Movin' On

We had a great Spring and Summer sniffing the other dogs, squirrels, elk, bears and coyotes around the park, and Dad was obviously pleased by the smell of the wildflowers, so we had little to complain about. But leaving a comfortable place is well…uncomfortable!

One last look at Red Rock road after leaving RedRock RV Park for another winter south.

We left on a beautiful day when all the smells of Fall slowly creep into camp and make a dog happy. Mom had some things to do in Rexburg (not so far from RedRock in Island Park Idaho) so we spent the night in an RV park next to a little lake that was full of good smells (mostly other dogs). Mom and Dad walked with me a few times near the lake so I could figure out who had been there. Dad took my photograph as the big ball in the sky that Dad calls the Sun started its nightly habit of hiding from us. There was rain for a while, but mostly it was a nice evening.

We stayed in Rexburg,ID and I got to walk around Rainbow Lake near the RV Park there at sunset.

We started early the next morning, just when the Sun exposed its blinding light across the Tetons mountains. I got to watch for cows again, as that’s my main job when we travel. There were a few herds, but mostly they have been taken South according to Dad where they prepare for some months of eating in close quarters in large cow pens. Doesn’t sound very healthy to me. When I see the cows I bark loudly to make sure they don’t get in our way. (According to Dad, we don’t want to hit a cow with our RV. Makes sense to me.)

Mom walks me at all the Rest Stops while Dad photographs or rests. (That is what you do at a Rest Stop!)

As we drove West, for a while I sat in front of Mom up front in the motorhome, looking out the big front window. It’s pretty flat land in that part of Idaho with plenty of potato farms to see out both sides of the motorhome. You can see the potato plants, but Dad says the big potatoes themselves are under the ground waiting for a human machine to dig them up. It would be fun for me to dig them up someday. I could do a better job and have more fun too. (Make note to self…)

I get to sit in front of the motorhome and watch for cows.

The land around central Idaho is mostly hard black rock that Dad says is from large volcanoes that belch hot flowing red lava from underground and hardens into the rock I see. We stopped at a rest stop that was full of the black rock. It hurt my feet to walk on it. I don’t think I’d want to meet a volcano. He sounds pretty dangerous to me.

Sitting up front has the advantage that Mom and sometimes Dad pet me a lot. Having my head and back scratched feels soooooo good. Sometimes I just lie down in front of Mom and sleep after that. But then I move back to the couch and prop my head on the back and look out the motorhome. Mom keeps the window open a little bit so I can smell the all the dogs, cows and people that we pass. That passes a lot of time. When I see a horse or cow, I let Mom and Dad know by barking a bit. They seem to get a bit irritated when I do it for a long time, so I try to control myself.

We stopped in Twin Falls, Idaho to see the deep canyon that holds the tiny Snake river far below. We drove over a very long bridge to get to the other side of the canyon. Dad walked me around the edge of the canyon and I looked down. It’s scary because I don’t think I could run back up if I fell down there.

We stopped at the big bridge over the Snake River at Twin Falls, Idaho. I was afraid to fall down there.

We stopped at one of Dad’s favorite places, CostCo. Mom and Dad leave me in the motorhome while they go in to shop. They always come back with a basket loaded with goodies. Often they bring me a treat and lots of good smelling food. I think that is where they get my food and treats, so I don’t mind when they stop and leave me for a while. I out the motorhome and see all the people and their dogs coming and going. So I don’t get bored.

We drove South into the state of Nevada and I mostly slept because there was little to see, and no cows. Sleeping is easy in the motorhome when it rocks back and forth as we drive. Dad doesn’t get to sleep much while he is driving, but I know he gets sleepy too sometimes. Mom talks to him when he gets sleepy because she says he wouldn’t be able to stay on the road if he was sleeping. I don’t pretend to understand how to drive, so I believe her.

We stayed at Wells, Nevada. An old town, but it had a lot of good smells when we walked here.

We stayed for 2 nights in Wells, Nevada. Mom took me for a long walk into town and boy there a lot of smells. Mom gets tired of me stopping and smelling a lot, but she is much more patient than Dad and let’s smell them all. There are some interesting mountains and lakes nearby. Dad took me to a lake and we walked around the mountains. It was a lot of fun because I didn’t have to be on a leash. Dad says Fall is a great time in the Ruby mountains because the leaves turn golden. Hey… I’m a golden… I see why he likes it now.

