly the whole car shakes, setting Champ on alert. Someone hit us trying to parallel park! Then they hit us again! All non-damaging, but very surprising – and no need, there was over 4 feet of space between us and them when the parking job was done. I don’t consider myself great at parallel parking, but this guy was terrible.

I aimed us towards Santa Fe National Forest, Jack’s Creek campground. A little over an hour. We got on the highway, and the car seemed to be in limp mode, so I pulled over and restarted it. Getting back on, the wheel felt really stiff. Then the car started beeping alarmingly – it was overheating! I immediately pulled over under a bridge and popped the hood for it to cool. Checked the oil – very very low, whoops. Not related - called my dad – he immediately noted it is the fan belt. “Easy to replace”. Power steering is connected to it, and A/C will not help overheating. I got back on the highway, a/c off, and managed not to hit the “H” this time. I was directed to the nearest gas, but when I mentioned the battery sign was on my dad informed me the alternator was also connected to the fan belt, and I had about 20 minutes before the car ran out of power. He was speaking from experience. So in my power steering free vehicle, I went to Eldorado Automotive, the nearest open mechanic my search brought up. Missed one turn and added 3 minutes, but we made it! & I realized I could open the windows because the air was cool enough, since the a/c was off.

The guy was awesome – he came out, took a look, said “yep – definitely the fan belt”, and then looked around for what might have caused it. The main guy then passed it off to one of his people, who drove the car into the garage while Champ and I went into the dog friendly office. Champ even got treats! While it was being fixed, we also wandered the parking lot. Another lady came in and was waiting for her brakes to be checked, and we talked about various travel destinations and suggestions. Have to get all the tips!

Maybe an hour at the shop, car was ready! They had also put 2 quarts of oil in it, very low. Get it changed next chance I get, but they didn’t have time to do it. Thank you Eldorado Automotive! Champ and I headed off to Jack’s Creek again. Thank goodness the fan belt broke before we got to the park – which was 40 minutes from service and anything useful.

Carry on! Heading towards the national forest, I saw signs for the Pecos National Historical site, which was supposed to be ruins, and followed them. It was a very open, hot space - new sunscreen application required. Some neat ruins, some boring ruins, good signs with stories. Probably took 30-45 minutes total. Champ did not appreciate when I went down into one of the rooms and he couldn't follow. I was pleasantly surprised by how amongst the ruins you got to walk.

En route to Jack’s Creek, we stopped at a river where people were fishing and went on a short walk. Checked out a state park campground, reservations required, and headed back to the car. Where I realized I had dropped my key somewhere! Must have been when we ducked under the guard rail. Backtracking, I magically found the key on the road, a little further than I expected. Another “Phew!” moment for the day. Jack’s Creek campground I did a loop, and decided on a spot. Champ and I hopped out, and walked to the bathroom. My neighbor also had a pup, who was off leash. He and Champ met, and started to play a bit. We talked, her name was Denice. I asked if she had change for a $20 – hindsight I could have paid the fee with a check. Paid the fee, came back. Denice and I chatted about various trails. She had a tent setup all summer at Jack’s Creek last year. This year they changed the system, so it was max 14 days for her spot and she can’t leave her tent up all summer. Eventually I made dinner, fiddled with the fridge that was telling me my battery was low, even though it seemed good. Using the inverter was only getting me so far. Luckily I had very little requiring true refrigeration, so I cooked some of the deli meat to put on top of my pasta and cheese for dinner (and on top of Champ’s dry food). Soon after, headed to sleep. Looked like the night would be cool, so I left the wool cover on the bed.

Woke up in the middle of the night and realized I hadn’t brushed my teeth or put my nightguard in – I’d fallen asleep with my headphone in my hand as I went to put it away. Guess I was sleepy! 

Lay about in bed until about 7am. Bob was up, and soon we were joined by Bill. Champ went outside briefly, but the swallows weren’t catching his eyes this morning and mostly he hung out under the table. Elizabeth woke later. We talked for a while, had some breakfast, and then Bill got ready for church and I got ready to head out. Took some pictures first, and then drove off about 9:45. Note to self: didn’t see the tile floor Elizabeth did, need to check that out in the future! Overall: I had a really lovely time visiting my grandmother’s brother’s side of the family. I had fun, I felt very welcomed, and the family atmosphere they have is beautiful. I am impressed by what Elizabeth has done – it is inspiring. Hopefully, I will visit again in the not so distant future. Possibly when I go back for a southern road trip.

The rest of the day was not as exciting. Stopped and bought zip ties at a dollar store, and tried to jury-rig the cable again – it had disconnected again. Discovered the connector I’d first thought the problem, was not it! The partner was the issue. This made it a bit faster to wiggle it into a happy place. I drove for a long while. Passed into Texas – tried stopping at a dog park there, but it was pathetically small, so we stopped at an unused picnic area instead and ran around. Passed a farm with way too many cows in the space they were kept, later learned called a “feeder farm”. It smelled terrible, and looked very sad.

