Bosco Dog Blog

We do not like Butte. I think these pictures will suffice to explain why.

Joan and I spent about an hour in the morning trying to find a park so I could get a nice walk instead of walking on the sidewalk on busy roads. These two parks both had "NO DOGS ALLOWED" signs up everywhere. Again, Joan was too law-abiding, and ultimately we walked along a road. Interestingly, we were walking along the park and one of the groundspeople said hello to Joan and asked her how she was. That was the wrong question!! Joan started telling him how we'd be a lot happier walking in the park than out on this dangerous road. He said that he thought we were the only people who actually read and obeyed the sign! Well, there you go! In any case, we still do not like Butte MT for their dog-unfriendliness.

We finally got on the road and Hondacar's mileage was at 121,660. We headed along I-90 and then got off onto Hwy 89 south towards Wyoming and Yellowstone. Yellowstone was a trip - we weren't staying there because we are pavement prisoners because it's a national park - but we had to drive through it to get to the Beartooth Mountains. When we came upon these fellows, I started to FREAK OUT, barking and jumping and crying. Joan had to roll up the window, and I think she started to understand why having dogs in any park with a lot of wildlife is maybe not a good idea.

We drove through the north section of Yellowstone.

Outside the park, we came upon more road repair and dirt road for many miles (lots of dust!). We stop at a campground for Joan to eat lunch. It was hot there and had a lot of bugs - all I wanted to do was be in the car to stay away from the bugs. We didn't really like this campground and kept driving. We stopped at another campground but there was no water there and Joan had not filled up our water jugs so we kept going - but it was very pretty was along the river.

We stopped at Colter Pass (8,066 ft.) for the vistas:

Finally, we stop at Beartooth Lake Campground - this was it! Perfect. I didn't exactly help Joan out getting the camp set up.

The camphost told us that the campground had just opened this very day! And, he said that bears had been sighted within the last 10 days in the campground. Eeks! Joan said she didn't have a whistle or any bear spray so we decided to stay close to camp though hiking would have been fantastic.

Here's our lake;

Our campground is at about 9,000 ft. There were smells of pine and the sounds of wind rushing through the trees - very peaceful EXCEPT for the BUGS. Joan actually puts insect repellant on ME and I was very happy about that. We had a fire and were very peaceful and did not see any bears.

Dark clouds flew overhead - rain loomed in the distance. It was cool here. I was happy to have my furry bed in the tent but would rather have slept in the car. Here, you have to put everything and I mean everything away in a locked box or in your trunk when you leave your campsite or the bears are gonna come getcha!

Posted by Joan Hughes at 04:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Well, as I said my stomach growling woke Joan up around 4 AM and she gave me some treats. Since she was already awake, we got up before 6 AM. Joan decided we should go on a short hike so we could get some exercise before a day of driving. In the middle of our short hike (this time we didn't get lost), it started sprinkling. So we headed back to camp and Joan took down the tent and got us in our car ready to go in about 10 minutes. I think that was a record. Hondacar's mileage was at 121,222 to start our day.

Our morning was nice - meandering our way along Hwy 20 - there was a big forest fire here a few years ago so some parts had small regrowth. By 9 AM, Joan left me in the car (no pets allowed!) at the Kirkham Hotsprings. She put her bathing suit on (no nudity allowed either!) and went to soak in the hotsprings. The view is nice with the river rushing right next to it.

By 10:30 we were at Stanley Lake - a nice place to camp but we were not staying here. We walked around a bit and took pictures of McGown Peak across the lake.

We kept driving and got on Hwy 75 north that runs along the Salmon River. We passed the 45th Parallel (midway between North Pole and the equator) today. We also saw lots of signs for "Sportsman Access" - we thought it should not be so focused on MEN since both of us are women! It rained on and off during our drive. We stopped at an uninteresting campsite (the only person there was the host) to eat lunch. I also decided to eat about a cup of food. Joan was thrilled!