The Ruby Mtns nearby Wells, NV are fun to run around without my leash.


Angel lake is a fun place in the Ruby mtns to run without my leash.

We drove West again and the land in central Nevada is very dry and rocky with little mountains popping up all around us. I guess rain doesn’t get here much. We stopped in a place called Reno. Dad has a friend there and we stayed at his house which was out in the country. Dad says that one of the good things about traveling in the motorhome is that you can stop to see friends and relatives that you pass close to. His friend Bill worked with Dad at least 3 or 4 dog lives ago in Monterey, CA. He has a large yard that we parked in while Dad and Mom visited Bill and his new wife Carol. They live on the edge of a big marshy lakebed called Swan Lake. Dad took me walking in the early morning and we saw a lot of bunny rabbits, funny birds that walk called Quail, and we saw 8 small coyotes. Dad didn’t want me to bark because he said 8 of them could get nasty to me. So we walked away from them quickly. I kinda wanted to smell them, but.. Dad knows best (usually).

We stayed at Dad's friend house near Swan Lake outside of Reno. We saw a Coyote Pack!!!

We left Reno and drove over the big mountains that Dad calls the Sierra Nevada. We climbed and climbed and then went down 5,000 feet. (That’s a lot in dog lengths!) Then we went to another CostCo. Dad had forgotten to buy a couple things so we needed to stop again. But we had lunch and I got a big treat, so it was fun.

We are now in an RV place next to a river that even if I could talk, I wouldn’t be able to say the name. It’s called the Mokelumne River. Near here it flows into the San Joaquin River. We are actually below the river, because Dad and I have to climb quite a ways up to see the River. Dad says we are under a levee, which is a big long pile of dirt to keep the river in it’s place.

Now we are at the Delta Shores Resort & Marina near Isleton, CA. We are below the levees of the Mokelumne River in the Sacramento Delta of California.

They grow a lot of stuff next to us, including corn (which I eat in my food), and hay for horses and cows, and other plants that humans need. There are a lot of boats nearby and Dad loves the sunrise and sunsets over the water. Oh, there are lots of seashore birds that Dad likes to photograph. We will stay here for about 4 weeks so Dad and Mom and myself can visit with my brother, Damon, his wife, Nicole and my new niece, Chloe.

So, we aren’t in RedRock anymore, but last night I met a couple new canine friends, and I already have a human friend that comes over and pets me. She even remembers me from last year when we were here. So life goes on, and it is good.

Arf,

Reggie

Reggie Visits the Grand Tetons

Dad told me we are planning to leave our summer home in Idaho soon so we must do some more photography while the leaves are turning to gold and red. Of course, he knows that I can’t see gold and red very well, but I enjoy riding in the car with Dad. So yesterday we left in the car before the sun woke up with all of Dad’s photography equipment. I know because I have to find a place to lie down amid all of the stuff he brings.

Our adventure began almost as soon as we left the RV Park. A big Elk ran out in front of the car and Dad almost had me in the front seat after stopping so fast. Then only a minute later another one did the same thing. Whew, we didn’t hit anything and I was OK but geez, can’t the Elk see our big white car coming? It was too dark and the Elk were too quick for Dad to get a photograph, which I think made him mad!

We were headed for the Grand Tetons according to Dad. He said it was a National Park. When I heard him tell me I was saddened because I knew the rules in a National Park kept me from getting out and running around free. But I still enjoy the ride and I know Dad will let me out a lot, even if it is on a leash.

We drove through the forest and Dad let me out to sniff while he photographed. I smelled bears, elk and moose back here!

To get there we took a rough dirt road that cut between Yellowstone and the Teton mountains through the forest. Dad called it Flagg Ranch road. (I never did see any flags on it.) Dad said I should be looking for Deer and Elk and I was happy to do that for him. Dad was more interested in all the beautiful red and gold colors from the foliage on the forest floor and the aspen trees. We stopped a few times for photographs and because this wasn’t in a National Park, I got to run around free.

I found this Deer, and he was surprised to see me.

We did see some some deer and because Dad was trying to photograph them, I didn’t bark. He gave me a treat afterwards to show his gratitude at my silence.

I had to wait in the car a lot because this is a national park, but I could smell from here.

The Tetons are giant mountains that rise up very high and are very pointy and this big river runs through it. I think I have said before that I don’t get excited about such scenery like Dad does. If a place smells good to me, I can get excited, but not about high mountains. So, forgive me if I’m not as enthusiastic as Dad is over this trip.

