My life after Ike

It's back in the RV for me. Not that I was tired of my back yard yet. It has only been a week since I got home. But lots of wind came, and it became quite warm in the house. I began to pant and pace. I really do not understand mother nature.

So, off we went, on another adventure to Austin to Camp Sierra. I used to love Camp Sierra, but now, I am so afraid of being left there I can't enjoy its amenities, such as five acres to roam, squirrels, deer and chickens to chase. I used to chase them with the rest of the pack.

Miss Terry feels badly about all this, because she likes me to visit and she swears she never mistreats me when I stay there, which is true, and I really like Miss Terry. She keeps telling me to stick up for myself. Mom says she is going to take me to a doggie hynotist to see what deep dark secret is haunting me.

I have become deathly paranoid of Sierra, who has always been alpha. Now either she is super alpha, or I am super zeta. Just to make matters worse, there were two more dogs visiting after the storm. One of them alpha'd me into a corner, and I never left, not the whole time. I sat at the gate waiting to leave. I came inside only to sit under my dad's legs, and sometimes I moved to the corner of the yard where he was working.

Guess what we did. We built a greenhouse. That's me and Terry and Dad and Scout showing the frame off. Then at the end, I'll show you a completed project photo. By the way, Scout grew up in a crawl space, so you would think he would be grateful to me for bringing Aunt Terry to Yoakum to rescue him. But you know what he is doing instead of being grateful? He's practicing Alpha on me. He knows Sierra won't put up with it. Sure knows how to take advantage of a dog when I'm down. Please, I want to go home!

Well, here's the final project, folks! What is the deal with the see-through? Why go to all that trouble for an invisible shed? I don't get humans sometimes.

16,200 miles, and then some

Ooiyy! I am one tired dog. How many dogs you know have traveled this far? Anyway, here's a movie of me the way I look in the RV, sleeping my life away.



The next video is me back home, re-adapting to my big old yard.



So, just to show what a smart dog I am, here's a few mileage facts.

We went over 16,000 miles, left May 13, got home September 5th. We bought 957.7 gallons of diesel.Remembering my long division, that's about 17mpg, not bad for a house, I guess. And the cheapest diesel we found was back home in Texas, in Ozona, at $4.09. We paid a high of $6.812 in Bell, which is pretty much in the middle of nowhere on the Cassiar Highway. Who's going to argue with them about their price when they are the only gas station in the territory? We could have paid over $7 in Dawson City, Yukon, but luckily the guy in Chicken Alaska warned us to fill up on his $6 something cheap stuff.

We left that bear Rosabella in Johnson City, and if you ask me, that's a good thing for her. Have you seen the hurricane coming here? I have NEVER been through a hurricane, and this one is a doozie! It's humongous! Tomorrow I will be in the eye of it, and I have to say, I feel a little scared! Mom's been telling me that eye is no big deal, it's the before and after that gets you.

However, I just want to say that I am no wuss! I don't cowar at the least little drop of rain like some previous sammies did. I am ready. Bring it on, Ike!

14,553 miles

 

This is my day in the Park in downtown Santa Fe, taken over by a little boy named Tiger who was named for his Grandfather. There I was, minding my business, watching the pigeons and barking when I could get away with it, and here he comes. Actually, as kids go, he was a real keeper. Not afraid of anything, open to the world, listening to bees and birds and picking up leaves.....He made me live in the moment, which is where we should all be, no? And, I also met a Sammy dog in the park, not a full Sammy, but quite a love. All this while Dodie and Margaret tried drawing buildings and using pastels and water colors on a one size fits all paper.

This morning, we woke up early from our spot in the parking lot by the cathedral and moved to McDonalds. I was really asleep when we did all this, because I was catching up from waking both Dodie and Margaret up in the middle of the night to walk me. How often do I get to walk in a church parking lot? There was a security guard for the site, a man charged with guarding an archeological dig in the area, so I could have just slept. All the same, I felt better getting folks up all night.

I must say that since Dad has been gone, there's less treats, but more dog food. I am having to adjust, and midnight poops is just one of those consequences.

After our morning about town, I got to stay in the RV while Dodie and Margaret went into the International Folk Art Museum. The collection of miniatures there will blow your mind, 106,000 folk art items donated by an architect and designer named Girrard. He also set up all the little vingnettes that display the objects. Mom had seen it before, and she thought Dodie would like it. She was right. It was overwhelming.

Then they went to Jackelope, which is like a folk art museum where you can buy everything. It is over the top. While there, Miss Dodie met Luis Blanco, who made her a special flower out of Oxacan clay. She was so flattered she bought a little vase from him too, and paid his double for a tip. Later she read his biography, and found that he learned his craft from his mother, who originated the Chia Pet. Now she has a collectors item that will grow in value year after year. She was feeling confident in her investment till she noticed all the women in the store walking around with one of Luis' just for you flowers. This was right after she took Luis' picture with Mom, who makes him look Lilliputian.

After that Mom was bleary and said Lets to to Albuquerque, we've had enough. So off we motored, but not realizing that I needed another stop. After I crawled off the seat and paced about a dozen times, Mom said, we better stop for Daisy. All was well again.

Tonight we are camped south of Albuquerque with a casino on the hillside and a lake below us. The lake walk was wonderful at sunset. Hope I get another shot at it tomorrow.

Miss Dodie has to go home, finally, tomorrow. Mom said she can't talk her into changing her flight one more time. This means I can go back to being a spoiled brat and not have to hear what the dog whisperer show says I should be doing. AND, Dad is coming on Friday.....I am so excited, I cannot sleep!!!! Puppy treats, here I come!

13,000 miles more or less

I have had such a time since my last blog.

I spent five nights at Home Away from Home. Mom has been asking me if they were wonderful to me. I don't answer, because I really don't remember. All I really know is that I got groomed while I was there and for two days I was beautiful and fluffy again. Then I got into burs and dirt and pinecones as usual, and the cycle began again.

I have seen so many redwoods I can't begin to count. They are all several thousand years old. There's one in Yosemite that is 21 feet diameter. They call it Grizzly. That is one big tree. I like their hollow trunks that I can explore.

The RV is a bit crowded. There's Mary and Terry and Me and all our stuff. Plus Mom. You would think I would get more walks with that many people, but it ain't so. After the redwoods, we came inland, and I got to meet Audrey Lincoln. Her cat's smell was all over her house in Healdsburg, but I couldn't find him anywhere. She is really in great shape for being almost 92, I thought. Still pretty fun to look at. She wanted her son Tim to meet me, a beautiful dog, she said, but Tim was busy with grandkids while we were there. I stayed in the RV while Audrey and Mom had Pizza and caught up on old times.

Next day the girls went to get mud baths in Calistoga. Now that I can't understand. How can a mud bath make you clean? I hear it was 108 degrees, so I am ever so glad they left me out of the girlfriend package deal. I would never get that mud out of my fur, you know. They were very relaxed when they came back to the RV, so I guess it's okay.

I got to walk with mom in Beringer Vineyards while her friends tasted some wine. I don't get wine either. Grapes I like, but no thanks to the wine!

