Our Next Stop

Hill City, South Dakota. The family wish list of things to see and do was too much to fit into three days. Besides that, the KOA was so much fun, the kids didn’t really want to go anywhere else! It was great for me, lots of trails to roam.

The kids enjoyed the planned activities - day and night, the water slide, miniature golf and, their favorite, the jumpy pillow.

The grown-ups were finally able to drag the kids away from camp to ride the 1880 Train in Keystone,

see the Crazy Horse Monument and exhibits,

 
and, of course, to visit Mount Rushmore.

(No dogs were on the 1880 Train; dogs are only allowed in the parking lots at the two monuments. - D)

Everyone had so much fun, they said they couldn’t wait to come back* and spend more time.

The real world beckoned, Mark had to go back to work, so the Stearns said ‘good-bye’ to South Dakota but the kids weren’t ready to go.

Two sad kids in this picture. To add to Garrett’s disappointment, he is just realizing that the shuttle taking them to the airport has nothing to do with space.- D

A storm rolled into the area soon after they left. There was a hard wind, thunder, lightning and rain came down in buckets! My playmates were gone and now we couldn't even go outside because it was scary out there!

But the next morning came and it was beautiful. Soon we were back on the road.

 *And we did! In 2010, the Stearns bought their own RV and Genie asked the kids, “Where do you want to go for our first trip?” They answered, “Mount Rushmore.” - D

Meeting Up With the Family

The next stop on our 2008 trip was Omaha, Nebraska. A family reunion was being held there. This reunion isn’t particularly dog-friendly. Lucky for me, we have our motor home but that means Mike and Dana have to drive to all the events. They don’t seem to mind.

We almost didn’t get our camp spot because the owner took one look at our license plate and told us he didn’t care for Californians and if we were too loud we would be kicked out of his park. That had never happened to us before so we were a little surprised but Dana turned on the charm and by the time we left, he didn’t think all Californians were so bad. (She said he reminded her of her grandpa.)

This was Mike’s family, so he had a lot of catching up to do with aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. He even visited an uncle in the hospital. There was a bit of nostalgic site seeing as well as a visit to the Henry Doorly Zoo and Union Pacific Railroad Museum, without me. Of course, there were picnics and lots of visiting – the main reason for family reunions, but I missed out on most of it.

After the reunion, the Stearns family piled into the motor home with us and we took off for Mitchell, South Dakota. We stayed at a nice KOA there and visited the Corn Palace – I should say, they visited the Corn Palace, no dogs allowed. That night there was a terrific storm. Dana woke up because she could hear the awning bouncing. Mark and Mike went out and rolled it up, just in the knick of time. When they looked over at some of the tents, they were flat as pancakes and the people were still in them. Those tent campers are a hearty crew.

Then we were back on the 90. We made a stop at Wall’s Drug Store – like no other store you’ve seen. It date backs to the earliest days of car travel but it’s grown a lot since then.

Finally we arrived at our next stop, Hill City!

And then we went to...

Then it was on to a quick stopover in Colorado, after passing through more interesting landscape, like a tunnel and a river right next to the highway.

I checked-out some local art and found a place to cool my paws.

 

Beautiful Breckinridge was next.

Then it was on to Atchison, Kansas, and relatives. I met a new cousin – Rocket, a pocket dog.

And some people cousins, too!

The Stearns family caught up with us while we were there. Now Atchison is one of those places you just might drive on by if you didn’t have family to visit but if you get the chance you should stop. It’s right on the Missouri River...

I don't know who took this picture, but can you see me?

It was made famous in the song...



The Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe - sing it Judy!



And it’s the birthplace of Amelia Earhart.

 

 

And it’s a great place to have a picnic.

 

Next stop - Omaha!

OK, I think we’re back. Computer issues one week, did taxes the next – EEK! So here’s our 2008 trip. Hope you like it…  -D
 
Our first stop was Cedar City, UT. We took a drive up to...

This is on our drive up the mountain.

It is a beautiful place and if you get the chance, stop and check it out.




Dogs were allowed on some trails, so I got to see... 

one of the oldest trees in the world – a Bristol Cone Pine.