From that point on, most of the rest of the day was rain, rain, rain. We did, though, stop at Big Hole National Battlefield, Nez Perce National Historic Park along Hwy 43. Joan had to leave me in the car since it was a national park but since it was cool and rainy, it was no problem except that the mosquitos got in the car because the windows were open and then we spent the next 30 min in the car trying to kill them while also driving. Joan took this picture at the battlefield. Also while we were there, two fighter jets zoomed by very close to the ground and it freaked us both out!

While I was in the car and Joan was out walking a short trail, it started raining again. Before I knew it, Joan was back and we were driving again. It rained buckets after this. Plus, we ended up in a section of the road on Hwy 43 where the entire road was torn up and it was mud. Talk about a way to repave roads. No worries about old Hondacar - they assume everyone in Montana has a truck! We made it through the 10 miles or so of mud safely though our car was muddy. Still raining, raining, so luckily Joan decided to not camp tonight - and that's a good thing because even after we were in our hotel, it rained more overnight.

I was so happy to be here that I ate another cup of food! We were in a place called Butte, MT. I'll tell you more about why we DON'T LIKE BUTTE in tomorrow's entry.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 03:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Joan and I had a great time in Bend, though we wish we could have stayed longer. We fell in love with the place - I like it because it is dog-friendly and Joan likes it because it is bike-friendly and outdoorsy (I like that too). In fact, on Hwy 97 that goes through Bend, there are bike lanes on the highway!!

We woke up and got ready - Here are pictures of my new pal, Angus.

And as is our habit, we took a "family photo" of everyone we visited which included, me, Joan, Glen, and Angus.

Glen went to work. Angus stayed at home. Joan and I went downtown to a coffee shop and then walked along the Deschutes River through town near the Old Mill area. There are paths all along the river on both sides.

In the background behind this bridge at Old Mill, there is an amphitheater and beyond that, the Three Sisters mountains.

Most everyone here is into organic food, kayaking, biking, canoeing, fishing, boating, soaking on rafts down the river, etc. etc. If we had stayed longer, Joan and I would have never left!

So we had to leave via route 20 eastward towards Idaho. Hondacar's mileage was at 120,853. This is high desert area. All the trees and more trees of Bend area evolved into scrub brush with buttes abounding.

At one point, we almost ran into a deer on the road - phew, that was close. Once again, we ran into the problem that dogs are not allowed in picnic areas in the eastern Oregon rest stops. Joan is grouchy again about this because where is she supposed to eat her lunch with me? It is extremely hot out here again so she can't leave me in the car. Joan smartly decides to start taking advantage of the city parks instead of rest stops. So we stopped in Vale, OR. It is a small quaint town and we stopped at Wadleigh Park and watched all the young people go into the city pool located there. We sat near a mural of the Oregon Trail Expedition that went through this area. The mural was painted by James R. Spurlock in 1999 and is named "Beginner's Luck." As you can see, Joan made me part of the action!

At this park, Joan could use the bathroom, I could lounge around anywhere I wanted and walk through the park with no legal ramifications. Much more friendly than the rest stops!! So we headed out, eventually came to I-84 and headed south to Boise, ID. We drove through Boise's city center to get a look at the place and along Warm Springs Rd. to Hwy 21 that goes up through the Sawtooth Mountains. We even had a helmeted bicyclist ascending into the mountains behind Hondacar. We drove only a few miles up but it is a windy road and finally found the elusive Grayback Gulch campground which is nested within Ponderosa Pines. We chose campsite #14 which was farthest from the highway.

After setting up the tent, Joan and I went walking along the Grayback Loop trail right near the camp. However, we get kinda lost on it, and returned to camp. It was good to stretch our legs despite Joan scraping her leg on a downed tree. Things got worse back at camp. It was really hot, so I just laid down on the ground. But then something bit me on both my ears, perhaps a mosquito perhaps something else. But all I know is that my ears got really hot and swollen. I also wouldn't eat any food (still). Joan said the mosquitos here were BIGGER than the ones in Minnesota which surprised her. One bite through her shirt made a big welt on her arm. At 9:20 PM, it was still light and bright out.