We dropped Mary off at the Sacramento airport, and then Terry and Mom went to Lake Tahoe. They camped next to a curious group of little boys. One wanted to know if I was going to get any fluffier. Imagine that? Am I not fluffy enough? He came over to pet me all the time, and he wanted to see the inside of my RV too. He said there was a baby across the street named Daisy. Sure enough, there was. She's from London. I wasn't allowed on park trails, but I could walk the park paved streets. Nice views of Tahoe from everywhere.


Then things got very exciting for me. We dropped Terry at the airport in Reno and took off for Angels Camp to meet cousins. Mom chose the route that Garmain suggested, and she nearly frightened herself to death. Route 4 across the High Sierras was scary. Ebbets Pass was 8700 feet, and the road was one lane. No dividing lines. Very scary. She went about 20 mph for 4 hours to cross is. The scenery was rocky alpine wonderful, but she missed most of it peering around winding bends and switchbacks praying she wasn't going to meet anyone.

Finally we reached Angels Camp and found out that we were still 20 miles from Larry and Lori's house. That's dad's son and his wife. Mom had never met Lori, so she wanted to visit. The road to their house was just like Route 4, but smaller and less smooth. By the time we arrived, Mom had had enough.

Lori was just wonderful to us. She gave us her bedroom. I got along great with George the black lab, the Spotz was another story. Spotz is a black little something mix that Lori and Larry rescued. She is very bossy, and she spent the night bossing me until I had had it. Then I began to chase her around the house in a frenzy. Mom said please stop! She separated me from Spotz.

I was allowed off leash cause it was very remote. I collected a fair number of beggars Lice, which are little burrs in my coat. Lori cooked dinner and breakfast, and we ate both out on the deck looking at far away hills. Lori is an artist, and she has about 10 landscapes in progress for a show. She also teaches art. I really really like her.

After we left Lori, we went south to meet my other cousin Raven. Raven lives with Dad's sister Mary in Merced. Raven's got a great house with a nice back yard and a doggie door. I was a little wide for the door, but mom fixed what I broke with duct tape. Raven and I were compatible, but we were jealous of each other in the human affection department. I got so wound up that I peed on Aunt Mary's carpeted floor twice. I NEVER do that.

Mom and Mary went to the country on Saturday and left me and Raven to play. We did just fine. Aunt Mary and Raven like to dance. Raven is pretty funny.

Then I discovered that someone was joining us for the trip to Texas. Her name is Rosabella Violet Plum. She's a purple bear from Aunt Mary's third grade class, and she travels a lot. Mom says Rosabella is going to blog this section of the trip for us.

Good, that will give me more time for walks and harassing Balto.

Wonderful Washington State

Okay, this is me, the MOM, but somehow I am on Daisy's blog. We loved the Cascades. We crossed them on Highway 20, enjoying first the high desert, then the mountain firs, then the resort towns, then the lakes created along the Skagit to provide commercial hydro power to Seattle. Along the way were fruit stands (peaches and tomatoes, ummm) and ice cream stands. And sunshine and lots of bikers having a blast on the winding, twisting undulating roads.

We arrived the evening of the 24th in Bellingham, my possible next home, and settled in to be citizens for the weekend. The weather is putting on a show for us, and we found a great fenced bark park to tire Daisy out.

Poor thing, she has continued to have the tummy bug. In what would be one of life's most embarrasing moments if anybody knew us, we stopped at a rural Washington vet to get her kennel cough shot updated, and she immediately got sick all over their rug. The country vet, who was clearly more concerned with the horses and cows, said she looked bright and perky, so just don't feed her for a day or too. So we have been dutiful and she seems better now.

Our plans are to hang here for a few days, visit friends, and then send Carl home. That will be the start of a new saga, the Chick Trip segment of Teregram's voyage. It's bound to be wild but largely unrecorded, so tune in for an occasional update.

10,499 miles

Wow. That's a lot of miles for a Sammy dog. Makes my head spin.

Today, Dad said let's go East for a while and then go back across the Cascades for fun. So we had fun. Great scenery, where Canada Highway 3 winds through the Skagit river valley with mountains and orchard land and wineries. Then the terrain became high desert again. One valley over, another ecosystem.

We crossed the border at the smallest possible border crossing, even smaller than Hyder Alaska. The man came out and said, "How did you folks find your way here?" For the final time at a border crossing, no one cared about my health papers or our food in the frig. Just "are you guys bringing anything back? Where ya going next?" I slept through the whole thing.

We are tonight barely back in the USA in Oroville, WA,otherwise known as nowhere. The lady running our RV park turned out to be a dog hater. She gave Dad an ALL CAPS MEMO OF DOG RULES. IT EXPLAINED HOW NOT EVERYONE LIKES DOGS AND HOW LONG MY LEASH WAS TO BE AND WHERE I COULD NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TAKE MY WALKS. Guess who is number one on the list of people who don't like dogs? I wonder? Tonight, I am lying outside, calmly knawing on my t-bone, minding my own business like I always do. Here comes dragon lady in her little golf cart. She knocked on the RV door and told mom not to tie me to the tree. She said it's only two years old and won't take much to ruin it. Makes me want to potty on her front porch. Oh well. A person who hates dogs is an unhappy person, I always say. Almost everyone is happier than she is.

This morning, mom walked me around Harrison Lake to the source of the hot springs. Lovely walk, I must say, with geese parading down to the water and the hills across the lake a misty blue. On the way back, an elderly woman melted at me. I melted back at her, and she teared up over her poor little dog that is no longer with her. Her son said they were from Quebec. She spoke only French, not a word of English, but we communicated one soul to another. She rubbed my face, and I looked at her with adoration.

I have to say I can't tell the difference so far between Canada and the US. It definitely does not look like Texas yet. My trip is far from over, Mom says. She says I am going to stay with her cross country till around the first of September. That is one journey to remember, huh? I have so much to tell the dogs back home.

10,312 miles

There we were, driving from the hotsprings to our RV park in Harrison Hot Springs, BC, when mom pulls over in a hurry and says LOOK. Two sammies walking down the street. They came over to meet us. Both are rescue sammies (I guess they learned CPR). One was left for dead run over on a highway, and the other came from a home of older folks who could not take care of her. Her name was Betsy and she was an attention hog. The other, Keisha, and please forgive me if her name is spelled incorrectly, was given to random barking. I could not hear the name over her barking. Her owner says she has her own world, in which she listens to voices no one else hears and barks. I guess if I survived a hit and run, I might have some random things to say too.

I am feeling fine tonight, thank you for asking. But last night at 12, I got mom up by barking at the door. She walked me, but nothing. At 1 am, I got Dad up by barking. He walked me, but nothing. Then I kept barking and they told me to go to sleep or else. Some comments about crying wolf. Oh boy what a mess. I was so sick at my tummy. They felt so bad for doubting my sincerity. Mom was walking me around the RV park in the wee hours, dad was outside cleaning the rug by the light of a flashlight. It was a sad situation. Everyone got to sleep about 2.

Next morning the neighbors commented that we had a rough night, eh? We must have been noisy. I was sick several more times today, but I am getting better. Dad and Mom are going to feed me white rice tonight.

