Home Sweet Home!

Today was a LONG day in the car.  Mom asked if I wanted to camp again, or just drive straight through... it doesn't take a genius to figure out my answer to that one!  Anyway, a long flat drive through eastern Colorado and Kansas, then a bit more exciting through MO, IL, KY and TN.  Mom is sorry we had to miss the world's largest ball of twine - it was too far out of the way.  I am not so sure...

Mom's drink

My drink - BORING!

Humiliating - I will not even look at the camera...

The house is just as I left it, I investigated every crevice just to make sure.  When we got in, Mom poured herself a stiff drink.  I asked for one, but just got water - Mom says I am too small for the hard stuff...  She says it is 5:00 somewhere.  I don't get it, because it is just after 5 am here.

We are both haggard from our trip.  Mom insisted I get a bath first thing.  Ugh.  Anyway, now, we are going to bed.  I am incredulous, because we just spent 18 straight hours in the car.  I slept most of the way - I can't figure out what Mom's problem is... insomnia, I guess.

and the word for today is WHITE!!!

We watched the sun rise at Balance Rock

Delicate arch

Our walk along the Colorado River

Vail pass

Look at all the snow!

So, I managed to get into trouble first thing this morning...  I didn't wake Mom at 4 am like usual, and decided to entertain myself.  I ate the rest of the camping marshmallows (white food), and most of a gobstopper.  The gobstopper was cool, because you could roll it along the ground and pounce on it - in fact, that is what woke Mom.  The gobstopper also left great streaks (white) on the hotel carpet, which Mom had to clean up on her hands and knees.  She was not pleased, but I was full and happy.  We stalled a bit this morning at the Arches National Park, because it was snowing in Colorado...  However, once we did cross the border, we noticed that it was still snowing - great white clouds enveloped the mountains.  Mom pulled over and found a nice long hike for me, in hopes that the snow would pass.  It did not, and boy was the sky full of it.  Mom's knuckles were white while driving through it.  Her face even went white when we got stopped by an accident - we were stuck in a tunnel drilled through the mountain!  She said she was glad I was there to keep her sane - guess she forgave me for this morning...  Anyway - we stopped so Mom could collect herself at Vail pass, before the roller-coaster ride into Denver.  Mom was checking out the snow, and stepped in some kind of hole - she was buried up to her ears in the white stuff...  The folks at the rest area had a good laugh, and I guess I got the last laugh of the day, when she emerged covered in white...  Too bad we don't have a picture of THAT!

So much to see!

Snake River, Idaho

Shoshone Falls, ID

Welcome to Nevada!

The salt flats in Utah



Making sure Mom is OK while she photographs the salt flats...  Notice the seatbelt.



Great Salt Lake.  Yucky drinking water.

I am exhausted.

We saw SO MANY THINGS today.  I am exhausted...  Mom picked a different way home, so that we could maximize our trip...  Unfortunately, that means we have to drive longer each day, or we are going to be late.  We started off while it was still dark this morning, and finished under a full moon.  I don't particularly like water, so I was not thrilled with the number of aquatic stops today.  Then, the one place I decide I am thirsty, I am shocked by the most salty water I have ever tasted.  Blech.  Mom kept stopping for pictures - I had to keep my eye on her, since she is traveling alone...  Tomorrow, we are going to see canyons, and then maybe go for another hike in Colorado.  Mom can see I am getting stir crazy again.  Have I said how much I hate the seatbelt?

On the road again...

This should have given her a clue...

Holy snow!  All of a sudden, and a LOT!

Back in the rain in Oregon.  What a difference a week makes...

This morning was rainy and miserable in Seattle.  I hate rain.  Mom made me go out in it anyway before we got in the car (that's one of her rules - use the bathroom before you leave the house).  I was so tired that I immediately fell asleep.  The last thing I remember was Mom telling me not to worry - we were going to try to drive out of the rain today.  Boy, was she right!  Out of the rain, and into the snow - what a pretty sight (she's not the sharpest - I had to remind her that rain turns to snow at 5200 feet).  Anyway, that slowed us down a bit, so we ran back into the rain and never made it out.  Tonight, we are at a hotel (yay!) on the Oregon/Idaho line.  Tomorrow should be a beautiful drive.  I hope the rain lets up...

