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