Today was fine scenery though. That sea to sky highway is something. From Whistler to Vancouver is really awesome with the low coast mountain ranges doing their blue shadowy shimmer again the turquoise Howe Sound. Then we skirted north of Vancouver to head east to Harrison Hot springs. Mom and her springs. You would think she has enough minerals. She likes to be hot and have prune hands. I guess it's not a bad thing.

9,870 miles

I am calling this guy Billy, cause there used to be a black lab named Billy in our neighborhood. Today while Mom and I were hanging out near Pemberton BC and Dad was riding his bike, Billy came by and invited me to play. He picked up a rock and gave me a come hither look and led Mom and me to Pemberton Creek. He had a thing with rocks, as labs often do. He went into the bushes for the perfect rock, then buried the rock in the water, the same place in the creek every time.

This went on for some time. Then he led us to the creek on the other side of the road, and mom thought the whole thing was so cute that she did what she never does. Let me off leash. I was perfect. Billy and I played in the water and on the beach for a long time. He taught me to fetch sticks. I never did get what the deal was with the rocks, but hey, what happens in BC, stays in BC. If he wants to chew rocks, I guess he can chew rocks.

Finally, Mom said, "Okay, you guys, lets go get puppy cookies". We both sat and she gave us cookies. I have never had more fun the whole trip.

Today was more fun that the night before when I got to walk on the Fraser River at Lilleoot and crawl on rocks. More fun than meeting the little girls who were afraid of me, but their dad said in a Brit accent, "Don't be afraid, Just give Daisy a little tickle." More fun than the walk to Brandywine Falls and having my picture taken with people. More fun than the ladies next door tonight who came over to give me bones because they missed their puppies at home. (Mom said she thought they were a little bit manly, especially the one who hooked a blow torch to a propane tank to start their fire).

Today made up for Mom not feeling well lately and giving me only the most basic of walks. Today was PRIMO!

9,131 Miles

Uh, oh. I have competition. Mom came home with this guy in Valdez. Says his name is Balto. First thing I did was grab him and run out the door with him. Looked like something I should chew the stuffing out of. I have grown used to him over the last few days and today I was even nice enough to pose for the family photo. Mom says she needs a cuddle dog on the top rack, and I am too afraid to go up there. I guess as long as it doesn't go any farther than that I can tolerate him. As long as my food and my puppy cookies don't get eaten....

Mom is still walking me. She wants to ooh and aah about the flowers and the scenery and the rivers and the mountains, but I say walks are all about rodents. There are ground squirrels everywhere, and ungrounded squirrels in the trees chirping at me. The last few nights have been a cornucopia of squirrels.

We are somewhere in BC now. I get so confused sometimes, because it all looks the same at the end of a longline. We left the Yukon a couple of days ago on the Cassiar highway to see new scenery. It sure worked. We have bear sightings everyday, and we have seen a red fox and a moose in a pond. I will have to do some catchup on my animals. The road was supposed to be awful, but we have found that when Dad drives, it is smooth and paved and the sun shines. When Mom drives, the road turns to gravel with potholes and construction zones with flag women. And it rains.

The first night on the Cassiar, we stayed at Boya Lake. Now that was scenery. We went on a lakeside trail hike, and I drank lake water twice. Mom took pictures and I barked at squirrels. Eventually the squirrels moved out of our tree or went to bed and I was allowed out on the longline.

There was a family from Vancouver next door, three boys very close in age, and Anthony came right over to check me out. He has this British accent so he says his name is Antony without the h. He wanted to know how much I weighed. About 60 lbs Dad said. How much do you weigh? Anthony said 70. Mom asked how many kilos? No kilos, he said. There were lots of other questions. His brothers hung back, but not the middle child Anthony. That is why he is in the picture with me.

Anthony's family started a fire with a big old log. It struggled a long time. Mom was trying not to show them the girl scout way and I could tell it was killing her. Finally they fanned it into a flame that began to thaw their burgers. Mom offered to get the grill out, as it was about dark thirty by then. Just then the log finally caught fire, as did their burgers. They all ate and crawled in their little oversized van for the night.

Next morning Anthony and his brothers and his dad all had a dip in the lake. Dad finally jumped in, and the boys all stood shivering up to their knees but no deeper. All of them had on their swim goggles. Pretty funny sight. Mom and Dad both said it was not very nice to keep looking at them, but they were such cheap entertainment. All that and a lakeside view for $15 a night. Just pay the first nations lady when she comes by.

We spent another day on the Cassier, a long one for us, 240 miles, because there was nothing between the park and the next possible camping place. Mom drove a lot because Dad has another cold starting (yick!). Mom said the scenery was Switzerland again. Mountains with snow and wildflowers everywhere.

We stopped for the night at a combo cabin/hotel/rvpark/heliskiing operations. It was quite the palace too. It had a sauna, a workout room and a HOTTUB. The hottub had three employees in it who had spent their day off floating on a lake and freezing their buns off. They were trying to warm up. After a while they got pretty warmed up, thanks to a bottle or two of wine, and one of them started group singing. You know how Mom is on talent nights, and she was pretty impressive when she could remember the first AND second verse. Of course these girls learned the songs on CD's and mom still has the original vinyls in her collection. Janis Joplin, the Beatles, etc. Dad said he couldn't tell if anybody was on key or not. He's a great audience that way. One girl got so warmed up that she offered Mom something Bill Clinton never inhaled. Mom said no thanks, it might make her want to start smoking again, the cigarette kind of smoking, which she has not done for 25 years. Mom headed for the showers and to bake some brownies, just in case the very thought of inhaling made her want chocolate.

We were lazy the next morning, the last RV to leave at 10 am. We had only a 100 mile day planned, a side trip to Stewart and Hyder on Glacier road, so named because in 32 miles you can see 20 glaciers. Bear Glacier is the biggest one. Hyder is in AK, so we made one more border crossing we hadn't planned on. But we had to cross the border and go down the pothole road because there is a bear viewing site where the salmon come to spawn. US Govt built it. Platforms just like the ones at Brooks River on Katmai, except so totally accessible....well, if you want to drive the Cassiar and go to Hyden. When we got there, the ranger said I could not even put one paw outside the RV because it would either run the bears off or make them want to eat me. Phooey. Well, there were only two salmon spawning in the creek, so no bears yet. Any minute though, everyone says, they are going to be fishing and training their cubs to fish. So we bumped back into town and crossed the border again. Empty handed once again in the salmon bear category.

Dad went grocery shopping in Stewart and Mom and I walked out a boardwalk to the estuary. It was raining one minute, sunny the next. That's Alaska. Wait ten minutes and the weather will change.

We found a spot at Bear River RV park where I can have unlimited longline but I have to come in at dark because of the bears. Mom walked me out a very nice rodent smelling road to the river. She was looking for bears the whole time.

I've had a pretty good day. It was a three walk day. Can't get much better. Except if I could catch one of those squirrels, grounded or ungrounded.

8,019 Miles

Here's my picture just so my readers know I am alive and well. As a matter of fact, I have never been better. It's been two months since I had to go to the groomer, and that in itself is better than a t-bone. And I have been on the best walks of my life since mom bought the long line.

Starting with Valdez, I walked the bike path with a mowed expanse adjoining it, but not so mowed that there weren't places to find smells of other critters,like birds, and fuzzy little things. Once Mom walked the whole circle path around the town and I came home pooped out. It didn't rain till we left Valdez, so that was great. I got morning and night walks.