To market, to market!

My play place

Heading downtown

At the market

The waterfront is pretty. I like to watch the boats...

I feel silly in this jacket

I really want to catch a seagull

Mmmmm.  Wine bar...



Fell off my stool, and slept under the table.  Note the silly jacket...

 Mom picked me up early today, just like she promised!  We went to the market and walked along the waterfront.  I tried to hunt seagulls like I do pigeons, but they chase me!  There were so many people and wonderful smells from the restaurants - I was in vacuum mode, and was able to snarf up several available morsels from the sidewalk, much to Mom's dismay.  I had to wear a silly jacket, because no self-respecting Seattle dog is without one when it is raining outside.  I won't tell her, but I sure was happy to have it when Mom and her friends stopped at the wine bar...  It kept me warm as I rested under the table.  The wine kept Mom warm, I think... 

Anyway - I was a good dog, and slept under the table while Mom and her colleagues talked.  Then, we walked back to the hotel, and I promptly fell asleep.  Tomorrow morning, we will go to the market again to eat cheese curds before we head back across the country.  I wonder what we will see next?!?

It's finally raining!

Aside from a small stint in Montana, it has not rained during our entire trip, even here in Seattle. Today, though, is going to be different.  We walked to day care in a light drizzle, and the rain is supposed to intensify throughout the day.  I am excited, because Mom is going to pick me up early, and take me to the market! I hope there are a lot of pigeons on the way...  I lose all sense of control when I see them, and they taunt me by flying a few feet ahead of me and landing again.  Maybe they have some for sale at the market...

I know he saw me!

Last night, we went out for our last walk. As we reached the curb, I saw a TON of police motorcycles lining up on the street. I wondered what all of the commotion was about... Then, I saw him. The President of the United States drove by. I waved to Mr. Obama, and I know he saw me and thought I was quite a fine dog. Mom was cursing again, because she was in her PJ's without her camera. She would have liked a picture of me waving...

This morning, I was still looking for him on my way to daycare, but he was gone. I had a good time today with my friends - Mom knows, because she could check in on me intermittently on the webcam.

Is this what "dog tired" feels like?

Today began with another city training session. Not to toot my own horn, but I am getting pretty good at this stuff... Mom had to be in laboratories all day, learning new ways to treat wounds, like the ones I had. She was afraid I would be lonely, so at lunch she brought me to a dog play center, where I spent the rest of the day with a pack of dogs my size. I got to take cookies home, and they said I am welcome to come back tomorrow. We'll see. Tonight I am so tired that I barely got up to meet our friends Danielle and Becca who have also come for the conference. I must be dog tired...

We made it!

This morning, I woke up early and called to my new friend Claire, who promptly jumped on us.  Mom made us go back to bed until 6:30.  Then, Claire and I ran around like idiots until Mom tried to take a picture of us.  I hate pictures, so I hid.  Now it was time to get back in the car, so I waved goodbye to my new friends and we took off, seatbelt on.

The drive across Washington was fantastic.  I still can't get over the scenery.  Mom knew that I had been really good in the car for this entire trip, so she planned a hike for us today.  We climbed through Snoqualmie Pass...  Four whole miles at high altitude, and I led the entire way!  Mom was really excited, because she found a great geocache.  I found a small dog tag in the box in memory of another canine cacher, and we picked it up to bring back to Tennessee (see the picture of me next to the pile of rocks and sticks - the box was hidden in the pile.  The little green tag is on the steel to my left). 

When we arrived in Seattle, I was really excited that we were going on another long walk.  However, this was my first "city training run".  I need to learn to walk really close to Mom; to walk when she does and stop when she does.  I have to cross the street on the walk signs, and learn to do my business on the curb.  There is a lot to remember, and all of the work made me really sleepy...