Dad stopped at several places and took pictures and some of the pictures were of me with the mountains behind. I like this because I get a treat every time I pose for a picture. There are two big mountains, one called Mount Moran and another is the Grand Teton, which Dad says is almost 14,000 feet high (I’m not sure what that is in number of paw lengths.)

Teton Glacier is a big hunk of ice cube moving down the mountain.

Dad says there are several glaciers hanging on the side of the mountains. Glaciers are giant ice cubes that move down the mountain all year around because it is so cold up there. Dad says the mountains are very young and they are so tall because some big thing in the Earth is pushing them up and at the same time, dropping the valley floor beneath them even lower. I didn’t feel the floor dropping so I’d take what Dad says with a grain of kibbles.

Four people lined up to photograph me and all I got was one old treat!

When we first got to the Grand Tetons (from the North) we saw a big lake that is formed by the Snake River (there are no snakes in the river so don’t get excited guys). Dad called this lake Jackson. (Why do humans make names for everything? A lake is a lake, a river is a river, standing water and flowing water… geez they sure complicate things don’t they?)

We stopped at Jackson Lake. Boy would I like to swim, but National Park... no dogs!

Next we went to a bend in the river that Dad called Oxbow bend. He likes it because it has a nice reflection of the fall leaves in the water. Dad climbed to a high hill and left me in the car to watch him. He wanted to photograph the bend in the river from above. Everyone else was down next to me photographing the river and there was Dad climbing through the Sagebrush and weeds to get an even better picture. I’d sure like to have gone with him, but National Park, you know!

Dad climbed to the top of a hill and took this photo of Oxbow Bend of the Snake River (while I waited).

We stopped at several places to take pictures of the Teton mountains. At one place that Dad took my picture, four humans came up to him and asked him if I would pose for them. He said OK. (He didn’t ask me!) It was a bummer because the way I count, I should have received 4 treats instead of the measly one he gave me for that. Humans just don’t understand our nutritional needs! But it was nice to be the center of so much attention.

Another place where there is standing water that gets Dad so excited is something he calls Jenny lake. I looked for my sister Genny, but she wasn’t around. So why call it after her? Dad let me out on a leash for a while to take my picture and it was a nice place to sniff. I left my mark on one of the stone walls, check it out the next time you are there. Jenny Lake is right at the base of this really tall mountain and Dad says it’s beautiful. I usually have to take Dad’s word for stuff like that. We just don’t agree on what is beautiful.

Jennie Lake is a shaded place right beneath a big mountain. Dad let me sniff around a bit... on a leash.

One time we stopped along the Park road and photographed a lone coyote. I let Dad photograph him before I started barking. That was the least I could do. Dad was paying for the gas.

I was pretty excited to see this coyote. I waited until Dad took this picture to bark my head off, then he ran away.

Dad says that the Teton National Park has a lot of Moose but we didn’t see any on this trip. I would have liked to see them, but from the car. They are scary and so big that I’m glad to watch from the car.

Horses were grazing in the National Park, and without a leash!!!! not fair!

We also stopped at this really small church that Dad called the Chapel of the Transfiguration. Dad made a lot of photographs of this building with the colorful leaves and the mountains in the background. Dad called it picturesque. I lifted my leg on the fence outside.

This little chapel was pretty according to Dad. Smell's here were mediocre!

Of course, all the time we were driving I got to stick my nose out of the car window. It was really nice weather and although I couldn’t see the Moose, I did smell them and the coyotes. It’s really tough in one way to smell all these things outside the car as we move along. I have the urge to lift my leg as we are driving at every smell (I wouldn’t do that to Dad’s car, but the urge is there). You humans need to know that it is our urge and you should stop often to let us get it out of our system (so to speak).

Well it was getting late in the day and we headed back on the other side of the Teton mountains to home. Going home was much faster because we didn’t go through the forest. I slept most of the time, except when Dad stopped for another photograph of the mountains. I didn’t mind because I got to hop out and sniff around some more.

Mount Moran reflects in the Snake River. I got to see this view for an hour from the car while Dad photographed his head off!

Well, this is all for this week. All in all, the Grand Tetons is a great place to visit, especially for humans. Dogs will enjoy the smells. I’ll probably be there same time next year, so let’s plan to meet there!

Arf,

Reggie