Then we drove up the Richardson Highway through the rain, looking once again at the incredible waterfalls in Keystone Canyon, and took the Tok cutoff to Tok. There, Mom walked me to the post office, which was about a mile one way. I was once again exhausted coming home. The Post office is next door to Burnt Paw, which has sled dogs and sled dog equipment. I was whimpering with eagerness, but mom said no way. No more 120 dogs barking at me as far as she was concerned. The Burnt Paw sod roof log cabin had a lawn mower up on the roof. Pretty funny looking.

Next day we took off on the Taylor highway for Chicken, Alaska. Chicken was named chicken because the miners didn't want to have to spell ptarmigan. Dad said mom got to choose one dirt road for the trip, so this is the one she picked. All the cars coming toward us were pretty brown, but she said the scenery of the Top of the World Highway was going to be worth it. I thought Chicken would be a big deal for me, but all I got was a quick relief walk and then I had to wait in the RV while Mom had chicken noodle soup for lunch and shopped in Chicken Mercantile. It was pouring rain, which dad said would mean we wouldn't have any dust on the road.

I thought it was scary. The road had no guardrails, and it was twisty and windy. And muddy. Teregram was chocolate dipped. Later on mom and dad would discover there was mud inside every storage compartment. When we crossed into Canada, the road was paved, and it really was on top of the world. All those mountains we had driven around on switch backs from Chicken to the border? We were driving on top of them now. They were glacially rounded and incredibly soft and green, kind of like Montana was. Right on top of the world we drove, with no guardrails on either side, and steep drop offs if you messed up. It wasn't raining any more, so you could see what would happen if Dad didn't pay attention. I started biting my claws, I was so nervous.

About halfway to Dawson City, the road began to alternate dirt and paved, and it began to rain again. Mom kept laughing about how she picked this road for the scenery, and all she could see was the road, sort of. Then it got really exciting. The road ended at a river, the Yukon. There was a bit of land jutting into the river, and Mom said was she really supposed to drive on that little spit of land? Onto that tiny ferry? The river was boiling. Really full outside of its banks, and brown muddy. And it was still raining. It looked very unfriendly, but it worked out okay. We made it to the other side of the river to Dawson City and I started breathing again.

Now, I don't mean to be critical, but Dawson City looked old. Like saloon girl days old. During the gold rush in 1898, 60,000 people lived there. Now there are 2,000 or so, all of them walking around in period costume like a century hasn't passed. Walking in the mud of the dirt streets. Sure, they have wooden sidewalks, but to get from one sidewalk to the next is MUD. Peeling paint, some things restored, some not. And the lady at the RV park said we would want to stay a week. I have this feeling she likes to gamble.

Mom said we would go to the museum, but that was all she wanted to see. She says she is not into either gold mining or gambling. So she and dad went to the museum and learned more about the gold rush and saw some miners put on a mock trial. They saw a movie about the city too. I got a walk in the morning when the rain finally stopped, and there was grass, so I was just fine with Dawson City.

Next day we started down the Klondike Highway. It follows the Yukon all the way from Dawson City to Whitehorse. Do you know that is 500 miles? All those prospectors, after hiking from Skagway up the Chilkoot Trail 45 degrees vertical, with 1000 lbs of stuff, would build boats on Bennett Lake and then in the spring, they floated 500 miles to Dawson City.

Something else funny about the Yukon. It used to flow the other way. Then the Tintina Trench opened up and some land came over from a sea bottom, and all kinds of things that just amaze me how the world could do that, and then the drainage reversed. Is that wierd or what? Of course that was a long time ago, before I was born, and before the ice ages too. How on earth did geologists figure that one out? Who knew about plates and such? The trench sits on the biggest fault in North America. Scary to think the earth could rock like that again while I am in the Yukon.

Tonight we are in Carmacks. Carmacks is one of the few towns that survived after the Klondike highway was built. Before the highway, steamers made the trip from Whitehorse to Dawson City downstream in 36 days. Took 80 to return. It was the highway of the territory,that river. Towns were built on the river. Then the highway was built, and Carmacks survived because it happens to be on the highway as well as the river, but the other towns died away when the steamers stopped running. Do you know that downstream is north? That seems backwards if you are from Texas.

Views are wow (that's what mom says when she looks out), looking down into the valley with the river pouring through it. It's a wide and mighty river, the Mississippi of the Yukon Territory. The Yukon is spitting distance from Teregram tonight, and there is an incredible boardwalk for a couple of miles along it. Mom walked me till I cried uncle tonight. She can outlast me with this new long line thing. Then she made me a bucket of ice water and gave me a new rawhide. Life is pretty good here in the Yukon. I am on my best behavior the next day or so, because we are going really close to Frank Turner's Muktuk Kennels, and I sure don't want to be left there with his 120 dogs.

7, 206 miles Yikes, bears!

Mom's friend Miss Debbie is deathly afraid of bears. She will swim with sharks, not a problem. But when it comes to bears, she is sure Mom is going to get mauled.

Well, she is right! This last week in Anchorage (now that's a big city you know) a jogger got bowled over by a mama bear. Then a teenage girl on an all night mountain bike race got mauled in the same area. It's a big park on the edge of the city, and area where bear experts say three major bear trails converge.

The paper is full of nothing but bear news. Who sited what bear where? Sign on and post your findings and photos! Mom went to the botanical garden yesterday, and they had seen a bear that very day. All the docents went home after seeing the bear, leaving the visitors to wander alone in bear country. On our walk today, we saw a sign that said "Bear and two cubs sighted right here!" It was two days ago though, so I could not even get the scent.

On the Russian river, the game warden picked up two yearlings and relocated them. They have taken to chasing people for food.

So who is in the right? The human, or the bear? They both like the same area. Tranquil creek, salmon running in it, nice trail.....who can blame them?

All I can say is, I am SO glad that Mom bought me a bear bell. I don't want to meet a bear, and I don't want to meet a moose either. Moose and dogs don't mix. I'm with you, Miss Debbie! And since I know you will be swimming in Galveston Bay all weekend, please be careful about those sharks!

6,523 miles

My life has taken a turn for the better. In Seward, Mom finally got it that I need more exercise. Actually, she got it before, she just couldn't figure out how to do it since there are no fences and she doesn't jog. My habit of running away means I will never be allowed off leash.

She went to a little hardware store in Seward and bought me one of those retractable leashes. All these years she has refused, and now she thinks it is great. I run all over the place, she walks her normal pace, and I get lots of exercise.

I also get in a bit of trouble. I have taken to bush diving. I just LOVE the smells at the periphery of trails, streets, walks. That's where all the good stuff happens, as every dog knows. Mom has been dragging me out of the bush since she bought the new leash. Another thing that drives my nose crazy is the beach. Wow, is that a sensory overload. Now I can run into it, just like off leash dogs do.

This morning, Mom walked me on a boardwalk across a marsh. For a while, I stayed on the boardwalk, but just when she let down her guard, I leaped. I bounced around the marsh for a while, and she was saying, oh well, okay, whatever, and then she realized I was hip deep in muck. I paid quite the price with a hose later for that little bit of fun.