Around 4 AM, I guess my stomach woke Joan up. My stomach was growling really loudly. Joan got up and the next thing I knew, she brought lots of treats into the tent for me to eat, which I did. We again learned our lesson to always put the rainfly on the tent, which we had done. Early in the morning about 5 AM, it started to rain lightly. Since my stomach had woken Joan up and then it started raining, Joan wasn't really asleep, so we got up really early (5:55 AM).

Posted by Joan Hughes at 09:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Today was a big travel day. We were in the car almost the whole day but the end destination was well worth it. We got up super early around 6am and Joan found a slug on our tent. Yuck. She went to the bathroom and broke down the tent and all that while I hung out in the car. I knew we were leaving again! Later she was eating her breakfast and had me on the long leash. I was quiet but right next to the big tent where Tom, Leslie, Patrick, and Margaret were sleeping.

Then, this guy - I think his name was Dave - walked toward us and I started barking at him really loudly! I don't trust him even though he was with us last night. He just gave me a bad vibe, so I felt I needed to protect Joan. In the meantime, OOPS, I'm sure I woke up the whole tent of people! I calmed down as Joan talked with him. Then we packed up our breakfast stuff, Joan wrote a note to Tom, and we left by 7 am!

As we left, Hondacar's mileage was at: 120,320. It was extremely foggy when we left, we couldn't even see the ocean, and Joan had her fleece on. We drove for 3 hours on windy (though pretty) roads all the way to a BIG road called I-5. Just before we got on that road, Joan stopped at a fruit stand. She opened the car door and we were slammed with heat! No need for that fleece anymore as it was at least 100 degrees. Joan bought some fruit (bing cherries, nectarines, avocado), went to the bathroom, walked me around to go to the bathroom and then we headed north.

Around noon, we stopped for gas in a place called Redding, CA where Joan's friend, Rebeca, grew up. Rebeca doesn't live there now but Joan reminsced about her visits up here during college - out on Shasta and Whiskeytown lake. Instead of a lake, we got gas and kept moving. Then we stopped at a rest stop so Joan could eat lunch. Joan was mad for several reasons:
1. There was a sign that said dogs can only go in the "dog area." The dog area, though, was just pebbles and rocks and no grass. Most dogs like to go the bathroom on rocks or dirt, not rocks. We walked around but I wouldn't go.
2. It said NO DOGS IN PICNIC area. Well, where was Joan supposed to eat her lunch then? She couldn't very well leave me in the car because it was well over 100 degrees here. So Joan decided to sit on the closest picnic table - but it was in the sun. Therefore, Joan started to pour sweat. In the short time we were there, her shirt was all wet when we got back in the car.

Later, we decided (with much emphasis on my part) that we should just break these rules. I mean, who is there to enforce them? And it's not like Joan doesn't pick up after me. And I deserve a shady spot - and so does Joan!

While we were at this rest stop, several fire trucks and fire fighters stopped. Later, we suspect they were heading north for what appeared to be a fire near Mount Shasta. (excuse the photography as Joan took it while driving.)

We kept going and 5 or so hours later, after driving through the land of TREES, TREES, and more TREES (follow Hwy 97 to Bend, OR if you want to see TREES), we ended up in Bend, OR! We came here to visit with Glen, a friend of Joan's who went to Guatemala with her, and recently adopted a dog he named Angus, and who more recently move to Bend from Dallas, Texas!

Once we found Glen and went to his house for him to change and pick up Angus, we all headed to the Deschutes National Forest. As we hiked along the Deschutes River, we saw lava beds and beautiful trees. Here are the lava beds:

Later on the trail, Angus and I got to play in the river.