Walla Walla...

What a great day! This morning, we broke down our icy tent, and headed through the mountains of Idaho into Washington.  We took a little detour to visit Mom's friend Sarah in Walla Walla. I was road-weary, and really appreciated the stop.  I made two new doggie friends who shared their toys and food with me - thanks Myrtle and Claire! Mom got to shower and do laundry, so now I am the only thing left that reeks of campfire... Anyway, we will get back on the road again this morning, and Mom says we will be "there" today. I have no idea where there is, but if it is anything like Walla Walla, it will be fantastic. I also hope there has a real roof, and not a tent...

Montana is cold!

Today, we made our way across Montana. Really beautiful countryside and stunning mountains. Right before the continental divide, there is a place that looks like Gods rock garden. The mountains are made of heaps of boulders - just amazing. Tonight, we are camping again, and I let Mom make a fire, because she said it is a "two sleeping bag night". She's right, because I'm curled up in them, too! Mom's pen won't write in her journal it is so cold - I told her she should blog. She just shook her head...

A day off the grid...

So, we didn't get very far west today, because Mom spent way too much time in the badlands...  Because it is a National Park, I had very restricted places that I could spend out of the car.  That was OK, though, because I didn't really want to visit the badlands.  I asked Mom to take me to the goodlands, but she must not have heard me.  Anyway, when we drove past these little rodents that jump out of holes in the ground, I had plenty of energy and tried to jump out the window.  Mom thanked someone again that I had my seatbelt on...

To help with my cabin fever, we had a picnic lunch with a nice long walk.  I got to chase grasshoppers (not as good as the rodents would have been, but ok).  Then, we went to see a bunch of rock carvings, after which Mom thought she'd take an alternate route back to the highway - way off the grid (as if the badlands weren't enough).  We did see a beautiful sunset in Wyoming, and since we hadn't found anywhere to camp yet (and it was 38 degrees already), Mom took me to another hotel.   Since she doesn't have fur pants like me, it would have been cold without a campfire...

Accomodations...

So - I'm really thankful for that bed last night, because tonight we ARE camping. In a tent. Outside. On the ground!  Right now, I am hiding in the tent, because I am afraid of campfires... Of course, Mom didn't know that until she built a righteous one...  She felt bad, so the toasted marshmallows made up for it. Goodnight!

People in Nebraska are really nice...

Today, we took a few detours, so Mom could do some Geocaching... One such trip took us to Nebraska. The exit we had to take was closed for construction, so we had to take the back roads. Mom took my seatbelt off for a little while, so I could put my head out the window for a bit. We drove down crazy gravel roads through cornfields... It was great. There was a toll bridge right before the cache. The toll-taker was a really nice man, who gave my Mom change, and me a cookie. Yum. People in Nebraska are nice.

Speaking of that seatbelt - I am glad Mom got it. The speed limit here in SD is 75, and Mom keeps complaining that 80 in the slow lane is too slow (she keeps shouting, "this isn't the !#$%=& Autobahn" - insert any curse word you want, she's used them all...

Talk to you in the morning...

it is about time I got some respect!

So, I think I could get used to this traveling thing, despite having to wear a seatbelt... What happened to the carefree days of hanging one's head out the window and enjoying the breeze?  Getting to laugh hysterically at Mom while she was trying to take a picture of a giant arch made up for it (notice, there is no arch picture attached). Too funny!

 Anyway, we are somewhere in Missouri, and rather than camping tonight (which Mom wanted to do - ugh) we are in a hotel.  Thank goodness for a late start!  The folks here love me, and I even have my own bed.  Wonder what tomorrow will bring?!?

... and away we go!

Sasha Brown is all set for the trip to Seattle! She promises to post stories from along the way. Her Mom has nothing to say at the moment (shocking), as the novocaine is still wearing off from the dentist this morning!