The whole family drove up Skyline drive, and I went bush diving at a scenic overlook. Mom ignored me for a little while, and guess what! I came up with a baby something. Like a mouse, or something. Mom felt bad, but I felt like a proud hunter.

Mom and Dad kept me in the RV most of the rest of the day while driving up the Sterling Highway. They looked around a quaint, all natural, little Russian fishing village called Ninilchik. It was settled by Russian Aleuts years ago. There was a volunteer showing the inside of the church, and she talked about the village and clams and eagles as well as the church. Mom wanted to know what the extra crossbars were on the Coptic cross, and she knew all about it. She's really from Montana, but she prefers living here.

Dad spotted a moose, and mom went back down the highway to photograph it. No moose. She said he sent her on a wild moose chase. Then she looked up the side of the hill and there it was, trucking off to somewhere. It was a pretty big one. Then she spotted another one grazing on the edge of the highway. That one was easy to see.

Finally, we came to Kenai, a little village on Cook Inlet with a Russian Orthodox history too. Mom took me walking along the bluffs above the inlet, and it was windy and cool. She says it was frosty, but I think it was the wind that made it feel cooler than 50 degrees. We saw the little church and the chapel that marked the graves of Father Nicholai somebody, the original parish priest, and his helper, who were the first to bring the small pox vaccine to the community. What I liked best about the chapel was the yard. It was mowed grass, but along the edges were excellent tall grasses to jump in. Mom took a little video so you can see me sniffing. What you can't really tell is that the mowed area is on the edge of a bluff dropping off to to Cook Inlet. Would have been such fun to slip the long line to go down there! Maybe tomorrow!

5.973 miles

Mom keeps picking up puppies. I sure hope none of them sticks. This one was at the Iditarod Museum and Headquarters near Willow. Willow has been the restart of the race the last two years as Wassilla was light on snow. The ceremonial start is in Anchorage, but that's hokey, with celebrities and paying passengers. The real thing is the next day. We met the son of the founder of the Iditarod, along with his dogs. His two sons run the race now, and his dad last ran it at age 80. He gave me three booties that his dogs had worn in the Iditarod. (that is one hard word for my paws to keep typing) So now I have one bootie from the Yukon Quest and three from the Iditarod. I feel very special. Next time I start chewing my paws, I will be wearing famous trail booties.

We are in Anchorage now. We moved to an RV park on the Chester Creek Trail. I LOVE the trail. I can walk for miles with no cars. Our other RV park was on too busy a street. Besides, Mom said she wanted to move to a park without permanent occupants whose license plates expired in 1994. Mom and I tried to walk into the little park next door to our former RV Park, but there weren't any trails. Finally, we found the trail that was off leash ok for dogs. Mom said I probably couldn't be trusted. Here by Chester Creek is much better. We just walk down to the creek and start smelling the woods.

In our new park, I am very popular. The people next door used to have a Sammy, and the lady took off with me walking the minute she saw me. Her husband, who is running the Summer Solstice Marathon tomorrow, took me for a little jog. Then another man came by with smoked dog bones for me. His dog has rejected them. I loved it! I gave him kisses his next trip by, and then he brought his dog to meet me. Part Aussie, Part Border Collie. Finally, another lady came by, and she was from El Campo and she came in and talked and talked. Then her husband came in and talked and talked. I am so popular here.

Today Mom and Dad rode their bikes on the Chester Creek Trail. It connects with the coastal trail that goes out by Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm. They said they love the trails and they intend to go again and again. Save a little energy for me, Mom!

They went to the Alaskan Heritage Center today. The natives talk to you and tell you their stories. Most of them are young people, and they know their villages, their clans, their ancestors, their customs, their language. Very interesting. They tell you anything you want to know. The games demonstration was especially interesting. They compete in native games internationally with people from Finland and other midnight sun countries. There are also dances. That's what they do in the winter. Gather in their communal lodged and dance.

I found it pretty boring, because I had to stay in the RV, but I heard some lady had a poodle on the trails. I just hate it when I don't get to go and then another dog does. A poodle too! Not even a real dog.

We saw a moose in a pond on the path to the Heritage Center. I hear there are lots of them in Anchorage. Maybe I will meet one on the path.

5,592 miles

Oiy! Am I having trouble with my days and nights. Sunset about 1 am and sunrise at 3 am. All that seratonin is nice, but I am getting sleep deprived. Mom and Dad sometimes stay up too late too. Then we are all grumpy next day. Worse yet, they close all the blinds and I am not ready for bed yet. But I love the weather. No rain for several days, lots of sun, and really cool nights. Just like November at home.

We have been hanging around Fairbanks since we left Chena Hot Springs. Mom and Dad like the University of Alaska Fairbanks a lot. Stunning Campus on a hill with ultra modern white buildings jutting into a blue blue sky. Especially the Museum of the North, which is supposed to resemble the crevace of a glacier. Mom says they learned all about winter there. Do you know that the sun is rising and setting in the south now? In the winter it will be in the north. Has to do with the earth's wobble. Spring and fall it will be "normal". They also saw Blue Babe, the mummy bison 30,000 years old. If you click on the title of this section, you will be at the museum site and you can see for yourself.

Alaskans are an independent breed. The girl working in the museum was born in a tent while her parents were building their cabin sans plumbing. Some Alaskans cross county ski by moonlight in the winter. It takes a certain mindset. But mostly they love the wilderness, and so they are willing to endure the winters.

We also visited the Large Animal Research center on campus. I was not allowed inside, but we were parked right by the Muskox and I got to whimper out the window at them. You think I have issues with hair? They have the warmest coat on the earth. There were babies, too. They are born at 25 pounds and gain a pound a day in their first year. Got to get tough for the winter. There are about 4,000 muskox in the wild in Alaska. They defend themselves against predators by forming a tight circle, horns facing out.

Here at the Large Animal Research center we found out that a reindeer is just a domesticated caribou. Caribou migrate, reindeer don't. It takes several generations for them to adapt to domestication. The huge antlers on the male caribou here had only been growing a month. As soon as the male takes a bride and defends her honor in the fall, off come the antlers.

Just in case you think mosquitos are bad where you are, you should be glad you are not a caribou. The mosquitos drive them crazy. They suck several pints of blood a day out of a caribou. Zaps their energy.

Rudy a German student led the tour. He said the caribou won't cross roads in their migration, so they may end up in a less desirable wintering ground than they had in mind. Rudy is getting a masters in Global Warming Politics. UAF has extensive lines of study in this field. Since Alaska is doing the melting, seems appropriate.

I was welcome to walk in the woods with Mom on campus near the botanical gardens. I had to wear my bell because there was a sign about moose in the forest. I was also welcome at Creamers Field on leash. Creamers Field used to be a dairy farm, and now it is a migrating waterfowl refuge. I have never seen so many birds in one place. I thought it peculiar that I could walk the trails with all the waterfowl in the field, but I couldn't get near the birds if we stayed on the path. Mom walked me at least 3 miles into the boreal forest. I wonder what she is thinking? That I am getting too porky? Had to nap the rest of the day.