There was another dog there, too, who had a life vest on because he had been in a boat on the river. These guys were pulling out from the river.

Unlike my time with Ella, Angus and I got along pretty well. In fact, Joan and Glen left us in the big truck while they had drinks and dinner in Bend. When they returned, I had kinda made Angus go to the back, which he did, and I was in charge of the front area. But there was no blood or guts or anything - we got along fine with only an occasional growl. Joan reported that Bend was young, hip, and friendly and DOG-FRIENDLY! They have some beautiful bungalows like our house, located along the river. Speaking for myself, I would love to live here.

Glen's house was funny because there was nothing in it! It was cool because we could run around with no obstacles. Joan had brought Glen an abalone but unfortunately he couldn't cook it because the moving company still had all his stuff!! He was still a great host in that he had a blow-up bed for Joan. (He also had a blow up bed so it wasn't like he was living higher than Joan!) I slept fine on the carpeted floor.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 08:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Joan decided to stay another day in Mendocino. Despite it being kind of cold here at times when the fog is in, I was happy about not driving in the car. Here's my day in pictures:

Tom (Joan's brother) and Mike (Leslie's dad) getting read to free dive for abalone.

I'm watching!!

Tom trying to get on shore - the Pacific is not so pacific!

Family photo - see my favorite nephew, Patrick:

Even Patrick's cousin, Caitlin, really liked me. I started to get really comfortable with everyone today. Patrick would run me around the campground, and I even let Tom take care of me when Joan left with her mom to go into town. And I was just fine hanging around camp.

Joan said that Mendocino only has one public bathroom and it was incovenient for her. She should learn to go the bathroom like me-anywhere there is grass! We also went down the beach and I ran through the water and got all sandy.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 08:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Sunday morning, we all went to the dog park again - by the bay! I got to stretch my legs and I didn't even go in the water - that made Joan happy, I guess. We headed back to the car. Joan said goodbye to her good friend, Gina, but I did NOT say goodbye to Ella. I was relieved we were parting ways. I'm sure I used up my good graces with Gina because we dogs did not get along.

We were off again in the car for several hours. Hondacar's mileage was at: 120,148 when we left Berkeley. Joan stopped in a place called Healdsburg where she left me in the car and returned with tea and a scone for herself. We walked to the center square where she sat down and ate/drank. It was a little weird because there were no other of my kind in the square. No dogs. Maybe we broke the law! Joan walked me around the square for bathroom break and then we headed back to the car and got back on the fast road.

We drove on windy roads. At one point, I yelped really loudly at Joan. She pulled over and let me walk on the side of the road. I just wanted to get out for good and stop winding around. On windy roads, I have to stand up and see what's going on. There were a lot of tall redwood trees and occasionally we got stuck behind a big vehicle Joan called a RV. Joan is a good mountain driver and these other people were not. They were slowing us down.

Eventually we ended up back at the Pacific Ocean! However, it was kind of foggy there. We pulled into a campground called Van Damme State Park. Joan talked to the lady in the hut who was expecting us. We drove on and parked behind a big truck, and there was a guy, Tom, there that Joan was friendly with. It turns out he is her brother! Later on, Tom and Judy (whose house I was at in Arroyo Grande) showed up! I was sooooo happy to see them because they were a friendly face. I got to know Tom's kids - Patrick and Margaret. Patrick, mostly because he loved me. Margaret doesn't like dogs so she never got near me. That makes me sad. There was a huge group of people there and they were diving for abalone and then eating it for dinner. The first day I was a little shy.

We went with Tom and Leslie (his wife) in his big truck out to the coast and walked along some trails.

Here are pics from Sunday:

Joan and me on the coast:

View of Mendocino:

The coast:

It was super duper cold in this place. Joan had on about 5 layers she said. Good thing she had that sleeping bag! I wanted to sleep in the car but she made me go in the tent.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 08:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)