Finally passed into New Mexico, and stopped at the welcome rest area. They had a lot of info packets, and I talked to the lady there. Changed my target to Albuquerque, seemed like a nice place to go. Later changed it back when Bruce said it was nice, but Santa Fe covered everything and was better – plus, it avoided an accident that caused traffic. We kept going and found a gas station combo dog park, which was pretty nice. The sun was very strong, tried to stick to the shade as much as possible. Getting back on the highway - this is the point where I changed to Santa Fe and avoided an hour of traffic – we got into a cell dead zone. It was beautiful, sunny, and if my car died at least a couple other people might have passed to help me out. But not many. Over an hour no reception, we stopped for a break and wandered a bit. When service came back in, I searched “campground”, and a KOA campground was 12 minutes away. Why not! Pulled in shortly after, and let Champ out. The person on duty said Champ could come inside, despite the sign stating otherwise, and I chatted and checked in to a tent spot. Champ was given some cat food and cat treats. The attendant, Billy, was very helpful suggesting trails in Santa Fe area – Dale Ball trail complex – and warning us about the nasty burrs. Then we went to our campsite before another, bigger wander. Went to the dog run, saw a tiny disc golf course, ran into the guy who keeps everything running – he told us they had six acres that were good for dogs if I walked up the hill through the campground. Back to the car to “make” dinner. AKA leftovers, and try to use the meat because the fridge seemed to think the batteries were low still even though it looked like I was full charge. Weird. Plugged it into the inverter, which seemed to work.

Read, and went to sleep. Woke up in the middle of the night when the inverter yelled about low charge, and unplugged the fridge.

Elizabeth was up and off to the bakery at who knows what hour. I woke up about 6, but Champ seemed uninclined to move much, so we stayed in bed for a bit. Very comfortable bed. Sometime after 7 we got up for real. Cache was in the bakery, and Bob put Urbie, Maggie, and Annie in the yard. Bill joined us, and we talked for a while. Bill is big on trading stocks, so we discussed the market and a lot of other topics. Champ noticed the swallows nesting on the house, and started getting a bit hype, so we sent him outside, and he had some good swallow chasing time. Came back covered in burrs. Tons and tons of them. Oh well. Bob and I bottle fed the calf, who comes over for breakfast in the morning. His mother rejected him almost immediately, so he is entirely on a bottle and has lost half his tail to coyotes. The calf is well trained, so it was very easy.

Bob, Bill and I moved to the bakery, where Elizabeth and her assistant were busy prepping for Elizabeth’s daughter’s 30th birthday party, that night. My second cousin, Myiul. The conversation continued, Elizabeth made breakfast – waffles! – and made sure Champ got some bacon and other delicious food. I also met Mina, Elizabeth’s younger daughter, when she came by. Great energy, really enjoyed talking with Mina and everyone. I also loved how close knit the family was, and how Mina and her grandfather interacted. Beautiful to watch.

Time passed, and Mina made sure I’d be coming to the birthday party, somehow it was 11am. I headed off to check out Medicine Park and the Wichita mountains, as well as go to Meers – a 100+ year old burger joint. Bill requested I bring back cherry or peach cobbler.

I somehow missed Medicine Park, but I did get to Mt. Scott at 11:45. It was closed to cars until 12, but closed to hikers starting at 12. A confusing time. Champ and I started walking up the road (covered in sunscreen, so much sun), and got half a mile when a very nice ranger turned us back after we talked about dogs. Jogged down, and then drove up. Stopping at some of the view points on the way, I talked to some locals who pointed out what we were looking at, and suggested I go see Holy City, plus where bison might be. At the top Champ and I wandered a bit, but with the heat we took in the views quickly and went back down. Driving on to Holy City, where an Easter pageant has been running for a really long time. Took pictures, but it said no dogs so we didn’t walk around. At the end of the road we found some lakes, at stopped at Jed**. We did a short hike to the tower there, and a bit beyond. Champ took a wade in the water and cooled off.

On to lunch! Got to Meers, which turns out is very popular. Long line. Champ was stuck outside on a covered patio (with water), and I checked on him regularly. I met Barbara and Chris in line, and Chris also checked on Champ, more to get out of the crowd. The line was very slow – not that long, but took over an hour to get to the front. I asked about takeout, and the lady said “No takeout!”, so I took Barbara and Chris up on the invite to join them and we got a table for three. Barbara and I talked about dogs and traveling, and she gave me some recs. The food came quickly – the burger was huge! I made a little bowl for poor Champ. I ordered blackberry cobbler for me and cherry for Bill, and put forty dollars on the table. The desserts came to go, and were very heavy! Very big servings of dense cobbler. Chris then rejected my money, and on the way out Barbara wanted to meet Champ. We also exchanged numbers, before heading off.

Later than desired, meant to be ready for the party at 6, but with the line at Meers I didn’t get back until 5:40. Should still have been fine, but I noticed my fridge wasn’t working… which turns out after talking with my dad, found a loose cable going into the solar panel, so the batteries weren’t charging. Tried to hack fix that, but moved the fridge inside anyway to a reliable charging facility (a regular plug). While I was working on the van, Champ took another run at the swallows. Showered, and got to the bakery around 6:30. Party was in full swing, delicious all from scratch food. I sat with Elizabeth, Bob, and Bill for the most part, and met some new people. Towards the end I talked more to Myiul. Helped out with the dishes, and eventually retired back to the house. Annie and Champ were briefly together and proved to be fine companions. Cache and Champ had a pee war, taking turns for a while on a tree. Then it was bedtime!