Dad and Mom have been biking too. Mostly Dad, because Mom takes me on a walk and she says she can't do both. Not enough daylight she says. I think that sounds pretty hoaky with 22 hours. She should be doing both.

Fairbanks has trail upon trail for road bikes, so Dad is now up to four or five days in a row, riding every day since Tok. Today Dad fell in with some Race for the Cure riders, and this morning we met the Tour de Fairbanks going up the Steese Highway. Lots of hills and two serious peletons in that group.

We spent one night at a campground up the Steese Highway, and mom walked me there too. That was the night I got in trouble over squirrel barking. Like, who can hear me with the Chatanika river making all that noise? I won't mention that she collected rocks and hid them under the seat of the RV. Dad wanted to go up that highway to see the Alaska Pipeline. They were big old pipes. Yep, sure were big. There are also a number of satellite tracking stations up the highway, including Nasa's. Phone home, ET.

Mom's phone got to North Pole today, and it works too. As soon as she reads the instructions she could probably call somebody. Now that we have that taken care of, we can leave for Denali. I sure hope I get to see wildlife.

4,701 miles

OH MY GOSH! What else can I say. I stepped out of the RV and this is the greeting I got. 120 pack animals telling me I am NOT one of them. I was SO intimidated! I was quickly led to a pen by Manuella, the intuitive German girl who is the kennel manager and carpenter. Things quieted down after that.

The owner says there are no alpha dogs. Only he is the alpha. If you ask me, they were all alpha dogs compared to me....

Mom and Dad took a 3 1/2 hour tour of this sled dog musher's operation. Frank Turner has finished 22 of the 25 Yukon Quest races from Fairbanks to Whitehorse. He is plumb nuts about his dogs. There are 120 of them because he keeps his retired dogs till they die. Every dog has a name, and Frank knows them all. I think after a while he has to get creative on names. One litter he obviously named for spices. Teregon, Ginger, Nutmeg.... Really! Almost as bad a my litter named after a TV show.

It takes $3,000 a month to feed the dogs. If he did not have an army of volunteers, I am sure Frank would be eating kibble himself. For example, there is a French girl there who is an attorney at home. But she is on sabbatical scooping poop and hauling water. When Frank does the race, he does get some sponsors, but not like those in the Iditerod. This race is 1,050 miles long, in February, at 50 below.

In the summer, Frank does not run his dogs taking tourists on sled runs on wheels, like some kennels do. It is too hot. Instead, he does these three 1/2 hour tours. In the winter, he does dog sled tours. He has row upon row of parkas and sleeping bag and bunny boots for the guests.

Let me tell you about boy vs girl sled dogs. The boys pull harder, and they are stronger. But they run willy nilly, looking for squirrels and moose. The girls keep the team on track. They are focused. When the humans went on the walk with the sled dogs, it was the boys turn, so Frank Turner, the musher, warned them to leave room between for the boy dogs to run. The boys just run without looking. I saw it for myself.

I was a little concerned when Mom picked up a 7 day old puppy. It went to sleep in her hand and I was afraid her motherly instinct would kick in. She said not to worry, I don't have to be a pack animal. I can remain the only dog. But I am a little concerned about food. Frank felt my ribs and said I needed to be on a diet.

After the tour, Mom asked him to look at my paw. I have been chewing my back paw. He found a red spot where I have licked it to death. He said to put my medicine on two times a day and keep it dry. Then he put a bootie on my foot so I could not chew! I had to humor him. He was a dog whisperer.

All I can say is, I am just fine with being an only dog. This pack mentality is for the birds.

4,060 miles

 

It is such a good thing that I was on bear watch today. This mom and three cubs was grazing by the highway, eating some of their 20,000 calories a day, mostly vegetation. They grazed and paid us no mind. I was driven to serious whimpering! Three of them had to poop while we were watching. No wonder. Their diet sounds like the old Pritikin health plan, where you ate about a bushel of raw veggies every day.

Dad requested the historic hiway bypass at Mile 17 over an original wooden bridge, the only one still in use from the 1942 construction of the Alaska Highway. It is 531 feet long. A little wierd driving on a wooden deck. Dad tiptoed over it, but the kamakazee RV driver in front of us didn't even slow down. He had one of those 40 foot diesel pushers with a tow vehicle behind. You could hear him using the engine breaks as he roared past us down the 6% downgrades.

We also crossed the Peace River Bridge, another big deal. This river needed a bridge right away during the war, because the ferry across the river could only take so many trucks per hour. After two bridges washed away, the army built a suspension bridge that lasted until 1957. The current bridge was completed in 1960, and it has a metal grate desk. There was a work crew spraying primer on it when we crossed.

We took a lunch break at Shepherds Inn, where mom and dad had buffalo burgers served by a young girl from Germany, and I stayed in the RV. Mom was not going to clean my feet again after our first stop where a water truck was driving around turning the dusty road to mud. She says she is going to have to mop the RV tonight because of the tracks of my paws.

Dad wanted to stop really early, but there was that mud thing at the first campground, and then Lub and Abners was a ghost town. A first nation guy with a headband and tie dye shirt came along on his bike, and he said, "Sure, stay anywhere, but there's no water, and the electric pole just fell down, so there's no charge." "Hey, you guys are from Texas? I named my kid Dallas. I love the Cowboys." I could not wait for Dad to get out of there. Just too wierd. You should have seen the guy's house. Vines were growing inside the window.

So despite not wanting to come this far, we are in Fort Nelson tonight. Tomorrow is Muncho Lake, a highlight of the Alaska Hiway, and then the Laird Hot springs. Once again, give me gold over hot, but whatever makes Mom and Dad happy, I vote for. Wildlife viewing is supposed to really pick up. We saw moose signs all day, but they like to come out at dusk. Do you really think we are going to be driving the RV around at 11 at night?

3,775 miles, and here we are at Mile 0

 

Yep, we made it to the first mile of the Alaska Highway. Now, 1200 more miles and we will be in Alaska. I have settled into the routine and am eating nicely now. I was on a starvation diet for some time. You can check today's photos to see me trying to get my own food out of the pantry.

This morning Mom and Dad got out those silly bikes again to ride around Chetwynd looking at chainsaw carvings. They said there are lots of them, but more remarkable, all the buildings have murals on them. Mom was thinking it was supplemental income for a chainsaw guy, and sure enough that's what it is. The visitor center said a chainsaw artist came for the international competition last June and stayed all summer painting murals. He was from Nanaimo. Try spelling that town.

Mom says if the package absolutely has to be there tomorrow, don't start in Chetwynd. She needed to send something back to the states asap, and went looking for Fed Ex. The information center said she could send Fed Ex from the post office or the 5th street cottage flower shop. The post office said no way; best we can do here is 8 days. The cottage shop said, no, just UPS here, but go to the bus station for Fed Ex. The girl at the bus station said she had not a clue. Later mom tried again at the visitor center in Dawson Creek, and they called Puralator. The eager information girl had not even finished her one hour briefing of the next two days for Carl when the Puralator lady walked in the door.

We walked all over town taking Milepost zero picture. You can see one above and more in the albums.

