I would have liked to have composed and posted this earlier in my new relationship with Gia. While it’s not necessarily a need, it is an advantage if I can get into “the flow” before I write and dealing with a reactive puppy with a short attention span is not conducive to those conditions. Be …
Category: The Dog
Soon after bringing Gia into my life we traveled to Humboldt County, CA to visit some lifelong friends who knew and loved my first two dogs (Nohkuma “Kuma” and Willow). After a short visit where my friends put themselves on the line to help socialize Gia the possibility arose for a camping and fishing trip …
Willow passed away peacefully in her sleep in the early morning of Tuesday, September 6th, 2022. Her advanced kidney disease had taken a huge toll over the last three months. She was eating far less and drinking far more. She hated her new prescription Renal Care food with a passion (we tried a couple) and …
My last dog, Kuma, was a Northern Breed (predominantly Karelian Bear Dog). When he was in his prime we played and camped in snowy conditions regularly. With Willow being a shorter-haired sun and heat enthusiast I have substantially cut back on my normal winter camping schedule. To keep both of us on our toes we …
We were down in the Arizona desert hanging out for a few days before meeting up with friends. Our spot was a few miles outside of Quartzsite at a place we have stayed a few times before. Out of the way, the barest hint of freeway noise, no one around during the week and a …
One of the best outdoor writers in America (IMHO) is Tom Stienstra who writes for the San Francisco Chronicle and has done so for well over three decades. In 2008 he wrote an article titled Soul-soaring views await from perch above Heart Lake. In it he beautifully described the hike to and the views from …
While in the general area quenching our thirst to find out about the Corona Satellite Calibration Targets we had seen signs mentioning the Sonoran Desert National Monument and wanted to go explore. Sitting about 60 miles southwest of Phoenix it comprises 496,600 acres of cactus forests among untrammeled plains and rugged mountain ranges. It was …
Arriving in the area just in time for the annual chili cook-off sponsored by the Whiskey Runners Motorcycle Club we decided to find a different spot from our normal place near the base of Saddle Mountain. Turning off of West Courthouse Rd onto West Salome Highway right under the Highline power lines we saw some …
Heading back west for more desert exploration we stopped first in order to check out the Ocotillo Wells SVRA. That first night, instead of camping in the SVRA itself, we took the opportunity to stay on the fringes of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, camp near the mouth of Fish Creek Wash and use the primitive …
Heading back west we decided to spend some time in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park but first stopped by the Ocotillo Wells SVRA information center and decided to explore that area for a bit. Since this was a Tuesday in December the place was virtually empty. After speaking with both a volunteer and a ranger in …