Once we get into the monument area, dog access is very restricted. Too bad, though, it's sure pretty there.

 

 

The local KOA  was nice and the staff always had dog treats handy. One thing - this is a patriotic town. On July 4^th, a canon is fired as soon as the sun is up, very early.  No one had warned us so Dana and Mike thought we were being attacked! When they looked outside, no one else seemed the least bit concerned. Hearts were racing, so there was no more sleeping.

Next day, we headed to Green River, UT, for an over-nighter. We took I-15 to I-70 and actually stopped at some of the designated viewing stops along the way. We were sure glad we did!

Hope to see you next week!

I Joined the Family

I know I promised to start a trip this blog but I forgot this was my “adoption” week - 9 years ago on Valentine’s Day.

I was so happy to have a new home!

By the end of my first month, I had quite the toy collection and I liked everyone of them.

Even at this young age, I was always looking for the coolest place in the house!

It took me awhile to figure out, I wasn’t a lap dog.

You could always find me trying to fit in the most peculiar places.

And doing interesting things.

I was growing into quite a handsome fellow, if I do say so myself.

A lot of excitement for a young pup like me!

Apologies for getting this out so late - computer troubles. -D

Down Memory Lane

Our motor home is going to be sitting for awhile because Mike’s vision is still in recuperating mode. I don’t think he can see good enough to get the motor home out from between the house and fence, none the less, down the road. So, for the next few weeks, I thought I’d talk about some other trips we’ve taken over the years.
Take the year 2008, Dana’s first year of retirement. We did a lot of trips that involved family. We went to see the kids down south to celebrate birthdays, holidays,

baptisms, graduations, and just hang out.

We drove to track meets, Disneyland,

the lake,

 sight-seeing

 and we attended dance recitals. That was a busy year.

See, you don't have to really travel far to have fun in an RV - you can just drive far enough to change the scenery or be with people you love. I've discovered, the more people you love around you, the more fun you'll have, too.
 

Day by Day

I’m sure you’ve noticed, some weeks just aren’t as exciting as others. I just had one like that because my best buddy, Mike, had eye surgery. Most of the time he feeds me, holds my leash, does poop duty, lays on the floor with me, brushes me - well, you name it, he does it. Dana knows how to do that stuff, it’s just that he likes to do it - well, maybe not the poop part.

So, when Mike is down, I rely on Dana but she makes me do more work. When it’s time to eat, Mike comes in, mixes my dry with either carrots or string beans and, once in awhile, adds a dollop of whip cream. When Dana feeds me, it’s a big production. I get all excited about a meal but when she sets the food down, I have to sit and wait by my dish holder until she tells me, “OK!”. What kind of deal is that? Mike gives me treats all the time; to get one from Dana, I actually have to do something - roll over, high five, chase my tail, shake, etc., etc.

Mike had radiation in his eye last week, which meant I couldn’t get close to him and neither could any other living thing so no walks for him. Dana would put on my leash, we would walk out the gate and I would turn around to wait for Mike to catch up … but he didn’t come. I should’ve caught on, but I did that every day he had to stay inside. So Dana would give me a little tug and off we went. When I'm with Dana, I have to stay close to her, no stopping to sniff and see who else has been on the sidewalk. Once I get to the park, though, she relaxes and I get to smell - Ahhh.

One other thing I can tell you about Dana, she is a very good poop picker-upper, tries to get every last bit. She tells the grandkids, “If you can’t pick up poop, you shouldn’t get a dog.” She tries to be tough but I have seen her gag a couple of times.

With that radiation in his eye, that meant no hug-times for me from Mike. He finally got the plaque out so we are working our way back to normal. He has been going for our walks again, but he is a little off-balance so Dana usually holds his arm and/or my leash. Dana is doing all the driving, which she isn’t that fond of but since Mike can’t see, she doesn’t have a choice unless we just stay home.

So our family is in transition, each of us learning new ways to cope with Mike not being quite himself and helping him get back into the swing of things. Of course, that’s what families are for!   

Have a great week!