Tonight at Mile 0 campground I met a real honest to goodness sled dog and a WOLF. The man walking the wolf said we should not be introduced personally. Later Mom went back to take photos and ask about the Wolf. 11 years ago the couple was at a wolf show in Alaska. The show was going out of business, and there were these adorable black puppies. They took one home to Arizona, along with a real sled dog from a mushing kennel. The wolf can't live alone. Has to be part of a pack.

It's been an interesting experience they say. They keep her away from people because she is pretty nervous about people, except for them. She has a strong sense of smell and rolls all over new smells, like new lotion on the wife. She's lived 4 years beyond the average age a wolf in the wild lives, and her arthritis is bothering her. This is the first time they have brought her back to Alaska with them.

Meanwhile, I sit outside my little RV and talk to any passers by. The lady in the next RV kept asking me to sing my song for her. I obliged a couple of times.

3,512 miles

Mom says this is my Sound of Music photo. She posted a whole series of me and the mountains and the flowers.

You already know I am the official goodwill ambassador of the trip. Three nights in a row I have been a friend to Germans. Actually, I think one group of them is following me, because tonight is the second night I have greeted them. The man reminds Mom of Jimmy Scruggs, a friend of hers. His wife comes over and goos at me, but she does not pet me. Drives me crazy. Finally she petted me tonight. Mom subtly asked questions to see if they were following us. No, they are going next to Prince Rupert, and from there to Vancouver Island by ferry.

Today I greeted a Husky from Saskatchewan, and boy was he enamored of me. His mom says he gets crazy for girls. Check out the photo of him fawning all over me on our photo site.

And now I have been put in charge of the bear count for the trip. As if I were not busy enough. We have three so far, one in Banff, and two today on the Yellowhead highway. Mom says I must not whimper, but I must let them know when I spot one. This could be a problem with my naps. It is so much easier to find elk. They are everywhere. But black bears do stand out against the meadows. They are all very busy eating grass and not so interested in me at all, but some are very shy and leave before Mom can snap their photos. If Mom insists on putting the bear bell on me, I will never be able to sneak up on them.

Tomorrow is my heartworm dose day, and a good thing. The last two nights, we have started finding mosquitoes. Oh my. That was one thing I was not missing about my back yard.....

3,103 miles

Tonight I am camped at Mosquito Creek. The RV is not more than six feet from the noisy babbling river. Mom had to direct Dad how to carefully back it down here, missing stumps and trees by inches. If Mom succeeds in loading the movie, you will see me dipping my paw in the water. We got here at a respectable time, and I was ready to rumble. I have been left out of all of today's activities, you see.

When we got to Mosquito Creek Camp, in the middle of nowhere about 15 miles north of Lake Louise, I got to chill out in a bed of little bitty pine cones next to the Creek, which looks like a river to me. I attach a photo of what the pine cones did to my butt. You can imagine what happened next. That's right, the dreaded grooming brush. Poor me!

Today Mom and Dad got in an early morning bike ride along the Banff Springs Hotel golf course, which should give you golfing guys greens envy. All the golfers had on those little sweater vests like Englishmen. Dad saw the elk herd cause he was the first to make the loop. Mom was gone forever. It took her almost an hour to go 7 miles. She's talking about that altitude thing again.

Then we took a family photo at the Spray River Falls just below the Banff Hotel, and Mom and Dad took off for yet another dip in the hot springs. Why on earth anyone would want to soak in hot water is beyond me. Give me snow any day.

Waiting in the RV during the Safeway stop, I understand. You should have seen Mom trying to park the RV in that little lot. Wish I could take a video sometime.

We left Banff and 30 minutes later we pulled off the Bow River Parkway at Johnson Canyon. I did not see a single sign that said no pets, but Mom and Dad went on an hour hike into the falls without me. They said they climbed up catwalks and changed elevation 30 meters. That's like a whole football field. I could have pulled! When they came out, they had a girl velcroed to them who was wearing a pink cap that said "I survived brain surgery". She was talking a blue streak about all her after surgery symptoms. Like instead of Deja Vous, she has something like Never vous, where nothing looks familiar. From the way Dad was nodding, it looked like she had total control of the conversation.

I did enjoy when Mom rolled down the window to take pictures of elk by the road. They have the worst winter scraggly coats, and their horns are so funny looking. Not pointed, but round, and all covered in something that looks like velvet. There were so many deer and elk roaming Banff that it got to be almost ho hum. We saw an elk with a tag in its ear and a radio collar going right down the main drag. I supposed they are monitoring him since he is making a nuisance of himself. Three strikes, and he is out of there!

I am the international ambassador of goodwill from our RV. So far I have been petted by people from Japan, India, several provinces in Canada, and Germany. Just since I started counting.

There's been a disconcerting interruption in my nightime hanging out on the longline habits. Rumors of dog eating animals have restricted me to quarters after dark. It started with Bears in Yellowstone and then Coyotes in Fort Mccloud and Banff. Makes a dog worry too much, you know?

I LOVE the night temperatures. Going to get down to freezing tonight again. And tomorrow we drive up the Icefields Parkway. That sounds like my kind of day.

2,779 Miles

After two days of rain, no thank you very much, I got so stir crazy that mom was forced to walk me between showers. She was frequently wet because the breaks were pretty short. I cannot tell you how many times I have been towel dried. No wonder they call the place Great Falls. Nothing but water! Mom said a lady in the bathroom was worried the Missouri River would flood the RV park. Mom thought that with at least three dams downriver, that seemed a little silly. Last time it happened was in 1960.

Then this morning, things improved. I got to go off leash in the dog run, where I encountered both a rabbit and birds. I was streaking from one end to another. Dad fixed the tailpipe, and then the microwave. It was catywompass. He had to fix the windowshade earlier. Seems like there is always maintenance to do on the RV, just like at home. When he finally came back in the RV, he was carrying the shreds of the Obama sticker.

Mom remarked today that the scenery was incredible. The hills were like green moguls, she said. Then she got into taking photos of wheat storage silos. You will need to check out the photo link to see them. She thinks she is Ansel Adams now, or maybe even Steve Babbitt.

I found 89 north from Great Falls to be very winding. In the middle of the day, ponies crossed the road in front of the RV as we came around the bend. I have never seen a herd of ponies, much less free ranging ponies.

Finally, when we arrived at the campground in St Mary just outside of Glacier, in the middle of nowhere, Mom let me escape. First time in almost 3,000 miles. I have been waiting for my chance.

True to form when I escape, I ran the hills. Johnsons just opened for the season today, so thank heavens there was not much traffic. (No one wants to camp yet when it is 41 degrees in the middle of the afternoon. I think we are the only ones here.)I ran up the hill to a new cottage being built and a worker lady caught me and brought me back down. The photo is Dad and me after I was captured. Later this evening, while I was outside on my longline, deer crossed the hills above the RV. I didn't bark, just whimpered.

Mom and Dad went to dinner at the cafe run by the RV camp. The original owners are in their 90's, but they are still here. Tonight's special family style dinner was chicken fried steak. I can't think of two foods I like more, chicken and steak. Mom said she wrote in the guest book that she wants to marry the bread baker.

Somebody at Johnsons has a sense of humor. Here are some of the things Mom read while waiting for dinner.

How far is it?

It is about 55 miles across Going To The Sun Highway.
The Canadian border is about 20 miles.
Calgary is 180 miles north, and Great Falls is south 160 miles.
We don't know how far it is to New York or San Francisco. Go to the bottom of the hill and turn left, ask when you get closer.

Answers to the most frequently asked questions:

No: The wind has never blown like this before.
Yes: The Johnsons live here year round. We usually open in late April and close in late September.
The bathrooms are in the lower dining room, down the stairs to the left.

If you want to read more about Johnsons, Mom linked their website to the title of this section. It's a new blog trick she just learned.

The workers are all bright and chipper and glad to see us. Later on they will be pretty tired of company. The eager worker in the office said that if we go into Glacier early in the morning, we will see a herd of 100 elk. He says the Going to the Sun road is not open all the way yet, not until July, but the first section is open.

After that little jaunt, we are going to cross into Canada and Waterton Lakes. I am so excited about leaving the USA, I am sure I won't sleep. My papers are ready! Hope they don't take away my dog food at the border....these kind of thoughts keep me up nights.

2,179 miles

.

OH MY GOSH. My first snow. It happened on May 21, just 11 days after my 6th birthday. I cannot believe I have waited all my life for this, and what happens? Mom puts me on my long line, and I take off into the field. Whoosh. I am sunk down to my hips. I had to hop back to the edge. I always thought snow was white, but this was a little dirty. Mom kept asking me to go potty, but I couldn't figure out where. This was definitely not grass.

My fear of taking care of my business in the snow continued all day. We had more and more snow. When we got to Yellowstone, it was a blizzard, by Texas standards. You can see the stuff on my ears in the photo. Finally, about the third time Mom took me for a walk in it, I made it yellow. No big deal.

Walks in Yellowstone were a bit scary. Right at the edge of our camp, folks had seen a bear that morning. Everyone said I was not to be left outside the RV alone. The Aussie walking back to his RV warned me, in between warm greetings like the poor thing had not seen another dog in weeks.

The next day, when Mom and Dad were driving around the park, I saw buffalo everywhere. Boy did I want a piece of that action. They just wander on the road like they own it, and I want to go right out the windshield. Once, Mom jumped out to photograph some elk walking on the lawn at Mammoth Hotel, and I almost went right out the open window after her. Dad was too quick, or we would have had elk for dinner.

I really like snow now. I sit in it, walk in it and pretty soon I might be rolling in it. I like the wildlife even more. Makes my mouth water.....

Blehhhhh!

I ain't afraid of no bears!

1,688 miles

For two days I have been in Rapid City playing with Jem. I could not have been more surprised that there was dog living here. Mom had told me there was a cat, and I would confined to my dog house and the long line. Imagine my astonishment to drive up and be greeted by the newest Babbitt, Jem. He joins his cat sister Scout.

So, Steve, that's the Dad who said over my dead body is a dog going to live in this house, said Daisy can sleep in the house and the cat won't mind. But I couldn't help myself. I could not overcome my desire to get the cat.

So I have been pretty much restricted to my dog house, the garage, the downstairs guest area with the stairs closed off, and my long line. If only I could control myself!

Jem loves to play with me....over and over and over again! Since I am older than he is, I am quite the tolerant one, but he does bring out the puppy in me.

AND, there are deer and turkeys in my back yard. Oh to run free!

Before we left this morning, I got to help train Jem about his invisible fence. I got to run outside it while he learned not to break the barrier. For once I was the one with the freedom!

1,140 Miles

Today we stopped in Cassoday, Kansas, self-proclaimed prairie chicken capital of the world. I looked and looked, and no prairie chickens. So disapointing. I LOVE chickens.

But I did bark this morning at a calico cat in Wichita, not much of a cat, a bit scroungy, and this evening at a squirrel in Lincoln Nebraska.

Now you may want to know why there was no blogging yesterday. We had a little oops with the RV. Dad kinda scraped the side of the RV on a guardrail. Stuff flew out everywhere. Scared me to death. I thought it was the end of the world. Dad was more upset than mom, cause he felt responsible, but she said everybody is okay, so why get upset? Good thing she wasn't driving, or she would have flipped the RV instead of controlling it like Dad did.

The door, which got scraped so that it wouldn't stay closed, caused us to go back to Wichita to find an RV service place. 30 minutes later after Dad borrowed their vice, he straightened the hinge so it closes just fine. We have a few pieces of plastic that don't look so nice now that they have duct tape on them. Gives Teregram some character.

Dad ordered a new hinge to be shipped to Yellowstone, and we'll replace it then, just so the seal is better.

The silliest part of the whole incident happened when we were exiting the Kansas toll road and the attendant said, don't come through here. Your steps are out and you are going to take them off. We had no idea we had driven 50 miles with the steps out. We were just really lucky.

We found out at the RV place that the reason they did not retract was Dad took off the screen door since he couldn't straighten the hinge enough to close it. There's a magnet in the screen door that causes the steps to retract.

That was sure silly!

Don't worry I'm fine! Mom's fine! Dad's fine! We're about four hours behind our original schedule, but since we don't know how long we are going to be gone anyway, who cares?

550 Miles

We are in Cushing Oklahoma, the crossroads of the USA. What they mean is about five major pipelines cross in the town. After 9 11 they were on orange terror alert.

Here I am with my dog cousin Maya. She is a very young bouncy boxer. When I first arrived there were FIVE dogs there and that was too much for me. I headed for cover! Then Aunt Katie took me inside where there was only Chloe, a bossy Boston terrior. She calmed down after a while. And you know what? She snores.


Aunt Katie was VERY nice to me. Fed me kibbles and bits, told me I could sleep in the house. I like her and her family a lot. Uncle Kurt rubbed my tummy. Andrea is a dog person too.....she's getting married next month, and I like her too, but I don't know how to describe her. Is she a second cousin? I think so. It's nice to meet cousins.

283 Miles

We're off! I am in Denton tonight. Tonight my grandma and grandpa came over with Onslow, my brother, and Hannah. Hannah is a rescue Samoyed who excels in Obedience Trials. She's part something else. See her blue eyes?

I like to go to Denton because my grandma ooohs and ahhs over me. She says I have such an exquisite face, that I could stop a thousand Iambs trucks. She says I am just perfect. She came to see me even though she had a big sinus infection. Mom has a brand new cold, so they were quite the sickly pair.

For more doggie photos, see my album at on Mom's photo albums. There's a link on the right.

I am happy to report that mom and dad did pack my dog food and my puppy cookies. Unfortunately they also packed the bitter apples spray and they keep spraying my paw and telling me not to chew on it. What can I do? I can't get to the toilet paper to chew....should I chew my pages instead?

Tomorrow night I will be near Stillwater, and there will be dog cousins to meet. I hear one is a puppy who can be quite irritating....

Stressed Out

Oyi! So much to do to get ready for the big trip. Have to pack my dog food, my puppy cookies, my heartworm pills, my food bowl.

Most important is to get enough sleep in before the trip. I just don't sleep well not in my own bed, and besides, we are going to the land of the midnight sun. What's a dog to do about my required 20 hours of beauty sleep.?

This trip is a big deal. I have been hearing about snow and my ancestors and sled dogs since I was a pup. So much pressure!

I can hardly sleep!